The Great American Slow Cooker Book (75 page)

4
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the meat is tender at the bone and the sauce is starting to glaze the meat. Use tongs to pluck the birds out of the slow cooker and move them to a serving platter or plate. If desired, skim the sauce in the cooker of surface fat and use the sauce as a “gravy” for the meat.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Somewhat tart red currant jelly makes a classic glaze for birds of all kinds—but perhaps none to such success as when paired with the naturally sweet flavor of Cornish game hens.

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That gravy would be even better if you brought it to a simmer in a saucepan and whisked a tablespoon or two of butter into it. (Or skip the butter and add up to ¼ cup heavy cream.) If you’d like it a little thicker, mix 1 teaspoon potato starch with some water and whisk it into the bubbling sauce until thickened.

1
Season the game hens with the salt and pepper. Lay them skin side up on a large rimmed baking sheet. Position the oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler and heat the element. Broil the hens until brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer them to the slow cooker, arranging them skin side up in as even a layer as possible.

2
Whisk the lemon marmalade and lemon juice in a bowl; drizzle over the game hens. Tuck the rosemary sprigs among them. Drizzle all with olive oil.

3
Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours, or until the meat is juicy-tender but cooked through. Serve with plenty of napkins!

TESTERS’ NOTES

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This sweet-and-sour preparation makes for a fantastic meal: sticky, sour, sweet, and near perfect. Broiling the hens, rather than browning them in a skillet, gives them a gentler, milder taste, better in keeping with the sauce here.

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Look for lemon marmalade among the preserves and jams or in the international aisle.

1
Season the birds with salt and pepper, then lay them bone side down in the slow cooker in as neat an overlapped layer as you can.

2
Tuck the garlic cloves and thyme sprigs among the hens. Pour the wine and vinegar gently on and around them (to moisten them but keep the salt and pepper in place).

3
Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours, or until the joints are loose and the meat is fork-tender.

4
Transfer the birds to a serving platter or serving plates. Discard the thyme sprigs, then use a flatware spoon to skim the sauce of any surface fat. Squeeze the soft pulp from the garlic hulls and use a fork to mash it into the juices in the cooker, thickening the sauce a bit. Stir well and spoon over the game hens.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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The very sweet wine will balance the garlic and even the vinegar. Better yet, save back that wine and serve the rest, well-chilled, with dinner.

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You’ll want plenty of crunchy bread on hand to mop up this sour, garlicky sauce.

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To give the meat a bit more texture, consider omitting the salt from the recipe and instead garnishing portions with flaked sea salt.

Serve It Up!
Here’s a
Warm Bean Salad
for a side dish: Heat drained and rinsed chickpeas and black beans with some vegetable broth, minced pickled jalapeño, minced parsley, salt, and pepper in a covered saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in finely chopped stemmed chard; continue cooking, covered, until tender, no more than a few minutes. Stir in some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or aged Asiago before serving.

1
Arrange the birds skin side down in the slow cooker in as close to a single layer as possible, overlapping as necessary.

2
Whisk the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, molasses, and brown sugar in a bowl until smooth. Pour over the birds in the cooker.

3
Tuck the scallions, ginger, and star anise around the birds. Drizzle with sesame oil.

4
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the birds are cooked through and deeply lacquered by the sauce.

5
Use tongs to transfer the birds skin side up to a large baking sheet. Brush generously with the sauce in the cooker. Position the rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler and heat the element. Broil the birds until a bit crunchy, brushing one more time with the sauce, about 5 minutes.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Slowly poaching in a sweet but aromatic blend, these game birds become finger-food heaven. “Lacquered” is a Western way to describe an Asian cooking technique, perhaps a tad unappetizing but certainly descriptive of the mahogany sheen the meat takes on.

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The juices in the cooker are really too salty to make a good sauce on the plates. However, the sugars burn a bit under the broiler, muting the saltiness and creating a rich coating on the birds.

1
Mix the rice, broth, bell pepper, onion, peas, garlic, salt, pepper, and saffron in the slow cooker.

2
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the game hens and cook on all sides, turning occasionally, until well browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the hens to the slow cooker, nestling them down into the broth mixture.

3
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the rice is tender and almost all the liquid has been absorbed and the meat is falling off the bone.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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For our money, this is the best chicken and rice on the market. The rice will get tender at its own rate. It could take up to an extra hour, depending on how much residual moisture is in each grain after sitting on the shelf.

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For more flavor, add up to 1½ cups cooked sliced mushrooms to the rice mixture before you add the game hens. (Raw mushrooms will release too much moisture, turning the dish watery.)