Welcome to Silicon Valley Sous Vide!

Sous Vide is French for "Under Vacuum" and is a cooking technique that has recently become available to home chefs. Essentially, you vacuum seal food in food grade plastic bags and cook them in a very precise water bath at the exact temperature that the food is served. It has incredible benefits for both chef and dinner guests and in many instances has a "magical" transformative effect on the texture of the food. You really have to taste it to appreciate the difference between sous vide cooking and other traditional forms of cooking.


This blog shares my experiences with the art and presentation of Sous Vide. I hope you enjoy...



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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Herb Infused Stuffed Cornish Hen



Sous Vide Details: Cook Cornish Hen at 155ºF for 4-8 hours

Ingredients, Serves 1-2:
  • 1 cornish hen (thawed)
  • 3 tablespoons small diced celery
  • 2 tablespoons small diced carrots
  • 2 tablespoons small diced onions
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
  • Few sprigs of rosemary and Thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Cornish hen is an interesting dichotomy for my friend.  She loves chicken, but small whole chicken?  Not so much.  Something about the movie "The Birds" early in her life causes her to have the hibijibis when it comes to small whole birds!  Well, I think cornish hens are "cute"!  So I decided to see if sous vide might change her opinion.

Pre-heat water bath to 155ºF. Typically cornish hens are purchased frozen solid, so you'll need to leave it in the refrigerator until it thaws out completely (maybe 1-2 days).  Once thawed, remove the wrapper and wash thoroughly.  Remove any parts from the cavity and pat dry with a towel.

Now, to make the stuffing, mix the celery, carrots, onions, EVO, and chopped rosemary and thyme.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Use a spoon and fill the hen cavity with the stuffing mixture.  Sprinkle hen with salt and pepper.  Place the hen in a bag and add the sprigs of rosemary and thyme.  Seal the bag and place in the water bath.  Cook for between 4 and 8 hours.

When done, remove from the water bath and pat dry.  I used a kitchen torch to sear the skin.  If you don't have a torch, place the hen on a baking sheet into the oven on broil and broil until the skin is browned.  Once browned, you're ready to plate and serve!

I presented to my friend and while she loved the taste, she still had the hibijibis on the "whole" presentation!  Oh well, at least it tasted wonderful!  Cheers.




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