Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

--------------------CORN BREAD STUFFING-------------------------
2 tb Butter, softened -such as andouille
2 md Onion(s), finely chopped -sliced 1/4" thick
5 md Celery ribs, finely chopped 1/3 c All-purpose flour
1 lg Red bell pepper 1/3 c Yellow cornmeal
-finely chopped 1/2 ts Baking powder
1 lg Garlic clove(s), minced 2 tb Sugar
1 Bay leaf 3/4 c Milk
Salt and pepper 1 lg Egg, lightly beaten
1/2 lb Spicy pork sausage 1 lg Egg yolk

-----------------------HENS AND GRAVY----------------------------
4 Cornish hens (1 lb ea) -or canned broth
Salt and pepper 2/3 c Heavy cream
2/3 c Dry white wine 1/4 ts Pure vanilla extract
2/3 c Chicken stock

1. Make the corn bread stuffing: preheat oven to 350øF. Melt 1 tbs
butter in large cast-iron skillet. Add half the onions, half the
celery,. the bell pepper, garlic, bay leaf and «tsp each of salt and
pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until
softened, about 5 minutes. Lower heat to moderate, add sausage and
cook, stirring, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add remaining onion
and celery and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a plate and discard bay leaf.

2. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and a 5x8-inch loaf pan. In a medium
bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and 1 tsp
salt. Add ¬cup of the milk, the beaten egg, and the remaining 1 tbs
butter and stir until just combined. Pour batter into the cake pan,
spreading it evenly to the edges. Bake for about 13 minutes, or until
set. Invert corn bread onto a rack and cool slightly. Leave oven on
if you plan to continue.

3. Crumble corn bread into a medium bowl, breaking it into «-inch
pieces. Stir in sausage mixture. In a small bowl, combine remaining «
cup milk and the egg yolk. Add to the corn bread and combine.
Transfer stuffing to loaf pan, pressing it in firmly. Bake for about
10 minutes, or just until set. Invert stuffing onto a plate and cool
slightly. Break stuffing into small pieces and cool completely. The
stuffing can be prepared up to 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate.
Return to room temperature before proceeding.

4. Prepare the hens and gravy: preheat oven to 375øF. Season hens
with salt and pepper. Loosely fill cavities with corn bread stuffing
and transfer hens to a large roasting pan, breast sides up. Roast for
about 50 minutes, or until golden brown and juices run clear when a
thigh is pierced with a fork. Transfer to plates, cover loosely with
foil and keep warm.

5. Pour off excess fat from roasting pan and set pan over 2 burners on
moderately high heat. Add wine and cook, scraping, until reduced by
half, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and cream and boil until
thickened. Stir in vanilla extract and season with salt and pepper.
Spoon gravy around hens and serve.

Chef Greg Sonnier of Gabrielle in New Orleans

Food and Wine March 1995
Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 02-23-95

Browse by categories