Hanukkah Dinner: Crispy Cornish Game Hens with Spiced Cranberyy-Honey Glaze

I think I've made cornish game hens once before.  They were on sale at the grocery store and I thought that they would make for a special Hanukkah dinner.  I did not add the red pepper to the glaze to make it kid-friendly.  The glaze turned out more like a cranberry relish/sauce. My daughter loved it though and even put some on one of her potato latkes.

Crisp Cornish Game Hens with Spiced Cranberry-Honey Glaze
Cooking Light, November 2006

Ingredients:

Hens:
2 (1 1/4-pound) Cornish hens
1 teaspoon thyme, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

Glaze:
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed
1/4 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cooking spray

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425°.

To prepare hens, remove and discard giblets and necks from hens. Remove skin; trim excess fat. Split hens in half lengthwise. Combine thyme, salt, black pepper, and 2 minced garlic cloves. Rub surface of hens with thyme mixture.

To prepare glaze, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 minced garlic clove, and cook 1 minute. Add cranberries, juice, honey, cinnamon, and red pepper; bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes or until slightly syrupy.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add hens, breast side down; cook 3 minutes. Place hens, breast side up, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brush hens with half of glaze. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°, brushing occasionally with remaining glaze.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up. (Our skin didn't end up crispy and our glaze ended up more like a sauce than a glaze.)