Roasted Cornish Hen and Scalloped Tomatoes

I recently discovered Cornish Hens and am now totally in love with them.  I find roasting a whole chicken and then carving it for just me to be too cumbersome.  The Cornish Hen, however, is the perfect size weighing it at approximately 1 1/2 pounds, and it takes a fraction of the time to roast.  I can only find them frozen and the only consideration is that they take a full 48 hours to thaw in the refrigerator so make sure you plan a few days ahead.

After washing and thorougly drying the hen, I placed it on top of a roasting rack in a shallow baking dish.  Next, I seasoned it simply with a mixture of melted butter and olive oil, a sprinkling of poultry seasoning and salt and pepper.  Into a 375 degree oven to roast for about 50 min. until the internal temperature was 170.  Let it rest, tented with foil, for about 30 min.  To carve, simply cut the hen in half right down the middle.  

Ever since I saw Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, make a version of this tomato dish a few weeks ago, I have been dreaming about making it.  I could just taste those sweet, plump summer tomato juices intermingling with the crunchy french bread croutons, fresh basil and parmesan cheese.  Well, I simply could not wait until summer, I had to try this dish, but with a few alterations.  

The first thing I did was to make croutons.  I cut up a crusty loaf of italian bread into cubes about an inch in size and placed them on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper, stir to coat and toast in  375 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  While the croutons were baking, I cut four plum tomatoes in half lengthwise and then each half into thirds and place them in a bowl with two minced cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, a few tablespoons of olive oil, several tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a dash of red pepper flakes.  Add the tomatoes to a large preheat skillet and sautee for several minutes.  When the croutons have finished baking, remove them from the oven and add them to pan as well.  Stir to combine and cook for a few more minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and had about 1/2 cup of chopped basil.  Place in a baking dish and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and a tablespoon or so of olive oil over the top.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. 

Thanks to Ina Garten for giving me the idea for this dish because it was one of the best things I have ever tasted.  I am going to make this over and over!!!!  Now I really can not wait for summer tomatoes.  Try this dish, you will LOVE it!