Showing posts with label roasting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roasting. Show all posts

Monday, July 19, 2021

Royal Chicken

 

I used a whole pineapple as the base and baster for a Cornish hen recipe and it turned out AAHmazing. 

The revised plan involves a pineapple after you have used a pineapple cutting device that cuts out the meat and makes slices in a couple of easy steps.  The marinated hen is then slid down on the core that remains inside the pineapple and open roasted or grilled until done.  The finished product is then removed from the stub and the stub can then be discarded.  The pineapple in the featured photo shows a bird that sits on a pineapple throne, with part of the pineapple flanking the back side.  This promotes the self basting aspect and leaves roasted pineapple to be sliced and served alongside as a side dish.  

I open roasted the Cornish hen in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  I then moved it to my smoker and added an elevated, smoky element to the already flavorful protein.  The end result is a tender, moist and absolutely delicious meal for one or light dinner for two.  I used a Kickin' Chicken' rub with a little heat to marinate the chicken, also a bit of liquid aminos, smashed garlic, freshly cracked pepper and a nice glug of olive oil.  I also painted on some of the residual juices with some fresh sage from my herb garden and let those flavors hang out and kiss the bird subtly as it rested.  

I love this dish for several reasons, but most appealing is finding another use for my pineapples when I remove the viable fruit.  The vessel that remains is still full of flavor and juices that can be a perfect cooking add on.  The small tasty bird sits on a throne of golden awesomeness and is fit for a king...or queen, Royal Chicken for the 'commonfolk', Long Live the Queen.

Monday, April 26, 2021

Dinners Without Borders: Proscuitto Wrapped Provolone and Swiss Chicken Breasts


 

Dinner is a cinch when you cook from the heart and without pretense.  This meal came together at short notice and was centered around a request for a "vegetable medley".  Yes, that's all I had to go on, which immediately sent me into a tailspin, because it sparked more questions than a few, like what kind? Steamed, roasted, sauteed? Creamy, stewed, tender crisp? What vegetables in the medley? Spring veggies? Root veggies? The answer in return was "I don't care, just make it good!" I laughed, relieved, because that part I was pretty sure I could handle, so for traditionalists sake, I chose the usual suspects, with a triad of colors and roastability, whole carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, red onion (which I roasted separately, for the two 'no onioners' attending dinner) and garlic, a dream team of tastes and textures, full on flavors and self explanatory for my client.  
I broke the vegetables down into a bit larger sized pieces and lowered the overall roasting temperature, to accommodate the cooking time of the chicken, which admittedly started off as frozen.  I married the freshly thawed chicken with flavor builders like Prosciutto, smoked Provolone and Swiss cheese, with a modest pat of butter to the toppings before going into a 375*F. oven.  I used a garlic based seasoning blend to boost the sometimes dry breast cutlets and served as a quick dry rub before tossing with some olive oil and a pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt.  I threw in a store bought pesto for time constraints to embellish both the veggies and the protein, even the starch, which was a garlicky and cheesy Italian loaf, quick and homemade, well the assembly at least, the bread was fresh from the bakery.    
Dinner was a casual one, family members, served later, as my client (Brother in Law Mark) and his spouse (my sister Brenda) both worked late this beautiful day.  The featured photos are just that, a quick snapshot after the dishes came from the oven, with no time to fuss over plating and lighting, a document of my newest Chicken Recipe, producing a plate full of color and delicious roasted flavors, plus a medley of vegetables to choose from and stack with every moist bite of smothered, smoky chicken goodness.  I enjoyed the freedom to create outside of my normal kitchen and in someone else's lab, using their utensils.  I was able to find my way around pretty well and the menu came out solid and satisfying.  There were no strict dietary rules to follow and a blank canvas to work my magic and I did just that, and there were compliments on each dish, respectively.  I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of cooking while they chatted on, did a chore or two, showered, then converged back on the scene at my beckoning.  They were satisfied and so was I.  I love dinners without borders, it gives me room to create and bring scribbles on paper, to life...


*This post is dedicated in memory of my cousin and friend, Lawrence "Jay" Berger, who left us today for higher ground, We Love You and are deeply saddened by your passing, too soon- Prayers and condolences to lil cuz Jason and Frances, Teresa, Skeet(Willie), Aaron( Frame) and Karen. - The Smith Family.