Garlic Chicken and Moroccan Couscous

This is the last meal that I made for my family at home before returning to school. Both recipes are from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris

Menu:

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

Moroccan Couscous

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

Ingredients

• 3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
• 2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch o

ven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices

and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

Moroccan Couscous

2 cups (2/3-inch) diced butternut squash

2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)

1 1/2 cups (3/4-inch) diced carrots (4 carrots)

1 1/2 cups (3/4-inch) diced zucchini (2 medium)

2 tablespoons good olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups Homemade Chicken Stock or canned broth

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

1 1/2 cups couscous (10 oz)

2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Place the butternut squash, onions, carrots, and zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the butter, 1 teaspoon salt (depending on saltiness of the stock), 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the cumin, and saffron threads and allow to steep for at least 15 minutes.

Bring the chicken stock just back to a boil. Place the couscous and cooked vegetables in a large bowl and pour the hot chicken stock over them. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Add the scallions, toss the couscous and vegetables with a fork, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Christmas Dinner 2009

Christmas Dinner comes from the December 2009 issue of Food Network magazine and recipezaar.com (recipe #4873).

Menu:
Roast Leg of Lamb
Scalloped Potatoes
Steamed Broccoli



Roast Leg of Lamb
2¼ hours | 10 min prep

SERVES 6 -8

• 1 leg of lamb (about 5 lbs)
• 3 garlic cloves, slivered
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary or some fresh sprigs rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, coarsely ground
• coarse salt

1. Remove lamb from refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6.
3. Make small slits just large enough for garlic slivers evenly in the leg of lamb, and insert the garlic slivers.
4. Rub all over with lemon juice, then pat the rosemary and black pepper evenly over the surface. Sprinkle with salt to taste. If you're using fresh rosemary, just insert the sprigs with the garlic slivers into the cuts you made.
5. Place lamb, fat side up on a rack in an uncovered pan.
6. Roast 30 minutes to a pound or until the internal temperature reaches 175-180°F, for meat well done. If you prefer slightly rare lamb, roast until 160-165°F.
7. When done, remove from oven, cover the roast in foil and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
8. If you also want delicious rich gravy, place a 1 1/2 cups of lamb or beef stock in the bottom of the pan before you put the lamb in the oven, making sure that the rack sits above the liquid and the meat doesn't touch it. You can also add a sprig or two of rosemary to it and if you want baste the lamb a couple of times while it's roasting. Just before serving bring the liquid to a simmer on the stove top, making sure you whisk it well and scrape all the bits from the sides and the bottom of the pan. If you want more gravy you can add some extra stock or some of the water you have cooked your vegetables inches Mix 1tbsp of cornflour with 2tbsp of water and whisk it into the stock. Simmer until thickened and you have a wonderful gravy.

Scalloped Potatoes (the recipe calls for creme fraiche, which I didn't use and it was still delicious!)

• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 pounds waxy potatoes (such as Yukon gold or Yellow Finn), peeled
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 cup creme fraeche
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the garlic all over the inside of a 3-quart baking dish, then mince it. Grease the dish with about 1/2 tablespoon butter.

Slice the potatoes about 1/8 inch thick (a mandoline works well). Combine in a large saucepan with the minced garlic, the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, the half-and-half, creme fraeche, flour, thyme, mace, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the chives and transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, shaking it to distribute the potatoes evenly. Bake, uncovered, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 1 hour 5 minutes, occasionally spooning some of the liquid over the top. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

You can also make the scalloped potatoes in individual ramekins; bake about 40 minutes.

Christmas Eve Dinner 2009

I was in charge of Christmas dinner this year, and I threw in Christmas Eve dinner as a bonus. ;-)

Christmas Eve's Recipe(s) came from the December 2009 issue of Food Network Magazine.
Unfortunately, I don't have my own picture for this meal. The one used here is from www.foodnetwork.com

Christmas Eve Dinner: A Crepe Buffet with whole wheat crepes, citrus shrimp, sauteed spinach, sweet onion, and creamy mushroom.








Whole Wheat Crepes (originally buckwheat, but I used whole wheat flour instead)
Total Prep Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Serves: 6 (about 12 crepes total)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the skillet
2/3 cup wheat flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped parsley (this is optional, I opted not)

1. Melt 5 tablespoons butter in an 8-in non stick skillet. Combine the melted butter, both flours, milk, egges, and salt in a blender and process until smooth. Let the batter rest at room temperature at least 1 hour or overnight. Stir in the parsley (if desired).
2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat the skillet over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles in it. Lightly butter the skillet , then add a scant 1/3 cup batter and quickly swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook until the crepe sets and browns around the edges, about 2 minutes. Carefully lift with a rubber spatula, flip over, and cook about 30 more seconds. Transfer to a plate.
3. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter as needed and stacking the finished crepes. Wrap the crepes in a damp dish towel and place in the oven to reheat, about ten minutes. (You can make the crepes a day ahead. Just wrap in plastic and refrigerate, then reheat before assembling.) Serve with assorted fillings.

Filling:
Citrus Shrimp
Saute 1 1/4 lbs shrimp (peeled and halved lengthwise) in 2 tablespoons butter with 1 strip lemmon zest, 2 tarragon sprigs, and salt and pepper, until the shrimp turn pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and 1/2 cup white wine (I usually use Chardonnay) and simmer 1 minute. Remove from the heat; add 4 tablespoons chopped cold butter and some parsley.

Sauteed Spinach
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 12 ounces spinach and cook until just wilted about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Sweet Onion
Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 2 sliced onions and 2 thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onions are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Creamy Mushroom
Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 pound chopped wild mushrooms and 2 thyme sprigs; saute until the mushrooms are golden, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add 2/3 cup heavy cream; toss to warm through. Remove from the heat and add a handful of parsley.

Introduction

I am setting out on a new project: to document my cooking throughout the year, and hopefully (if it succeeds), after this year.

This is my cooking blog, in which I will post the pictures and recipes of the food I make - the successes and the failures. I am a beginner cook, and I hope to do a lot of experimenting and discovering. This blog will allow me to document the recipes that work, and the ones that don't.

Just a note: almost all of the recipes will come from a variety of cookbooks and online sources, and I will try to cite my sources accurately. I don't have the experience (or guts) to try something too crazy on my own without a little help from a recipe.

So here goes!