OLD WORLD CORNISH HENS BAKED IN SALT

Serves 4

This is one of my personal favorites. When it's brought to the table, this dish looks so impressive that I can still remember the first time I saw it, which was more than ten years ago. When the hostess brought the platter with the four cornish hens, we couldn't be sure what we were getting. It looked like four chicken-shaped pieces of white pottery in the exact shape of cornish game hens, only a little larger. Our hostess explained that she had coated the cornish hens with a half-inch layer of salt, and then roasted the hens in this casing. To serve the hens, she took a small wooden mallet and gave each shell a sharp whap. Each time she did this, the shell would crack into several pieces, revealing the fragrant and beautifully-roasted game hen inside. I thought the hens would taste salty, but found instead some of the tenderest and most succulent chicken you could hope for.

8 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 bunch fresh rosemary or thyme, divided

4 fresh Cornish game hens (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each)

Ground pepper

4 18 x 18 inch squares heavy duty aluminum foil

2 boxes (48 ounces each) Kosher salt

2 1/2 to 3 cups water

Preheat oven to 400oF. Place 2 garlic cloves and a sprig of rosemary in the cavity of each hen. Season with pepper. Fold wings back and tie legs together. Place a hen on each sheet of foil. Fold in edges of foil to form a nest with sides 1 1/2 inches high. Leave a border of 1 1/2 inches between hen and foil. Remove hens from nests and reserve. Place nests on heavy baking sheets. Fill eac

h nest with a layer of salt, 1/2 inch thick. Return hens to nests. In a large bowl combine remaining salt with enough water to make a heavy paste. Use hands to mold salt around each hen enclosing it completely in a layer of salt approximately 1/2 inch thick. Bake hens for 40 to 50 minutes depending upon their size. To serve: With a sharp knife, carefully cut around the base of each hen following its shape. Use a spatula to gently lift salt covered hens out of nests and onto platter. Decorate platter with sprigs of rosemary. In front of your guests, crack salt casings with a mallet and dust off any remaining salt. Garnish hens with sprigs of rosemary.

Note: If you want to try this recipe with a 3 1/2 pound chicken, proceed in the same manner as for the Cornish hens, using 1 box (48 ounces) kosher salt and 1 1/2 cups water. The cooking time would is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Chicken Recipes - The Perdue Chicken Cookbook

Copyright (C) by Mitzi Perdue - Used with Permission

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Chicken Recipes

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