Cornish Game Hens With Port Cherry Sauce

Very tasty dish. Not difficult to make but nice enough for a special occasion or dinner party. Serve with mashed potatoes, grits, polenta or rice to soak up the delicious sauce. You could substitute any dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, etc) for the dried cherries. Use a complimentary fruit preserve accordingly.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4  Cornish hens
• 3⁄4 cup port wine
• 1  cup chicken broth
• 1⁄4 cup  raspberry preserves or 1⁄4 cup  raspberry jam
• 1⁄3 cup dried cherries
•  salt and pepper
•  dried thyme
• 3  tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with
•  water, to form paste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Rinse hens thoroughly and cut in half along the breastbone. Place halves, skin side up, in a shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray. Season with salt, pepper and dried thyme.
3. Place in oven and roast for approximately 40 minutes to an hour, until skin is nicely browned. For extra color, brush with melted better during last 15 minutes.
4. In a medium saucepan, combine port, chicken broth, cornstarch mixture, raspberry preserves, and dried cherries.
5. When hens are done cooking, remove from oven and let them rest on counter. Add pan drippings to the port mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until desired consistency is reached. Add more preserves if the sauce is too tart. (The sauce can actually be made/reduced ahead of time - just reheat when pan drippings are added). Add more water or chicken broth if the sauce is too thick. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
6. Serve with sauce spooned over hens.