I'm Jazzed About Cornish Game Hens

A long time ago someone told me that since I enjoyed grilling I had to check out the Food Network's Bobby Flay and buy his cookbook Boy Meets Grill. So, I bought the book and tried a few things and was generally unmoved. Fast-forward about 8 years and the last few months I've been on the lookout for cooking shows that might be worth a look-see and I have to say that consistently I like watching Bobby Flay's grilling shows; Grill It, and Boy Meets Grill. So what do I like about the shows? His ingredients tend to match the things I like to grill, and I like the immediacy of the show. None of this, in the oven for an hour, oh, here's the one we started before the taping... His show is real-time and he deals with the challenges of grilling as they occur: "let's move this to a cool part of the grill;" or "I see my grill is sending up smoke signals, I better take a look." Sometimes things don't go as planned but he makes it happen and it all comes together on the fly, just like when you grill at home. So while you might not like the recipe he's cooking you can learn a lot by just watching his technique.
OK, I like the show, let me take another look at Boy Meets Grill and and see what I can do. First up was Larry's Fire Roasted Chicken Skewers with a Tangerine-Cascabel Glaze, the version I found online has a pomegranate salsa which was not in the book. I made this on a hot day and neglected to read ahead to see that the glaze requires a reduction to a syrup which raised the temperature of the kitchen up above 100 for sure. It marinated for a while and then was splashed with a glaze prior to removal from the grill and I have to say the flavor was fleeting. I served it with a an Herbed Potato Salad from the 2009 Gourmet Today cookbook. My salad used a colorful mix of fingerling potatoes that looked great and tasted smashing. It was thumbs down on the chicken, it needed something much more robust.
Boy Meets Grill has a few recipes for whole butterflied chicken and since we're a small group I opted in two cases to try the recipe using Cornish game hens. What a discovery! Take your Cornish game hens and cut out the backbone so that you can lay it flat. Two hens in our house feed two adults and a picky kid or two with a bit for lunch. I I cooked Flay's Butterflied Lemon Chicken the hens are marinated in oil, lemon and rough chopped garlic. Then removed from the marinate I stuffed basil leaves and a slice of lemon under the skin of each breast. Wow, fantastic, and you can eat the lemons right along with the chicken. This one I served with an orzo, feta and cherry tomato salad. Colorful and tasty.
In my second go around with Cornish game hens I tried Bobby Flay's Indonesian Chicken with a Green Onion Yogurt Sauce. Once again, with Bobby Flay: complicated recipe; marinade tasted great; end result? So so. I loved the chicken, it cooked quickly, 5 minutes on the skin and 7 on the underside, it was juicy and tasty. The flavor of the marinade didn't quite stick. I served it with a radish salad from Mark Bittman's The Best Recipes of the World. Basically sliced radishes and finely chopped celery in a vinaigrette with cilantro and orange sections. How's that for a summer salad? So what's the verdict here? I say watch Bobby Flay grilling shows on Food Network, you'll pick up all kinds of helpful hints. I'd give his cookbook a pass or if you're really interested borrow it from the library. Finally, get out there and grill some Cornish game hens. Quick cooking; Great taste; impressive presentation; a winner for the grill.