Yesterday was Matt’s birthday so I made him a fantastic dinner for two when he got home from work. I don’t cook meat very often but I will definitely make an exception for Matt’s birthday. Last year, I made him Boeuf en Croute (or Beef Wellington). This year I made Stuffed Cornish Game Hens with Leek Stew and Vanilla Maple Gastrique.
The recipe is from Tom Colicchio on Martha Stewart (you can see it here ). The meal was delicious. I must admit that I picked this recipe because I thought the gastrique sounded really fancy and I was hoping to impress Matt on his b-day. It wasn’t really impressive at all though. I found it to be way to sweet for the dish. I think the recipe would’ve been even better without the Maple Vanilla Gastrique.
Oh, and if you do decide to make this recipe and include the gastrique, don’t take Tom’s advice to “keep it warm until ready to serve”. I kept it on the lowest setting on the stove and it ended up turning into maple candy! I had to make a second batch that would be ready exactly when the birds came out of the oven.
One happy birthday boy!
My favourite part of the recipe was the stuffing. I’m pretty positive it’s the best stuffing I’ve ever eaten in my life. But, then again, I’m used to my family’s stuffing which everyone raves about at the holidays but I can’t stomach because it’s too greasy and much to heavy on the parsley. Tom’s stuffing is perfect: onion, apple, bacon, bread (homemade bread, in my case). What’s not to love?
The leek stew was topped with candied pecans which, by Tom’s suggestion, I made in advance. Great idea to save time, but I ended up eating half the batch before Monday evening rolled around (luckily the recipe for the pecans makes 4 times more than you actually need for the recipe. Good thinking, Tom, good thinking.)
We capped the night off with one of my favourite cakes: Sourdough Chocolate Cake! I’ve made this before and even though it looks hideous (entirely the fault of the baker, that being me) it tastes phenomenal. Like a chocolate doughnut. Yummm…
I quartered the recipe and used my mini loaf pan to make two mini loaf sized cakes oozing with espresso frosting.
Well, I’m stuffed to the brim! Happy Birthday, husband.
Yesterday was Matt’s birthday so I made him a fantastic dinner for two when he got home from work. I don’t cook meat very often but I will definitely make an exception for Matt’s birthday. Last year, I made him Boeuf en Croute (or Beef Wellington). This year I made Stuffed Cornish Game Hens with Leek Stew and Vanilla Maple Gastrique.
The recipe is from Tom Colicchio on Martha Stewart (you can see it here ). The meal was delicious. I must admit that I picked this recipe because I thought the gastrique sounded really fancy and I was hoping to impress Matt on his b-day. It wasn’t really impressive at all though. I found it to be way to sweet for the dish. I think the recipe would’ve been even better without the Maple Vanilla Gastrique.
Oh, and if you do decide to make this recipe and include the gastrique, don’t take Tom’s advice to “keep it warm until ready to serve”. I kept it on the lowest setting on the stove and it ended up turning into maple candy! I had to make a second batch that would be ready exactly when the birds came out of the oven.
One happy birthday boy!
My favourite part of the recipe was the stuffing. I’m pretty positive it’s the best stuffing I’ve ever eaten in my life. But, then again, I’m used to my family’s stuffing which everyone raves about at the holidays but I can’t stomach because it’s too greasy and much to heavy on the parsley. Tom’s stuffing is perfect: onion, apple, bacon, bread (homemade bread, in my case). What’s not to love?
The leek stew was topped with candied pecans which, by Tom’s suggestion, I made in advance. Great idea to save time, but I ended up eating half the batch before Monday evening rolled around (luckily the recipe for the pecans makes 4 times more than you actually need for the recipe. Good thinking, Tom, good thinking.)
We capped the night off with one of my favourite cakes: Sourdough Chocolate Cake! I’ve made this before and even though it looks hideous (entirely the fault of the baker, that being me) it tastes phenomenal. Like a chocolate doughnut. Yummm…
I quartered the recipe and used my mini loaf pan to make two mini loaf sized cakes oozing with espresso frosting.
Well, I’m stuffed to the brim! Happy Birthday, husband.