The Death of the Little Hen(s) + AIX 2019 Rosé #TurkeyDayRosé #AGrimmThanksgiving #Sponsored

  This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kobrand Wine and Spirits in conjunction with their #TurkeyDayRosé  event. Complimentary wine was provided for this post 

though no other compensation was received. This page may contain affiliate links.

"Now the little rooster was all alone with the dead little hen. He dug a grave for her and laid her inside. Then he made a mound on top, and sat on it, and grieved there so long that he too died. And then everyone was dead." 

~ The Death of the Little Hen

The Death of the Little Hen(s)

AIX 2019 Rosé

If you have been following me through any holiday season in the past, you'll know that I don't roast turkeys for Thanksgiving. Truth be told, I don't roast turkey for any holiday. But this year, with our socially distanced feast that was only for the four of us plus a masked delivery to my parents, I decided that Cornish game hens were the way to go. My family joked that I was making turkeys for nisser. Those are Danish Christmas elves in case you are unfamiliar.

I used a spice rub from local-to-me  Pig Wizard, but you can just use your favorite spice blend if you can't find that. This is a riff on the Parthian Chickens I've been making since I read Crystal King's The Feast of Sorrow a few years back. I love the sweet, salty, and spiciness of these birds.

Ingredients serves 6

• 6 Cornish game hens
• 10 teaspoons spice rub (I used the P-Dub Rub from Pig Wizard)
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed
• 3/4 cup sweet white wine  (I used a local Muscat wine)
• 3/4 cup dry white wine (I used a local Sauvignon Blanc)
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 6 Tablespoons fish sauce (the Colatura di Alici was the closest approximation to the ancient Roman garum, a fish sauce that was used in almost all ancient Roman dishes)
• 6 teaspoons softened butter
• 4 small apples and 4 small lemons (for stuffing the birds, you can use onions or anything else that will fill the cavity)
• fresh herbs (for stuffing the birds, I used fresh rosemary from the garden)
• Also needed: six 9" length of 100% cotton twine, roasting pan

 

Procedure

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
Remove giblets from the Cornish game hens and stuff them with apple, lemon, and fresh rosemary. Use the twine to truss the hens. Place them a roasting pan.
 
Rub 1 teaspoon of softened butter into the skin of each bird. Sprinkle the spice mixture and pressed garlic over the top. Gently massage the spices over the surface of the hen.

Whisk together the wine, olive oil, and fish sauce. Pour the liquid over the birds. 

Put the pan in the oven and roast for 90 minutes. Every 20 minutes or so remove the pan from the oven and baste with the cooking juices.

After 90 minutes in the oven, remove the hens from the oven and let them rest for 15 minutes before serving.

AIX 2019 Rosé

For this main course of our Grimm Thanksgiving Menu, I opened up a bottle of the 2019 AIX Rosé which hails from the Provence region of France. AIX planted its first vines in 1973. Now one of the largest vineyard in the area, the vines are sustainably dry-farmed.

This AIX Rosé is produced using the direct pressing method. To avoid oxidation, the grapes are chilled and cold-soaked before being destemmed and macerated for 5 to 6 hours. Fermentation is done in stainless steel tanks for about two weeks before bottling.

In the glass, this poured a pale salmon. Its nose was surprisingly fragrant for such a light pour. And, on the palate, the aromas were matched with the notes of summer fruits balanced with a bright acidity. This was the perfect wine to go with my Cornish game hens.

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*Disclosure: I received compensation in the form of wine samples for recipe development and generating social media traction. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizer and sponsors of this event.