There is something so simple yet so satisfying about a roasted chicken done just right. It's a true labor of love. I had a delicious lemon roasted chicken at Kefi last week - the contrast of a crisp, crackling skin against tender and juicy meat - so addictive! The feeling it gives you lingers with you for days.
I think mastering the roasted chicken is so practical, economical and really distinguishes the people who like to cook from the people who love to cook. Anyone can slap a boneless Purdue chicken cutlet in a pan, but someone who takes the time to work with a chicken in it's entirety - bones, fat and gore is really in it for the long haul.
Same thing with rice. I mean let's be honest, instant rice is such a timesaver, it isn't that terrible and besides isn't it sort of un-American to turn your nose up at Uncle Ben? But then when you see rice through from grain to plate, you begin to wonder if the 15 minutes that Uncle Ben saves you was really worth it?
I guess that is what it really comes down to...Can you taste the time spent in the kitchen? When you can...that's comfort food.
Techniques learned:
Stocks, Roasting and Baking of Proteins and Vegetables, Rice Cookery, Trussing and Carving Poultry
Menu:
- Arborio Chicken Soup with Escarole
- Rosemary Roast Chicken
- Baked Stuffed Tomatoes Provencale
- Roasted Garlic
- Rice
- French Style-Spinach, Bacon and Mushroom Salad with Curry Vinaigrette
- Clafouti
Lexicon:
roasting - comes from the word "rotisserie" which means "to be licked by a flame." Roasting and baking differ in color. Something roasted will take on a brown color. Something baked will take on a golden color.
trussing - to tie up poultry such as chicken. This slows the penetration of heat into white meat (white meat cooks faster than dark meat). If you don't truss a chicken before roasting, the white meat could dry out.
mirepoix - carrots, celery and onion. The aromatic foundation for most french soups and stews.
sweating - I made the mistake of wearing a wool sweater to class today so this was something I was doing alot of. Vegetables sweat too! When you heat them they release their liquids. You don't want them to brown - you just want them to lose that "raw look."
bouquet garni - bundle of herbs including parsley, bay leaf, thyme and tarragon
stock - made from a mirepoix, bones of an animal, water and bouquet garni.
boullion - a richer stock
broth - salty stock
demi glace - a reduced stock
lardon - small strips of fat. We cut our bacon into lardons for our salad.
clafoutis - dessert with an identity crisis. It has just enough flour to be cakey, but not enough flour to be a cake.
Top 5 Lessons I Learned Today:
1) Stock is a pain to make. A great idea Richard gave was to make stock on a cold, snowy day when you have nothing better to do anyway and then freeze it in a mini ice cube tray.
2) Dark meat takes longer to cook than white meat...that is why you truss poultry
3) To make perfect rice:
-Add rice to a dry pot
-Put flame on high
-Move rice until 1/3 of it is opalescent (a whiter white) and smells popcorn-ish
-Pour 1 and 1/2 cups of liquid for every cup of rice
-Cover and turn to medium low
-Walk away!!
-When steam is escaping after about 20-25 minutes it's ready
-Let sit with cover on for about 10 minutes after you shut it off
-Then lift lid, fluff and season
I never knew about "toasting" the rice before adding water. This was quite enlightening for me!
4) Use flat parsley for cooking.... curly parsley is very "Denny's" according to Richard.
5) To roast... you brown the food at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F and cook until done.
Cooking SAT Question of the Day:
BAKING : GOLDEN ::
a) stock : broth
b) roasting : brown
c) truss : carve
d) sweating : liquid
Answer: (b)
Day 2 in Photos:
Making the clafouti batter...Our group was assigned a cherry calfouti. I was surprised we used frozen (not fresh) cherries.
Rachel pouring clafouti batter
Melissa and Rachel
Out of the oven!
Trussed and roasted chickens... Richard took the closeup ("food porn" he called it)
Richard demonstrating how to carve a chicken
Me trying to follow his directions but struggling.
Prepping tomatoes to be stuffed.
Day 2 Artsy Soup Shot
The finished product! Rosemary Roast Chicken, Baked Stuffed Tomatoes Provencale, Rice, French Style Spinach, Bacon and Mushroom Salad with Curry Vinaigrette
No comments:
Post a Comment