Roasted Cornish Game Hens and Morel Mushroom Sauce

When I decided to have a Maya Monday Funday a few weeks ago one of my first orders of business was to make dinner for my parents. I figured I’d incorporate some backyard morel mushrooms into something tasty and delicious, but I wasn’t sure what exactly that would be. Then I opened the freezer door and discovered Cornish game hens. I love Cornish game hens but haven’t cooked them in a while—immediately the wheels in my culinary mind starting turning and I knew what to make. Roasted Cornish game hens with a morel mushroom sauce sounded like a plan to me!

If you want to recreate this dish, here is what you’ll need:

2 Cornish game hens
½ cup white wine
½ cup chicken or beef stock
lemon juice
garlic
salt
pepper
morel mushrooms (sliced)

First rub the Cornish game hens in olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. 

Meanwhile, heat up some olive oil and butter in a cast iron pan around medium to medium-high and right after the butter bubbles sear the birdies in the hot oil.

Place pan in oven at 450 with a few cloves of garlic scattered about the pan.

 

While the bird roasts take the opportunity to create a liquid mixture of a half-cup of white wine, a half-cup of beef or chicken stock (I was all out so I used a box of French onion soup), and a splash of lemon juice.

After a half hour pour the liquid mixture over the hens and reduce the heat to 350. Be sure to baste every few minutes to make sure the meat stays nice and moist.

While the hens finish cooking slice up mushrooms and sauté them in butter. When the hens are done, remove the liquid and add it to the buttery mushrooms to reduce into a nice gravy. It will take about ten minutes. You can also add a little flour to help it thicken up.

 

 

When you take the hens out cover them in foil to keep them warm. They need to sit for about ten minutes, which is the perfect amount of time to make the morel mushroom sauce.

I served the game hen with fiddleheads (recipe coming soon) and baby red potatoes that I roasted whole with olive oil, garlic, sea salt, rosemary, and a little red chili pepper. Enjoy!