Ingredients
10 cloves garlic
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper
2 (1 1/2-pound) Cornish hens
Olive oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded
and small diced
1/2 medium onion, small diced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
3 cups chicken stock, divided
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose
flour
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh
parsley, for garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375
degrees F.
Prepare the hens: In a mini
food processor, pulse the garlic and 1 teaspoon salt to a paste. Using your
fingers, make a pocket between the flesh and the skin of each Cornish hen.
Stuff half the garlic paste between the skin and the flesh of the hens, evenly
covering by pushing the paste along the flesh from the outside. Rub both hens
all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and a grind of pepper. Cross the
legs of each hen and tie together with kitchen string. Set aside and allow to
come to room temperature for about an hour.
In a baking dish large enough
to hold both hens, mix together the remaining garlic paste, the bell pepper,
onions, cayenne pepper, paprika, a pinch of salt and a grind or 2 of pepper.
Place the prepared hens on top
of the vegetables in the pan and slowly pour in 2 cups chicken stock. Place in
the oven and cook until the temperature reaches 160 degrees F between the leg
and the body of the hen when tested with an instant-read thermometer, about 40
minutes.
Remove the hens from oven and
remove from the pan to a plate. Cover lightly with aluminum foil to keep them
warm while making the gravy. In a medium saute pan, melt the butter over medium
heat. Add the vegetables from the baking dish and the flour. Whisk the flour
briskly until it is combined with all the pan contents. Add the wine and let
reduce. Take a sip of wine for yourself; you've worked hard. Stir in the
remaining 1 cup chicken stock. Taste and season with salt and pepper, and then
cook until the sauce has thickened to a gravy consistency, about 5 more
minutes. To serve, remove the aluminum foil from the hens. Remove the string
and cut in the birds in half. Pour the gravy over the top and garnish with
chopped parsley.