CORNISH GAME HENS WITH ORANGE AND HONEY

Cornish Game Hens with Orange and Honey image

Yield Makes 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

1 1/4 cups orange juice
1 1/4 cups dry red wine
1/2 cup honey
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 1 1/2-pound Cornish game hens, giblets removed
3 small onions, quartered
12 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch watercress

Steps:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Pour 2 cups sauce into medium saucepan. Reserve remaining 1 cup sauce.
Rinse hens inside and out. Pat hens dry with paper towels. Cut and scrape off any visible fat from hens. Sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper. Place 3 onion quarters and 3 garlic cloves in cavity of each hen. Arrange hens on rack on large rimmed baking sheet.
Roast hens 10 minutes. Baste with reserved 1 cup sauce. Continue roasting until hens are golden and juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced, basting often with pan juices and reserved 1 cup sauce, about 45 minutes longer.
Transfer hens to cutting board; tent with foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices to 4-cup glass measuring cup. Spoon fat off top of pan juices. Pour pan juices into 2 cups sauce in saucepan. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 12 minutes.
Discard onions and garlic from hen cavities. Using poultry shears, cut hens in half lengthwise. Remove backbones. Spoon some sauce onto plates. Place hens atop sauce. Garnish with watercress. Serve with remaining sauce.