PREP: Mise the recipe ahead of time.

1. Make the brine:

• Combine the water, salt, sugar, thyme, and sage in a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Immediately remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.  (If you’re in a hurry, set the saucepan in an ice bath for faster cooling.)
• Pour the brine into a glass or plastic container just large enough to accommodate the hens.

2. Make corn muffins:

• Preheat an oven to 400°F.  Grease the 6 central cups of a standard muffin pan with bacon drippings or with pan coating spray. 
• Crack the egg into a bowl, beat until yolk and white are combined, and then stir in the milk.
• Stir in the muffin mix just until the mixture is homogenous.
• Rest the batter at room temperature for 10 minutes.
• Stir the batter to re-combine, and then fill the muffin pan cups ¾ full with batter.
• Bake 20 minutes until risen and set.
• Cool the muffins minutes in the pan for 10 minutes, and then lift them out and turn them on their sides to completely cool.
• You’ll need about 2 muffins per person for the stuffing.  If prepping ahead, place these in a plastic bag.  Reserve the remaining muffins for another use—or eat them!

3. Butterfly, semi-bone, and brine the hens.

• Remove the hens from the vacuum packaging and rinse under cold water, allowing the water to run through the cavity.  Blot dry inside and out with paper towels.
• To remove the backbone of each hen, stand it on a cutting board tail-side-up, with the backbone facing you.  Insert the tip of the knife on the right side of the backbone about halfway down from the top.  Cut downward to the board’s surface.  Repeat on the left side of the backbone.  Now turn the hen tail-side down.  Cut downward and slightly to the left to cut through the joint where the thigh connects to the backbone and then straight down to the board.  Repeat on the left side. 
• Lay each hen breast-side-down on the cutting board, and gently flatten it.  Use the tip of the knife to cut between the breastbone and the flesh, loosening the breastbone.  Gently pull the breastbone off of the flesh.
• Slide the blade of the boning knife under the rib bones of each hen and, pushing upward as you cut, remove them.
• Reserve the bones for stock or discard them.
• Place in the brine, ensuring it completely covers them.
• Refrigerate the hens in the brine for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
• If prepping ahead, be sure to remove the hens from the brine after 12 hours.  Blot dry with paper towels and store in a plastic bag.

4. Make the gravy base:

• Combine the step 4 butter and flour in a saucepan and place over medium heat.  Cook, stirring constantly, to make a tan-colored roux.  Stir in the step 4 granulated onion, granulated garlic, and dried thyme.
• Slowly whisk in the step 4 broth in a thin stream to prevent lumping.  Bring to the simmer and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes until the sauce thickens to a nappé consistency.
• Add the barbecue sauce and then evaluate the seasoning.  Add salt if needed.
• If prepping ahead, cool to room temperature and store in a container.

5. Fabricate the stuffing vegetables.

• Fine-chop the onion.
• Peel and fine-dice the celery.
• Remove the seeds and membranes from the red bell pepper and fine-dice it.
• If prepping ahead, combine the stuffing vegetables in a plastic bag.

HOLD: Refrigerate all ingredients up to 4 days.

COOK!  Finish and plate your dinner.

6. Prepare the stuffing:

• Chop the parsley leaves.
• Crumble the corn muffins into a bowl.
• Melt the step 6 butter in a sauté pan.  Stir in the step 6 granulated onion, the step 6 dried thyme and dried sage, and the paprika.  Stir to steep the seasonings in the butter, and then add the onion, celery, and peppers.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the vegetables soften.  Don’t allow them to brown.
• Add the step 6 broth to the vegetables and bring to the simmer.
• Add the vegetables and their liquid into the corn muffin crumbs and toss lightly to evenly moisten them, then toss in the parsley and pepper.
• Line a sheet tray with aluminum foil and place a sheet of parchment on the foil.  For each hen, form a mound of stuffing on the tray.  (A 3 ½-inch diameter x 1 ½-inch tall food ring is helpful for this if you have one.)

7. Fabricate and season the tomato crowns:

• Remove the core from the tomato. 
• Use a paring knife to make zig-zag cuts around the middle of the tomato—in doing so, cutting it in half.
• If necessary, shave off a bit of the rounded bottoms so that the tomato crowns sit steadily upright.
• Season the tomato crowns with salt and place a slice of the step 7 butter on top.

8. Pan-roast the hens and tomato crowns:

• Preheat an oven to 425°F.
• If necessary, remove the hens from the brine.  Blot the hens dry on paper towels.
• For each hen, tie the ends of the drumsticks together with kitchen twine.
• Place a sauté pan over high heat until hot, then turn down to medium heat.  Add the oil and step 8 butter, then add the hens skin-side-down.  Sauté for between 1 and 2 minutes until the skin sides are golden brown.
• Turn over the hens and sauté them for 1 minute longer.
• Place a hen, skin-side up, on each mound of stuffing and press gently to form it around the stuffing.  Add the tomato crowns to the sheet tray.
• Place the sheet tray in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, until the tomato crowns are hot an beginning to soften and the hens are just are done through.  To test, insert a thermometer deep into one of the thighs; the internal temperature should reach 165°F and the juices should run clear.

9. Heat the collard greens:

• Drain off most of the cooking liquid from the greens.
• Place the greens in sauté pan with the optional bacon drippings, cover, and cook over high heat until hot through.  Season to taste with vinegar and hot sauce.

10.  Reheat the gravy:

• Place the gravy in a saucepan over high heat until hot.  If it’s become too thick, thin it out with a little water. 
• Evaluate the seasoning and correct if necessary.

11. Plate:

• Use a flexible fish spatula and tongs to transfer each hen on its mound of stuffing to the left side of warm plates.
• Mound a portion of collard greens on the right side of each plate.
• Place a tomato crown on the back of the plate.
• Nap each hen with some gravy, allowing it to pool in the front of the plate.
• Pass any remaining gravy in a sauceboat.