Cold Weather Dinner

recipe # 105, 106, 107

I'm going to make cold weather & winter food with wild abandon for the next month and a half. As of December 7th we are pulling up stakes and leaving for LA. After that I doubt I'll see another northeastern winter for a while. Kind of sad.

So for now it is all roasting, squash, roots vegetables, Brussels spouts, poultry, stews, soups, breads, mushrooms, baked desserts. . . .

I learned how to truss a chicken before making the chicken recipe. There is a clear explanation of how to do it here.


This one is From Bouchon by Thomas Keller:
Mon Poulet Rôti
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.

This is from Craft of Cooking by Tom Colicchio:
Creamless Cream Corn
10 ears of white corn
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh tarragon

Shuck half the corn and remove the kernels from the husks. Place the corn in a blender and discard the cobs and husks. Purée the corn with 1/3 cup water. Press the purée through a fine sieve and reserve.

Shuck the remaining corn, cut the kernels from the cobs, and reserve. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and pepper and cook until the onion begins to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved corn, salt, and 1/2 cup of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is almost tender, about 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer the strained corn purée into a double boiler set over barely simmering water. Cook gently, stirring frequently, until the liquid thickens to the consistency of heavy cream, about 3 minutes. Season the purée with salt and pepper. Remove the corn and onion mixture from the heat and stir in the corn cream. Add the tarragon and adjust the seasoning if necessary with salt and pepper.

Serves 6


This is from epicurious.com:
Parsnips and Carrots with Orange Butter Sauce
1 cup water
1/2 pound parsnips, peeled; halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
1/2 pound carrots, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick
pieces
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a skillet combine the water, the parsnips, the carrots, and salt to taste, simmer the vegetables for 15 minutes, or until they are just tender, and stir in the orange juice. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, and transfer the vegetables with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Boil the liquid until it is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the zest and the butter, stirring until the butter is melted. Spoon the sauce over the vegetables.

Serves 2

The Parsnips where fine.

The chicken and the corn were something else all together. I don't think that there is any reason to ever make roast chicken another way. Same with the corn. The corn is amazingly good. I thought it was great before I added the tarragon, but the tarragon put it over the top. I cannot imagine how good it will be when corn is in season.