I guess it's about time I wrote in here. I plan on writing in here more often because I'm starting culinary school in nearly a week. I've acquired a job at a casual fine dining restaurant and their plating and fresh local products inspire me to be more innovative in my cooking (moreso than I already am, how about that!) . When I go to the grocery store I roam around for things I don't normally use (or think of a more interesting way to cook the normal vegetable/meat). Tonight I picked up beets, radish sprouts, a whole chicken, and sweet potato.
Tonight I decided to make chicken braised in white wine, brandy, whole garlic cloves, and thyme.
I placed it atop a bed of sauteed beet greens with carmelized onions and sage sweet potatoes.
Here is the rough recipe
1 whole young chicken (abou 2-3 lbs)
2 cups chardonnay or pinot gris
3-4 T brandy
10 garlic cloves, peel and left whole
large pinch thyme
1 large sweet potato, chopped
pinch sage
beet leaves from 6 beets, roughly 6 cups
2 shallots or 1/4 sweet onion, julienned
Butter
1/4 cup cream
1 T flour
Divide chicken into 2 breasts, 2 thigh/leg quarters, and 2 wings. Pat dry with towel, salt and pepper, and sear on both sides (med high temp) in 2 T butter and 1 T olive oil in pot or dutch oven until browned on each side, not fully cooked. Remove from pan. Add garlic until browned. Add all of wine and 3 T brandy. Scrape bits from bottom. Add chicken back to pot, set on low heat, sprinkle with thyme, cover and cook for 30 mins.
While chicken cooks add butter to a saute pan on medium heat. When butter melts add sweet potato and coat with butter. Add a pinch of salt and sage. Continue to cook until al dente, evenly cooking and stirring. Remove and keep warm. In the same pan, add 2 T butter (or olive oil) and put on low heat. Add onion and cook until browned and caramelized, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to med high and add beet greens, stirring. Add pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste. Cook until just wilted.
Remove and keep warm.
When chicken is finished remove the pieces and whisk in 1 T flour and 1-2 T brandy, depending on how much the sauce has reduced already. Increase heat to medium. When it starts to bubble, add cream.
Time to put together the plate.
Greens on bottom, sweet potato on greens, one piece of chicken on top, ladle gravy over. Serves 4, or 6 if you cut breasts in half. Enjoy!
(Sorry I didn't take a picture. Visualize it!)
Tonight I decided to make chicken braised in white wine, brandy, whole garlic cloves, and thyme.
I placed it atop a bed of sauteed beet greens with carmelized onions and sage sweet potatoes.
Here is the rough recipe
1 whole young chicken (abou 2-3 lbs)
2 cups chardonnay or pinot gris
3-4 T brandy
10 garlic cloves, peel and left whole
large pinch thyme
1 large sweet potato, chopped
pinch sage
beet leaves from 6 beets, roughly 6 cups
2 shallots or 1/4 sweet onion, julienned
Butter
1/4 cup cream
1 T flour
Divide chicken into 2 breasts, 2 thigh/leg quarters, and 2 wings. Pat dry with towel, salt and pepper, and sear on both sides (med high temp) in 2 T butter and 1 T olive oil in pot or dutch oven until browned on each side, not fully cooked. Remove from pan. Add garlic until browned. Add all of wine and 3 T brandy. Scrape bits from bottom. Add chicken back to pot, set on low heat, sprinkle with thyme, cover and cook for 30 mins.
While chicken cooks add butter to a saute pan on medium heat. When butter melts add sweet potato and coat with butter. Add a pinch of salt and sage. Continue to cook until al dente, evenly cooking and stirring. Remove and keep warm. In the same pan, add 2 T butter (or olive oil) and put on low heat. Add onion and cook until browned and caramelized, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to med high and add beet greens, stirring. Add pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste. Cook until just wilted.
Remove and keep warm.
When chicken is finished remove the pieces and whisk in 1 T flour and 1-2 T brandy, depending on how much the sauce has reduced already. Increase heat to medium. When it starts to bubble, add cream.
Time to put together the plate.
Greens on bottom, sweet potato on greens, one piece of chicken on top, ladle gravy over. Serves 4, or 6 if you cut breasts in half. Enjoy!
(Sorry I didn't take a picture. Visualize it!)
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