STUFFED CORNISH HENS WITH PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make stuffing:
• In a fine sieve rinse rice well. In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan bring 2 cups water to a boil with rice and salt and simmer, covered, 45 to 50 minutes, or until rice is tender. Drain rice in sieve.
• While rice is simmering, separately chop fine onion, tomatoes, shallot, and parsley. Remove and discard casings from sausages and in a 12-inch non-stick skillet cook sausages in oil over moderate heat, stirring and breaking up lumps, until no longer pink. Add onion, tomatoes, and shallot and cook, stirring, until onion is softened. Stir in rice and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Cool stuffing completely. (Stuffing may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.)
• Preheat oven to 350° F and butter a 1-quart baking dish.
• Rinse Cornish hens inside and out and pat dry. Season hens inside and out with salt and pepper and fill cavities with some of stuffing. Tie ends of drumsticks of each hen together with kitchen string and transfer remaining stuffing to baking dish.
• In cleaned non-stick skillet heat butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and brown hens on all sides. Arrange hens on a rack set in a flameproof roasting pan and add 3/4 cup each of Port and broth. Roast hens in upper third of oven, basting every 15 minutes, 50 to 55 minutes total, or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh (be careful not to touch bone) registers 170° F.
• During last 30 minutes of roasting hens, add 1/4 cup broth to stuffing in dish and bake, covered, in lower third of oven 30 minutes.
• Transfer hens to a cutting board and let stand 15 minutes. Remove rack from pan and add remaining 1/4 cup Port. On top of stove deglaze pan over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits, and transfer liquid to a 1-quart saucepan. Boil liquid until reduced to a glaze and add remaining cup broth. Bring broth to a simmer.
• In a small bowl stir together arrowroot and 2 tablespoons water and whisk into broth. Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking, until slightly thickened (do not let boil). Season with salt and pepper. Discard string from hens and with a sharp knife halve hens lengthwise.
• Arrange 1 hen half and some baked stuffing from dish on each of 4 plates and drizzle with sauce.