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Chef2Chef Recipe Club - Volume 6 Issue 97 - May 18, 2004 Chef2Chef Recipe Club Member Forum: http://forums.chef2chef.net -------------------------------------------------- Lemon-Roasted Chicken The lemons in this chicken keep it moist while roasting and eliminate the need for basting. It doesn't get any easier than this! Makes 6 servings Ingredients: 1- 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lb. chicken freshly ground black pepper sea or kosher salt 2 whole lemons several sprigs of fresh thyme 2 cloves garlic, crushed Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wash the chicken thoroughly in cold water, both inside and out. Remove all the bits of loose fat. Let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes, to drain the water out of its cavity. Dry it well all over with paper towels. Make a mixture of sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl. Season the chicken liberally inside and out with this mixture. Rinse the lemons in cold water and dry them off with a paper towel. Soften them by gently pressing them between the palms of your hands, rolling them back and forth a few times. Perforate them in at least 20 places with a trussing needle. Put both lemons, the thyme and garlic in the chicken's cavity. Close up the opening by pinning it with the trussing needle. Run a string from one leg to the other, tying it at both knuckle ends. Don't pull the legs together tightly; leave them in their natural position. The chicken swells while it cooks and the string is only to keep the thighs from spreading and stretching and splitting the skin at the inner folds. Put the chicken face down on a rack in a roasting pan. Do not add cooking fat of any kind. This bird is self-basting, so don't worry that it will stick to the pan. Place it in the upper third of the preheated oven. After 25-30 minutes, turn the chicken so the breast faces up. Be careful not to break the skin. If it is kept intact, the chicken will swell like a balloon. Cook for another 40 minutes, then turn up the heat to 400 degrees F. and cook for an additional 30 minutes. There is no need to turn the chicken again. Cut the string and remove the lemons, thyme and garlic from the chicken and serve the bird with all the juices that run out, because they are perfectly delicious! Wine Tip: This lemony chicken is sensational with its match - a citrusy Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. If you'd rather drink Italian, try a Tocai Friulano from the Friuli region. -------------------------------------------------- ChefsEmporium.net We supply traditional chef uniforms as well as designer printed, chef pants and aprons and hats. We offer chef coats in a wide range of colors. We carry women's chef jackets - designed and tailored specifically to fit the female physique. We also carry the full range of Kingston McKnight Non-Slip footwear, designed specifically for harsh work conditions usually found in the hospitality industry. http://www.chefsemporium.net -------------------------------------------------- Cutting Up a Chicken: You can purchase an already cut-up chicken in the market, but I usually cut them up myself because I prefer my chicken cut into ten (that's right, 10!) pieces. I find the breast pieces much too large to cook evenly with the rest of the chicken, and also too large for most people to eat. You'll need a sharp boning knife (a slender, flexible concave blade) and a pair of sharp poultry shears to make the task easy. I first use the shears to remove the wing tips. Next, I use the boning knife to make a perpendicular cut just below the breastbone. Go all the way to the skeleton of the chicken, then turn the knife away from you (still in the chicken) and slide the knife between bone and meat all the way up to the tips of the wishbone. The next step is to remove the leg, thigh and back sections from the bird. Using your boning knife, make some slashes from the groin area around the tip of the breast section on both sides. Bend the backbone back, and you'll just need to use your knife a little to detach the whole lower half of the chicken. At this point, you can choose to cut the back in half, but I find that makes the thigh section too large. I prefer to cut the back as its own piece by running the knife around the top of each thigh bone. Break the leg section at the "knee" by bending the two pieces with your hands. You'll then see where to insert the knife to separate the drumstick from the thigh. You now have six pieces of chicken. Use the poultry shears now, to cut the remaining breast in half. Also cut straight up the backbone, dividing the upper half of the chicken in two. Cut the remaining breast sections in two, diagonally across each. The wing will be part of each top piece - and you have ten fairly evenly sized pieces of chicken! -------------------------------------------------- Recipe Club, You can always win cool stuff at Chef2Chef.net Sign up for a FREE Subscription to Food Arts Magazine. The Magazine for the Foodservice and Hospitality Industry. U.S. residents only. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=242 ReStockIt.com is giving away a $200 Shopping spree to a lucky Chef2Chef winner on May 31. ReStockIt.com has over 1700 Restaurant and Janitorial Supply products with 34 warehouses nationwide. Go Shpping! http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=414 The Bandito is Back! You can win the following: Mild Mango Chipotle Sauce, Fajita Marinade and Spicy BBQ Sauce - PLUS a 3-piece Siesta Canister Set. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=215 Chefs, Caterers and Personal Chefs…No More Masking Tape! Win a New DayMark Label Applicator and 6000 dissolvable labels. A $131 value. Four winners each month. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=408 Do you need some brand new Chef Pants? Chef Revival is giving away 2 pairs of their newest Tool Pattern Chef Pants to 10 winners on May 31st to some lucky Chef2Chef.net Recipe Club members. Register for a chance to Win! http://ads.chef2Chef.net/goto.php?id=36 -------------------------------------------------- Popover Chicken The crispy topping on this lovely entrée will remind you of popovers -- hence, the name of the dish! Makes 4 to 6 servings Ingredients: one 3-pound chicken cut into 10 pieces 3/4 teaspoon sea or kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 large eggs |1 1/2 cup milk 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt 1 tablespoon freshly chopped tarragon 1 additional tablespoon vegetable oil Mushroom Sauce: 12 ounces mixed domestic and wild mushrooms, sliced (choose chanterelles, cèpes, shiitake, portabello, cremini) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3/4 cup chicken stock 1/3 cup heavy cream or crème fraîche sea salt and pepper to taste Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart casserole. Be sure your chicken pieces are well dried. Mix 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper together in a small bowl, and rub a small amount on each piece. Heat the oil in a sauté pan large enough to hold all the pieces in a single layer. Brown the chicken on all sides. Blot each piece on paper towel, and place in the prepared casserole. Combine eggs, milk, flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt and beat with an electric mixer for 1 1/2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon oil and tarragon. Beat only 30 seconds more. (DO NOT over-beat!) Pour this mixture over the chicken. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Sauté mushrooms in the vegetable oil until they are well browned and their moisture has evaporated. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 8 minutes. Remove lid and raise heat to reduce liquid in pan to about 5 tablespoons. Reduce heat and add 1/3 cup crème fraîche. DO NOT BOIL. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve this dish within 10 minutes after removing from the oven so the topping will still be puffy. Pass the Mushroom Sauce in a sauceboat on the side. Wine Tip: Serve a not-too-oaky (California) Chardonnay with this delicately flavored dish. -------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS, Comments, Technical Support: http://forums.chef2chef.net |