Cornish Hens with Tokaji Aszú Beurre Blanc, Caramelized Apples, Cabbage Parcels, and Poppyseed Gougères
Tender and juicy Cornish hens with a shatteringly crisp skin marry quite well with a rich, velvety, and bright sauce featuring the sweet and fruity Hungarian wine, Tokaji Aszú. Caramelized apples reinforce the fruit notes while a bit of uncooked apple adds freshness and textural contrast. Sautéed cabbage parcels stuffed with sautéed shallots and cabbage with thyme make for a vegetal and herbal side. Finally, poppyseed and Gruyere gougères lend a nutty flavor and textural contrast. This dish has a few components but many can be made ahead but it is definitely a special occasion dish.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Hungarian
Keyword american, apple, beurre blanc, cabbage, Christmas, cornish game hen, dinner, holiday, Hungarian, lunch, New Year's, nightshade-free, poppyseed, Tokaji, Valentine's Day
Prep Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 3 hourshours
Total Time 4 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Servings 8
Calories 904kcal
Author Jenny Ross
Ingredients
Gougères
1/2cupwater
4tablespoonsbutteror butter flavored coconut oil for dairy-free
Bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium pot.
While the water boils, sift together the lupin flour, psyllium husk powder, and xanthan gum (this is important to prevent lumps in the batter).
Dump all the sifted dry ingredients into the boiling water and cook, stirring constantly with a spatula over medium heat until the dough comes together in a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. The mixture will separate and leak oil but will come back together after adding eggs later.
Allow the batter to cool until you can touch the pan and then beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix well until completely smooth. The batter should just fall from the spatula (it is more stiff than a traditional choux pastry). Stir in the cheese until evenly mixed.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip (or a ziplock bag and then trim the corner). Pipe 12 mounds onto a parchment or silicon lined baking sheet. Use a wet finger to press any raised tips down. Sprinkle poppyseeds over top of each choux.
Bake in a preheated 375ºF oven for 10 minutes then reduce the temperature to 325ºF and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until golden.
Cut small slits on the sides of each puff and return the tray to the oven. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until crispy and the insides of the gougères are fairly dry.
Prop the oven door open with a spatula to allow moisture to escape, turn off oven and let stand 15 minutes to cool slowly (to prevent collapse and allow moisture escape). Leave in propped open oven until completely cool. You can re-crisp these briefly in a 350ºF oven for 5 minutes before serving.
For the Apple Compote
Add the apples, butter, and Tokaji to a pan and cook until little to no liquid remains. Season with a small pinch of salt and fresh lemon juice and then set aside.
For the Cabbage
Remove half of the leaves and using a sharp knife, cut out the thick inner vein. Blanch in generously salted boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until soft. Shock in ice water to stop the cooking and preserve the color. Set aside.
While the leaves blanch, finely slice the remaining cabbage. Set aside.
Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the butter and shallots. Cook, stirring often until soft and translucent but not colored. Add the shredded cabbage and a pinch of thyme and cook, stirring occasionally until the cabbage is soft and wilted, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
To assemble the cabbage rounds, place a ring mold on the counter and line it with a couple overlapping blanched cabbage leaves, pressing to ensure they fill the mold and overhang the top. Fill with a tablespoon of apple compote and then the sautéed cabbage and shallot mixture. Fold the overhanging cabbage over the filling and press to compress the mixture and leaves into the round shape. Transfer to the refrigerator to set, at least a couple of hours and up to overnight. Simply press out of ring mold before serving.
For the Cornish Hens
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease it well with avocado oil, set aside. Place the halved hens cut side down onto the prepared tray. Season all over with salt and then sprinkle with baking powder. Place into the refrigerator and let stand uncovered overnight for best results (an overnight rest of at least 12 hours and preferably 24 hours will produce the most crisp skin).
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 425ºF. Once the oven is up to temperature, bake the hens at 425ºF for 45-50 minutes, or until 165ºF measured in the thigh and the skin is golden and crisp. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
For the Beurre Blanc
Combine the wine, vinegar, juice, shallots, and thyme and bring to a boil. Adjust heat to medium-high and reduce the volume to about 1 tablespoon, about 10 minutes.
Strain this mixture through a fine sieve into a container and add two pieces of butter. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. With the blender running, continue adding butter, one piece at a time, until it is all incorporated. Adjust seasoning to taste. Keep in a warm place before serving.
To Serve
Place half a hen on each plate, arrange sides and then pour sauce in the middle. Serve immediately.
Notes
If you would like to cook the hens sous vide, heat a sous vide bath to 150ºF. Season the hen halves with salt and add to sous vide safe bags. Add 2 thyme sprigs and 2 tablespoons butter remove all air from the bags. Cook at 150ºF for 4 hours. After 4 hours, remove the hens from the bags and dry them thoroughly. Place them on a greased, rimmed baking sheet. Broil until golden and the skin is crisp or sear them in a hot pan to crisp the skin.Protein:Energy Quotient [calories]: 0.42, Protein % of calories: 22%Nutrition without the gougères: Calories: 779 cal, Carbs: 18g, Fiber: 5g, Fat: 58g, Protein: 42g, Protein:Energy Quotient [calories]: 0.43, Protein % of calories: 22.3%Nutrition without the gougères:Calories: 856 cal, Carbs: 14g, Fiber: 7g, Fat: 67g, Protein: 47g, Protein:Energy Quotient [calories]: 0.44, Protein % of calories: 22.6%