• 2 cornish hens
  • 1 tbl juniper berries
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 10 cloves garlic smashed
  • 2 tbl parsley
  • 3 sliced of pancetta sliced
  • 1 bottle of beer
  • 1 tsp honey

last week i was away. e, the kiddies and i hopped in my little outback and drove down to sarasota. needless to say, i had some time on my hands, 18 hours to be exact. while the kids slept soundly in the back seat and i was taking a break from angry birds (which i am totally addicted to now) i took e’s kindle light and read tons of  food magazines and cook books that i have had piling up in the house.  i bookmarked a lot.  i actually had a pen and paper handy and started my grocery list. sick i know, i came back totally inspired and ready to cook.

today’s recipe is actually not from any of the books i had or magazines i ripped articles out of, this is from, yes, you guessed it, laura calder. i happened to come across a french food at home episode on my phone, this was a recipe i have had actually bookmarked from her cookbook months ago but never got around to making. it’s a simple recipe that takes no time at all to prepare, and the best part, it uses beer.

beer bird     adapted from laura calder’s, french food at home

just a note, you can use any type of bird and any type of cut; legs, wings, i happened to come across cornish hens at the store and thought they would be perfect for this recipe.

  1. preheat our oven to 475 and clean those birds.
  2. split the cornish hens right down the breast and lay them out flat in your baking dish. tuck the next 3 ingredients into the spaces between the hens. lay the pancetta out over the birds, sprinkle your parsley over and pour in your beer.
  3. bake for 15 minutes and flip the bird. bake another 15 minutes and flip back. i then flipped it once more for 5 minutes on each side.
  4. when chicken is cooked, set it aside and add all the juice and beer into a saucepan with the honey, bring to a boil and reduce to half.
  5. pour a little of the beer sauce over the bird and then serve the rest in a bowl for people to dip.

one of the easiest and juiciest “chicken” dishes i have had. we all completely devoured the bird. i was able to find a little meat for lunch today.

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