Cornish Game Hen with Pomegranate Molasses - Fancy Schmancy!

For New Year's Eve, Craig and I prefer to stay at home.  I try to make something a bit on the fancy side, where we can safely drink a bottle of champagne or wine.  I'm not ashamed to admit that we're usually asleep by 10:00pm, after watching the East Coast pre-recorded Times Square stroke of midnight. Yeah, we're living "La Vida Loca".

I've been on vacation since December 23rd, which gave me a chance to watch some pre-recorded shows of Anne Burrell's Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.  I love her quirky blonde hair, and her zany way of teaching.   In one episode, Anne made Cornish Game Hens with Pomegranate Molasses.  I taught myself how to make Pomegranate Molasses, last year (and it's super easy, by the way).

I've never made Cornish Game Hens, and I'm not sure why.  I saw them at Whole Foods, and that made choosing my New Year's Eve menu pretty simple.

I asked the butcher to remove the spine so that the hens would be butterflied. I'm not gonna lie-- this kinda creeped me out.

I felt a little bit better, once I tied the legs together.  I hate to burst anyone else's bubble, but I didn't stop to think about what a Cornish Game Hen really is, until now.  It's a chicken, that's no more than five weeks old.  Here I thought it was some fancy miniature poultry.  Oh well, these were ready to be pan seared and roasted.

First, I poured some of my homemade molasses into a pan, with some smashed garlic, on medium heat.

In a screaming hot pan, with olive oil, I seared the seasoned chicken (salt & pepper), skin side down,  for a good 6-7 minutes. (Of course the skin needs to be patted dry, and free of any kind of moisture.)

I cooked the other side for about 3 minutes, and then placed them on a baking tray.  I brushed the pomegranate molasses onto each bird, and returned them back to the pan into the oven, at 350F, for about 20 minutes.

I was sorely tempted to make Anne's Israeli Couscous with dried apricots and pomegranate arils.   However, my husband isn't crazy about couscous, but he loves Brussels Sprouts.  I remembered a recipe I had made, last year, for Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Molasses and Vanilla Pecan Butter. I wanted to tie in the Pomegranates, so this seemed the perfect choice. I decided not to make the Vanilla Pecan Butter, though. Instead, I added the zest of lime, lemon and orange-- and it smelled so bright and lovely.

Once the Brussels Sprouts were roasted, I drizzled them with the remaining pomegranate molasses and added some pomegranate arils that I easily de-seeded...

... using my underwater method (sure alleviates a juicy mess).

Happy New Year, for the Love of my Life.  I presented to him the Cornish Game Hen and his favorite vegetable.

VERDICT:  The dinner looked fancy, with a candle lit table and soft music.  I have no idea why, but seeing that little bird on my plate was unsettling. I could envision it with the feathers, and I felt like I was killing someone's baby.  This is a very strange feeling, considering I am a carnivore-- and occasional "flexitarian".  I couldn't eat the little legs!  Flavor-wise, the bird was moist and flavorful. Craig ate the whole bird, without any problem.  The Brussels Sprouts turned out to be my favorite part of the meal.  I'm the one who's a bit underwhelmed by this veggie, but the citrus zest and molasses was perfect.  I loved the crunch of the tart pomegranate arils.   As far as the work involved, it was no more difficult than a typical work night dinner.

Would I make a Cornish Game Hen again?  Probably not.  But, they do make a fancy presentation, but they're a bit pricey. I'm posting Anne's recipe at the end of this post, and the recipe for the Brussels Sprouts.

 Six years of marriage, and I still feel like we're on our honeymoon.

My husband will probably feel embarrassed, but I wanted to share a couple of photos from today.(Sorry, Sweetie, but I love this photo of you.)

 The Famous Lone Cypress Tree, Pebble Beach

It's our sixth wedding anniversary, and we spent the afternoon having lunch at Spanish Bay, in Pebble Beach (California).  It was a warm and gorgeous day, so I couldn't resist taking a few photos of one of the most famous places on the planet.

If you've never visited here, I hope you do.  If you have, then you know how blessed I feel to call this home.

Craig caught me tweeting photos on Instagram. (I cut my hair even shorter!)

Tomorrow, we are headed to San Francisco, for a few days of sightseeing and good eats!

Happy New Year!

Perfect Pumpkin Pie with a Secret Ingredient

Thanksgiving and Pumpkin Pie.  What more can I say?  These are two of my favorite things. While I love turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and homemade cranberry sauce-- I always leave room for pumpkin pie.  I acknowledge that there are pumpkin pie haters in this world. Thank you.  That means I have more cans of pumpkin puree to hoard for the rest of the year! Yes, I have been known to make my own pumpkin puree. But, I'll be honest.  I really don't taste a dramatic difference between the Organic Trader Joe's brand of pumpkin puree vs. homemade.  I will say that it's fun to try making it for yourself, at least once. (Plus, you get the bonus of making your own roasted pumpkin seeds.)

However, I much prefer homemade pumpkin pie vs. store bought.   I can overlook if someone buys pre-made pie crusts.  I used to do that, until I realized the secrets of making pie crusts.  I cannot believe that people actually buy canned pumpkin pie filling, however!  Really?!   Pumpkin pie filling is so easy to make! For the last few decades, I've always made trust Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie Recipe.  It's fool-proof.   I rarely use Evaporated Milk, but I truly believe that this ingredient is what makes pumpkin pie creamy and delicious.  This year, I decided to try one of my most trusted sources of recipes and baking ingredients-- King Arthur Flour.  There was an ingredient that I found a bit peculiar. In fact, I debated if I wanted to risk KAF's recipe vs. Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie.   

Pumpkin Pie Filling only requires a whisk, folks!  Of course, I've been playing with my OXO Egg Beater that I won at the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival.  It's a really cool gadget, priced at under $20.00, and I'm using it a lot!  The ingredients you need are: white and brown sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, spices, a touch of flour, and pumpkin puree (a printable recipe card is at the end of this post.)

Whisk the ingredients together. There really isn't a need to use a hand or stand mixer.   Pour into a pie shell.  NOTE: I actually made the pumpkin pie filling the day before making the pie.  King Arthur Flour recommends this so that the spices can have a chance to really blend.

TIPS: Place the prepared pie plate onto a baking sheet to prevent spills. King Arthur Flour gave me a great tip: "Pumpkin pie filling is basically a custard; the eggs in the filling will continue cooking as the heat from the edge of the pie moves toward the center, which is why it's important to remove the pie from the oven before the center is completely set. Leaving it in the oven too long will cause the eggs to overcook, tightening the proteins and causing the pie to crack in the center."

I made this pie the night before Thanksgiving, so that it would be well-chilled. 

In my previous post, I showed how I made King Arthur Flour's Traditional American Pie Crust recipe. 

I was so anxious excited to taste this pie, that I sliced it on Thanksgiving morning.  I figured I wanted to photograph it before my kitchen and dining room table Thanksgiving Dinner carnage had begun. Really!

VERDICT:  Full disclosure: I'm biased. I love pumpkin pie.  Ready?  I loved this recipe. It was creamy, and I loved the spice blend ratio.  I could taste the ginger and cinnamon, but not the black pepper.  My guess is that, somehow, black pepper brings out the spice flavor to perfection.  I was so glad that I baked this pie in a 9" deep pie dish.  The rest of my family loved the pumpkin pie.  I'm glad that I made a smaller pie for the next day...

Because pumpkin pie, for breakfast, is a very nice way to start the day.  Especially, with coffee.

I'm posting a printable recipe for pie crust and the pumpkin pie below.  You can also view King Arthur Flour's video on how to make this by click here.