Belly Monster

Cornish Game Hens with Pink Peppercorns

Heres delicious and easy way to make Cornish Game Hens in the oven.  I like pink peppercorns a lot as they add a nice fragrant almost floral flavor.  Lightly stuffing the hens keep them nice and moist in the oven.

Ingredients:

• 2 cornish game hens
• 1 clove sliced fresh garlic
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 sliced shallot
• 1 lemon
• 4 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
• 1 tbsp lemon thyme
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp pink peppercorns 
• Salt 
• Black pepper

For the glaze:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp pink peppercorns
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp lemon thyme

Begin by washing your hens inside and out.  Generously season the inside of the bird with a bit of oil oil, sesame oil, salt, black pepper, herbs, and pink peppercorns.  Chop the fresh garlic, slice the shallot, and quarter the lemon.  Stuff each hen with half the fresh garlic, half the shallot and a quarter of a lemon.  Rub the outside of the hens with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and herbs.

Place the hens in a Pyrex or metal baking dish and put into a 400 degree oven for 1 hour (cooking time may vary depending on your oven and size of the hens).

In a small saucepan melt the butter over low heat.  When melted add the herbs and peppercorns, let sit 2 minutes to infuse.  Add the balsamic vinegar, leave heat on for 2 minutes to reduce the acidity then turn off the stove.  

When you hens have about 10-15 minutes left to cook, open the oven and brush them the butter/balsamic mixture.  Repeat again with 5 minutes left to cook.  This will give a nice golden brown color with a little bite to it.  

Remove from heat, cover and let stand 5-10 minutes and enjoy.  

Serves well with, new potatoes, brussels sprouts, and rice. 

BBQ Lamb Riblets

This recipe is for BBQ lamb riblets with a mint balsamic glaze. In my opinion, lamb riblets are a greatly under rated and overlooked cut of the lamb. The riblet is essentially the upper portion of the lamb loin chop. They have a considerably high fat content which makes for a rich and delicious piece of lamb. Some people suggest you broil or roast riblets to remove some of the fat, but i find the BBQ is best for flavor. You may not find lamb riblets readily available in the meat section at your local supermarket. But if you ask the butcher, they should be able to easily accommodate your request. I normally tend to find them cut into singular ribs, but if you can get them cut in sets of 2, even better. The recipe can be prepared the night before and grilled the next day. For scrumptious lamb riblets you will need:

• 4-6 pounds lamb riblets

Lamb Seasoning:

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves of fresh crushed garlic
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/8 cup chopped rosemary
• 2 tbsp chopped thyme
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• Sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

Glaze: 

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup premium balsamic vinager
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 finely diced shallots
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped mint
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• Fresh ground black pepper

Begin by seasoning the lamb. Coat all your lamb riblets with olive oil, then add salt, pepper, herbs, and dry cheri. You can use more or less herbs depending on your taste. Mix well to ensure the lamb in thoroughly seasoned, then cover and set aside for at least 3 hours. This can be prepared the night before.
In medium sized bowl combine soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, redwine, sherry, and honey. Mix well till honey is fully incorporated. Fine chop your shallots, and herbs and crush your garlic if you have a garlic crusher on hand. The finer the chop, the better in this case. We want to infuse the liquid with the herb flavors as much as possible. Mix everything together and put in a jar. This can store up to a few days in the refrigerator. I recommend letting it sit overnight before use.

Cooking:
It is best to cook ribs (or anything for that matter) over a charcoal fire, but gas will work in a pinch. Prepare a hot bed of coals and move them to one side of the grill, leaving one half or the grill open for indirect cooking. Place the ribs meat side down over the hot coals. Cook till a nice golden brown crust forms, them flip and do the same to the bone side. Once both sides have a nice brown sear, move the ribs to the indirect heat portion of the grill. At this time, give the ribs a liberal brushing with the prepared glaze. Cover the grill and let the ribs cook for 20-25 minutes. Periodically open the grill and brush with more glaze, every 5-7 minutes. If using a gas grill, the ribs can be cooked solely over direct heat and brushed intermittently, however a slower cook over indirect heat allows more of the fat to be rendered out of the meat. Watch as to not let the ribs get overdone; riblets are best cooked medium rare. Adjust your cooking time accordingly depending on the temperature of your fire and personal preference. Once done, remove the ribs from the grill and allow to sit, 5-10 minutes or till the bone is cool enough to pick up without burning your fingers. Eat and enjoy.

Feeds 8-10

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