Cornish Hens in Wine Sauce
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 3 2 lb cornish hens cut in half or 4-6 1 lb hens
- s&p, garlic pwdr, onion pwdr, paprika to taste
- 1/2 cup raspberry or apricot preserves i like raspberry
- 1/4 cup sweet red wine
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- Carbohydrate 2.57383552648531 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.13533333381592 g
- Fiber 0.0937499986376263 g
- Protein 0.178929166686049 g
- Saturated Fat 0.157180000066642 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (32g)
- Sodium 1.30543741478558 mg
- Sugar 2.48008552784768 g
- Trans Fat 0.0334850000130649 g
- Calories 28 calories
Step-by-step
- Night prior, but not a must, can be done right before: rub 1 T oil into hens. Sprinkle with seasonings.
- Preheat oven to 400. Bake hens for 35 min.
- Meanwhile, or night prior, heat remaining oil, preserves, juice, wine in saucepan.
- Dissolve cornstarch in vinegar & whisk into sauce pan. Add remaining ingredients & bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer until thickened.
- Reduce oven temp to 350. Pour glaze over hens & bake another 45-60 minutes. Basting occasionally.
Avoiding Dry Meat
Roasting whole poultry halves without proper fat coverage leads to desiccated breast tissue. Rubbing oil directly onto the skin before the initial thirty-five minute roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit creates a protective barrier. Basting frequently during the final forty-five to sixty minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit reintroduces moisture from the pan juices back onto the surface.
Managing Dietary Adjustments
This formulation naturally accommodates multiple dietary restrictions by omitting gluten, dairy, and nuts entirely. Sweet red wine combined with fruit preserves supplies sugars for caramelization without requiring refined additives. When substituting the cornstarch thickener, maintain a one-to-one ratio with arrowroot powder if dietary preferences demand it.
Balancing Acid and Sugar
Red wine vinegar introduces sharp acidity to counter the heavy sweetness of apricot or raspberry preserves. Whisk the vinegar and dissolved starch thoroughly into the saucepan to prevent clumping before reaching a boil. Simmer the mixture until it coats the back of a spoon prior to glazing the poultry.
