marinated and grilled butterflied cornish hens with blackberry compote

In this seasonal Just Simply… Cuisine recipe, we use blackberries to marinate and finish our Wagshal’s Cornish Hens. The secret in balancing the flavors is vanilla sugar.

Marinated and Grilled Butterflied Cornish Hens with Blackberry Compote

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Wagshal’s Cornish Hens
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary needles, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 scant pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 pint of fresh blackberries
• 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
• pinch of vanilla sugar

PREPARATION

Marinade

1. In a nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat combine the blackberries, a pinch of vanilla sugar and the vinegar.
2. Bring mixture to a low boil and turn off heat.
3. Strain into a glass bowl and let cool to room temperature.
4. Discard solids.

Prepping Hens

1. Have Wagshal’s butterfly your hens or using kitchen shears. Remove backbones by cutting along both sides. Apply pressure with the palm of your hand to flatten.
2. Rub your hens on both sides with the pepper, thyme leaves, chopped rosemary and red pepper flakes. Place them in a glass casserole dish and coat them on all sides with the blackberry marinade. Let stand in a cool area of your kitchen for an hour or so or cover and refrigerate overnight. If you’ve refrigerated your hens, let them come to room temperature before grilling.

Grilling Hens

1. If using a gas grill: turn all burners of the grill to medium setting. If using coals: prep your charcoal fire ahead of time and spread the hot glowing embers evenly below the surface of grill.
2. Place hens skin side down over direct heat. Tuck the wings under and close the grill.
3. Cook for 10 minutes or so depending on their size, rotating your hens as needed so that their skins crisp nice and evenly.
4. Turn them over and cook for 7+ more minutes or until their juices run clear when pierced with a knife. The meat should be rosy and spring back when poked.
5. Transfer hens to a serving platter and cover loosely with foil until ready to serve.

Blackberry Compote 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon shallot, minced finely
• 1 small sprig of fresh thyme
• pinch of sea salt
• ¼ cup vanilla sugar
• Generous splash of water
• 1 pint blackberries
• 1 Tablespoon quality vodka

PREPARATION

1. Place a medium size saucepan over medium high heat.
2. Add the olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the shallots, thyme sprig, sea salt and stir. Sweat the shallots until soft and translucent for about 3 minutes or so. Add the vodka and cook for 2 minutes or so to burn off the alcohol. Add the vanilla sugar, a generous splash of water and half of the blackberries.
3. Cook gently for 5 minutes or until the berries have released their juices and the sugar has dissolved.  Press down on the berries with the back of a spoon. Continue to cook gently until the mixture is reduced to half or coats the back of a spoon.
4. Strain the blackberry mixture into a glass bowl. Gently stir in the remaining fresh blackberries. Season with sea salt and freshly ground white pepper. Discard solids.
5. Spoon the blackberry compote over grilled hens. Garnish with a few thyme sprigs and serve.