WayneBites by Wayne Johnson's video: Thanksgiving For One Cornish Game Hen With Wild Rice Dressing Another WayneBite Video

Thanksgiving this year will be a challenge for many of us. Rather than the traditional big gatherings, some of us may be on our own or with just one other person. As a result, I’ve created a series of smaller sized, one person, dishes that you can enjoy. This first video is for the main course, a cornish game hen with a wild rice dressing. When I put together the wild rice recipe, I realized it was still a bit larger than I had anticipated. So, I’ve provided the ingredients as I shared them in the video and a half size version as well. I’ll be doing additional videos for a soup, two side dishes, and a pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. I hope you’ll check them out, too. Cornish Game Hens with Rosemary, Garlic and Capers serves 1 Ingredients 1 Cornish Game Hens 1/2 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp Pepper 1/4 tsp Paprika 1 Rosemary Sprigs 1/4 Lemon, cut into wedges 1/2 tbl Unsalted Butter Butter 3 lg Garlic Cloves, peeled and split lengthwise 1/4 sm Yellow Onion, cut into 4 wedges (you can substitute shallots) 1 tbl Olive Oil Basting 1/4 cu White Wine 1 tsp Dijon Mustard 1/2 cu Chicken stock Sauce 2 tbl Unsalted Butter 1 tbl Alessi Capers, drained Method Preheat oven to 425˚F. Wash hen inside and out and then pat dry with paper towels. Season the insides with salt and pepper and stuff the cavity with lemon wedge, a rosemary sprig, and 1/2 tablespoon of Butter. Rub the outside of the hen with half of the olive oil. Loosely tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Sprinkle the surface with a little salt and pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika. Place the hen in a roasting pan. Toss onions and garlic in a teaspoon of olive oil and add to pan. Roast for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the wine, dijon and remaining olive oil in a bowl. Spoon the basting sauce over hens and reduce the heat to 375˚F. Basting at least twice during the next step, roast the hens for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature of the hens reach 165˚F and the juices run clear. Remove the hen from oven, draining any cavity liquid back into the pan. Set the hen on tray, remove the kitchen twine, and loosely cover with aluminum to keep warm. Strain the pan juices into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and high simmer until sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Whisk in butter and capers until blended. Spoon sauce over hen and serve with wild rice dressing. Wild Rice with Mushrooms and Almonds serves 2-3 (Half version of this recipe listed below as well) Ingredients (Full Version) 1/2 cu Wild Rice 1 tbl Butter 1 tsp Olive Oil 1/2 sm Yellow Onion, chopped, about 1/2 cup 1 Celery Stalk, thinly sliced 4 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms, thinly socked 1/4 cu Chicken Stock 3 dried Apricots, thinly sliced 1 tsp Fresh Thyme, minced 1/2 cu Slivered Almonds 1 tbl Fresh Chives, chopped 1/2 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp Black Pepper Ingredients (Half Version) 1/4 cu Wild Rice 1/2 tbl Butter 1 tsp Olive Oil 1/4 sm Yellow Onion, chopped, about 1/4 cup 1/2 Celery Stalk, thinly sliced 2 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms, thinly socked 2 tbl cu Chicken Stock 2 dried Apricots, thinly sliced 1/2 tsp Fresh Thyme, minced 1/4 cu Slivered Almonds 1 tsp Fresh Chives, chopped 1/4 tsp Salt 1/8 tsp Black Pepper Method Place wild rice in a medium size pot. Cover with water by about 4” and bring to a boil. Boil for 40 minutes until rice opens up. Be sure rice is covered with water throughout the boiling process. Drain, rinse in cold water and drain again. Set aside. Heat butter and olive oil and butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes and add celery. Sauté for an additional 3 minutes and add mushrooms and thyme. Sauté for an additional 3 minutes and add chicken stock, apricots, rice, salt, and pepper. Sauté until moisture cooks down. Remove from heat and add almonds. Stir to combine and transfer to a serving bowl. Top with chives.