Le Coquelet a la Moutarde | Mustard Hens with Cream Gravy

Le Coquelet a la Moutarde or Mustard Hens with Cream Gravy – a simple and elegant dish for company. This is a French inspired dish and I love to make it for special occasions.

To begin, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

You will need two Rock Cornish hens. With kitchen shears, carefully cut the hens in half down the center of the breast and along the spine.

Pat the birds dry with paper towels and place them on a baking sheet. With the shears, cut the tips of the wings off and discard.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons each of melted butter and whole grain Dijon mustard. Whisk them together then brush the mixture all over the tops of the hens, coating them well.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the hens test done with a meat thermometer or the juices run clear.

While the hens rest, prepare the gravy.

In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour and allow it to cook for just a minute. Whisk in 2 cups of half & half (or milk.) Add in 2 tablespoons of the mustard and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stirring continually, bring this to a gentle boil. Let it cook for one minute and remove from the heat.

Serve the hens with the gravy.

Enjoy!

Le Coquelet a la Moutarde | Mustard Hens with Cream Gravy

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Le Coquilet ala Moutarde or Mustard Hens with Cream Gravy – a simple and elegant dish for company.

Author: Constance J Smith - Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Recipe type: Main Dishes

Cuisine: French

Serves: 4 generous servings

Ingredients

• 2 Rock Cornish hens
• 2 Tb butter, melted
• 4 Tb whole grain Dijon mustard, divided
• 2 Tb butter
• 2 Tb flour
• 2 c half & half (or milk)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

1. To begin, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. With kitchen shears, carefully cut the hens in half down the center of the breast and along the spine.
3. Pat the birds dry with paper towels and place them on a baking sheet. With the shears, cut the tips of the wings off and discard.
4. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and 2 tablespoons of the whole grain Dijon mustard. Whisk them together then brush the mixture all over the tops of the hens, coating them well.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the hens test done with a meat thermometer or the juices run clear.
6. While the hens rest, prepare the gravy.
7. In a saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour and allow it to cook for just a minute. Whisk in the half & half. Add in the remaining mustard, salt & pepper. Stirring continually, bring this to a gentle boil. Let it cook for one minute and remove from the heat.
8. Serve the hens with the gravy.
   Enjoy!

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