Cornish game hen with whiskey and cream sauce. Is the perfect last-minute get-together dinner meal. Easy to prepare, and half of a hen is the perfect balance between white and dark meat. I always have two in my freezer
Preheat the oven at 450º and position the rack in the middle of the oven.
Place a hen, breast side down on a cutting board. Remove the backbone by cutting along both sides with shears or a large sharp knife.
Flip the hen and flatten it by pressing down on the breastbone with your palm. Split the hen in two along the breastbone. Repeat with the remaining hen.
Place on a heavy roasting pan and spread on each half, ¼ of a teaspoon of butter, Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper, and a drop of olive oil. Place in the hot oven and cook for 30 to 45 minutes. Poke the hen while cooking to release any juices.
When done, remove from the oven, place the hen in a dish and cover with aluminum foil and let rest.
FOR THE WHISKEY AND CREAM SAUCE
Place the unwashed cooking pan over the stove and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and let it melt. Lower the heat and add the whiskey, very slowly. With a wooden spoon scrape up any bit on the pan.
Add the shallots and cook until tender, 1 minute. Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil stirring constantly
Add the heavy cream and the lemon juice. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
Serve hot over the Cornish hen.
Notes
TIPS on Cooking with alcoholThe whiskey evaporates as it cooks, leaving a wonderful bold flavor in the cream and butter. Cognac can be used instead of whiskey. As well as bourbon.Be extremely careful when placing alcohol in a skillet. I always remove the skillet from the heat source and turn it off.Placing the alcohol in the middle of the pan is also a safe way of doing it.Keep your eyes on the skillet, of course, pouring away from you, and keep all loose clothing away from the heat source too.When returning to the stove, start with a low flame and increase. Gently swirl it around and add the cream.Serve the cooked cornish with the lemon slices and top with the sauce.
Giangi's Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.