As we prepare ourselves for the holiday season, a time to share numerous aspects of our lives, why not add a little variety to your usual fare?

Braised Cornish Hen with Pineapple and Almond Sauce, accompanied by Rosemary Potatoes satisfies all that we anticipate… with a twist!

The Cornish hen is a chicken, less than two pounds, five to six weeks old, that was developed in the fifties in an attempt to acquire a more delicate flavor in chicken. The beauty of Cornish hen, besides it tenderness, is the convenience of eating it half or whole. Though used more in Mediterranean cuisine, rosemary’s bitter taste and wood-like fragrance complement our recipe with a twist.

Let us start by seasoning and then searing the Cornish hen in hot canola oil on both sides. Then we place the hen on a bed of celery, carrots, onions and pineapple juice and pop it in the oven at 375 degrees. Next, we placed our potatoes in boiling water. When the potatoes are half tender, we take them out; we season them, add rosemary with olive oil and vegetable oil and place them in the oven. After about forty five minutes to an hour and fifteen minutes we take the hen out, let it rest on the side, and start our sauce. To make the sauce we take the vegetables out of the pan on hot heat. Let the liquid reduce by a third, then we add the pineapple, sugar, almonds, and we let it reduce again to one fourth of the liquid. We season the sauce and add clarified butter. Finally, we take out the potatoes. We are now ready to share this familiar, yet new recipe.

Enjoy!...