CORNISH HEN WITH CHERRY-HAZELNUT WINE SAUCE

Cornish Hen with Cherry-Hazelnut Wine Sauce image

Provided by Joe Yonan

Categories Sauce Wine Side Cherry Raw Hazelnut

Number Of Ingredients 9

Ingredients

2 tablespoons raw hazelnuts
1 Cornish hen or other small hen (about 3/4 pound)
1/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon fat-free Greek-style yogurt
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons Mulled Wine Syrup (page 7) made with red wine (or substitute 1/2 cup Pinot Noir or other fruity red wine plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar, or more to taste)
2 to 3 tablespoons dried cherries, preferably unsweetened
Freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Toast the hazelnuts in a small, dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until they are lightly browned and begin to smell toasty, 4 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully; nuts can burn quickly. Transfer to the folds of a clean dish towel to remove the skins while the nuts are still warm, then discard the skins and let the nuts cool. Coarsely chop the nuts.
Using poultry shears or a very sharp knife, cut along each side of the hen's backbone and remove it. Turn the hen over on your cutting board, splay it out butterfly-style, and press on the breastbone to break it. Sprinkle it with salt and allspice then rub the yogurt all over it.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Place the hen, meat side down, in the skillet and weight it down with a smaller skillet with a large can of tomatoes or other heavy object on top. (Or, do as I do, and use a heavy cast-iron bacon press, made for just this kind of thing.)
Let the hen cook until the yogurt has formed a dark brown crust on the meat side, 5 to 10 minutes. Lift off the weight assembly, and use tongs to turn the hen over onto the bone side. Return the weights and cook until an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh and the breast reads at least 165°F, another 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with aluminum foil while you make the sauce.
Pour the wine syrup into the skillet and use a spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the dried cherries and hazelnuts, stir to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste. (If you're using wine instead of the syrup, pour it in, scrape up the browned bits from the pan, add the dried cherries and hazelnuts, then let the wine bubble and reduce by about half. Add the sugar to taste and continue reducing the sauce until it is thick and sticky, then season with salt and pepper to taste.)
Remove the sauce from the heat, spoon the sauce over the hen, and eat.