Not your average chicken dinner…

I like roasting an entire bird with the skin on, locking in the juices and basting the bird in flavor. Tonight, since there will be only two dining, I chose the smaller Game Hen over a standard chicken.  Sometimes called Poussin, Cornish Hen, or Rock Cornish these little birds are perfect for roasting.  While the name may lead you to think this is a wild game bird, it is actually a domesticated type of chicken.  I prefer an organic bird which is readily available from most big box markets.

Keep your preparation of the bird simple.  I rinse the whole bird, don’t forget the inside, dry it with a paper towel, and season.  Salt and pepper the inside and add some aromatics, I like thyme or sage, then rub the outside with a little olive oil and apply salt only.  Remember your food safety rules when working with poultry – keep the bird, your hands, cutting board, and tools away from everything else.  I measure out my salt into a little container, the pepper in another, and my aromatics in a third.  This way I am not touching anything with my chicken hands.  Any of the unused seasonings gets tossed.

So now that we are safe, let’s talk about the rest of the meal.  A nice spring spinach salad with toasted pine nuts and some feta started the meal.  The roasted and carved bird rested on a blend of rice and was finished with a pan gravy made from the drippings.  Our vegetables were roasted root vegetables and asparagus.

Spring Spinach Salad: Baby spinach, red onions, mushrooms, toasted pines nuts and feta cheese.  The dressing is a red wine balsamic vinaigrette. (Left)

Roasted Game Hen: Roasted and carved game hen finished with a pan gravy over a bed of mixed grain and wild rice. Served with roasted roots vegetables, carrots and parsnips, and asparagus. (Right)








Dessert: In my attempts to cook with seasonal crops, and because the strawberries were calling to me, the meal was finished with a Strawberry Pot de Crème (a custard).  A fun twist to this dessert that has been gaining popularity is to serve it with “Pop Rocks”.  Keep in mind age appropriateness for this magical candy.

Beverages:  The evening started with a 2008 Viognier from Becker Vineyard's in the Texas Hill Country, which carried us through the salad course.  We switched to a 2009 Conterno Fantino Barbera d'Alba Vignota (that is a Barbera grape based wine from the Piedmont region of Italy from the town of Alba).  The light fruit forward red balanced nicely with the roasted flavors of the chicken and vegetables, and complimented the earthiness of the rice.  We kept the Viognier chilled and finished off the bottle as a great pairing to the pot de crème.

Wine Suggestions - 
Spinach Salad: the wine needs to be light and acidic enough to hold up to the vinaigrette.  I think Viognier complements the composed elements of the salad nicely, but a Chardonnay (no oak and no malo-latic conversion), or a Sauvignon Blanc would pair nicely.
Roasted Game Hen: the potential problem here is balancing the roasted bird with the soft gravy and the earthy rice.  A big full-bodied red, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, would over power the bird. A Barbera is well suited for the complexities of the dish, but I would also recommend a Gamay (Beaujolais) which you could carry over to dessert.  A Central Coast California Pinot Noir that is more fruit forward would also pair well balancing the needs of the bird and the rice.
Dessert: the creamy custard and fresh strawberries will pair well with either the Viognier or the Gamay.  The rose water nose of a Gewurztraminer would be a perfect complement to the rose water in the pot de crème. Stay away from a Port wine, the flavors would overpower the light custard.

Non-alcoholic beverage choices include a nice cranberry and sparkling water cocktail or  iced tea.

For my complete recipes click on the links below:
Spinach Salad           Roasted Game Hen       Roasted Root Vegetables    
Mixed Grain and Wild Rice          Asparagus          Strawberry Pot de Crème