Do WHAT to the bird??

Cornish game hens are on the agenda for this weekend, and so is a unique way to prepare a bird for cooking- spatchcocking. Spatch huh? You heard me, spatchcocking. While this is not a new way to prepare poultry for roasting, it's gaining in popularity thanks to cooking television and food bloggers and a greatly increased interest in preparing delicious food at home. The easy definition of spatchcocking is removing the backbone, and sometimes the sternum, and laying the bird out flat, similar to butterflying. So similar the terms are sometimes interchanged. The result is more even cooking and a greatly reduced cooking time. 

Cornish game hens have been one of my favorite birds pretty much my whole life. My dad would often roast Cornish hens with some fabulous glaze recipe he found in a magazine or cookbook, or later when he got a fancy grill with an electric spit- rotisserie hens. Funny how so many of my food stories start with Dad. He really is someone who inspired my love of cooking and learning about food.

Cornish game hens been around since the mid 1950s and they really are kind of a funny thing. They aren't game birds at all, in fact they are just very young chickens, around thirty days of age, your typical broiler-fryer chicken. They aren't necessarily "hens" either- they can be either male or female birds. Different breeds of bird result in different sizes of hens, different size of the breast meat. They are perfect for a one or two person serving and make a lovely presentation when roasted, like a teeny tiny roast turkey.

Let's get this show on the road and spatchcock these little guys. First of all, I rinse the hens thoroughly under cold running water. Just a gentle stream, not a gushing waterfall. Despite the "experts" saying you might spread chicken bacteria around if you wash the bird, I've seen how some processing companies are. I'm washing my bird. Your choice if you do or don't. 

Then I dry the skin with paper towels. I'm going to be cutting into the raw bird so I want the skin dry and not slippery. Turn the bird so the back is facing up. I place the bird on a sheet pan with a rim to contain any liquid that might be inside. 

Starting at the thigh end, use a heavy duty kitchen shears to cut alongside the backbone, up one side, then turn and down the other side. Discard the backbone, unless you save scraps for stock. 

Flip the bird over on the pan and press down firmly on the middle of the breast to flatten. If you have difficulty getting your hen to flatten, you can flip it over and use the shears to cut out the sternum. I have not had to do this with small hens, only larger birds like turkeys.

That's all there is to it! Your hen is now ready to cook, and with a lot more skin exposed for crisping up and becoming beautifully browned and tasty. Before we get to that part though, we are going to brine our hens in a salt water bath flavored with a handful of herbs. The brine produces a succulent and juicy bird- you're going to want to do this to every bird from now on.

To make the brine, in a large stockpot place one gallon warm water. Add 2/3 cup kosher salt, 1/3 cup sugar, and a handful of whatever herbs strike your fancy. Bouquet garni is nice, as are fines herbes. Place the hens in the brine, covering completely, and refrigerate overnight. Before cooking, drain off and discard the brine and rinse the birds. Pat the skin dry and you're ready to cook.

Pan Roasted Cornish Hens with Chimichurri

2 Cornish game hens

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 bunch Italian parsley (about 1 cup leaves)

1 bunch cilantro (about 1 cup leaves)

2 garlic cloves

1 heaping teaspoon finely minced preserved lemon*

1/2 cup olive oil**

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

*I am using my homemade preserved lemons. To use, I will scrape off and discard the soft flesh and thoroughly rinse the remaining peel. 

** I used Sinful Food Italian Herb olive oil for half the oil in this recipe. Get yours by clicking HERE.

Spatchcock the Cornish hens. Rub the skin with olive oil and season well on both sides with salt and pepper. 

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and heat a heavy large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and place one of the hens, skin side down. 

Top with a plate and a heavy pot and cook, weighted down, until the skin is golden brown. Flip the bird and brown the other side. 

Place the bird on a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with the second bird. Place the hens in the hot oven and roast til the internal temp measures 165 degrees. Remove from oven and tent with foil, rest for ten minutes.

While birds are cooking, combine remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor. Process until a mostly smooth sauce is formed. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

To serve, drizzle the birds with a small amount of the chimichurri. Pass additional sauce at the table.

This bird is delectable served with whole wheat couscous and roasted asparagus. You can get the asparagus going in the oven while browning the hens. The hens won't need much time to finish in the oven and the asparagus roasts pretty quickly too. Easy and delicious!

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The End of the Trend

Sometimes I like to throw a question out and ask what all our readers think about a subject. So I did that. I posted this question on Facebook and then we'll talk about the answers-

"What is a current food trend that you wish would just go away?"

A couple people missed the mark, with answers like "McDonald's" and "high food prices"- not even in the ballpark. But I did get some great responses. What were they?

Kale- I for one am late to the kale party, but I definitely can understand this answer. For a while it seemed like everyone was making kale chips. Kale in smoothies with fruit kind of.......grosses me out. As a new kale eater I am just learning how to integrate this leafy green into different dishes but I can understand how anyone who follows food trends just might already be over it. Even when I posted a request to friends to help me find some interesting recipes for kale, I was overwhelmingly answered with kale chips. I'm pretty sure I don't want dried up leaves to munch on. So yes, the kale explosion is over. Time to move to the next super food.

Balsamic vinegar-  I am not on board with this at all, but I am a balsamic worshiper. I don't really see it as a trend, or even a trendy ingredient really. Sadly, most of what we use in the US is not true balsamic, even in upscale restaurants- rather it's a reduced and further sweetened vinegar with caramel coloring. A taste of real, true balsamic is a real treat.

Battered and deep fried anything-  I am not a fan of deep fried foods, in general. I rarely, if ever, deep fry anything I cook, and don't normally order fried foods if eating out. Not because I'm watching what I eat but just because I prefer to not eat so much oil and I am terrified of fire, so I don't even own a fryer. The worst time of year for these battered and fried treats are during the summer months, when all the fairs and festivals are going on- fried food vendors are everywhere,and they fry EVERYTHING- candy bars, Oreos, sticks of butter........ yuck.

Cupcakes-  Yep. I agree. Cupcakes are everywhere, even on television. Cupcake bakeries, cupcake competition shows. We have certainly gone into overdrive since the original Sprinkles Cupcake Bakery opened and created a monster. Pinterest is filled to the brim with cupcake recipes and decorating ideas. People are passing on the traditional wedding cake and instead doing cupcake displays. And don't get me started on cake POPS. Yes, I agree. It's time to say goodbye to cupcakes.

Paleo-  I had to look this one up. I've heard people talk about it and know a handful of people who eat a paleo diet but I really didn't know the specifics. Supposedly the diet is meant to reflect the foods that would have been available to people living during the Paleolithic period. Basically protein and non-starchy vegetables and fruits. No grains. Generally I am not a fan of any restrictive diet that takes large groups of food out of our diets. 

Clean Eating-  Apparently The Chef and I have accidentally been following this trend and didn't realize it. Clean eating is simply avoiding processed or refined foods and sticking to whole and unprocessed foods. We do so because we COOK but I can understand why others would choose this lifestyle. Processed food is full of junk. Period. As a trend, it's like any fad diet. It will be a buzzword for a while, and then fade away. In reality, clean eating is just what people did a couple generations ago before humanity became focused on fast and easy.

Food on a stick-  This is another food that goes hand in hand with fair season. Meant to be easy to eat while wandering around the fairgrounds, I can agree, this is a little overboard. The Iowa State Fair has no shortage of foods on a stick and a great many of them could be eaten without a stick just as easily, if not easier. Rice Krispie Treat on a stick. Um.....no. Get rid of the stick. Salad on a stick? Again, no. Impossible to dip into dressing and NOT have it all over your face. Have a seat and eat a salad. 

Bacon everything-  I love bacon. I cook with bacon. Sometimes, that is. Think about it- bacon wrapped everything is all over Pinterest and food blogs. Bacon ice cream. Bacon candy. Bacon donuts. Bacon wrapped hot dogs, tator tots, steak, whole turkeys, meatloaf, meatballs. Bacon vodka. Bacon milkshakes. Bacon OVERLOAD!!! Enough already!

Chimichurri-  The friend who gave this answer said "Chimichurri is the new aioli" and I absolutely agree! Aioli, a holdover from the mid 90s, was one of those things I thought would never go away. Mayo with a fancy name.... get out of here. I am seeing the same thing with chimichurri. I have made it once. That was enough. Not a big fan. I see this one everywhere- all kinds of recipes, as a marinade, a finishing sauce, a drizzle, a condiment. It's also not an especially attractive sauce. This one I also agree- chimi needs to go.

Chipotle pepper- As a pepper lover, I don't dislike chipotle, but I totally understand why the person who gave this answer did- chipotle is pretty much the bacon of the pepper world. It's in everything. It's everywhere. It's nothing special to begin with- roasted smoked jalapeno. Dried they look like......something a dog left behind. In adobo sauce they are just smooshy and gross. It's time to move on. Not to ghost peppers, either. Been there done that.

Pumpkin everything-  This one is a seasonal trend that will be gone before we know it. But it will be back, year after year. Every autumn pumpkin and pumpkin spice are given the "bacon treatment" and are added to everything- coffee, ice cream, cake, pie, savory sides, pancakes, candles, soap and room sprays. *cough*

And my food trend I wish would go away- sliders. Seriously people, they are just little sandwiches. That's all. White Castle may be credited with inventing the slider, but it's gone Frankenstein since then. Every sandwich appears in miniature, on menus, blogs, Pinterest, in cookbooks. Some of them are just plain goofy. BLT Sliders are just BLTs- quartered!!! Peanut butter and jelly sliders? No. Leftover Turkey and Stuffing Sliders? NO! Those are just leftovers on a dinner roll- something we have been eating for decades. Kind of like the cupcake craze, it's time to make a real sandwich again and stop with the miniatures!

So, The Chef and I want to hear from you guys. What is a food trend you would like to see go away?