1847. GRILLED CORNISH HENS with BACON and MUSTARD

makes four servings


2 strips of bacon, coarsely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, smashed
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
cayenne pepper
2 large Cornish game hens (about 1 1/2 pounds each), backbones removed
salt and freshly ground pepper

Light a grill. In a mini-processor, combine the bacon, garlic, mustard, thyme and a large pinch of cayenne and process to a coarse paste.

Lay the hens, skin side up, on a work surface. Press down firmly on the breastbones to flatten the hens. Using your fingers, carefully loosen the skin over the breasts and spread the bacon stuffing under the skin. Season the hens with salt and pepper.

Lay the hens on the grill, skin side down. Set a foil-wrapped brick or a cast-iron skillet on each hen and grill over a medium-low fire for about 25 minutes, or until the skin is deeply browned and crisp. Check occasionally so that the hens don't burn. Turn the birds, replace the bricks and grill for about 25 minutes longer, or until the thighs are cooked through and the skin is crisp.

Transfer the hens to a platter, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Halve the birds lengthwise and serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Jan Newberry, "Ready, Set, Grill," Food & Wine, June 1998

825. CASSEROLE-ROASTED CHICKEN with PEAS and BACON

a.k.a. Poulet Rôti en Cocotte aux Petits Pois et aux Lardons

makes 4 to 5 servings


1 5-pound boiling hen, with feet if possible
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons, unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry vermouth or herbaceous dry white wine, such as Muscadet or Vouvray
1/4 cup crème frâiche or heavy cream
1/4 pound bacon, finely diced
12 sorrel leaves, center ribs removed and leaves chopped

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Turn the wings under the bird and tie the legs together.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the oil in a Dutch oven. Lay the bird on one breast, cover, and transfer to the oven. Roast for 30 minutes. Carefully turn the chicken onto its other breast, cover, and roast for another 20 minutes. Turn the bird on its back, cover, and roast another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced. Transfer the chicken to a platter, cover, and keep warm.

Skim the fat from the juices in the casserole and return it to low heat. If using fresh peas, add them now. Add the shallots and cook until soft but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add the vermouth, creme fraiche, and prosciutto, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half about 4 minutes. Pour any juices that have collected around the bird into the pot. Add the frozen defrosted peas, which only need to warm through, and the sorrel.

Remove from the heat, swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and pour the sauce into a sauceboat. Serve immediately with the chicken.


courtesy of: Parisian Home Cooking: Conversations, Recipes, and Tips from the Cooks and Food Merchants of Paris by Michael Roberts. William Morrow & Company, 1999

257. ROASTED HAMILTON POUSSIN WRAPPED with BACON and STUFFED with POTATOES and SAGE

serves 4


1 lb. potatoes, peeled and quartered
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 poussin chickens, or Cornish game hens
1 handful of fresh sage, thyme or rosemary (all are good)
olive oil
about 12 cloves of garlic
12 strips of lean bacon
1 glass of dry white wine

Preheat your oven and an appropriately sized roasting pan to 425 degrees F. Boil your potatoes in salted water until nearly cooked. Drain and allow to cool, then put them in a bowl. Remove any fat from inside of each chicken cavity. Wash and pat dry with paper towels. Season the potatoes with salt and freshly ground black pepper, add your freshly torn herbs and enough olive oil just to coat, and toss. Then stuff your chickens with half your potatoes and herbs. Put them in the roasting pan with the garlic and the rest of the potatoes and cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. After this time the chicken should be looking as handsome as its inventor and the skin should be crisp and golden. If you are using Cornish game hens larger than poussins, you may need to cook them a bit longer. At this point lay your bacon snugly over the breast meat. Cook for around another 15 minutes.

Remove the chickens from the oven. Take them out of the pan and allow them to rest for 5 minutes while you make a quick gravy. I normally remove as much fat as possible from the pan before placing it on a burner over gentle heat. Splash a glass of white wine into it. Then boil and scrape away all the goodness from the sides of the pan. Simmer this for a couple of minutes. It's not a thick, robust gravy, just a tasty gesture. (A nice option at this point is to add a little cream to the gravy, which works really well.) Served with something nice and green like steamed spinach or chard, and the potatoes pulled out from inside the chickens, it all goes down a treat. Nice one, John.


courtesy of: The Naked Chef Takes Off, by Jamie Oliver. New York: Hyperion, 2000. p. 183 / Johnny Boy Hamilton