My Perfect Roast Chicken

". . . I knew then I couldn't call myself a chef just because I ran a kitchen.  In the end, of course, the importance of trussing a chicken meant far more than actually trussing a chicken." - Thomas Keller

Trussing a chicken, in the words of the great TK, makes the bird.  It cooks more evenly, and it protects the thinnest part of the breast, which is usually what's overcooked.  It provides for a bit more area near the darker sections, where the chicken is habitually undercooked.  Here's how you truss a chicken:

"Position the chicken so that its cavity faces you.  Place the center of a 2-foot-long piece of butcher's string beneath the chicken's tail, the little triangle at the bottom of the cavity.  Lift the string up outside each leg and pull it down between the legs, reversing the direction of each end so that they cross.  Pull the strong over the thighs (the drum sticks should squeeze together at this point) and the wings.  Maintaining tension on the string, turn the chicken on its side, wind the ends of the string over the neck, and tie securely." - The French Laundry Cookbook, p. 171.

Some caveats.  I used cotton string, because Target isn't exactly the end-all for cooking supplies.  My chickens didn't have the neck (I know, I know), so instead I tied a fairly tight knot where the neck would be.

Roast Chicken


1 Chicken, as fresh as possible.  Mine was approximately 3.5 lbs.
2 tsp White Truffle Oil
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 tblspoon thyme.

Clean the chicken and pat it dry, removing any extraneous feathers.  Coat the cavity in salt, pepper, and thyme.  Truss the bird.  Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast-side up, and with your hand, rub in the truffle oil, coating the skin as completely as possible.  I did it tsp by tsp, so as to enhance the surface area rubbed in and (to hopefully) rub more into the places that need it.  Coat with sea salt and pepper.  I go a bit heavier on these, preferring to see the individual crystals.  Cook at a high temperature--425-450--until the thigh meat, at its deepest point, hits 165.  Like TK says, the sooner the dark meat is done, the moister the breast will be.

I used the drippings and made a simple reduction.  Add about a tablespoon of dijon mustard, a tablespoon of thyme, a tablespoon of old bay/baltimore spice (thanks Art!), a bit of water (I usually do a cup per 2 cups of drippings), and reduce by half.  Serve over a piece of bread, with a generous amount of sauce.  I prefer the sauce to be a bit liquidy for chicken; I'm not sure why, other than I used to get freaked out by jellied sauces on my Thanksgiving turkey early on in life, so the habit has just stuck to make them a bit "loose."

Disclaimer: some like cooking chicken to about 150 or 160.  You can do that, just keep an eye on the dark meat and make sure that it's done.  More often than not, it's the last to finish and it will be undercooked if you take it out when the breast hits 160.  So be careful!

1 chicken serves 2-4.  For tonight, I have 2 chickens.  Simple meal, with simple flavors, done right.  Does it get better than this?

Enjoy.

Tasting Menus--What Say You?

So, in the middle of a shit ton of school work, I'm attempting to put together a tasting menu for a close friend of mine (check out her ridiculously good fashion blog-The Queen of Hearts).  Some people seem to go either way with tasting menus.  Some believe them to be nothing more than an excuse not to prepare a lot of food or a "proper" meal; others seem to love the fact that you grab the persons attention and never let go, never letting them meet the "law of diminishing returns or flavors" head on.  I think I'm in the latter group, but honestly, I've never done one.  My true opinion will have to wait . . .

That being said, here are some ideas.  5 courses, nothing too big, but with a decent amount of variety.  Here's what I have in mind thus far:

1. Tomato "Bisque":  the idea for this course came around the time I was opining about guilty pleasures.  This will be my first use of tomato on this menu, but in reality, I need to be using it more.  I grew up eating tomatoes whole, or cut in half with a healthy dose of salt on them.  If you have wonderfully fresh, garden variety tomatoes, the skies the limit--you just need to not be afraid of their acidity.  I'm keeping this one underwraps until it's been tested, but for the sake of conversation, it may or may not include a ravioli, a basil/cream emulsion, and some . . . well . . . "coarse" salt.
2. Salmon Tartare with Gruyere over Leeks and Spinach:  this takes inspiration from a recent dish I did for a school-function, and it consisted of a ravioli stuffed with salmon mousse, green onion, and swiss cheese.  I thought the combination was amazing; the sharp, tanginess of the swiss really set off the flavors of the salmon nicely.  I'd like to bring the salmon flavor to perhaps a cleaner forefront (hence the tartare preparation), but I think that to offset it, a basic "salad" would work well to give it some balance and textural comparison.  
3. Butter-Poached Lobster with Rosemary, Beurre Monte, and Tomato Confit:  this will be my second preparation of Keller's butter-poaching method, the first being a pretty decent smash.  This is another dish where I really think the powers of the tomato can help out; the acidity should be offset by the beurre monte, and it should all wrap together very nicely.  Lobster needs some acidity; hence the vinegar in the water while steeping.  Add a bit more to finish, and it should be a nice pairing.  And just to reiterate, rosemary, when it's not overpowering and at the forefront of the flavors, may be the most delectable spice to use with lobster.
4. Braised Lamb Chop with Asparagus and Wild Mushrooms:  lamb may be my favorite red meat; when done right, I can't help but literally suck the marrow out of the bone.  I prepared lamb for Valentine's Day, and I think it went over really well.  Asparagus seems to get a bad rap (or is it wrap?  I guess it depends on how you're using it [the asparagus, that is?]), but the main task when preparing asparagus is to remove the bitterness.  I like how mushrooms will contrast with that bitterness, and I think the earthiness really helps the lamb nicely.  I'm not a fan of doing a lot to lamb; it's flavor is so rich that really, it stands on its own, and for my dish, it'll be at the forefront.
5. Lemon Tart:  simply put, this is a tribute to Marco Pierre White.  I'll be adding my own twist, but the classic taste should remain the same.  The structure, on the other hand . . .

I'll obviously be charting the progress of these dishes, that evening, and any possible changes.  Your feedback is, as always, more than welcome!

Thomas Keller Appreciation Night

Butter-Poached Lobster with Zucchini, Portobellos, and Rosemary-Infused Rice.

4 Lobster Tails, ~5oz a piece
1 Medium Zucchini
3 Portobello Caps, sliced to about 3/8" thick (2 slices per plate)
1.5C Rice, long grain.
4 Sprigs fresh Rosemary.
Butter (I used 6 sticks; it depends on how big your pot is)
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Serves 4.

For the beurre monte.
In order to get to the heart of Thomas Keller's famous butter-poached lobster, one must make a beurre monte.  Put your lobster tails in a pot, and cover with water so that you have about 1/4" between the water and the tops of the tails.  Drain and measure the water.  That's the amount of butter you will need.  I needed ~6 sticks (I needed roughly 4C, but I like to be sure and I wanted a bit more beurre monte).  Boil 1 tablespoon of water in a pot, and then incorporate chunks of butter, whisking constantly.  This will allow the butter to maintain its emulsified state; without that water, it'll break up and clarify.  DO NOT let it reach above 200 degrees (or to boil).  It will break, and then you're fucked.  Set this aside (you have about an hour, so relax, and keep it on very low).  (once you're done poaching, you can also keep it frozen).

Removing the lobster shells.
Boil about 2 quarts water with 1/8C white distilled vinegar.  Turn it to half, wait until the bubbles stop appearing, and pop the tails in there.  Steep for 3 minutes.  Remove them from the water, and then take the shells off (save them for stock!).  Set aside, covered.

For the rice.
Create a tea with 3 sprigs of rosemary and 4 cups of water.  Steep for 10 minutes (at least, more if more flavor is desired).  Let it boil down to about 3.5C, add the rice, and constantly check on it.  Rice is a tricky bitch, and you can always add a tad more water to make sure it cooks through.  But once it's overcooked, it's game over, so watch out and keep your eye on it.  Mine took ~20 minutes tops.

For the zucchini.
I put about a cup of water in the bottom of pot, and place the slices (roughly 3/8" thick) in there clockwise.  Season with salt/pepper, and steam for about 10 minutes; wait until the centers start to become translucent, and immediately remove them from heat, set aside.

For the portobellos.
Place the ports in about 2 tablespoons butter and 1tablespoon olive oil, season with salt/pepper, and saute until each side is getting a bit brown.  Roughly 4-5 a side, depending on your heat (I prefer to cook ports at lower temps, right around medium, to enrich their flavor--remember folks, browning seals in NOTHING).

For the butter-poached lobster.
Put the tails in the beurre monte.  You want to make sure it is no higher than 180 degrees (170-175 is preferable).  I used a little $20 kettle that has much more precise temp control than my stove.  Again, always check the temp.  Always, always, always.  Cook for about 7-9 minutes, depending upon size and how deep the beurre monte is.  The deeper it is, the more likely for temp fluctuation (unless you have a sweet circulator; if you do, well, fuck you, and please send me one!).  I sprinkled some rosemary on the top; whether or not it did anything is debatable, but I like to think it did. (and yes, there are bubbles, but I took this right after doing a stir and dropping them in; I assure you it did not boil!)

For presentation.
Start with a spoonful of rice; I kept the rosemary in the rice for taste and presentation purposes.  You can remove it if you like.  Put the zucchini next to it, 3 slices per plate, and then place the lobster on top.  Put 2 slices of port per plate, and drizzle with the lobster-steeped beurre monte.  Sprinkle parsley, and serve.   I did about 4 different ones, but pictures of the fourth suck.  My bad.

It's all about finesse- Thomas Keller

Enjoy.

My Perfect Wings

What's better than hot wings during the Super Bowl?  I can think of no other dish to eat during the big game (and this year's was a very big game).  Here's what I do to make the perfect batch wings...

10lbs wing pieces...usually frozen
1 Gallon Cold Water
1.5 Cups Cajun Spice (depends on the salt content; you want ~1.25 cups salt in the brine)
2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
1 Bunch (small) Parsley
2 Lemons, juiced
3 tablespoons black peppercorn
2 tablespoons thyme
1 bulb of garlic, peeled and smashed
10 bay leaves

2 parts favorite hot sauce
1 part butter

First, make the brine.  In part, it was inspired by Thomas Keller's brine for fried chicken.  I made some adjustments, including no honey, more pepper, less bay leaves, and substituting cajun spice for salt (it adds some heat, and depending on the spice, will have a large amount of salt content; if you get nervous about too much salt, then limit it to about a cup or so).  You want to make the brine by mixing all of the ingredients listed thoroughly, to ensure equal dispersion of spice.  Subsequently, put the defrosted wing pieces in it, and store it for at least 4 hours in the fridge (picture shown was after they were taken out).  Overnight is preferred, but the lack of meat (and thus flesh to penetrate) is a key difference between brining wings and normal chicken pieces.  I used the bag that the wing pieces came in because it was easy and you can seal it.  Less oxygen = quicker, more effective brining.

 

Second, heat the fryer.  I used a small batch fryer (~10 wings at a time), with about 3/4 gallon of vegetable oil.  I prefer peanut oil, but vegetable oil has a good smoking point.  The fryer should be eated to about 360-365.  Mine has a radial knob, so I put it slightly past 350.  It'll do the trick.  I usually wait 15 mins for it heat effectively.

Third, rinse the brine, pat the wings dry, and put them in, making sure they don't overlap or they'll stick together (if you don't mind breaking up melded chicken flesh, then be my guess).  The amount of wings will depend upon size of the fryer.  Like I said, I fit about 10-11 wings depending on size and type of piece (I can fit more drumstick type pieces).  Cook for approximately 13 minutes, or until golden brown with fringes of deeper brown.  I prefer my wings to be very crispy, mostly because I just adore the taste of crispy chicken skin.  So sue me; I know it's not healthy!

To serve, I present the wings, sans sauce, with a sprig or two of rosemary.  I prefer to put the sauce on very late, so as to preserve the crispiness of the skin and the taste of the flesh.  For the sauce, put the 2 parts hot sauce with the 1 part butter in a pan, and simmer until mixed.  I add a few drops of Blair's Ultra Death Sauce for good effect.  The amount of sauce I usually make is ~3 cups, so you're looking at a 2C:1C ratio of hot sauce:butter.  Do NOT buy the premade wing sauce; the fake butter will kill you, or at the very least, make your wings taste like burnt silicone.  Simply toss a few wings in sauce, and then serve on a separate plate with a sprig of rosemary.  These wings are so good that you don't need a sauce, so don't feel threatened or pressured.  Enjoy.

Snail Porridge ala Heston Blumenthal

I can take no credit for this dish, except where I deviate. The genius behind the combination is Heston Blumenthal, and it goes without saying that my changes would have never been possible had he not put the two together.

16 Snails (usually 1.5doz in a can)
2.25 C of Oats, sifted
6 oz unsalted sweet cream butter
1.5 C chopped parsley
4 Cloves Garlic
3 pearl onions, small dice
5 slices of prosciutto (basically, 1 package of the pre-sliced, or about 1/4 pound)
3 Leeks
2 C Chicken stock
Caviar
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Serves 4.

To prepare the snails:
Clean the snails. There will be a sack of grey goo; squeeze it out, and rinse the solution that they were preserved in. Take one slice of proscuitto, mince it, and place it in a pot with about 2 oz (half a stick) of butter. Throw in the parsley, onions, and 3 garlic cloves. Cook for about 10 mins, then add the rest of the butter. Have it cook, simmering over medium heat, for about 30 mins. At the halfway point I added some fantastic Greek olive oil, a splash (~tblspoon), just to get a bit different flavor out of the snails.

To prepare the porridge:
Heat the chicken stock with a pinch of salt, pinch of pepper, and the last garlic clove, over medium high heat, until it starts to boil. Throw in the oats, and keep incorporating the oats into the stock. You won't have enough liquid, but don't worry. When the snails are down, drain the entire pot of snails right into the porridge. Pluck the snails out of the sifter or colander, and take all of that goodness in there and put it into the porridge as well. Always keep incorporating; if it's too thick, add either chicken stock or water slowly. I like it thick, almost like a risotto.

To prepare the leeks:
Take your leeks, clean them, cut off the end and the flowers/leaves, and throw them in a pot of boiling, salted water. Boil for about 5 minutes, then blanch them in cold water. In a pan with a tblspoon of olive oil, saute the leeks, but be weary of their structure. You don't want them to disintegrate, you want them to keep that nice, long look. When they are done sauteing, you want to cut them, long-wise, into thirds.

For the presentation:
I have two favorite presentations. With both, start with a decent spoonful of porridge in the center of the plate; I presume it's about 3/4 of a cup or so. Now take a few pieces of leek, and place it on top of the porridge, almost like a bed of vegetation. Alternatively, you can place one leek to the side, and one leek in the center of the porridge. Place 4 snails on top of the porridge; either directly on the leeks or around the centered leek (which ever presentation you prefer). Slice the remaining prosciutto in half, and roll up the halves to resemble a horn/cornucopia shape. You want to ease the smaller end into the snail shell; for the presentation with the bed of leek, simply add this to the top of the snails. Add another leek to the side of the porridge, and place a dab of caviar at the end. Sprinkle with parsley, or use bigger leaves and place dabs of caviar in the middle. For the second presentation, with the leek in the middle of the porridge, the ham can be placed to the side of the porridge, with it overlapping the edge, big open end of the cone facing up. For the caviar, place a spoonful on the side of the dish, and add a shell to make it appear like another snail.

While this dish is much simpler than Blumenthal's original, it incorporates the original spirit and contrasts that his has, while adding my own bits and different ideas. Enjoy.

Tilapia with Sauteed Avocado Spaghetti

As promised . . .

Tilapia is an overlooked white fish. It is overlooked because it is cheap, and is usually sold frozen. Do not overlook this fish! When done right, it can be a very flavorful meal. When done wrong, it can be very "meh," although not as much as whiting (which gets just plain gummy).

4 Tilapia filets
2 Roma Tomatoes
6 oz Spaghetti
5 Pearl Onions
2 Avocados
Olive Oil (don't slouch)
Sea Salt
Pepper
Ginger

Start with the vegetable prep. You want a very sharp knife (like a Tojiro DP 8.25" Chef's Knife) to slice the tomatoes so you can see the beautiful, natural arrangement of flesh, seeds, and gel, without interruption by tears or gashes. You want at least 3 good tomatoes per filet, sliced at around 1/4", so this allows some room to screw up and to consume the rest with some light vinaigrette or sea salt. You choose. Once you get ~12 slices, set them aside, and lightly cover them with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper.

Halve the pearl onions, set aside.

With the avocados, most people skin them. I understand that, and if you want to, by all means, do it. It's tempting. But that course, their black skin is also a very interesting texture and flavor combination. I say leave it in.* You want to "score" around the core with your knife...basically circle it with your knife, long-wise, until you have two halves. Peel apart the halves, use a spoon to get the core out (if it didn't fall out), and season with salt/pepper/olive oil. Set aside.

Throw a pot of water on the burner, add salt, and boil. People think there's a science behind spaghetti. There isn't. Taste taste taste! Watch it, and it won't ever go bad. Think it's as easy as rice in a cooker, and it'll go wrong. Again, your choice.

In a saute pan, add ~3 tblspoons olive oil, and throw the avocados right in there, face down, over medium heat. Go on, do it. Does it defy logic? Maybe. But there is a method to this madness. Cover the pan, and let them cook until the greens have significantly lightened, usually around 10 minutes. Remove them from the pan, set aside, but keep the oil. Throw the onions in, caramelize, and remove. Keep the oil. Now, if you have a hot pan, you can add a bit more oil to get some more liquidity. Be very, very, very careful not to dilute.

Now I know what you're thinking--where's the freakin fish? Well, herein lies the beauty of tilapia--it literally cooks in under 7 mins. Vacuum pack the fish if it is not already vacuum packed, and throw it in a pot of simmering water. Check on it. Once it turns opaque, take it out. Do not worry about if it's done (at least at this juncture). As long as it's opaque, you're good to go. Remove the filets from the packs, put them on a plate under foil, and set aside. If you don't have a vacuum pack, put it in a foil bag, add some oil, and throw it in the oven at 300 degrees for about 7 minutes.

Throw the spaghetti in that pot of boiling water, and watch it. Again, watch the freaking spaghetti. Don't slouch. Once it is al dente ("to the tooth"), drain it, and throw it back in the pot. Remember that oil? Throw enough in there to coat the spaghetti. Slice the avocados, and throw them in there as well. And you might as well add the onions while you're at it, too. Keep turning and turning the spaghetti, coating it with all of those nice flavors. Movement is key. No burning, yet the flavors infuse. Do this for about ~5 mins, or until you can see the spaghetti darken. Take it off the heat, cover it, and set aside. The steam will help keep it warm, while the flavors will keep working on the spaghetti.

In a new pan, add oil, and fry the tomato slices; you want to lay the slices down in a clockwise fashion until all space is covered. If there is some overlap, be careful; you want them to maintain their shapes, but you want them to have a nice olive flavor. Add a pinch of ginger, too. Ginger + tomatoes is an absolutely great combo if you know the proper proportions. A pinch is just that. This should take all of 3 minutes on high heat. Quick quick quick!

In the rest of the oil (presuming you had enough; if you don't, add some to the old pan), take the fish darker side down (usually the side where the skin was) and sear it. This will cook it through, and it will add some nice avocado flavors to the fish. If it wasn't cooked through before, check for opaqueness; don't be scared to check it with a knife. Remove from the heat, and immediately plate. Add 3 slices to each piece, overlapping if need be. Next to the fish, add a small portion of spaghetti, and lay out three-four pieces of sliced avocado. The onion is not necessary for presentation (per se), but should be "within" the greater spaghetti aggregate.

And that's that. Is it complicated? Meh, not really, just a lot of simultaneous pans and such. But it is delicious. If you have any questions, let me know. I may update it from time to time for precision and efficiency purposes.

Enjoy.

*Note: about avocado skins; not many people eat them. If you choose not to eat it, that's fine. I ate it (and have eaten it) once it is cooked through, largely due to the contrast in texture. Some may be put off by it, but hey, the choice is yours. You should never be scared to try something. The only potential (and so far unsubstantiated) negative that I've seen about the skin is an enzyme that is prevalent in the whole of the avocado may be more prevalent in the skin, which could lead to possible food allergies with latex like foods (think bananas). Cooking it well should eliminate that. But again, the choice is yours. Try it!

Late Night Cooking: Poached Chicken with Spinach and Pearl Onions

Last night when I got back from a happy hour fundraiser, I was absolutely famished. So I did what anyone would do and spent an hour cooking.

3 Skinned and Boned Chicken Breasts; brined in 2 quarts water, 1 cup sea salt, .5 cup sugar, 2 bay leaves, 1 Japanese chile. (You can adjust the salt to taste, but be sure to raise the sugar appropriately to make sure that you're not cutting it out of the flavor.) Brine for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
1 "bushel" Spinach; I have no idea what in the world to call the amount of spinach, past it's in its usual grocery store form of being clumped together with a band around the middle. Use the whole thing. It's ~1lb.
6 pearl onions.

Skin and halve the onions, coat lightly in olive oil, salt, and pepper (to taste), and set aside.

In a stock pot, pour in enough water to leave at least an inch of breathing room between the surface of the chicken breasts and the surface of the water. I believe I put in approximately 3 quarts. Take the water to a brisk boil, then turn it down to approximately low/mid heat. I watched the water with my thermometer until it was 160 degrees. Drop the chicken breasts in, and cook for 15-20 minutes, holding at that temperature. If they aren't done, check your water temps to see how far the breasts brought down the temps, and add on 5-10 mins and keep checking. Poaching, if done correctly, will not leech flavor. But, if the water gets too hot, it's game over. So check those temperatures!

While the chicken is cooking, coat the bottom of a saute pan in olive oil. Cut the stems from the spinach (you can leave a half an inch on; if you like the stalk, leave a bit more). Put the spinach in, coat with salt, pepper, 2 tsp garlic, 1 tsp sage, and 1/2 tsp ginger. Watch the spinach. You want the spinach to become bright green, with only minor darkening on the edges and parts of the stalks. Once it becomes bright green and sauteed (but not dark, wilted, and mushy; be aware of this), turn off the heat, cover the pan but allow for a sliver of ventilation, and set aside.

Once the chicken is poached, remove from the water, dry off, and immediately throw it in a sauce pan with a tblspoon of olive oil. Coat with salt, pepper, ginger, and garlic (all in pinches), and keep tossing. The key to this is even coating; skinless chicken breasts become stringy incredibly quickly. Coating the skin evenly and with minor bursts of heat help to give you that sauteed flavor without the stringiness on the surface. Once browned slightly, toss the spinach in, give a few tosses, cover, and set aside.

In the pan that had the spinach, place the onions, halved side down, put on medium/high heat, and cover. Let the surface caramelize. When you see the skin turning translucent, remove. You should have a nicely browned halve and a slightly translucent onion.

For presentation, slice each breast into thirds, and arrange it in the center of a dish with 1 piece being on the bottom and two pieces leaning on that piece (it looks somewhat like a triangle). Divide the spinach by three, and put one portion on top of the chicken and "drag it out" so that it goes towards the edge of the plate. One halve onion should be placed at the "4 corners," with one onion on the trail of spinach (4 halves per person, or 2 whole onions each). Finish with a very thin shaving of ginger on top of the chicken/spinach.

Pictures will be up when I make it again.