Cornish Game Hens Baked In Salt Dough
This Makes For A Nice Fall Off The Bone Bird. I’m Going To Try To Make This With A Regular Chicken.
4 2/3 Cups All Purpose Flour
2¼ Cups Fine Sea Salt
7 Lg Eggs
2/3 Cup Plus 2 Tbsp Water
2 1½ Lbs Game Hens
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ Tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 Shallots, Peeled & Halved
2 Sprigs Rosemary
8 Fresh Bay Leaves
Preheat The Oven To 350f.
Make Salt Dough By Combining Flour & Salt In A Large Bowl. Using A Wooden Spoon, Stir 6 Eggs & 2/3 Cup Water Into The Flour Mixture Until The Dough Forms A Loose Ball. If Needed, Add 1 – 2 Tablespoons Water. Turn The Dough Onto A Lightly Floured Surface & Knead About 10 Times. Wrap Dough In Plastic & Let Rest For 30 Minutes At Room Temperature.
Rinse The Hens & Pat Dry. Rub Each Hen With 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil & ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper. Stuff Each Hen With 2 Shallot Halves, 1 Sprig Rosemary & 1 Bay Leaf. Tie The Legs Of Each Hen Together With Kitchen Twine. Tuck The Remaining Bay Leaves Between Each Thigh & On Top Of The Breast & Set Aside.
Divide Dough In Half & Roll 1 Half Into A 12 X 23 Inch Rectangle 1/8 Inch Thick. Cut Into Two 11-inch Circles. Place A Hen In The Centre Of One Circle & Cover With The Other Circle. Trim The Dough, Leaving A 1 – 2 Inch Border All Around & Crimp The Edges To Seal Tightly. Repeat With Second Dough Half For The Other Hen.
Beat Remaining Egg & Brush Over Both Encased Birds, Being Certain To Cover The Entire Surface And Rim.
Transfer Both To A Baking Pan & Bake For 40 – 50 Minutes. Transfer To A Wire Rack And Let Rest For 10 Minutes. Use A Knife To Break Open The Salt Dough Crust & Remove The Hens. Discard The Crust.
Serve Hens Warm With Warm Pine Nut Vinaigrette.