Ingredients:�
Cornish game hens:
2 rock cornish game hens (16-20 oz each) seasoned with salt and pepper.
2 T butter or margarine, melted.
1 half-teaspoon EACH seasoned salt, ground ginger, paprika
cherry sauce (recipe follows)
orange slices (garnish)
2 T brandy for flaming (optional)
Cherry Sauce:
1 sm can (circa 8 oz) pitted dark sweet cherries
2/3 C chicken stock
1 sm onion, cut into wedges
8 cloves
one quarter tsp. cinnamon
1 T cornstarch, stirred into 1 T water until smooth
one quarter t grated lemon peel
1 T lemon juice
Directions:
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Thaw hens. Set aside giblets for other use.
Cornish game hens:
Rinse and pat hens dry. Sprinkle inside cavities with seasoned salt & pepper. Place breast side up, slightly apart, in roasting pan. Combine butter & seasonings; brush over hens, using it all.
Bake in 350* oven, uncovered, for about 1 hr or until leg joints move easily. During last half hour, baste birds several times with the drippings.
Meanwhile, prepare cherry sauce and keep warm
over low heat.
Cherry Sauce:
Drain syrup from cherries & reserve. Combine 1/3 C of reserved syrup with water, bouillon cube, onion, cloves, & cinnamon in pan. Bring to boil, stirring, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 min. Strain, discarding cloves and onion. Return sauce to pan. Stir water/cornstarch slurry into sauce and cook, stirring, until it boils & thickens. Stir in cherries, lemon peel, & juice. Set aside & keep warm. When hens are roasted, discard excess fat from their pan juices and then stir juices into the cherry sauce.
Presentation:
Arrange hens on serving plates and garnish
with orange slices; keep warm. To flame birds, warm brandy in a small container; ignite (not under an exhaust fan or flammable objects) and pour, flaming, into sauce. While still flaming, spoon sauce over birds.