Date I made these
recipes: December 25, 2012 (Christmas
Day)
Published by: Voyageur Press
ISBN: 978-0-7603-3142-2
Recipe: Bistro
Roasted Chicken with Yukon Gold and Root
Vegetable Mousse – p. 21-23 (from Chez Jude, Grand Marais , Minnesota
For the Love of Food – recipes and stores from the
chefs of IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals)
Published by: IACP
ISBN: 0-9764517-0-0
Recipe: (Chocolate) Negrita (similar to a chocolate
mousse) – p. 10- submitted by Chefs Sam Arnold and Holly Kinney of Colorado
People, every once in a
while, out of all the cookbooks and all the recipes, I select a winner - a real home run, a touchdown, a checkered
flag. Today’s bistro chicken recipe is a
winner. Perhaps it was the wine (3 cups
– yee haw) or the spice rub or the accompanying vegetable mousse or even the
bacon used in the sauce. Perhaps it was
the fact that the recipe and cookbook were from Minnesota
This cookbook is broken
out by region and I am pleased to say that I have been to several of the
restaurants featured (many headed by well-known and well-loved Minnesota
chefs), and each restaurant teamed with a local farm/ranch/produce grower that
supplied the ingredients (and I’m pleased to say that I know a few of these
people as well) for the recipes. The
result: a list of recipes so fresh that I feel healthy just looking at them
(the photos, by the way, are glorious).
You had lamb, beef, bison, walleye (the king of fishes in these parts),
fresh cheeses, fresh vegetables and some fruit-based desserts that make me want
to pull this book out again come summer.
In fact, the “menu” from Chez Jude was the chicken, rubbed with herbs de
Provence
Written in similar fashion
to the Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook,
the IACP book compiles recipes from culinary professionals who belong to this
organization – the International
Association of Culinary Professionals.
The who’s who list in this book mirrors the one in the Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook: in Minnesota, we have chefs Alex Roberts (a
James Beard award winner); Lucia Watson (my personal hero); Lenny Russo (a
Beard finalist) and Brenda Langton, just to name a few.* In the IACP book we
have Charlie Trotter; Tom Douglas; Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Miliken; Gale
Gand—the list goes on and on. (*Alex Roberts owns Restaurant Alma
and Brasa; Lucia Watson owns Lucia’s; Lenny Russo owns Heartland and Brenda
Langton owns Spoonriver. Both Lucia and
Brenda have published cookbooks and yes, they are part of my collection.)
Together, the bistro
chicken (and mousse) and the chocolate negrita made for one outstanding
Christmas Day dinner. And can I just say
that for once, I am damned glad that it was just the two of us for dinner
because now all those wonderful leftovers are mine, all mine (and okay, I saved
some for Andy!)
Now, an important word about
the chicken: this dish is intended to be
made in advance (up to 2 days ahead) and reheated but I wanted it when I wanted
it and so I made it in one day. To do
that, roast the chicken at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then lower your oven
temperature to 350 and roast for 15 more minutes. You still have to make the vegetable stew
(see full instructions below) but you can do that at the same time you are
roasting the chicken.
As to the negrita, we used
very high quality chocolate but still ended up with a very thin layer of oil on
top that then set as it cooled down. No
worries – skim it off and eat it anyway.
Or mix it in and don’t tell anybody.
We made half the recipe because we really didn’t need 10 servings of
this dish…or did we?
Happy Holidays everyone!
Bistro Roasted Chicken with Herbs De Provence Meat
Rub - serving size not given but we roasted three breasts and four thighs
For the rub
1 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons minced
garlic
3 tablespoons herbs de Provence
Fresh cracked black pepper
and kosher salt, to taste
For the chicken and
vegetable stew
½ lb. applewood smoked
bacon, cut in small pieces (Ann’s Note:
we used regular bacon that we had on hand)
A 3 to 4-lb free-range
chicken (from Minnesota
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons unbleached
organic all-purpose flour
3 cups red wine; a
burgundy is the traditional choice. Do
not use a wine that is very fruity.
3 cups chicken stock or
organic broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh
rosemary, chopped
1 cup baby gree top
carrots
3 cups pearl onions,
blanched and skinned (or use frozen)
3 cups fresh mushrooms,
shiitake, and crimini, quartered
2 tablespoons red currant
jelly
2 tablespoons fresh
chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Yukon
2 lbs Yukon
¼ lb. parsnips, peeled and
diced ¼ inch
¼ small rutabaga, peeled
and shredded
2 minced garlic cloves
¼ cup butter
1 green onion, chopped
½ cup sour cream or crème
fraiche
Freshly chopped Italian
parsley, salt and pepper to taste
Ann’s Note: As stated above, I cut to the chase and made
the chicken all in one day and so browned the chicken as directed, roasted it
for 30 minutes at 400 degrees and then lowered the temperature to 350 and roasted the chicken for another 15
minutes. In between things, I made the
vegetable stew and potatoes. For
accuracy’s sake, the instructions below are exactly as printed in the book:
Two hours prior to
cooking, marinade the chicken with the herbs de Provence rub. To make the rub, whisk all ingredients
together (olive oil, minced garlic, herbs de Provence
When you are ready to make
the chicken, in a braiser or Dutch oven, sauté the bacon until crisp, remove
with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Set aside. Pour off all but 2
tablespoons of the bacon drippings.
Brown the chicken in the
drippings, on both sides, over medium high heat. Remove the chicken and place into a roasting
pan in a 400F wood-fired or conventional oven.
Roast for an additional 30 minutes or about 2/3 of the way done. Don’t overcook; you will be reheating the
chicken at a later time. Cover and store
in the refrigerator until you are ready for the final preparation. Chicken can be stored at this point up to 2
days.
Note: Add any roasting juices into the braiser or
Dutch oven. Do not forget to scrape up
the browned bits and add these into your stew pot; they add another layer of
rich flavor. Then, make the vegetable
stew.
To make the vegetable
stew, add the chopped onions to the pan that was used to brown the chicken;
sprinkle with salt, pepper and the flour.
Stir constantly, and continue to cook for 5 minutes. This will “cook” the flour and remove the
starchy taste. This also aids in
thickening the stew in the simmer reduction stage of cooking. Add the wine, stock, tomato paste, crisp
bacon and rosemary; bring to a boil. Add
carrots, pearl onions, and mushrooms.
Cover the pot and turn down the heat to medium low or simmer. Continue to cook until the vegetables are
cooked through. You can remove the cover
and cook until the sauce is reduced or thickened if needed.
Add the red currant jelly
and parsley, to heat through. Taste and
adjust seasoning as needed. This stew
can be prepared up to 2 days prior to serving.
On the day of
serving: Prepare the Yukon Gold and Root
Vegetable Mousse. When ready to plate,
reheat the chicken in a 350F oven for 15 minutes. Bring the roasted chicken in a large rimmed
bowl upon a nest of root vegetable and potato mousse (or soft polenta or cooked
egg noodles). Ladle the red wine stew of
vegetables over the chicken. Garnish
with a drizzle of crème fraiche and a sprig of fresh rosemary.
To make the potato mousse,
boil the potatoes, parsnips, rutabaga, and minced garlic cloves together, about
20 minutes or until tender but not mushy.
Drain and return to the pan to dry over low heat.
Place in mixer outfitted
with a paddle, add butter, and mix on low speed until the butter is
melted. Add the remaining ingredients
and continue to mix on low speed until the desired texture is achieved, from
slightly chunky to smooth. Taste and
adjust seasoning before serving.
(Chocolate) Negrita – serves 10
1 ¼ pounds Ghirardelli
sweet dark chocolate
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
extract
¼ cup rum
½ pint heavy cream,
whipped, for toopping.
Place the chocolate in a
double boiler over simmering water; do not let the water touch the bottom of
the bowl holding the chocolate. Cook
until half-melted, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat and leave it over the warm water to finish melting
and to keep it warm. It is important not
to let the chocolate cool too much before blending with the other ingredients,
or it will become grainy. If you think
it has become too cool by the time you’re ready to use it, place on the heat to
warm it slightly.
Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff in a clean
dry bowl. Beat the egg yolks carefully, then fold into the beaten egg whites,
mixing until thoroughly blended. Ladle
into 2 ½-ounce ramekins or wine glasses and chill. Serve topped with whipped cream.
Ann’s Note: You’ll definitely taste the rum in this
recipe!
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