Appetizing Muse

I didn't begin Sunday with the intention of going into a great deal about food preparation, but that's how it worked out. Sometimes I just start writing and can't seem to stop . . .

The last time I had Cornish Game Hens was about eighteen years ago. That's a long stretch by any measure. It's not that I dislike hens, I simply never thought about them in the context of a main meal. However, today was different. I decided if I was going to put together a meal including game hens I wanted it to be something special and not the typical humdrum affair.

I thawed three hens overnight, and then cleaned them thoroughly. I placed salt and black pepper inside the cavities, along with a pat of butter. I also filled the cavities with a stuffing I'd made earlier in the day (see recipe below). I placed the hens on a roaster with a rack and tied the legs together individually. On the outside of the hens, I rubbed a mixture of cold margarine, minced garlic, black pepper, fresh basil and parsley, and a touch of Lawry's seasoned salt. I baked the hens at 375-degrees F for about an hour and a half (more or less), basting them every twenty minutes or so.

The meat was moist and tender, the skin lightly crispy and the flavor of the stuffing was melt-in-the-mouth divine. On the side I had stuffing (see below) and fresh green beans tossed with olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper and crumbled bacon.

As a whole, the meal was very satisfying. Despite their small size, the hens offered up plenty of leftover meat for a sandwich or another poultry concoction. All in all it was a good cooking day.

Sorry, no pictures. I'm a terrible food shot and I finally gave up trying.