Archive for January 18th, 2010

Tonight I made a simple salad featuring good tomatoes (at least what I can get in January), and a winter-inspired soup. Yes, it was 58 degrees here today. But whatever.

The salad used a mustardy vinaigrette and simple sea salt with both heirloom greens and heirloom tomatoes. The sourdough baguette was excellent, procured from the Fresh Market.

The soup was a spur of the moment creation, made from freshly made chicken stock.

Recipe, for 2.

• Render the fat from lardons, Applewood-smoked (2 strips bacon)
• Sautée both a sweet and purple onion in the bacon fat until they take on color (15 minutes)
• Add 2 diced Yukon Gold potatoes, stir in the hot fat.
• Add 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika, stir.
• Add broth for two portions (around 5 cups)
• Cook for 20-35 minutes on a low simmer.
• Blend half of the soup in a blender, adding grated Asiago cheese and a heaping spoonful of crème fraîche. Blend, return to pot to heat and integrate until service.
• Garnish soup with bacon crisps, taste for seasoning of salt/pepper.

I had set out to make a potato/leek soup, but I couldn’t find leeks today.

Last night I set out once again to attempt an even better recipe for roasted chicken. What I’m looking for is something moist, but flavorful and satisfying. Chicken approaching comfort food.

There are several things at play: flavors in the meat, salt, texture, and juiciness. I started once again with what I consider the Thomas Keller master recipe. To summarize, he roasts a chicken that would feed 2-3 people simply. Moderately high heat (450 degrees), little prep other than salt and pepper, but the kicker is at the end: he sauces his chicken.

So, I have to improvise because that’s what I do.

I like his technique for making the skin crisp and brown: high heat. But how do we ensure moisture inside? And flavor? I take one half lemon, cut it into four pieces, and then stuff the cavity of the bird with it. I tie up the chicken, salt and pepper it liberally, and that’s it.

I used a 450-degree oven. One hour. I probably could have gone for 10 minutes less time last night; I’ve got to work out the timing just right with the weight. I tried my best to keep the oven at 450 degrees, using a digital thermometer.

I put the chicken on top of two large, thick slices of onion, in a roasting pan. The onion carmelized and later added flavor to the fat and lemon drippings in the pan when the bird was removed to rest.

For the sauce, I took good-quality butter and melted it; I added to that the drippings, more fresh lemon juice, and a good amount of Dijon-style mustard. I also added a large amount of fresh lemon thyme.

This sauce gets draped over the cut chicken pieces once the chicken is carved. You can use a spoon, or as you eat, dip your piece of chicken into this magic sauce as the evening wears on. It’s most delicious, something exquisitely flavorful, yet all the while pretty simple.

What was left of the carcass last night has been transformed into a stock today, with the addition of shaved carrot slices (using a peeler), pepper, and a handful of chopped onion. I’m turning it into a bacon-potato soup. The bird was around $9.50; it was organic, and for me, worth its weight in gold.