Trick or Treat

When pal Sari brought me the Buddha's Hand citron as a Hallowe'en trick, despite its creepy appearance I kept it in a basket on the dinner table and enjoyed it for weeks for its light and fresh perfume. I wasn't sure how to use it in cooking despite some fairy intense internet research.

Then, last evening as I was preparing a Cornish hen and butter-braised Brussels sprouts for dinner, I thought, "Man, this little bird would taste great with that and a few mushrooms" so I sliced three big mushrooms, chopped some green onion and, feeling a little squeamish, cut off two of the smaller digits from the Buddha's Hand and sliced them very thinly.

While I was wielding a big knife, I halved the hen and browned it in a little olive oil in a wide frying pan, skin side down, then flipped it over and added the mushrooms, green onion and citron slices to the pan, stirring them a few times to brown them and to coat with the pan juices, then put on a lid and allowed it all to sizzle gently for about 20 minutes. I'm always surprised at how long Cornish hens take to cook given their diminutive size.

After removing the hen halves to warmed plates, I reduced the pan juices for a few minutes on higher heat, adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavors and a big grinding of fresh black pepper.

The Buddha's Hand added an amazing amount of flavor with just a tiny tang of bitterness that we enjoyed very much. This was definitely not a trick, but rather a very nice treat!