Bridget's Recipe Corner

I was shopping at King Soopers the other day looking for inspiration for this week's recipe corner. It came to me as I was walking past the poultry section and saw that Cornish Game Hens were on sale. Though I don't buy them very often, I really do enjoy preparing and eating them. I have stuffed them, baked them, browned them, but this time I marinated, baked, halved and then grilled them. They were quite tasty and tender and seemingly enjoyed by all. They also made for a fun lunch leftover, though my youngest mentioned he received a few strange looks. I'm thinking he was probably the only one noshing on Cornish Game Hen that day. Oh well... Hope you enjoy them too.
 

Raspberry/Habanero Baked & Grilled Game Hens

3-4  Game hens (or 1/person)
freshly ground salt & pepper

Marinade (divided)
1/2 c. Primo Specialty Foods Raspberry/Habañero preserves*
3 t. dry mustard
2-4 t. spicy brown mustard
2-4 t. Dijon mustard
1/3 c. Cider vinegar

Basting Sauce
Marinade
1/3 c. aged Balsamic vinegar
1. t. spicy brown mustard
1. t. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. ground white pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. Rinse and pat dry hens. Generously rub each bird with salt and pepper and set aside. In small bowl, combine all marinade ingredients, whisking well. At this point, I used two larger zipper storage bags and placed two hens in each. Pour marinade in each bag making sure to spread it around evenly. Refrigerate at least 2-3 hours. Remove from marinade, place in large baking dish and place in the oven. Meanwhile, pour marinade into small saucepan, add the remaining basting ingredients and bring mixture to a boil.  Bake the hens approximately 25-30 minutes. Prepare and light grill. Remove from oven. At this point, I like to cut the the birds in half to make them easier to grill. Place hens on the grill and baste generously. Cook approximately 8 minutes per side, basting before you turn. When cooked thoroughly, remove from grill and let sit for about 3-4 minutes.

I served these with rice pilaf with roasted pecans, a steamed vegetable and a green salad. Shiraz was the wine of choice and it went quite nicely. I might recommend Peter Lehmann Shiraz for $14.99.

* I purchased this at the Denver International Wine Festival. According to the website, you can purchase their product at Whole Foods and Tony's Meats, but I would check first.
www.primospecialtyfoods.com.