Game Hens with Roasted Grape Mostarda Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Author Notes

When I was a kid, I always thought Cornish Game Hens were one of the fanciest foods. To this day, I feel a bit guilty serving them to friends and receiving "Oohs" and "Aahs" because they are SO easy! The are just incredibly tender and juice all on their own and just need a bit of flavor to amp them up. I've been making a mustard roasted game hen for years and always thought it could use a nice sauce or condiment. I have to admit -- the mostarda bug was put in my ear by a recent trip to Panera where they have a new sandwich with a cranberry mostarda. My son has recently been into grapes so they were the most plentiful and obvious choice for a mostarda. This is obviously a quick version rather than the jellied, long-infused traditional Italian dish but it comes together with such a great depth of flavor after roasting the grapes -- hopefully you won't find the uber-traditional elements woefully missing. I finish the sauce with a splash of the game hen pan juices which is far from orthodox but I couldn't resist adding the silky meat juice at the end. I think this mostarda would work well on a range of meats, duck, goose, other game birds. Its my new go-to condiment/sauce for the fall. —meganvt01

Test Kitchen Notes

Meganvt01 has redeemed herself from years of game hen-induced guilt with this recipe, which surprised me in many wonderful ways. The rub on the guinea hens is fantastic; the strong rosemary and mustard flavors really complement the birds. I was worried that the mostarda would overwhelm them, but the wine, vinegar, cooking liquid, and three kinds of mustard temper the grapes’ sweetness to make this dish beautifully complex. Be sure to mop up the leftovers with some bread. It’s also deceptively easy -- the whole thing only took about an hour, and you’re only using two pans! —LucyS

What You'll Need

Ingredients

• Mustard-Roasted Game Hens
• 4 game hens (1 3/4 to 2 pounds each)
  
• 4 minced garlic cloves
  
• 4 tablespoonshoney
  
• 4 tablespoonswhole grain mustard
  
• 4 tablespoonsolive oil
  
• 2 tablespoonsminced fresh rosemary
  
• Salt and pepper
  

• Roasted Grape Mostarda
• 3 cupsblack seedless grapes
  
• ¹/₂ cupchopped shallot
  
• 3 tablespoonsolive oil
  
• ¹/₄ cupwhite wine
  
• 2 tablespoonssugar
  
• ¹/₄ cupChampagne vinegar
  
• 1 tablespoonmustard seeds
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1 teaspoondry mustard
  
• 2 teaspoonsDijon mustard
  
• ¹/₄ cupreserved pan juices from game hens
  
• 1 tablespoonchopped fresh rosemary