Cornish Game Hens always sounds so lovely, but the few times I’ve made them they’ve proved tricky to eat because of the bones. Maybe a cavewoman wouldn’t have a problem, but to tackle with knife and fork is tough.
So last night I experimented with boning my first game-hen. Boning or de-boning? Either way is gramatically acceptable but sure doesn’t sound like a very delicate procedure, and let me tell you, it’s not. Dismantling what was once a living creature is a little gruesome at first, slicing through tendons and shearing off rib cages, but in this case so well worth it, that it didn’t put me off my carniverous paces nearly as much as killing that poor lobster did.
I saw some chef-in-training on tv once bragging he could bone a bird in four minutes. I think it took me a good 20. I had thorough instructions, courtesy of Cuisine at Home, and though I floundered a few times, wondering what in the heck I was doing, I just forged ahead until the bones were out and the hen flopped open.
After this floppy little bird is all boned, it is stuffed, folded up, skewered and trussed into a tidy little bundle (not as much work as it sounds). It is then roasted in a hot oven, 450 degrees for 35 minutes or so. The point of amazement comes when you sit down with knife and fork and are able to slice right through the bird, carving off a neat, juicy little mouthful of breast meat and stuffing.
Last night was just practice. The dish in its entirety will be Stuffed Roast Game Hen with Pomegranate Sauce. I won’t be able to make it until I happen upon a few pomegranates at the grocery store. Alternatively, I could probably concoct a sauce out of apricots or some other fruit, but I think I’ll wait for the elusive pomegranate--elusive in Red wing, anyway.
9:17:20 AM 
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