European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 19, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Pierre Franey new York times have been thinking about something different to serve my family for  have always found Cornish hens to be festive or some reason perhaps because they can be served individually and garnished in so Many ways Cornish hens Are a Cross Between an american fowl 1he Plymouth Rock Hen and a Cornish or Bantam rooster originally they were marketed As Rock Cornish game hens but it was later determined that the word game was not appropriate because they Lack a game flavor. At Best they taste like firm fleshed chickens. They Are smaller than chickens about a Pound each. Cornish hens take a Short time to prepare. They can be excellent partly Rie boned and grilled perhaps with Mustard sauce stuffed and roasted or even braised. The recipe below Calls or rubbing the hens with Oil and seasonings and Browning them on the stove top before roasting them in the oven the pan is de glazed with a Sherry wine and vinegar sauce to which Honey Chicken Broth and Tomato paste Are added Green seedless grapes cooked Only Long enough to warm throughout Are added to the sauce. It makes for a pretty and delicious main course. On the Side serve a Yam Puree which is certainly seasonal this one is seasoned with cinnamon and Nutmeg roasted Cornish hens with grapes 4 Cornish hens with necks and gizzards each about 1v pounds 2 Tablespoons vegetable or com Oil Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste 1 Large onion peeled a cup dry Sherry wine 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 Tablespoon Honey 1 cup fresh or canned Chicken Broth 1 Tablespoon Tomato paste 2 cups Green seedless grapes 1 Tablespoon butter. Preheat oven to 450 f. Place the hens in a shallow baking dish without crowding rub hens with Oil and Sprinkle inside and out with Salt and Pepper. Cut onion in half. Place the halves Cut Side Down around the hens. Arrange gizzards and necks around the hens. Place baking dish on lop of Slove Over medium High heat. Turn the hens Over in the dish to coat them with the Oil. Brown them for a few minutes. Arrange hens on their sides place in the oven and bake 15 minutes Basting often. Turn the hens on the other Side and continue baking 15 minutes Basting often. Turn the hens breast Side up. Bake about 10 minutes Basting often. Transfer the hens to a heated serving Platter. Cover with foil to keep warm. Skim off the fat from the pan liquid place the dish on top of Slove and bring the liquid to a boil add the Cornish hens whether simply roasted or dressed up make a tasty Maal. Sherry and vinegar and stir to dissolve any Brown particles that May cling to the Bottom of pan. Strain sauce into a Saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook Down by half. Add the Honey Broth and Tomato paste. Stir and add any liquid that May have accumulated inside or around the Birds. Add the grapes and bring to a boil. Cook about 1 minute stirring. Swirl in the butter add Salt and Pepper if necessary. Pour the sauce Over the hens and serve. Yield 4 Servings. Yam Puree 4 yams or Sweet potatoes about 2 pounds Salt to taste 2 Tablespoons butter a cup warm milk a Teaspoon cinnamon a Teaspoon Nutmeg. Place the yams in a Saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until done. Drain. Peel yams when Cool enough to handle. Cut into 1 Inch cubes and put them through a food Mill or Ricer. Put the yams in a Saucepan and add remaining ingredients. Blend thoroughly stirring until blended and hot. Yield 4 Servings. Questions from the Kitchen by Joan Drake los Angeles times when a recipe Calls Lor fresh herbs can you substitute dried yes. Generally speaking to substitute dried herbs use one third the amount of fresh herbs called for in a recipe. In other words if the recipe Calls for one Tablespoon fresh herbs substitute one Teaspoon of dried. I d like to know More about Coconut milk. Can you Tell it the calories and sodium this information is not listed on the can. Nutritive value of foods. . Department of agriculture handbook 456, says that one cup of Coconut milk liquid expressed from mixture of grated Coconut meat and Coconut water contains 605 calories 7.7 Grams protein 59.8 Grams fat 12.5 Grams carbohydrate 38 milligrams Calcium 240 milligrams phosphorus. 38 milligrams Iron 0 milligrams sodium 0 milligrams potassium 0 International units Vitamin a 0 07 Milligram thiamine a Trace of Riboflavin 1.9 milligrams niacin and five milligrams ascorbic acid / have been having a problem with White sauce getting Runny when i warm it up. Can you give me information on what to do to keep h medium thickness in How cooking works Macmillan 1981 authors Sylvia Rosenthal and fran Shinagel write if you Are going to put the sauce aside for later use place a piece of buttered Wax paper buttered Side Down on the surface of the sauce or a Light filming of milk Over the surface to keep a skin from forming " cooking a to a Ortho books 1988. Edited by Jane Horn says White sauces can be made up to two Days ahead and then refrigerated or Frozen. If sauces Are to be enriched with egg Yolks however it is Best to add the Yolks after the sauce has been reheated. Reheat White sauces in a medium Saucepan Over Low heat whisking  i m starting on a new year s diet and need to know How to substitute artificial sweeteners for sugar in baking. This is a common question we receive from people on restricted diets. Unfortunately these ingredients Are not interchangeable their chemical properties differ a critical Factor in baking. Many of the companies producing artificial sweeteners offer recipe booklets using their products. Check packages for information on obtaining these materials. How Long can candles fruit be safely stored and where should it be kept for now i have it in the refrigerator. Can i safely us it next Christmas a spokesman at the ultimate nut & Candy co. Says that if the fruit is placed in a closed plastic bag and stored in a Cool place such As the Bottom of your refrigerator it should retain its Quality for a year. So it sounds like you Are on the right track. Some friends and i have been wondering How Long food keeps. In particular we Are wondering How Long one can keep dried pastas like Spaghetti Spaghetti sauce and Gelatin spices unopened and opened bottles of liquor the food keeper a pamphlet from food marketing Institute developed in cooperation with the Institute of food science of Cornell University in Ithaca. N.y., says that Spaghetti May be kept As Long As two years in the pantry unopened Spaghetti sauce for one year in the pantry and Gelatin 18 months in the pantry. The pamphlet recommends storing spices and herbs in the pantry but also notes they May be refrigerated or Frozen whole spices May be stored one to two years ground spices and herbs six months. As for unopened bottles of liquor Lynne strange of the distilled spirits Council of the . Inc. Tells us broadly speaking they May be stored indefinitely. Even after opening most liquor bottles if properly sealed after each use May be stored practically indefinitely. Possible exceptions Are liqueurs that contain Dairy products it might be advisable to store these under refrigeration. In All cases it is important to avoid extreme conditions of hot or cold Mushy areas and storing the bottles next to products with dominant doors such As Mothballs. Some manufacturers give specific instruction so it is also a Good idea to read labels. In response to a recent column on How to prevent a soggy Bottom pie crust j. Kessell adds the following information when baking a pie in an aluminium or tin pan place a baking Sheet under the pie if using a Glass or Ceramic pie plate omit the baking Sheet underneath. And another suggestion from e. Pazdra the Only Way i have found to have a browned Crisp crust is to use a cast Iron Skillet. Cast Iron holds a lot of heat and if the pie pan is too Large for the Skillet i turn the Skillet upside Down and set the pie on  Page 16 the stars and stripes Friday january 19,1990