A New Year's Lunch

Not sure why my husband came home with a roaster the other day when my arm was still in a sling, but he did. Today I woke up to snow streaming down from the sky so peacefully and magically I knew we would all be hunkering down at home. And I knew it would be a perfect day to roast my chicken. No longer in a sling, and a good bit of mobility back I stepped back into the kitchen again. Really stepped in. And did it ever feel good. Does it ever feel good!

I had the Brussels Sprouts and carrots left over from last weekend -- our Christmas that wasn't. And I really hate to waste such good food so I made my Perfectly Roast Chicken with a Dijon Mustard Sauce, a Warm Brussels Sprout Salad, Carottes au Beurre and a warm loaf of French bread. We ate lunch late, at nearly 2:00 and we lingered and relaxed and really enjoyed the delicious meal in front of us!

At 4:30 we had our dessert, vanilla ice cream, home made hot fudge sauce (a Christmas gift from friends) along with sweet fresh strawberries and blackberries. Yum!


I wish every day could be like this!



Warm Brussels Sprout Salad


Serves 6

This is a labor intensive dish, but unlike cooking Brussels sprouts whole, the cooking time here is very short. And the work is so very worth it!

2 containers of fresh (must be fresh) Brussels Sprouts, or 1 stalk
2 - 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tbs for the pan
freshly ground sea salt

Using a good knife cut the bottoms off of each Brussels sprout. You will then start peeling the leaves away one by one. Have a large bowl beside you and as you peel you can toss the leaves in to the bowl. When all the leaves have been peeled add the olive oil and the salt to the bowl and mix well.

In a skillet or pan, heat up the olive oil. When it is hot, you will see it start to smoke ever so slightly, toss the leaves into the pan. You will hear a nice sizzle and crackle. Cook, stirring carefully for about 5 minutes so that the leaves can get a nice light brown color which will cause them to carmelize nicely.

Serve immediately or reheat in the microwave briefly prior to serving.

The Brussels Sprouts leaves are sweet and tender and any hint of bitterness has gone!


Carottes Sautees au Beurre


Serves 6

Carrots, 2 to 3 per person
Butter, 2 - 3 tablespoons
Sea Salt to taste

Peel and trim ends of carrots. Using a good Chef's knife cut carrots into slices, not too thick, and as evenly as possible.

Retrive a large pan, fill about 1/3 to the top with water and bring to a boil. When water is boiling add carrots for about 3 minutes. You want them to be soft yet still firm and not fully cooked. Remove from water.

In a large sauce pan add about 2 tablespoons of butter. As soon as the butter starts to bubble, just as it is about to brown, add the carrots to the pan. Stir the carrots so that they each get a chance to brown. Add salt to taste. Cook for about 3 minutes. Serve immediately. This dish may be microwaved for reheating prior to serving if necessary.


Dijon Mustard Sauce


Serves 6

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup light mayonnaise, preferably Hellman's
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons water
1 green onion finely chopped

In a mixing bowl add mustard, mayonnaise and sour cream. Mix well. Add water and mix well. Fold in green onion.

May be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving with chicken.


Perfectly Roasted Chicken

Click here for recipe

A Perfectly Roasted Chicken

I love nothing more than the smell of roasting chicken... (Ok, I love it the same as I like the smell of baking pies and cookies!) Roasting a chicken is really very easy, and requires only a few simple ingredients and some time.

I like to buy organic chickens. And if possible those with the little pop-up indicator thingies. I do use and rely on a good meat thermometer as well.

For your perfectly roasted chicken you will need:

1/4 Cup of Herbes de Provence, Italian Seasoning or Williams-Sonoma Turkey Seasoning
1 tbs of salt
2 lemons, thinly sliced

Preheat your oven to 375 (if using a conventional oven)
If using a convection oven your oven may convert the temperature automatically, otherwise you will need to see what the recommended temperature is for your convection oven.

Directions:

*Take your chicken and remove everything from the cavity.
*Rinse thoroughly under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
*Using your hands gently, slowly separate the skin from the meat on the breast as well as the legs. Your bird will be much more flavorful if you season the meat underneath the skin.
*Take some of the herbs and rub them against the meat, under the skin. Be generous!
*Repeat on the drumstick and thigh.
*Take the lemon wedges and carefully place them between the skin and the meat, where you had placed your herbs. You should have roughly 1 sliced lemon left over

If your chicken seems to have fallen apart slightly from separating the skin from the meat, simply tie the legs together using kitchen string/rope.

*If you have a roasting pan, place the roasting rack inside the pan, and place the extra lemon wedges on top of the rack.

*Place the chicken, breast side up, on top of the lemon slices.

The leftover meat, bones and drippings will make The Best Chicken Broth Ever. Do NOT discard. (Recipe to follow)

We served the chicken with wide, buttered egg noodles and

Garlic Sesame Asparagus

1 to 2 bunches of asparagus, ends trimmed
Garlic powder
Sea salt
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs olive oil

*In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
*Immerse asparagus in water and cook until vibrant green, 3 to 5 minutes.
*You want the asparagus to still be crunchy. Remove asparagus from the water.
*Remove water from the pan and pat dry with paper towel.
*Pour in the oils, and bring to high heat.
*Add the asparagus -- it should sizzle as it hits the hot oil. Turn heat to low and sprinkle desired amount of garlic powder and salt.
*Turn heat off. The asparagus will continue to cook. Turn and toss to make sure that asparagus is well coated. Keep in pan until ready to serve, but not more than 5 minutes.