On Sun, 13 Aug 2006 22:25:37 -0600, Christine Dabney
> wrote:
>On Mon, 14 Aug 2006 03:28:46 GMT, (TammyM) wrote:
>
>>TammyM, roasted the most gorgeous chookie for dinner tonight via the
>>Thomas Keller "Bouchon" recipe. Oh. Tres. Yum.
>
>Do you have that book? I want it. I can;t afford it now...and I am
>dying cause I am dying to have it. I have seen so many great things
>cooked from that book....
>
>Maybe by next year......
Nope, I don't have it. I checked it out of the library a long time
ago and really didn't find much of value to me in it besides the
chicken recipe. I think there were a couple others, but NOT enough
for me to justify the cost of the book. I'm trying to be more frugal
these days, and reminding myself that I really don't need another
cookbook. But cookbooks are SUCH a weakness of mine!
I found the chicken recipe on epicurious.com tonight. EVERY other
roast chicken recipe I looked at had lemons. I have no lemons right
now. If I did, I'd do the Hazan recipe. But this one truly is
fabulous.
MY FAVOURITE SIMPLE ROAST CHICKEN
One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)
Unsalted butter
Dijon mustard
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well
with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the
heat, the better.
Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not
difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to
feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay
close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the
breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook
evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.
Now, salt the chicken — I like to rain the salt over the bird so that
it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty,
flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should
still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season
to taste with pepper.
Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is
up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone — I
don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel
this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50
to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to
the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest
for 15 minutes on a cutting board.
Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that
immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the
backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat
embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But
I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my
brothers always fought over that triangular tip — until one day I got
the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the
breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint
still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be
superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard
on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using
a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.
Makes 2 to 4 servings.
Bouchon
2004
by Thomas Keller
Artisan
TammyM