We love chicken recipes and when it's nice and lemony, all the better. I tried this dish out on my daughter along with her favorite veg...beets and the hasselback apples I posted a while back. A lovely dinner. Not so great a photo...oh well. We were hungry and I didn't take much care with the camera. Happens to me a lot.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Oregano
From Bon Appétit


Ingredients:
1 lemon
4 large or 8 small skin-on, boneless chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3 sprigs oregano
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Method:
Preheat oven to 425°.
Very thinly slice half of lemon; discard any seeds. Cut remaining lemon half into 2 wedges. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
Coat a large room-temperature skillet with 1 teaspoon oil. Add chicken, skin side down. Place skillet over medium heat and cook, letting skin render and brown, and pouring off excess fat to maintain a thin coating in pan, until chicken is cooked halfway through, about 10 minutes.
Scatter half of lemon slices over chicken and half on bottom of skillet (the slices on top of the chicken will soften; those in the skillet will caramelize). Transfer skillet to oven, leaving chicken skin side down. Roast until chicken is cooked through, skin is crisp, and lemon slices on bottom of skillet are caramelized, 6-8 minutes.
Transfer chicken pieces, skin side up, and caramelized lemon slices from bottom of skillet to a warm platter. (Leave softened lemon slices in the skillet.) Return skillet to medium heat. Add oregano sprigs, shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Remove skillet from heat. Add wine; cook over medium heat until reduced by half, 1-2 minutes. Add broth; cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Squeeze 1 lemon wedge over and season sauce with salt, pepper, and juice from remaining lemon wedge, if desired. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons oil. Return chicken to skillet, skin side up, to rewarm. Serve topped with caramelized lemon slices.

Not the greatest photo of our chicken dish, but you know how it is when everyone is in a hurry to eat, you're fortunate to get a photo at all.
The chicken is marinated for a day or so in buttermilk. rosemary and garlic and I can't begin to describe how tender it was. Just drain the marinade and pop it into the oven. Easy, peasy.

Buttermilk Roasted Chicken
From The New York Times


Ingredients:
1 4-pound chicken
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
1 tablespoon Maldon or other sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon honey

Method:
Butterfly chicken by placing breast side down and using heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut along both sides of backbone. Discard backbone, turn chicken over and open it like a book. Press gently to flatten it.

Place chicken in a large freezer bag. Add buttermilk, 1/4 cup oil, garlic, peppercorns, salt, rosemary and honey. Seal bag securely and refrigerate overnight or up to two days.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.Remove chicken from marinade and place on a rack so excess can drip off. Line a roasting pan with foil and place chicken in pan. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Roast for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees. Continue roasting until well browned and until juices run clear when chicken is pierced where leg joins thigh, about another 20 minutes.
Place chicken on a carving board and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into serving pieces. Place a portion on each of four plates, and drizzle each serving with pan juices.

We used to have a New Years's Eve party every year and some dear friends hosted another party the next day, to watch football and hash over New Year's Eve. I always served Turkey Tetrazzini just after midnight and the next day, Lynn always served Beef Stroganoff (the sour cream kind). She and husband Tony also served milk punch and Bloody Marys in two large white crocks with soup ladles. LOL. It was a tradition back then for our crowd and so much fun. I have such fond memories of those years. Lynn has long since passed away and I don't think I've made this dish since I moved to Florida so thought I'd make it as my last blog post for 2016.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find my old recipe, so went online and found this one, which is nearly the same as mine...tetrazzini is a classic dish and hasn't changed that much over the years. But if I recall correctly, I put fresh nutmeg in mine plus my sauce was much thicker than this one turned out to be, so I'd use more than 1/4 cup flour if I made this recipe again. I made the corrections in the recipe below.
Still, it brought back some fun memories. And I still have Lynn's Beef Stroganoff recipe!

Turkey Tetrazzini
From Epicurious



Ingredients:
10 ounces mushrooms, sliced thin (about 4 cups)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 to 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (I found 1/4 did not make the sauce as thick as I'd like.)
1 3/4 cups milk
some grating of fresh nutmeg
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
10 ounces spaghetti
3 cups coarsely chopped cooked turkey, including cooked giblets if desired
1 cup cooked peas
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs

Method:
In a large heavy saucepan cook the mushrooms in 1/4 cup of the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until most of the liquid they give off has evaporated, stir in the flour, and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add in a stream the milk, the broth, and the wine, stirring, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes.

In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the spaghetti until it is al dente and drain it well.

In a large bowl combine well the spaghetti, the mushroom sauce, the turkey, the peas, and salt and pepper to taste, stir in 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, and transfer the mixture to a buttered shallow 3-quart casserole. In a small bowl combine well the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan, the bread crumbs, and salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle the mixture evenly over the Tetrazzini, and dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, cut into bits. The Tetrazzini may be prepared up to this point 1 month in advance and kept frozen, covered. Bake the Tetrazzini in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the top is golden.

Have you tried this yet? Everyone claims this is the best (and simplest) roast chicken recipe ever. So OK, I grant you, it couldn't be easier to put together, but I had no idea what to expect with this combination of ingredients. Milk, cinnamon and chicken? How weird is that? But I forged ahead and made it for my daughter when she was home.

Must admit the fragrance wafting from the kitchen was mouth watering, but when I pulled it out of the oven, it was sitting in some curdled looking milk, which was a tad off-putting. Turns out that curdled milk is the raison d'etre.

So, we pulled the meat off the chicken, ladled on the curdled sauce as directed and yum! Marvelous. The flavors all come together in the most heavenly way. And the garlic cloves can be pulled out and the insides squeezed onto the chicken or even on some French bread. Drool.
So yes, I'm recommending you try this. Jamie has a winner here.

Cooks note: I did some investigating and it appears baking it covered for the first 3/4 of an hour and uncovered for the second results in a nicely browned chicken.

Jamie Oliver's Chicken in Milk
From Jamie Oliver


Ingredients:
1.5kg chicken (3 to 4 lbs, mine was slightly bigger)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
½stick cinnamon
1good handful fresh sage, leaves picked
2lemons, zested
10clovesgarlic, skin left on
565ml milk (I used nearly 3 cups)


Method:
Preheat the oven to 375° and find a snug-fitting pot for the chicken. Season it generously all over, and fry it in a little olive oil and butter, turning the chicken to get an even color all over, until golden. Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the oil left in the pot. This will leave you with tasty sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan which will give you a lovely caramel flavor later on.

Put your chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook covered in the preheated oven for 3/4 hour. Remove cover and bake another 3/4 hour. Baste with the cooking juice when you remember. ( I forgot!) The lemon zest will sort of split the milk, making a sauce which is absolutely fantastic.


To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide it onto your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds. Serve with wilted spinach or greens and some mashed potato.

Not only is this dish a crowd pleaser, but it'super easy to make for a crowd as well. On the other hand, you can reduce the recipe easily for a small family. If you haven't tried it, keep in mind it has to marinate overnight, but after that, there's absolutely no work to be done except bake it and serve it. It's best over rice, any kind you prefer. Mashed potatoes just doesn't cut it with this dish.
You just can't beat Ina Garten recipes...they're all winners!

Ina Garten's Indonesian Ginger Chicken
From Barefoot Contessa, Episode: Stephen's Birthday



Ingredients:
1 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed (I used legs and thighs)

Method:
Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown. Serves 4-6

If you're not having a huge group at the Thanksgiving table, this recipe might fit the bill. Game hens in place of turkey have always been my answer when cooking for two or three. (Unless you love those turkey leftovers!) Here you have the individual servings everyone loves and even a little stuffing, made with apples, cider and some cheese. The side dish of corn maque choux is divine...please try it even if you don't serve it with the game hens.

Cornbread-Stuffed Cornish Game Hens with Corn Maque Choux
By Bruce Aidells for Bon Appétit, October 2008
Ingredients:

Stuffing:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups diced peeled cored Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups 1/2-inch cubes purchased cornbread or corn muffins (about 11 ounces)
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1/2 cup (packed) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)
6 tablespoons (about) fresh apple cider or fresh apple juice

Game hens:
4 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-pound Cornish game hens, rinsed, patted dry
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 bacon slices, each halved crosswise

Corn Maque Choux recipe below.

Method:
For stuffing:
Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; sauté until beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Add apples; sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Mix in sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; transfer to large bowl. Let stand until almost cool, about 10 minutes.

Mix cornbread into vegetables. Add egg and toss to blend. Mix in cheese, then enough apple cider by tablespoonfuls to form stuffing that is moist but not wet.


Game hens:
Sprinkle cavity of each hen lightly with salt and pepper. Pack 1 cup stuffing into each (place any leftover stuffing into buttered ramekins and cover with foil). Skewer cavities closed with toothpicks or turkey lacers. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together to hold shape. Mix sage, coarse salt, and pepper in small bowl; sprinkle over hens.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place 2 hens in skillet. Sauté until brown, turning often with wooden spoons (to prevent tearing skin), about 10 minutes. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet, breast side up. Repeat with remaining hens. Drape 2 bacon strip halves over breast of each hen. Using kitchen string, tie bacon strips in place. (Place any ramekins of stuffing on baking sheet with hens.)

Place hens (and extra stuffing) in oven. Roast hens until cooked through and juices run clear when thigh is pierced, about 45 minutes. (Roast stuffing 30 minutes.) Cut strings off hens. Transfer hens to plates. Spoon maque choux around hens and serve with extra stuffing.


Corn Maque Choux

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 3 medium ears of corn)
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon (or more) hot pepper sauce
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Coarse kosher salt

Method:
Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add corn; sauté 2 minutes. Add cream, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Mix in green onion, parsley, and basil. Season to taste with coarse salt, pepper, and more hot pepper sauce, if desired.

Yet another of Elle's wonderful recipes. It's a lovely way to remember her talent in the kitchen and if you haven't ever visited her blog, you should.
The flavors in the glaze are delicious; I'll be making this again. I used bone in thighs, just cooked them a bit longer.

Chicken Thighs in Apricot Port Mustard Glaze with Winter Squash Polenta
Adapted From Elle's New England Kitchen

Serves 4.
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup ruby port wine
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Method:
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and sear on both sides for about 6–7 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet, add to a plate, and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan and add the garlic. Sauté the garlic on medium heat for 1 minute. Mix together the preserves, port, and mustard and add to the garlic. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add back the chicken, nestle the chicken in the sauce, and cook on low heat for 1–2 minutes.

Winter Squash Polenta
Ingredients:
4 cups water
1 cup coarse polenta
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup thawed frozen winter squash puree ( I had some fresh acorn squash and used that)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Garnish: ¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Method:
In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the polenta, salt and pepper and whisk on medium-low heat until the polenta is thickened and comes away from the sides of the pan, about 15 minutes. Add in the winter squash and maple syrup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the Parmesan cheese.

This is one of those recipes you read and then put in the back of your mind to make and/or adapt later. Got leftover chicken? Check. Got lemons? Of course. Pasta? Yes. Herbs from your garden and Parmesan and you're all set with a really speedy meal. Love the tang of fresh lemons with chicken!

Lemon Chicken Pasta
Found on Framed Cooks


Ingredients:
8 ounces linguine
1/2 stick butter
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/4 cup mixed chopped parsley, chives and thyme, plus extra for garnish
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
Thin lemon slices for garnish

Method:

Cook pasta in heavily salted water until done. Reserve one cup pasta water and drain. Meanwhile, melt butter and add the chicken. Stir until ever so slightly brown and heated through completely.Stir in herbs and lemon juice. Add pasta and cheese to chicken mixture and toss. Add just enough pasta water to form a light sauce. Garnish with more herbs and lemon slices and top with more Parmesan.

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Method:
Preheat oven to 450o
Line a baking pan with foil!
Mix the first three ingredients. Dry the thighs, salt and pepper them and add to the pan. Pour the sauce over them, turning so they're covered on both sides. Bake for 40 minutes or until thermometer reads 160. Baste once or twice.
Tip: I used the above sauce recipe for just 2 thighs and barely had enough to baste. I'd double the sauce ingredients if I was making 6.




Burn baby, burn.

Are you all familiar with The Two Fat Ladies? They starred in a BBC cooking program in the late 90's. Their names were Clarissa Dickson Wright (on the right in the photo below) and Jennifer Paterson. The show ran for 4 seasons and several channels picked it up. I think it's now showing on the Cooking Channel.


Here's how someone online described them:
They promoted the use of lard. They looked like men in drag. They were old and badly dressed. They were a bit like bag ladies but with more jewelry. One of them smoked and drank and wore bright red nail varnish and diamond rings as she plunged her fingers into all manner of food. (The other was a recovering alcoholic.) Almost surreally they drove a vintage Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle and sidecar wearing goggles and old leather bike jackets.
Yes I know, amusing, and spot on, as the British say. Obviously (using lard, for example), their show disregarded health issues. And the animal activists weren't pleased either as these two fat ladies loved meat and game and had no patience with vegetarians. Frankly, I found their show totally entertaining, delivered in their posh accents. There's no denying they both led fascinating lives. You should Google them, just to read about their backgrounds. Here and Here. Fascinating stuff, really.

Jennifer passed away in 1999 from lung cancer. She did enjoy imbibing and kept smoking and drinking right up to the end; a friend of hers phoned her at the hospital to ask how she was and Jennifer nonchalantly replied: "I'm dying dear."
Clarissa, who was twenty years younger than Jennifer, is still going strong and still on the wagon.

During the series, Clarissa made a Mustard/butter Spatchcock Chicken in one show and I could never quite get it out of my mind. She mentioned it was her mother's recipe. They didn't "do" recipes, (although I think a cookbook based on this show was published somewhere along the way) never measured anything that I remember, so I replayed the episode and jotted down ingredients. It's pretty simple to spatchcock a chicken or game hens. If you've never done it, here's a video.


[埋込みオブジェクト:http://www.youtube.com/v/GGKLtbiUflk?version=3&feature=player_detailpage]


I used two Cornish game hens, didn't use quite so much butter (which melts to the bottom of the pan anyway and merely leaves a nice mustard flavor to the chicken), didn't dot butter on top of the bread, but I did sprinkle some fresh herbs on top so it tasted more like stuffing. This recipe was regarded as a bad influence on the British diet. No doubt it's a bad influence on the rest if us too, so I figured I better post this before January when we'll probably all be on a diet!

Deviled Spatchcocked Game hens


Ingredients:
1 stick soft butter
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
dash Tabasco
3 Tablespoons dry mustard
3 cups bread crumbs, crusts removed
2 game hens, spatchcocked

Method:
Spread the mustard butter on the chicken, thickly. Top with the soft bread crumbs.
Dot with butter. Bake 375 for 40 minutes.

Last year I watched The Barefoot Contessa put together a Thanksgiving dinner, the main course being a turkey roulade. There were only three of us that year so I thought I'd try something other than a whole turkey. I couldn't remember what she did about gravy, so I made the one I've been making for years. You can find the recipe HERE (It's worth taking a look as it's partially made the day before, an amazing time saver.). I also served two cranberry sauces; I posted them HERE. Along with the turkey, I made Ina's Rosemary Roasted Potatoes. They were fabulous. I'll post that recipe next week, along with Mashed Rutabega and Crispy Shallots. And for the grand finale, I made my Pumpkin Flan.
After this dinner, there were some happy campers and the leftovers were terrific! I do love Ina, don't you?

Roasted Turkey Roulade
2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

Dinner in under 30 minutes? Check. Inexpensive? Check. Delicious? Check. A healthy grain? Check. Family friendly? Absolutely. All you need is a green vegetable and dinner is on the table. You know that show called "5 Ingredient Fix?" This dish beats it. Four basic ingredients: chicken, lemons, crème fraiche and millet.

This recipe for Lemon Chicken has already made the blog rounds, so please be patient with me. It's the idea of serving it over millet that intrigued me; I've heard of millet, but never tried it. I'm sold. It's brilliant. And here you thought it was bird seed. Well, actually it IS bird seed...but you're going to love it anyway. Better than couscous, I promise. You may know all about it, but if you don't or want to learn more, checkhere .

As far as this recipe is concerned, Lemon Chicken served on TOP of millet is on my favorite dinner hit list right now. Thank you Amanda Hesser for the fabulously simple and elegant Lemon Chicken recipe. Thank you Luisa for suggesting millet, albeit for an entirely different chicken recipe, but still.... I just combined Amanda Hesser's Lemon Chicken with Luisa's millet idea and came up with this. There's a lovely gravy and I should have put more on the chicken before I took the photo. Oh well. If you're one of the four people who hasn't made this chicken yet :)...you should, or make it again and serve it over millet, my dears.

Bench notes: When cooking millet, keep a couple things in mind: The flavor of millet is enhanced by lightly roasting the grains in a dry pan before cooking; stir constantly for approximately three minutes or until a mild, nutty aroma is detected and then add your cooking liquid. I used chicken stock. The grain has a fluffier texture when less water is used and is very moist and dense when cooked with extra water. I liked the fluffy version.


Amanda Hesser's Lemon Chicken



Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 whole chicken legs (thighs attached)
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup crème fraiche

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. After 3 minutes, add the butter and oil. Season the chicken generously with salt and very generously with pepper. Place the chicken, skin side down, in the skillet and brown well on both sides, turning once.

Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a knife. (Yes, I know 15 minutes doesn't sound like enough time, but if you browned it well, it's perfect. At least mine was. Use your instant-read thermometer. It should read 165. Check for clear juices just in case though.)

Return the skillet to the stovetop. Transfer the chicken to a platter and keep warm. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Place over medium heat, add the lemon juice, and stir to scrape up any pan drippings. Simmer for 1 minute, then add the crème fraiche and stir until melted and bubbling. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water. Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with lemon zest and additional pepper. Serve hot.
Serves 4.


Spiced and Herbed Millet
From The New York Times, March 1, 2006

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
2½ cups millet
½ teaspoon ground cumin (omit for this particular recipe)
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
Juice of half a lemon
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.

Method:
Place olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add millet and stir until glossy. Add cumin and broth and stir.
Raise heat and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer gently just until millet has absorbed all the broth, about 25 minutes.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice, parsley and extra virgin olive oil. Work them into the millet using a fork, fluffing mixture. Transfer to a warmed bowl and serve.
6 servings.

My daughter went back to New York City yesterday. It will be lonely around here without her as she is my best friend but she has her own life to lead…. including the fall re-opening of her gallery next week. This first show brings with it hopes for a better year in the contemporary art world. I’m crossing my fingers.

Well scars aside, my daughter and I made lots of new recipes during her visit; she’s an excellent cook considering she has so little time to spend in the kitchen. Because she is not much of a dessert-eater her choices tend to be veggies, fish or chicken. She came to me one day with a Gourmet magazine open to a page featuring a Cornish game hen dish with figs and bacon. As far as I was concerned, those ingredients sounded delish…and luckily I had the figs, some bacon was in the freezer so we were left to purchase game hens and some fresh thyme.
I didn’t see how we could go wrong and I was right. It was fabulous. Although next time I would add more figs as I could have eaten many more- can anything be quite as good as a roasted, caramelized fig? And it was just as good the next night. By the way, don’t you love Gourmet’s name for the recipe?

Figgy, Piggy Cornish Hens
(Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, September 2009)


Ingredients:
½ pound bacon, halved
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced lengthwise
4 Cornish hens, about 1 ½ pounds, halved lengthwise (ours were a little bigger)
12 fresh sprigs of thyme
12 fresh black figs, halved or quartered if large
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Method:
Preheat oven to 500°. Place rack in upper third of your oven.Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp and then drain on paper towels. Add garlic to the pan and cook until golden. Transfer garlic to the paper towels.
Dry the hens and season with salt and pepper. Reheat the fat in the skillet until it starts to smoke and then add the hens, skin side down. Cook about 6 minutes. Transfer hens to a 4-sided baking sheet, skin side up. Reserve the skillet.
Scatter the thyme and figs all over and around the hens. Bake until done, about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, deglaze the pan with the lemon juice, scraping up the brown bits, for about 30 seconds.
Remove the hens to a serving platter, pour the lemon juice gravy over the hens and then scatter the bacon and garlic on top.