Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!

Herbed ChickenIn this corner, weighing in at a plump 3 1/2 pounds the current heavy weight roasted chicken champion of the world: Madeline Kamman’s Herbed Butter under-the-skin.
A traditional French technique for chicken that can be used for roasting or Sous Vide cooking. This mighty dish has charmed royalty the world over and stands as the pinnacle of simple poultry preparation.

Mahogany ChickenAnd in this corner, weighing in at a firm 3.25 pounds, the Contender,  made-by-mom-at home Mahogany Chicken. The pride of the borough, this friendly approach to adding flavor should not be underestimated; stylish, smart and sassy. Who will be the winner is anyone’s guess.  Kamman’s herbed champion has the breasts to put up a great fight.  But The Mahogany contender has got the legs to run away with it all.   Marquis of Queensbury rules apply!

Round 1

Round 1In the left corner prepped with just a rub of salt and pepper on the skin: The Mahogany Contender.  In the right corner with an herbed butter rubbed under the skin directly on the breast: The Herbed Champion.

The judges score this round evenly. An equal effort from both birds.

The Contender’s basting marinade is 1 part brown sugar, 1 part balsamic vinegar and 1 part dry vermouth applied after the first 45 minutes of cooking then every 15 mins after that until done.The Champion’s herbed butter is 1/4 cup butter, salt, pepper, garlic. rosemary, thyme and basil.

Round 2

Round 2In the left side of the oven The Contender holds its own against The Champion.  But don’t count out the slippery moves that Herbed Butter can bring to this fight.  The heat is up for both of them and so far neither is backing down from a basting.

Uh Oh! The Champ is showing signs of melting down while the challenger, showing great poise under all this heat, is just crackling away.  The crowd is silent watching these to birds go head to head in headless combat. Never before have we seen such fancy footless footwork.  Ding!  Saved by the bell.

Round 3

Round #The final round and The Contender is putting on a show.  Evenly browned after multiple bastings She’s showing no sign of legging off.  The Champ, a little unevenly used from the butter directly under the skin, is still in the fight. Her delicious herbs giving off the airs of a true champion, one who never quits.

 

The Fight is Over!!

End of FightAmazing!! Never before is the history of Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner have we seen anything like this before.  Who would have guessed it?  Folks, just who could have foreseen the outcome of today’s match up? Not you, not me, nobody could have predicted this!!  After 1 hour and 25 mins in a 350°F oven the judges score the final numbers equally at 170°F. I still can’t believe it. My hats off to both of these plucky fighters.  I guess we’ll just have to wait until after they cool down before we can get a taste of what happened here today.  My oh my! I’ve never seen anything like it before.  No sir- ee.

 

Judge’s Decision

In a 2 to 1 vote the new Roast Chicken Heavy Weight Champion of the World is . . . . an upset!!

Madeline Kamman’s age old classic recipe proved feisty but it’s moves were a bit outdated and predictable.  The Contender, made-by-mom Mahogany Chicken takes the title with it’s even browning and moist marinaded flavor.  Our hat’s off to both the fighters in this matchup.  What?  What’s that I hear?  A rematch??  That’s right folks you heard it here first.  These two birds aren’t done flapping their wings yet.  Until next time . . .

Eat Well and Smile Often,

tj

p.s. Run Chicken Run!!

Originally posted 6/11/12

Mashed Potatoes & Gravy!!

Mashed Potatoes and GravyAh! The magic of Thanksgiving lies not in the gratitude we openly express for life’s gifts, large or small.  No, no, no . . . the magic lies in the GRAVY!!

Pan Gravy!!  Just the way my mother used to make it; and her mother before her and her mother . . .  I came from a large household with lots of cousins with assorted and attached aunts and uncles.  Often times there would be 13 kids and 10 adults sharing turkey dinner each year.  It was great fun playing with my cousins and watching the Wizard of Oz. But the best fun for me was enjoying the ample amounts of mashed potatoes and gravy. They had the best of love and experience that mom and grandma could mix in.  But it wasn’t until I started having my own Thanksgiving dinners that I discovered leftovers!  Turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce and stuffing for lunch.  Yum!!  But I must confess, I still rush home every day just for mashed potatoes with gravy as a snack.  Hits the spot like no candy bar ever could.

Over the years I have played with my mashed potato recipe by adding garlic, milk, cream, butter, sour cream and potato cooking water. Each one by themselves was fine but never quite right.  This year I concentrated on cooking the potatoes just right and added butter, sour cream, salt and white pepper to taste.  They are wonderful.  Light, fluffy, full bodied, great creamy texture and a perfect foil for the gravy. (Check back Wednesday for the recipe.)

Gra-a-a-a-a-v-y-y-y-y!  The best way to say gravy is the way Homer Simpson says it.  Gra-a-a-a-a-v-y-y-y-y!  Now I learned a thing or two at the CCA and sauces was chief among the finer points of my education.  There is a step by step process for every sauce with patience being the key factor for every preparation.  Each step must be executed perfectly or a substandard sauce will result.  Not so much with Pan Gravy.

Pan Gravy is very straight forward to make.  Some cooks choose to roast the neck separately and then simmer it in water while the turkey is roasting using this liquid to add flavor to the gravy.  Others cook the giblets, grind them and toss them in the pan to add flavor as well.  I can certainly recommend both of these approaches but I have a far simpler recipe, one that will reduce the level of stress in the kitchen while providing an excellent sauce for your bird, stuffing, potatoes and tongue!

Flour and DrippingsAfter you have taken the bird from the oven, remove it to a dish or cutting board to stand for about 15 – 20 minutes before carving.  This is the time to knock out ‘Le Piece de Resistance’ of the meal: the pan gravy.  Start by placing the pan across one or two burners of your stove and turn them on low.  Just enough that the fat and juices begin to bubble.  For my 13lb turkey recipe there were enough drippings from the bird and the herbed butter to need about 2/3 cup of flour to thicken.  This is a judgment call on the cook’s part.

Cooking the Roux

While the measurement is not critical, a sharp eye should be kept to monitor the consistency of the roux you are making. If the roux is too stiff do not worry, it will just take a little more broth to get the right consistency.  If it is a little runny then add more flour a tablespoon at a time until it just holds together.

Gently Boiling BrothWhisk the flour and all of the drippings together over the low heat and cook the roux until it bubbles and gets a little fluffy, stirring occasionally to even out the cooking. This process literally opens up the starch in the flour and allows it to absorb more liquid than when it is raw. While the roux is cooking, place some chicken broth in a separate saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil. If I could find a commercial source for turkey broth I would have used that. In the restaurant there were always turkeys being roasted for sandwiches and we would save the bones and make a stock from them. Chicken or turkey, both add great flavor.  I used a 32 oz container of unsalted broth and made one quart of gravy . . . almost enough!

Ladling Hot BrothAfter the roux has cooked sufficiently, about 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let it cool for about one minute.  Then gently ladle in one-ladle-full of boiling broth and whisk together well.  After it has fully incorporated repeat this step 3 or 4 more times. Turn the heat back on low under the pan to cook the gravy while whisking. Having hot broth and a little bit of patience whisking it in will give you a smooth gravy, the envy of every wanna-be sauce make out there.  Turn the heat off under the broth and now you can start pouring it in to the pan in greater volumes whisking until fully incorporated each time. Heat the gravy for about 2 minutes while whisking then turn the heat off under the pan and serve.

Whisking for Smooth GravySince I used a brined turkey my drippings were already salted.  My mother would add some Worcestershire sauce for extra spice. (Fair Notice: I had to grab a bottle from the refrigerator in order to spell it correctly.) I simply stuck a spoon into the gravy then into my head and tasted it.  Lovely!! As you see in the picture above it went extremely well with my snack of mashed potatoes.

Bowl of GravyCheck back Wednesday for the final installment of Thanksgiving recipes.

TIP: Buy your bird today,if you haven’t already done so.  A fresh bird will last in the refrigerator until Thursday.  A frozen bird needs 2 to 3 days to fully thaw before preparation.

Enjoy and feel free to visit my Facebook page to leave any questions or comments.

Eat Well and Smile Often.

 

tj

 

p.s. My first turkey is already gone.  Time for Tom Turkey Two!!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!

Herbed ChickenIn this corner, weighing in at a plump 3 1/2 pounds the current heavy weight roasted chicken champion of the world: Madeline Kamman’s Herbed Butter under-the-skin.
A traditional French technique for chicken that can be used for roasting or Sous Vide cooking. This mighty dish has charmed royalty the world over and stands as the pinnacle of simple poultry preparation.

Mahogany ChickenAnd in this corner, weighing in at a firm 3.25 pounds, the Contender, Jessica Cogan’s made-by-mom-at home Mahogany Chicken. The pride of the borough, this friendly approach to adding flavor should not be underestimated; stylish, smart and sassy. Who will be the winner is anyone’s guess.  Kamman’s herbed champion has the breasts to put up a great fight.  But Cogan’s Mahogany contender has got the legs to run away with it all.   Marquis of Queensbury rules apply!

Round 1

Round 1 In the left corner prepped with just a rub of salt and pepper on the skin: The Mahogany Contender.  In the right corner with an herbed butter rubbed under the skin directly on the breast: The Herbed Champion.

The judges score this round evenly. An equal effort from both birds.

The Contender’s basting marinade is 1 part brown sugar, 1 part balsamic vinegar and 1 part dry vermouth applied after the first 45 minutes of cooking then every 15 mins after that until done.The Champion’s herbed butter is 1/4 cup butter, salt, pepper, garlic. rosemary, thyme and basil.

Round 2

Round 2In the left side of the oven The Contender holds its own against The Champion.  But don’t count out the slippery moves that Herbed Butter can bring to this fight.  The heat is up for both of them and so far neither is backing down from a basting.

Uh Oh! The Champ is showing signs of melting down while the challenger, showing great poise under all this heat, is just crackling away.  The crowd is silent watching these to birds go head to head in headless combat. Never before have we seen such fancy footless footwork.  Ding!  Saved by the bell.

Round 3

Round #The final round and The Contender is putting on a show.  Evenly browned after multiple bastings She’s showing no sign of legging off.  The Champ, a little unevenly used from the butter directly under the skin, is still in the fight. Her delicious herbs giving off the airs of a true champion, one who never quits.

 

The Fight is Over!!

End of FightAmazing!! Never before is the history of Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner have we seen anything like this before.  Who would have guessed it?  Folks, just who could have foreseen the outcome of today’s match up? Not you, not me, nobody could have predicted this!!  After 1 hour and 25 mins in a 350°F oven the judges score the final numbers equally at 170°F. I still can’t believe it. My hats off to both of these plucky fighters.  I guess we’ll just have to wait until after they cool down before we can get a taste of what happened here today.  My oh my! I’ve never seen anything like it before.  No sir- ee.

 

Judge’s Decision

In a 2 to 1 vote the new Roast Chicken Heavy Weight Champion of the World is . . . . an upset!!

Madeline Kamman’s age old classic recipe proved feisty but it’s moves were a bit outdated and predictable.  The Contender, Jessica Cogan’s Mahogany Chicken takes the title with it’s even browning and moist marinaded flavor.  Our hat’s off to both the fighters in this matchup.  What?  What’s that I hear?  A rematch??  That’s right folks you heard it here first.  These two birds aren’t done flapping their wings yet.  Until next time . . .

Eat Well and Smile Often,

tj

p.s. Run Chicken Run!!

I’ve Got Class!!

Chef ToqueWhy yes, Yes I do. I’ve got class.

Cooking class that is. I must tell you that my time at culinary school gave me some of the finest cooking memories I have.  It was an amazing art school experience.  No pressure to produce, everything was about me learning, practicing and creating great dishes.  I got to spend 7 hours a day, 5 days a week for 14 months learning about food, where it comes from, how to prepare it and (the very best part) eating it; lots of it!  I played with colors, tastes, textures and more. It was fantastic! Never before or since have I felt so creative. I loved it so much I gained over 30 pounds in my time there.  I think I felt that it was important to live up to the old adage – Never trust a skinny chef.

Upon hearing that I graduated from the California Culinary Academy, I am often asked what style of cooking I specialize in?  Which is turning out to be a better question than I originally thought. You see I don’t really have a cuisine that I favor.  Italian, I suppose, could best describe the style of cooking that I lean towards but not completely. Let me give you a brief insight in to my cooking; I’m a techniques kind of guy. I can readily attribute any minor creative streak directly to the company I kept in school. Talented, gifted people who could imagine tastes in their minds then recreate them on the plate.  Just being around them made me a better cook. Me? I focus my attention more on the proper way to saute’, or braise, or roast, or poach.  Each of these terms have specific time/temperature definitions.  Employed correctly they yield tremendous results with the food I am preparing.  Le Technique, this is where I like to seek mastery.

Chef SuzanneThis last weekend I was lucky enough to brush elbows with another one of these talented, gifted types. Suzanne Griffin of Cooking by the Bay. Suzanne teaches cooking classes from her home in San Rafael and this last Sunday I took my first Indian cooking class from her.  It was fantastic to be a student again listening to someone as enthusiastic and knowledgeable as Suzanne is. My classmates were 3 lovely, talented women and we spent a great part of the evening sharing wine and oohing and ahhing over the smells that emanated from the stove top. Each of us was given an apron, a cutting board and a knife with instructions on what and how to prepare each item for each dish. Our teacher’s easy style had us all in laughter and we felt such great pride and accomplishment in putting the meal together ourselves.  Spinach Raita, Papaya Chutney and Chicken Tika Masala.  YUM!!  Sop that up with a little Naan and man what a great meal.

For all of you foodies out there who live in the San Francisco Bay Area I strongly suggest that you go to Chef Suzanne’s website and check out her list of classes.  There is something there for everyone; from how to prepare a Tropical Feast, to whipping up Thai Food, to tips and techniques for a Fuss Free Dinner Party.  I can not recommend her strongly enough.  Release your inner chef, I say, and go get yourself some class!

 

Eat Well and Smile Often,

tj

 

p.s. (chickentikamasala, chickentikamasala, chickentikamasala)