Stuffed Briarhill Farms Cornish Hens and Maple Leaf Patisserie Bread

Joe and Jackie Dobie of Briarhill Farms sell poultry at the Uptown Crescent City Farmers Market on Tuesday mornings from 9a.m.-1p.m. I have previously prepared their quail and chicken. Tonight, I tackled their cornish hens. This was the first time that I have prepared cornish hens, so please, let me know if there is a better way, or your favorite preparation.

I brined the birds in a brine solution of a gallon of water, a cup of salt, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup white sugar, thyme, and a bay leaf (use whatever dry spices you have on hand) for three hours. I think the brine time was perfect, the hens were perfectly salty and juicy, but I think a four hour brine might have made them too salty. Remove the hens from the brine and allow them to dry and rest for thirty minutes. I then rubbed them with salt, pepper and thyme, be sure to rub the inside of the cavity.

Meanwhile, I prepared a stuffing for the birds. First, I cut Maple Leaf Patisserie whole wheat bread into small pieces and put it in a 200 degree oven until they dry out. Cut two pieces of bacon into lardons, and cook until crispy. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add to the oil 3cloves of garlic, finely chopped, and a fresh ancho and pasilla chili, diced, deveined and seeded. I cooked the vegetables in a skillet until soft and then deglazed the pan with 1/3 cup of chicken broth. I probably could have mixed white wine and chicken broth and gotten a better result. I then added the bread pieces that I made earlier with that beautiful loaf of bread from Maple Street Patisserie. Coat bread cubes well in saucepan and let it sit until cool long enough to handle it. Stuff the dressing inside of the hens, truss the bird, and bake it at 375 for 1 hour basting with butter and chicken broth frequently.

I served my hens with a salad made from hydroponic lettuce from Feliciana Greenhouses with my house dressing, greek feta from Ryals Goat Dairy and avocado.

Foodsources
cornish hens
Briarhill Farms, Mt. Hermon, LA
Joe and Jackie Dobie
phone: 985-877-5946
georgedobie@bellsouth.net

whole wheat bread
Maple Street Patisserie
7638 Maple Street
New Orleans, LA
phone: 504.247.7912

greek feta
Ryals Goat Dairy, Tylertown, MS
Bill and Niki Ryals
phone: 601-876-6328
ryalsb@telepak.net

hydroponic lettuce
Jimmy Hadden
Feliciana Greenhouses
phone: 225-635-0417
feltom@bellsouth.net