Cornish Hen

An elegant main course that's ready in 40 minutes.

Sweet, sour, and meaty, this is summer food to eat with your hands.

From the Williamsburg Inn's Regency Room.

Sauté any remaining greens from the beets to serve on the side with the lentils with port-glazed shallots . A Moulin-à-Vent is the wine of choice; purchased cheesecake topped with cherries marinated in brandy and sugar is a scrumptious finale.

We've substituted Cornish game hens (which are much easier to find) for the squab used at Gary Danko in San Francisco. At the restaurant, the squab is stuffed with a mixed-grain pilaf. We suggest serving this with couscous or rice pilaf.

The sweet, sour and spice combination, is common all over the Mediterranean and is often found in Catalan cuisine, especially with poultry and game birds. Serve this impressive main course with crisp roasted potatoes and a dry white Penedès wine.

Wild rice and winter squash are perfect with this easy and elegant entrée.

Roasted red potatoes and a spinach salad would make good accompaniments.

Ask the butcher to halve the Cornish game hens for you.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Soy and Vinegar Marinated Cornish Hens)

The hens should marinate at least 12 hours, so begin preparing a day before serving.

Steamed broccoli and baked sweet potatoes are tasty accompaniments. Top slices of fruitcake with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

For some appropriate side dishes, dress shredded carrots with a cumin, cilantro and lemon vinaigrette, and add almonds and raisins to couscous. Top it all off with pistachio ice cream and mint tea.

Although most of the molasses imported by the Colonies in the seventeenth century was used to make rum, some found its way into the kitchen. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve these festive birds with roasted broccoli (as easy as steamed) and a wild rice pilaf with sliced green onions. Finish with caramel ice cream topped with chocolate sauce and chopped walnuts.