Can anyone tell me is it ok to serve half a cornish hen at a dinner party?!
Can anyone tell me is it ok to serve half a cornish hen at a dinner party?
I have a dinner party coming up next month, and I am having stuffed cornish hens, lamb chops, and grilled shrimp. Is it ok to cut the cornish hen in half? This is my engagement party and they will have other things to I'm just trying to save some money. I will be serving 20 people.
Answers:
Sure if you don't mind being known as a miser with food..
if they are not to small!!!
I think it would be more than appropriate to cut the hens in half, and set some garnish around them on the plates. With all the other stuff you mentioned, I doubt anyone would want a whole hen anyway. It's all about the presentation--if you do it right, no one will think you're being cheap, they'll think you're a gourmet instead! Congratulations on your engagement, too!
Sounds like you've planned a lot of food, I think is would be best to serve half birds. If you don't you'll probably throw out a lot of food.
See if you can get the butcher to half them, most will for no extra charge. Instead of trying to stuff the half birds, cook the dressing wrapped if foil add some butter or broth to keep it moist. When it's done fluff the dressing with a fork. Spread it on a platter and arrange the half birds over it. Garnish with herbs and baby tomato's or maybe roasted baby onions.
Congrats on your engagement and party.
Sounds like an ambitious menu. I believe that presentations is most important plus a relaxed hostess. Cornish game are usually an unexpected treat and I would serve them whole, they are not that expensive for the "wow" factor.from guests. They cook and are ready all at the same time and you would not have to worry about the timing of lamb chops and shrimp. If you decide to serve three meats, I would present the cornish game hens whole should a guest request half they could be accommodated. The uniqueness of game hens comes in the small size whole.
I stuff my hens with a modified Pepperidge farm mix in the bag. I add a stick of butter, chicken broth instead of water, and more oregano. I melt the butter and saute chopped onion and celery, about half a cup of each, The amounts depend on how much stuffing you want.
Something else that goes well with the birds is orange rice. Which is made basically with uncle bens rice with orange juice added instead of all the water, also add more of the sauted onions and celery, and some grated orange rind .Rice can be very forgiving especially the Uncle Bens
In in answer to your basic question, Whole. Halves would look like plain small chickens