Apricot Glazed Game Hens

Hello there, and welcome to our Sunday Table. Have you noticed that the last few shares have been for side dishes? Yeah, there was a reason . . . and here it is.

Once upon a time, I was fairly leary of making an entire meal composed of new, untried recipes. This was especially true if the main component was somewhat complicated or time consuming. Confidence. It’s taken years in the kitchen, but these days I am filled with confidence. When preparing a meal that is made up entirely of new recipes, I take the time to read through each in detail, and form a plan of attack in my head. It helps that the main dish was roasted game hens. There’s a whole lot of down time when roasting meats. That down time can be used to prepare other foods, and to firm up the whole timing thing. I think one of the hardest aspects of cooking is to know when to start what so that it all comes together beautifully in the end.

When Kiddo was in high school and I was working full time, I relied on him when it came to meal preparations. To help him help me, each week I put together the menus with time tables. I knew when I needed everything done, then worked backwards for each dish to a starting point. This helped him. It also helped me to look at recipes and tasks in the kitchen differently. Now I can have ten different tasks going on and not totally loose my mind.

So it was no big deal on a recent Sunday afternoon to try three new recipes for an amazing fall supper. We had glazed carrots, roasted potatoes and Apricot Game Hens. Should you decide to try the entire supper, you now have all the recipes. If not, that’s fine too.

Apricot Glazed Game Hens
1 Naval Orange, quartered
2 Cornish hens
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 cup Apricot Preserves
1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar
1 cup Chicken Stock

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray, set aside.

Cut orange into quarters. Peel and stuff two orange quarters into cavity of each Cornish hen. Tuck wings under the bird, tie legs together. Season birds with salt and pepper, place in the prepared roasting pan. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine preserves and brown sugar; pour mixture over hens. Add chicken stock to the roasting pan to create moisture.

Roast, uncovered, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours, or until no pink remains and juices run clear, basting every 20 minutes. Carve hens, arrange on a serving platter. Pour drippings into a bowl for serving.

To complete the beautiful supper, serve with Skillet Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and Brandy Glazed Carrots. Amazing!