A Perfect Roasted Chicken

I have tried many recipes for roasted chicken. It seems every recipe has a different cooking method and temperature. There have been many times when I take the chicken out of the oven after cooking it for over and hour and it is under cooked near the bone.

This recipe works out absolutely perfect and results in the most juicy roast chicken possible. This method is adapted from the chef Thomas Keller's version. It's very easy to do and will never disappoint.

The Perfect Roasted Chicken
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 (3 to 4-lb) chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
A bunch of fresh thyme
1 lemon
4-5 garlic cloves-unpeeled
Unsalted butter to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 450F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. Salt and pepper the cavity. Now you can truss the bird with butchers twine. Trussing will ensure the bird cook very evenly. Below is a link for a step by step guide on how to truss a chicken.
How to truss a chicken
Sometime I'll admit I don't always truss the chicken. I make sure the wing tips are tucked under the bottom of the bird so they don't burn.

2. Next, salt the chicken with about 1/2 to 1 tbsp of salt - rain the salt over the bird so it has a nice, uniform coating that will results in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin. When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

3. Place the chicken in a saute pan or roasting pan. Add lemon slices, unpeeled garlic cloves and thyme sprigs around chicken. Roast for 60 minutes (or about 17 minutes a pound), until the juices run clear. Remove it from the oven and sprinkle a little thyme in pan, if desired. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

4. Remove the twine and carve the chicken and add it to platter. Squeeze roasted lemon over top and you can brush with a little melted butter; if desired. I like to serve this with roasted root vegetables.

French Bistro Onion Soup

It does not get more classic than this French Onion Soup recipe from French chef Jacques Pepin. This recipe comes from his book Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques. I have tried a few different recipes for french onion soup, some more complicated than others. I find that the classic, simple recipe always comes out the best. This recipe is what you would find at any classic French bistro restaurant.

The only thing I do a little different is cook the onions on a lower heat for a longer time. I like the onions very soft and caramelized. I have added both cook times below.

French Onion Soup (adapted from Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques)
Serves 6

Ingredients: 
4 cups thinly sliced onions (sweet yellow), 3-5 onions depending on size
1 pound good Gruyere or Swiss cheese-grated
3 tbsp butter
10 cups chicken stock or beef stock or a mixture of both (preferably homemade)
1 clove garlic- peeled and minced very fine
1 tsp salt (to taste)
1 tsp black pepper (to taste)
2 dozen slices of french bread, cut thin and toasted under broiler
(If you are looking for a gluten free recipe you can toast GF bread or leave out bread all together, it still is delicious)

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add in onions and brown for 5-6 minutes. Stirring occasionally. I cook the onions on medium-low for 15-20 minutes until soft and caramelized.

2. Add in stock, garlic, salt and pepper and boil for 30 minutes.

3. Place 4-5 slices of toasted french bread in each individual oven proof bowl (I use 12 oz soup crocks)

4. Fill each bowl half way with the stock. The bread will soften as it absorbs the liquid. Gradually keep adding stock until the bowls are filled evenly to the top. This is important because the cheese crust must not sink into the bowl.

5. Sprinkle the cheese on top without pushing it into the liquid. You will need at least 2 1/2 ounces per bowl; about 1/2 cup. (The drier the cheese the better)

6. Press the cheese around the edges of each bowl so that when it melts it sticks to the sides and forms a crust that will not sink.

7. Place the bowls on a cookie sheet and bake in 400 degree F oven for 35 minutes, until nicely browned all around. Serve right away but be careful of the hot bowls.

Spicy Stuffed Peppers

A new cookbook for my collection: Michael Symon's Live to Cook. I was excited to get this book after visiting his restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio last year. He has two restaurants Lola and Lolita, we went to Lola, and so far in my lifetime it was one of the best restaurants I have had the pleasure of eating in.

His book includes recipes from his restaurants, as well as, family recipes easy to cook at home. The first recipe I tried from the book was an appetizer of spicy stuffed peppers. I believe my husbands comment about this dish was "finally something with some spice!" This recipe uses his "Yia Yia's" sunday tomato sauce and his recipe for homemade pork sausage. To simplify, I used my recipe for tomato sauce and a high quality spicy sausage from the butcher.

I found this part of his book amusing so I thought I would share it with you. Although I don't agree 100%  this is Michael Symon's Five Things You Should Never Buy:

1. Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves: Eating chicken without skin is like riding a bike without wheels: it's no fun, and it leaves your dish at a flavor standstill.

2. Lean turkey bacon: There is NO substitute for the magic that is smoky, fatty, delicious bacon, and the word lean should never be used when describing it.

3. I can't believe It's Not Butter and other butter substitutes: Believe me, it ain't butter, not even close. I'm certain the people who invented this have never really tasted butter and never tried to make a sauce with it. Stay away from margarine too. The only thing to use to replace butter is more butter.

4. Beef Tenderloin/filet mignon: Can we please get over our love affair with the most expensive and least flavorful part of the entire animal? Buy a beautifully marbled rib eye: it'll cost you less and make you happier.

5. Peeled, chopped garlic: The only thing that this has in common with fresh garlic is the breath it may produce. It certainly lacks the actual flavor of garlic. Are we really so lazy that we have to buy our garlic already cut for us?

Spicy Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients: 
8 Hungarian hot peppers
1 1/2 pounds sausage-spicy or Italian
2 cups of tomato sauce-homemade or jarred
8 fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat broiler and char the peppers underneath the broiler on a baking sheet. Remove them from oven and reduce temperature to 375 degrees F.

2. Butter a 8 x 11 inch baking dish. Cut off the tops of the peppers and spoon out any seeds.

3. Divide sausage into 8 equal portions and spoon it into peppers to fill them.

4. Pour sauce into prepared baking dish and add the peppers on top.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the sausage reaches 150 degrees F.

6. Divide among plates and spoon sauce on top. Garnish with basil leaf.

**The other way you can make these peppers is to grill the already stuffed peppers for 2 minutes per side and then place them in the oven with sauce and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Sweet Potato Stuffed Eggplant

In New York, eggplant is in season from July to October. If you live in the stony brook area you can find locally grown eggplants at the farmstands right now. Although eggplant is not one of my favorite vegetables, this dish was so delicious, I plan on making this over and over again.

The eggplant is baked with a filling of sweet potato, tomatoes and cheese. It is then topped with more cheese and fresh herbs and baked until the eggplant is soft and the cheese is melted and crispy on top. Overall, this dish is very healthy with all the seasonal vegetables, just limit the amount of cheese to make it a little healthier. It will still be delicious!

This recipe comes from one of the most beautiful cookbooks I have seen, La Petite Gourmande by Beatrice Peltre. Every recipe in the book looks simply amazing. An added bonus for me, most recipes in the book are gluten free. The writer of this book does not have Celiac Disease but prefers to bake with gluten free grains such as quinoa flour, almond flour and amaranth flour for their flavor. I am looking forward to trying some of her tart recipes in the near future.

Sweet Potato Stuffed Eggplant 
Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 Italian eggplants (about 5"-6" long)
Olive oil
1 small red onion-diced small
1 celery stalk-diced small
1 tbsp fresh ground coriander
Pinch of red chili flakes
Salt and pepper-to taste
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 large tomatoes-blanched, peeled and chopped
1 carrot-finely grated
1 sweet potato-peeled and diced
2 bay leaves
4 oz Emmental cheese or Gruyere cheese-grated
Handful of fresh cilantro or basil-chopped

1. Slice each eggplant in half lengthwise. Scoop out the middle flesh of the eggplant using a grapefruit spoon or a serrated knife and teaspoon. Make sure to leave about 1/4" border in the eggplant shell. Sprinkle the eggplant shells with sea salt and turn upside down (skin face up) for 30 minutes. Reserve flesh of eggplant, chop and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by coating a deep skillet with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Bring pan to medium heat and add in onions and celery. Cook until soft and translucent; about 10 minutes. Do not brown vegetables.

4. Add in fresh coriander,red chili flakes, pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix together.

5. Add in tomato paste and chopped tomatoes. Cook 2 minutes.

6. Add in sweet potato, carrot, flesh of eggplant and bay leaves. Cover and cook 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. After the filling has cooked 25-30 minutes, add in 3/4 of the cheese and chopped fresh cilantro or basil. Stuff each eggplant half with filling mixture and place on a parchment lines baking sheet.

8. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 45-50 minutes until eggplant is soft and the cheese is slightly brown and crispy on top. Garnish with herbs.

Pan Roasted Cod in Broth with Vegetables

I really loved how this dish came out. It made me feel very "chef like" serving this for dinner. The original recipe came from Ted Allen's cookbook In my Kitchen, I added the vegetables to make the meal complete.

The fish came out crispy and flaky, not dry at all, and the broth was so flavorful. If you have any leftover broth make yourself a bowl of french onion soup the next day.

This recipe may look complicated but it is very easy to make for dinner. The only downside is Cod can get pretty expensive from the fish market. If your on a tight budget make this for a special occasion. I made this dish for Layla on her first birthday. She loved it!!!

**This recipe calls for cod fillet with skin on. My local fish market did not have skin-on fillets, so I used skinless and it worked out well. I think it would taste great either way.

Ingredients:
2 carrots-small diced
2 celery stalks-small diced
1 small onion-small diced
1 large yukon gold potato-small diced
1 shallot
2 oz pancetta
4 tbsp olive oil
1 small garlic clove
1 quart low-sodium beef stock
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper-to taste
4 (6-8 oz) cod fillets with skin
Flour (I used GF all purpose flour)
Lemon Zest (1 lemon)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a medium pan over medium heat, cook shallot and pancetta in 1 tbsp of olive oil; 8 minutes. Add in garlic and cook additional 1 minute. Add in beef stock and thyme, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Reduce until there is two cups of broth; about 25 minutes.

While the broth is reducing; in another pan heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add in carrot, celery, potato and onion. Cook until vegetables are golden brown and tender; about 25 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning. (I like the use a non-stick skillet here) Once cooked; keep vegetables warm.

Once reduced; strain solids from broth and return broth to pan. Swirl in butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.

When the sauce is reduced and vegetables are tender; heat oven proof pan on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper and dust with flour.

Add 2 tbsp of oil to hot pan and add fish skin side down. Slide fish at first to prevent sticking. Cook about 3 minutes; flip fish and transfer to the oven for 7-10 minutes.

Place vegetables in a shallow bowl, place fish fillet on top of vegetables and ladle in broth until fish is half submerged in liquid. Garnish with lemon zest.