Recipe: Stuffed Cornish Hen in the Dutch Oven, Raspberry Apricot Glazed Cornish Hens, Cornish Game Hen Paysan for Charlie

Stuffed Cornish Hen in the Dutch Oven

1 1/2 cups dried, crumbled cornbread
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced, fully cooked smoked sausage
1/2 cup diced ham
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 large Cornish hens
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced green pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced red pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 can (16 ounce) tomato sauce
1 can (16 ounce) whole tomatoes
2 bay leaves
Minced parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 500F. Combine cornbread, mushrooms, sausage, ham, scallions and chicken broth; stuff cavities of hens with mixture. Tie legs with string. Bake in shallow roasting pan, uncovered, 20 minutes; remove and set aside; lower oven to 350F. While hens are baking, heat oil in Dutch oven. Add onion, peppers and celery; saut until tender. Add garlic and seasoning; saut 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes and bay leaves; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. Place hens in sauce; bake, tightly covered, until hens are tender and juices run clear when pierced with a fork, about 30-40 minutes. Cut hens in half and place on serving platter, spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with parsley. Servings: 4

Raspberry Apricot Glazed Cornish Hens

5 Cornish hens
1 Tbsp. Volcano seasoning
1 can apricot nectar
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup raspberry vinaigrette
rosemary sprigs
1 cup apricot jam

Inject nectar into hens the night before cooking. Mix vinaigrette, and jam together and set aside. Heat a 16" Dutch oven using 22-24 briquettes top and bottom. Wash Corning hens and season with Volcano seasoning, salt, and pepper. Place 1 or 2 sprigs of rosemary inside each hen.
Place hens in pre-heated Dutch oven. Cover and cook 45 to 60 minutes. As the hens brown reduce the heat to prevent burning. Glaze hens with dressing mixture about 20 minutes before they are finished cooking. Remove the rosemary from the hens and discard. Glaze hens again before serving. Serves: 5-10

Cornish Game Hen Paysan
Prepared in: T-Fal 3qt. Dutch Oven.

1 Cornish game hen
2-3 red potatoes, quartered, skin on
2 small to medium onions, quartered
1 large carrot, cut into 1" chunks
1 stalk celery, cut into 1" chunks
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 chicken bouillon cube
1 teaball, half-filled with black peppercorns

Wash and clean the hen thoroughly and place in a small Dutch oven. Surround the hen with all of the vegetables. Sprinkle the herbs over, and salt and pepper to taste. Hang the teaball inside the pot. Fill with water enough to just cover the vegetables. Simmer on top of the stove for about an hour, or until the hen is cooked through. Drain the water and serve the hen on a plate, surrounded by the vegetables.