The Great American Slow Cooker Book (74 page)

1
Mix both paprikas, the salt, thyme, onion powder, celery seeds, allspice, garlic powder, and black pepper in a small bowl.

2
Dab a little olive oil on a paper towel and all over the outside of the game hens. Spread and pat the spice mixture over the birds. Stuff the bits of onions and garlic inside the birds. Set them in the slow cooker, squeezing to fit.

3
Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours, or until the meat is tender at the bone, particularly where the thighs join the body.

4
Use tongs to transfer the birds to a cutting board; let stand for 5 minutes. Remove the onions and garlic inside the body cavities. Cut the birds in half lengthwise to serve.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Here’s the easiest way to prepare game hens so they’re still moist and juicy but have the same flavoring as the best rotisserie chickens.

•
Since this is a recipe for whole birds, there’s no instruction for a medium cooker—not because you can’t prepare this recipe in one but because the shape of a medium cooker’s canister will determine whether you can cook one or two birds in it. Discover which yours can fit and prepare the recipe accordingly. In general, round models will fit one game hen, and oblong ones will fit two.

Serve It Up!
These game hens make a great nibble before a dinner party or even a TV snack during the game. Cook them as directed, then slice them into smaller pieces, as you would a roast chicken. Lay these on a platter and offer a creamy dip on the side.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Despite its name, a Cornish game hen is not a game bird. According to the USDA, it’s a young chicken, less than five weeks old, weighing between 1½ and 2½ pounds depending on the exact breed, often a cross of a Cornish chicken with more standard breeds. And despite claiming to be a hen, a Cornish game hen can be male or female.

1
Loosen the skin
from the birds. Slip the sage leaves between the skin and the meat.

2
Mix the salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl; rub over the birds.

3
Warm a large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, then swirl in the oil (or half the oil if you’re working with two birds). Slip one bird into the skillet; brown well on all sides, about 8 minutes, turning occasionally, but letting it sit against the heat a while so that the skin browns, even caramelizes. Set the bird in the slow cooker. If you’ve got a second bird, pour the remaining oil into the skillet; brown that bird as well. Make sure both birds are breast side up in the cooker.

4
Smear the butter over the birds. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours, or until the meat is tender and juicy and the joints are quite loose. Transfer to a cutting board, let stand for 10 minutes, then slice in half lengthwise to serve.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
There’s plenty of flavor in these birds, thanks to the butter and sage. Make sure you brown them well so that the skin doesn’t go boggy in the cooker.

•
As in the last recipe, the shape of a medium cooker’s canister will determine whether you can cook one or two birds. Follow this recipe accordingly for the number of birds you can prepare.

Serve It Up!
For a whole-grain side dish, mix warm cooked wild rice with chopped pecans and dried cranberries. Season with salt, ground allspice, and butter.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
The best tool for moving Cornish game hens out of a slow cooker is a pair of large kitchen tongs. However, the interior of the birds may be full of hot juices. Pick up the bird and tip it forward, draining the juices out of the large cavity and into the slow cooker—then tip it the other way to pour any juices out of the smaller cavity in the back.

1
Mix the onion, honey, garlic, turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, salt, allspice, and cayenne in a bowl; rub all over the game hens.

2
Set them in the slow cooker, overlapping as necessary but creating as close to one layer as you can. Pour the tomatoes on and around the game hens without knocking off the spice rub.

3
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the meat is almost falling-off-the-bone tender. Serve in big bowls with the tomatoes and juices ladled around the birds.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
This recipe is based on a Moroccan set of flavorings, an aromatic mélange that slowly melts into the meat with traces of warm spices and a little kick from the heat.

•
Grate the peeled onion through the small holes of a box grater, creating something very much like onion mush; it will then fuse with the spices as the meat cooks and sweetens.

•
The cooking time here is slightly longer, so that the birds will become so tender that the meat practically falls off the bone, a little bit of luxury among the spicy aromatics.

1
Pack the birds cut side down into the slow cooker, overlapping as necessary but making as even a single layer as possible.

2
Whisk the orange juice, wine, honey, soy sauce, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl; pour over the hens.

3
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the joints are loose and the meat is quite tender.

4
Transfer the birds to a cutting board; leave them for 10 minutes. Skim the sauce for surface fat, then pour it into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir frequently as it reduces to a glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the game hens when serving.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
This meal will blow through a pile of napkins—the only way to eat these sweet, sticky hens is to use your fingers!

•
Swirl at most 1 tablespoon unsalted butter into the sauce for a slightly more savory but certainly more elegant sauce.

Serve It Up!
Since the game hens are in a sweet sauce, have
Spiky
Poppyseed Dressing
for the salad: puree 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, ½ tablespoon minced onion, ¼ teaspoon mild paprika, and ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce in a blender. With the blender running, drizzle ½ cup olive oil into the mixture; process until smooth. Stir in 1 tablespoon poppy seeds.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
To slice a game hen in half lengthwise, set it breast side up on your work surface and insert a chef’s knife into the large opening. Locate the spinal column running straight at you along what’s now the bottom of the bird; slice down on either side of that spine, then remove it. Turn the bird over, press it open a bit, and slice down through the breast bone.

1
Season the game hens with the salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet set over medium heat, then add the two halves of one bird. Brown on both sides, turning once, about 8 minutes in all. Slip these halves into the slow cooker, then continue browning game hens, adding another tablespoon of butter for each batch.

2
Set the game hens skin side up in the slow cooker in as close to one layer as you can manage, some overlapping possible so long as the birds are fairly even in their placement.

3
Bring the wine, jelly, shallots, and thyme to a boil in a small or medium saucepan set over
medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat and simmer slowly for 3 minutes, stirring often; then pour this sauce over the birds.