Cornish Game Hem with Blueberry Reduction & Lemon Rosemary Couscous
This one comes in three parts: the Blueberry-Balsamic Reduction, the Lemon Rosemary Couscous and the Cornish Game Hen itself. In combination, it was an awesome meal. So, first things first:
Blueberry-Balsamic Reduction
1 cup fresh blueberries (frozen can work, too)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Heat water and blueberries in a sauce pan on the stove. As the berries begin to burst, add sugar. Crush berries as you mix in the sugar. Once mixed, add vinegar. Reduce heat to low and simmer to thicken.
You can add it to the food processor to make it smooth if you like. You can also add more water if you like it a bit thinner.
Lemon Rosemary Couscous
Couscous is one of those things that I’ve recently started developing a taste for. But, because it’s often expensive, I’ve discovered that buying in bulk is a much better deal. (Woo hoo to Sprout’s!)
Couscous requires a 2-to-1 ratio to boiling water. The best way to infuse flavor is to add it to the water while it’s still cold, and then bring the water to boil. In this case, I added fresh lemon zest from a California Meyers Lemon (found at Whole Foods!) and a bunch of chopped fresh rosemary into the water. Add in a bit of salt as it comes to a boil.
Because I like a lot of lemon, I also juiced it so I could add a little more flavor at the end.
Add the couscous to the water, remove it from the heat and fluff it with a fork. Add in a bit more lemon juice, if desired. Salt and pepper to taste.
Cornish Game Hen
1 cornish game hen
1 whole orange
2 cloves minced garlic
2 t minced fresh rosemary
3 T butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 c white wine
Pre-heat oven to 350. Rinse, drain and dry the bird. Set it aside in a shallow cooking pan. Cut and peel oranges into 1/2 inch cubes. Stuff inside bird.
In a bowl mix together garlic, rosemary and butter until creamy. With your hands, spread mixture over skin of bird. Tip bird up, and pour wine inside, over oranges. Set bird back in pan, and cook for 1 hour (possibly a bit more if larger than 1 pound).
Note: If the bird hasn’t browned enough for your taste by 50 minutes of cooking, then turn the heat up to 400 for the last 5-10 minutes.
