INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Place 3
tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet; turn the heat to high. A minute
later, add the bread. Toss it until it is golden brown, about 5 minutes,
then place it in a bowl. Wipe out the skillet. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil
and turn the heat to high. Sprinkle the livers liberally with salt and
pepper, then toss in the pan. Immediately add the minced garlic, shallot
and thyme leaves. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until the liver loses
its rawness. Add to the bread; toss with the parsley and lots of salt and
pepper. (You may prepare the stuffing in advance; refrigerate in a covered
container for up to 2 days.) When the stuffing is cool enough to handle,
stuff the hens. Truss the birds if you like, or simply close their rear
vents with skewers to keep the stuffing from falling out. Season them all
over with salt and pepper. Place a Dutch oven or ovenproof casserole over
high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, along with the
butter. Immediately add the thyme sprigs, lightly crushed garlic cloves,
and any scraps from the birds, such as the necks or wing tips. Add the
birds and brown lightly on both sides of the breast, then turn the birds
onto their backs and place the pan in the oven. Spoon the pan juices over
the birds every 5 or 10 minutes. When they are done -- after about 30
minutes of roasting (there should be no traces of pink) -- put them on a
platter. Remove the thyme sprigs, garlic and grease from the pan. Place the
pan over high heat and add 1/3 cup water; cook for a minute, scraping up
all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. When they are
incorporated, pour the jus over the birds. Carve and serve. Yields: 4
servings.
Tester's note: Nice flavor, and the birds cooked fast in the 500 degree
oven. I would reduce the amount of olive oil used to saute the bread cubes.
There was a little extra stuffing, so I baked it on foil beside the birds.
The hens in local markets all weighed about 22 ounces.
Recipe Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - 11-16-1998 From "Jean-Georges:
Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef" (Broadway Books, $35), coauthored
with food writer Mark Bittman
Formatted for MasterCook by Susan Wolfe - swolfe1@prodigy.net
Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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