FFwD: Olive Olive Cornish Hen

Olive Olive Hen

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).

Olive Olive Hen
Making the tapenade (I made a half recipe).

Olive Olive Hen
Hen about to get slathered under-the-skin.

Olive Olive Hen
Ready for the oven with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice.

Olive Olive Hen
Tapenade on the side with some kalamata olive ciabatta.

Olive Olive Hen
OH HAI…Out of the oven and ready to rest for a few minutes.

Olive Olive Hen
Split in half and plated. Delicious, crispy, golden skin. non-nom.

12 Replies to “FFwD: Olive Olive Cornish Hen”

  1. 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.

  2. 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!

  3. 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.

  4. 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!

Comments are closed.