This week’s French Friday’s with Dorie is quite delicious, but then I’m already a pretty big fan of game hens. In fact, that’s the current plan for Thanksgiving this year (again). Seeing that it was just a Thursday night and we’re both currently fighting colds, colds are winning, I opted to just make one hen and jwa and I split it.
If it had been a weekend, however, we’d have each had our own hen. And probably there’d have been another side. Especially if we’d have both been feeling better. Stupid colds. Grrrrr.
Anyway. Notes/Things I Learned:
1. I made the tapenade in the cookbook but I used anchovy paste.
2. I carefully measured out 1 teaspoon of tapenade into a separate bowl to slip under the hen’s skin (no cross-contamination here!) but I think I could have used a bit more.
3. I roasted my hen on a small rack set over a rimmed baking sheet at about 480 degrees F for 34-35 minutes. I haven’t cleaned my oven in awhile and I was a little apprehensive to go to 500F.
4. Wow! Crispy, awesome skin!
5. We had some broccoli on the side with some of the leftover tapenade and bread.
Okay, on with the photos (and everyone else posts).
Making the tapenade (I made a half recipe).
Hen about to get slathered under-the-skin.
Ready for the oven with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice.
Tapenade on the side with some kalamata olive ciabatta.
OH HAI…Out of the oven and ready to rest for a few minutes.
Split in half and plated. Delicious, crispy, golden skin. non-nom.
The skin on your hen looks so perfectly crispy! I really enjoyed this one, I’m glad you did too!
Beautiful! Well done, and I hope you feel better soon!
Look at that perfect golden skin! Yum! I made the tapenade, too, and I also used anchovy paste. I loved the tapenade, but mine seemed to lose a lot of flavor once it was cooked. Oh well.
Alyssa: Thank you!
SoupAddict: Thanks! And me too :/
Eileen: Yeah, maybe that’s what my issue was. I just know I wished I had used more than the 1 teaspoon on the hen!
I must have used at least one tablespoon of tapenade between the six chicken thighs I cooked. The broccoli must have been really nice with the hen.
Feel better!
Looks like you had a beautifully crispy skin (which is the best part, right?)
Love the idea of using some of the extra tapenade on ciabatta!
Your dish looks perfect, and that bread looks amazing! I hate how these meals can make me hungry just by looking at them!
Nom nom indeed! Is the saying “feed a cold and starve a fever?” I can never remember. Hope you and your husband are feeling better soon. I definitely feel like the birds could have used more tapenade, and I used at least twice what the recipe called for. But roasted birds are delicious anyways!
Your chicken looks really good! Olive ciabatta looks good, too :). Your photos are really nice.
yours looks much more golden than mine did! good job! hope you are feeling better this week!!
This was a great dish – loved the method and the result! Hope you are both feeling better now.