Cat Cora, the first and only female Iron chef, cooks up a Thanksgiving-inspired feast using pomegranates and Cornish hens.
Pomegranate-Glazed Cornish Hens with Wild Rice and Chestnut Stuffing
There's nothing like glazed Cornish hens for a special occasion, and a chestnut stuffing makes them even more special. Most grocery stores carry jars of vacuum packs of peeled and cooked chestnuts, which make this part of the recipe easy. (But if you do spot fresh chestnuts in the shell and feel ambitious enough to roast and peel them, your efforts won't be wasted.)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup wild rice
- Kosher salt
- 2/3 cup peeled, coarsely chopped chestnuts
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh savory
- 4 Cornish hens (1-11/2 pounds each)
- Olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup pomegranate juice (found in the juice section of most produce aisles)
- 2-3 cups chicken stock, homemade (you can use store-bought or water)
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- Pomegranate seeds, for garnish (optional)
- Rinse the rice in cool water, drain and add the rice to a medium saucepan with a lid. Add 3 cups cold water and 1 teaspoon salt. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring once. Immediately reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook for 45 to 55 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325ºF (162 ºC).
- While the rice is cooking, spread the chestnuts on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove the chestnuts from the oven.
- In a large bowl, mix together the rice, chestnuts, onion, and herbs. Set aside.
- Turn up the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
- Pat the Cornish hens dry with a paper towel. Remove the livers, hearts and gizzards and discard or reserve for another use. Lightly sprinkle the cavity of each hen with salt and loosely fill with the rice stuffing, leaving a little space to allow the rice to expand during roasting. Truss the birds, if you like. You will have some stuffing left over. Spoon it into a small casserole with a lid and set aside or refrigerate.
- Rub down the skin of the hens with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste and place, breast side down, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Bake for 15 minutes and then baste with the pomegranate juice. Continue basting with pomegranate juice every 15 to 20 minutes. Do this until the hens are dark golden brown, the juices run clear when the hens are pierced at the thigh with a fork, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone, registers 175ºF (79 ºC) to 180ºF (82ºC), 60 to 65 minutes. During the last 25 minutes of roasting time, slide the casserole of extra stuffing into the oven to heat.
- Remove the birds from the oven and transfer them to a platter. Cover them with foil and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Place the roasting pan with the juices on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Add about ½ cup of the chicken stock and scrape up any roasted bits from the bottom of the pan. Sift the flour into the cooking juices and whisk well. Slowly whisk in 1½ cups of the remaining stock. Let simmer until the mixture is thick and smooth, 5 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, place one hen on each plate, nap with the gravy and garnish with the pomegranate seeds, if desired. Pass the extra stuffing at the table.
Option: Pomegranate Balsamic Glaze
I treat this glaze like barbecue sauce, brushing it on once during the cooking and once again when I bring the hens out of the oven. Then I put the rest in a small bowl and pass it at the table as a sauce.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- Combine pomegranate juice and balsamic vinegar. Heat over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mixture is syrupy but not as thick as molasses. This makes about 1 cup of glaze. The glaze keeps in the refrigerator for up to one month.
