In 1974 (certainly aging myself here), my husband and parents took a weekend trip to Williamsburg, Va. The weather was glorious: blue skies and warm November sun.
Being a bit farther south from Harrisburg, the butter-yellow Norway maple leaves were still blazing. My father, a painter and photographer, came home from that trip with countless ideas for sketches and paintings. His beautiful Williamsburg watercolors still hang in my home today and warm my heart with happy memories.
But the food inspired us too. We ate in all the historic taverns, including the first night when the Raleigh Tavern served us peanut soup and rock Cornish game hens—a dinner I have always remembered. I was enchanted.
I bought “The Williamsburg Cookbook,” which I still read and use today. Food “fixings” splatter almost every page. I haven’t cooked every recipe but have come pretty close: oyster stew, butter-laden pound cake and eggnog that has to be eaten with a spoon.
I decided to share a recipe, based on that first delightful Williamsburg meal, in my column this month: Cornish hens with fruit stuffing.
Cornish hens, so named because the breed originated in Cornwall, England, are immature chickens that weigh about 1½ to 2 pounds. I found them at the West Shore Farmers Market, but you can find them at places like Costco and Wegmans as well. They are very easy to cook and provide both white and dark meat just like a larger chicken. They make for a beautiful presentation on a platter garnished with small fruits and leaves. Maybe a thought for Valentine’s Day?
Cornish Hens with Fruit Stuffing
Ingredients for Fruit Stuffing
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 package (8 ounces) herb-seasoned stuffing/dressing (like Pepperidge Farm or Arnold)
- 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
- ¼ cup seedless raisins or currants
- 1 large apple, grated with skin on
Ingredients for Hens
- 4 Cornish game hens (about 1½ to 2 pounds)
- About ½ cup butter for basting, melted
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fruit such as Mandarin oranges and green and red grapes (optional for garnish)
Directions
The Stuffing
- Heat the butter and a cup of water in a skillet.
- Stir in the stuffing ingredients, toss lightly and remove from heat.
Preparing the Hens
- Remove the hens from their protective coverings and pat dry (inside and out) with paper towels.
- Place hens on a rack in a heavy roasting pan large enough to hold them fairly close together. You can tie the little legs together with kitchen twine if you wish.
- Place enough of the fruit stuffing into each breast cavity. Do not over-stuff. If any stuffing remains, place it in a separate baking dish and bake alongside the hens.
- Brush the melted butter over the hens and place them into a pre-heated 350-degree oven.
- Roast for about 1 hour to 1½ hours or until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. The hens should be golden brown.
Arrange the hens on an oval platter and garnish as you wish. If the hens are small, a whole one can be a serving. Or you can halve each one with kitchen shears cutting down the backbone. Cranberry sauce and wild rice are wonderful partners to this dish.
I will always remember that sun splashed weekend in Williamsburg and still treasure the recipes I brought home. My husband is fond of saying, “You can’t re-capture rapture.” But, with food and cooking, there are times you really can.
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