Stuffed Cornish Hens

I love Cornish game hens, but my husband hates dealing with the little bones, too fussy. So, I boned them, except for the leg and wing bone. Once stuffed and roasted, they are easily served and eaten.

I started by boning the hens, retaining the leg bone, and wing bones. I snipped the wing tips, put them in the stock pot. I used poultry shears to cut out the back

I used a knife to scrape the meat off the thigh bones, the rib cage, along the breast bone, and wishbone area. I was careful to not poke through the skin. Every now and then, the use of poultry shears is handy.

It's easier than it looks, really. Once the meat is prepped, one can lay it flat on a grill, or stuff it with whatever and roast: bread, grain, rice, sausage, vegetables, hard boiled eggs, etc.

This stuffing contained: cubed dried out baguette, bacon (cooked), prunes that had soaked overnight in marsala, cooked wheat berries (chicken stock, bay leaf, garlic), finely diced sweet pear, garlic, rosemary, parsley, onion, bit of diced celery.

Stuff, and tie. I think I will get better at tying as I make this more often. I used a bamboo skewer to close up the back.

I browned them in the dutch oven, then added some liquid (stock, marsala).

I put the lid on, roasted it for awhile, glazed it with some plum jam that was melted with rosemary and marsala. The Staub cookware has interior knobs that makes for a nice browned surface, while keeping the lid on.