Coleslaw
Ingredients
- Cabbage
- Carrot
- Onion
- Salt & pepper
- Coleslaw dressing
Instructions
- Finely slice your cabbage and cut it into manageable pieces. Use a cheese grater to grate your carrot. Combine in a colander and wash thoroughly. Use your salad spinner to dry it all.
- Transfer this to a large bowl and add a small amount of very thinly diced onion. Cover this all with coleslaw dressing — I used a store bought dressing for this one. Salt and pepper to taste and you’re done.
Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
- Honey
- Soy sauce
- Lemon juice
- Cornstarch
- Lemon zest – optional
Instructions
- Combine about a 1/3 cup of honey, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 3-4 Tbsp of lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove, stirring occasionally. If you have a zester and, like me, don’t get to use it very often, you can also add some finely diced lemon zest at this point.
- In a measuring cup add 1 heaping tablespoon of cornstarch to about a 1/3 cup of cold water and whisk. Pour this into your honey mixture, whisking constantly, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for another 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
Cornish Game Hens
Ingredients
- Cornish game hens
- Olive Oil
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- 1. Dry the hens with a paper towel or a tea towel and coat the skin with olive oil. Season with freshly-ground sea salt and black pepper. Tie (truss) the legs together and make sure that the wings are tucked in. Remove and discard any giblets.2. Spray a large roasting pan with non-stick spray and place a rack in the bottom. Preheat the oven to 425F and place the hens in the centre rack. Cook for 50–60 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 165F in the thickest part of the breast. There should be no pink at all.3. Once the hens are fully cooked, adjust your oven rack to place the hens about 6 inches below the broiler and set the oven to broil. Generously slather the hens with your glaze and return to the oven for another 2-3 minutes — just until the thick glaze gets a little bubbly.
Notes
This recipe is succulent, dazzling, easy and a treat for everyone
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Cornish game hens, aka Rock Cornish game hens, these are tender young chickens. They were initially bred in England as a cross between Cornish and White Plymouth Rock breeds in the mid 20th century. Typically these birds weigh in between 1–2 pounds and are around 4–6 weeks old when they are harvested.
Cornish game hens taste exactly like chicken. However, being as young and small as they are, they are far more juicy and tender than regular chicken. You can find them in the frozen section of your favourite grocer, usually next to the turkeys. Thaw for 24 hours in the fridge before cooking.
I mentioned in a previous column that sometimes I do love to spend a bit of time in the kitchen. This past Easter we decided to forgo the traditional turkey or ham and do these Rock Cornish game hens instead. It was well worth the effort.
I won’t lie though. It took a little planning and preparation. I made that borscht a little while ago and still had some leftover cabbage, so figured that I would also do up some home made coleslaw to serve with dinner.
Being as it was Easter, I decided to spend a bit more time in the kitchen and make some fancy sides as well. I made steamed broccoli and cauliflower with a creamy cheese sauce and my ever-popular whipped potatoes.
I used the leftover glaze on the side and we were set for a fabulous feast! All in all, I spent about 30 minutes doing prep and roughly 20 minutes of hands-on cooking time. The total time from start to table was about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Here’s how I did it all up.
