I often experiment with recipes and rarely make one exactly as it reads. I am definitely a kitchen witch . . . a little bit of this, a little bit of that (no, I don’t use eye of newt). My one-of-a-kind cast iron cauldron makes whatever I cook turn out wickedly good. And recently, Condon resident Rick Knoernschild carved me a lovely soup ladle out of juniper so now the cauldron is complete. Thank you, Rick, for such a thoughtful gift.
When I met with Rick to pick up the ladle, we talked favorite recipes over a beer at the Wild Sage. He told me about his red currant glaze for poultry. The recipe is equal parts melted butter and red currant jelly.
I ordered Wilken & Sons red currant jelly from Amazon (which, by the way, was the best jelly I have ever eaten) and bought two Cornish hens. I brushed the glaze on one of the hens, covered the other with Dijon mustard and put a chunk of butter in its cavity. I stuffed the jelly/butter one with Stovetop dressing. I cut up some russet potatoes into big cubes, tossed them with olive oil and salt and arranged them around the hens.
I popped the hens in the oven at 375⁰ for just under an hour until a meat thermometer read 165⁰. The glazed hen had a beautifully shiny skin that looked like it belonged on the cover of a gourmet magazine, the result of frequent basting. However, the glaze didn’t impart much flavor to the meat. The mustard bird had a tangy depth and the butter kept the meat moist. But as compared to the glazed hen, it looked boring and ho-hum.
But real magic happened when I tasted the drippings from both hens. The sweetness of the red currant jelly, the richness of the butter, and the tanginess of the mustard melded together to create a sauce that was extraordinary. What a happy accident! Now I am going to try this recipe:
Holiday Hens
2 Cornish hens
4 tablespoons red currant jelly
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt
Preheat oven to 375⁰. Mix the jelly and the butter. Rub salt and mustard all over the hens, inside and out. Place a chunk of butter in each hen, put them in a roasting pan and baste with the jelly/butter. Roast for about an hour or until a meat thermometer reaches 165⁰. You can use the fat drippings to make gravy.
This recipe combines the best of both worlds ‒ the beautiful shiny skin from the jelly and butter and the rich, tangy flavor from the mustard and butter. I’m going to make them for Christmas. Festive, fun and fast!