For the stuffing: Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the rice and cook for 15 minutes. Drain the rice and mix well with the remaining stuffing ingredients. Season stuffing with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Rinse the Cornish hens and dry them inside and out with paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the birds loosely with the rice mixture and truss. Put the remaining stuffing aside in a small ovenproof dish.

Put the hens in a baking dish, brush them with melted butter and season again with the salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then baste with the chicken stock. Continue to baste every 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and put the dish of stuffing into the oven. Roast the hens for another 20 minutes. Serve immediately with a tablespoon of stuffing on each side of the hens as garnish.


Note: This, I have found, is a wonderful Valentine’s Day dinner. While the hens are in the oven you have time to concoct a little dessert. Et Voila, you can sit down for a candlelit dinner.