Cornish hens...polite fare??
This post is in connection with my original, Spring dinner party menu. I had a trial run for myself and husband & prepared hens 2 ways. One morrocan style roasted hen, and one herb seasoned roasted hen with wild rice apricot dressing. The simple, herb roasted hen was the clear winner for a spring menu BUT my husband insists it will be too messy & a pain in the ...for our guests to eat. I have to admit, the pile of bones left on my plate were unappetizing. Why then are hens and game poultry served in nice restaurants??? i want something which looks impressive on the plate, but am I risking my guests enjoyment by serving hens?? HELP, the party is Saturday.
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I think your husband's concerns are very valid, unless you know your guests very well. I know lots of people who are absolutely freaked out about the idea of dismembering a whole small bird on their plates. This is one of the ways we've changed dramatically as a society in just a few generations (and I'm certainly not saying that's a good thing).
I'm sure it would be delicious, but I'd bet a hundred bucks you'd traumatize at least a portion of your guests. I know two people who simply wouldn't even attempt to eat it.
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re: mrsgreer
Cherylptw
Mar 23, 2010 08:18 AM
Just so you know, chicken breasts can be a blank slate for excellent dishes. I'm a caterer and I do poultry by request at least 70% of the time for a party. Chicken breasts don't come from the store "special", you have to make them that way. Good luck with your dinner...
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re: Cherylptw
Fuller
Mar 23, 2010 08:31 AM
Poultry by request does not equal chicken breasts. At least in my opinion it shouldn't.
Because they are such a blank slate, they are very easy to use in a catering environment. Now we're getting a little off topic here, but I think catering and dinner parties are a completely different animal. Catering is about efficiency and timing (sometimes) at the expense of quality. I think we've all been to weddings where an inferior dog food-type dinner was served ("you want chicken or steak or fish"). Of course all of those wedding entrees come with rice pilaf and steamed vegetables. Sound dreadfully familiar?
Dinner parties are about #1 getting together with friends but #2 having good quality food. Chicken breasts, the epitome of standard American weeknight meals, are hardly special.
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re: Cherylptw
Karl S
Mar 23, 2010 08:56 AM
Actually, the bones vs flesh issue is not the same with CH and roasting chickens. Where you have larger amounts of flesh tissue, and the bones are a bit bigger, it is easier to navigate with fork and knife and not be frustrated. Unlike with quail or other small game birds (ortolan, anyone?), it's not considered "polite" to use fingers with CHs.
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chowser
Mar 23, 2010 07:17 AM
I find it messy, too, and don't like it if not with close friends and family where you feel like you can dig in. I can't get all the little morsels with a fork and knife. Plus, I find even half a hen to be too big portion-wise for me and it all goes to waste. I went to a dinner party where a whole hen was served to each person. Hard to eat, much leftover and wasted. It was sad to see.
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Fuller
Mar 23, 2010 06:37 AM
A whole cornish hen is a lot of food for a dinner party guest. I would have no problem finishing a whole one myself on a regular night, but for a dinner party where you typically have hors d'oeuvres and drinks, a first course like a salad, then an entree (cornish hen), and likely a dessert, you're kind of pushing it.
The solution? Serve half a hen and buy better quality. Buy a fresh Bell & Evans versus those cheap, frozen Perdue ones (maybe you were anyway). The advantage of serving half a hen is that you can partially debone it. Cut the breast off the carcass leaving the skin and the legs/thighs attached. Frankly speaking, If you're not comfortable with that kind of butchery... buy the pot roast and re-plan your menu. Half a hen is far easier to eat than a whole one and your guests won't be as intimidated with just a leg and thigh bone as they would be with an entire carcass.
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re: Fuller
jen kalb
Mar 23, 2010 06:45 AM
you can also easily cut or chop the hens in half after they are cooked. they are easier to attack that way on the plate and can also be presented more attractively. I think cornish hens braises with white wine, herbs and maybe mushrooms (salted and peppered herbs and the liver in the cavity) are a delicious treat.
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re: jen kalb
Fuller
Mar 23, 2010 07:18 AM
True, but it still doesn't completely solve the problem of bones. My solution doesn't either, but for now we can only speculate about the formality of the dinner party. Is this a black tie affair or are people going to be sitting in front of the TV eating on paper plates?
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re: Fuller
If we used paper, I guess we could pick the hens up too, lol! It's not superformal, but I did mail out nice invitations and will set my table formally. That being said, we also don't care if someone wears jeans and a t-shirt, and my guests always offer to help clear plates for the next course. We just like to put on a great meal that looks and tastes great!
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Karl S
Mar 23, 2010 05:17 AM
I class Cornish hens as family food, not classy food* - along with things like corn on the cob and whole lobsters/crabs - because to enjoy them politely means far too much deft work with a fork and knife and tends to leave tasty morsels on the plate. If your guests are intimate friends, I'd say go for it, and let them use their fingers on certain joints, as it were. Otherwise, choose something else.
* Unless they are being served as merely one course of a more elaborate multi-course meal where having a couple of ounces of meat is the point. Cornish hens are really just the American version of small chickens more common in Europe.
