USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

Okay, so we're doing Thanksgiving tomorrow, because of that Packer game we all insisted on not interfering with Turkey Day.

Mrs. EoDS, ever the iconoclast, wants to do Cornish Game Hens in lieu of the normal poultry arrangements (mostly because I refused to budge on some of the side dishes).

So here I am, with 10 thawed Cornish Game hens, ready to put my plan together for cooking them tomorrow... and only a faint idea of how I'll do it. What I do know:

• I'll put some fresh rosemary, butter and some dry seasoning between the skin and the breasts, then a light salt/pepper on the outside.
• I have a Nesco roaster, which would probably be better so I can keep my regular oven available for sides.
• Most recipes I see online call for a set amount of time (60-90 minutes, for instance) at a set temperature (say, 425), but...
• My best success with Turkey (that's required the least amount of basting) has been to cook it at a super hot temp for 1/2 hour, then turn it down and cook through. I'm wondering if there's a similar technique I can do with 10 ****ed hens in a roaster.

Any suggestions? Really the part that I'm stuck on is time/temperature. And maybe if I should throw some aromatics/lemon wedges in the cavity.

[leswp1]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

I got nothin'. with that many I wonder if you need to put them in for a bit longer.

I usually put a clove of garlic, slightly mashed, a hunk of thyme and some rosemary in the cavity. You can also pour a little white wine in the cavity if you are really getting crazy.

[Timothy A]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

Deconstructed turkey turned out awesome, the breast was a juicy as I have ever made one, even better than the deep fried one. The breast was a little behind schedule to get to 165, so I upped the temp 10 degrees with 45 minutes left and we only at 4 minutes late. Thighs were a tad dry, I should have temped them and pulled them ahead of the breast (breast had the hard wired thermometer for constant monitoring) . The stuffing was awesome with the turkey juices giving it awesome flavor. Pulling the entire breast off the bone and then carving is the bomb, so easy and less messy.

[jen]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

If I can share one bit of holiday baking wisdom this year, it's this: avoid anything with the phrase "finely chopped dried figs" unless you are actually buying the figs already finely chopped. That is all.

[MissThundercat]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

If I can share one bit of holiday baking wisdom this year, it's this: avoid anything with the phrase "finely chopped dried figs" unless you are actually buying the figs already finely chopped. That is all.

I'm curious as to how this wisdom came about...

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

If I can share one bit of holiday baking wisdom this year, it's this: avoid anything with the phrase "finely chopped dried figs" unless you are actually buying the figs already finely chopped. That is all.

Did you try using scissors, and/or occasionally dunking your blade(s) in hot water?

I do the water trick all the time when mincing garlic, except obviously I use a chef's knife.

[leswp1]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

freeze them first.

[MissThundercat]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

Another trick is using non-stick spray on your knife.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

Food processor?

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

Food processor?

Too much to clean for chopping one item.

Great for salsa and garlic sauce though.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

Too much to clean for chopping one item.

Great for salsa and garlic sauce though.

Is it really though? I mean, toss the bowl in the dishwasher and clean the blade with a sponge/towel/whatever. Really it's a marginal extra effort compared to using a knife and cutting board.

[jen]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

Too much to clean for chopping one item.

Great for salsa and garlic sauce though.

Food processor won't cleanly chop sticky, gummy things very well.
Repeatedly spraying the knife/dipping the knife seems like more effort than just chopping and dealing with stickiness.
Freezing would work nicely. Don't know why I didn't think of that - I do it with soft cheese.

[leswp1]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/butt...uash-lasagna-1
Made this. YUUUUUUMMMMMY

[jen]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

I am done. Somewhere in the neighborhood of of 1280 cookies (I didn't count the bark).

Better than I thought: cherry pistachio biscotti, hot cocoa cookies
Slightly disappointed: chestnut fingers, fig spirals, GF molasses did not turn out as well as last year

Rice Krispie trees were a pain in the *** to decorate, but they're very cute and festive.

Ended up making cherry apricot bark instead of ginger bark. I haven't tried the fruitcake yet - wanted to let it sit a little longer. Getting everything packaged up tomorrow.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Maybe We Can Beat Bobby Flay

Bourbon chocolate balls. Holy ****.