Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Seasonal Fruits

3/16/2005

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing fruit

2 Cornish game hens, washed and dried, cut in half

1 onion, finely chopped

Pepper and salt

1 tablespoon herbes de Provence

1 cup white wine

2 oranges, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch thick slices

1/2 fresh peeled pineapple cut in bite-size pieces or 2 cups drained canned pineapple

Cook's Note: The original recipe from Jeannette Seaver's cookbook used fresh figs. In the middle of winter in Ohio we turned to seasonal fruits making this a year round venture. Either fresh figs or tropical fruits as availability permits are recommended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut 1 orange in bite-size pieces. Reserve the other orange (slices). In a kettle, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Brown Cornish hens 15 minutes. Add onion and continue cooking 15 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence. Transfer to oven proof dish. Add wine, 1/2 cup water, bite-size orange pieces, and half the pineapple. Cover with foil, and roast 20 to 30 minutes until internal temperature is 180 degrees. Remove from oven. Turn broiler on. Place remaining fruit on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. When broiler is red hot, place fruit under broiler a few minutes, until roasted. Arrange fruit around Cornish game hens.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Adapted from My New Mediterranean Cookbook