Perfect Roast Chicken

Perfect Roast Chicken
Serves 6
A sign of a great cook is his or her ability to roast a chicken. It seems so easy – just pop the bird in a pan and stick it in the oven, but just taking a few steps in between will produce a moist and tender bird, fit for a Sunday mealtime centerpiece. And if you really want to make life easy this week, roast two birds at the same time, carving the second one for use later in the week. Brining is a cook’s insurance that the bird will be moist, and sealing the skin by coating it in butter before roasting results in the golden, crispy skin we love. Sliding butter under the skin keeps the breast tender and flavorful. Turning the bird during roasting helps keep the breast from drying out before the legs nad thighs are fully cooked. Consider mixing herbs and spices into the softened butter before placing it under the skin. The fat transfers flavor into the breast meat more intensely than when the flavorings are added to the brine. Use one teaspoon finely chopped herbs per tablespoon of butter. Try thyme, rosemary, parsley, garlic, curry or chili powder, or minced ginger.
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Ingredients
  1. ½ cup salt
  2. ½ cup granulated sugar
  3. 1 (3 ½ pound) whole chicken
  4. Canola oil or cooking spray
  5. 3 tablespoons butter, softened, divided
  6. Freshly ground black pepper
  7. 1 lemon
  8. 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Instructions
  1. Dissolve the salt and sugar in two quarts of water in a pot or tub large enough to submerge the whole chicken under the water. Add the chicken and refrigerate for 1 – 4 hours.
  2. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400° F. Place an oiled or sprayed V-shpaed rack in alarge roasting pan. Remove the bird from the brine to a colander placed in the sink, rinse under cold water, pat dry, and move to a cutting board. Using your fingers, carefully loosen the skin from the breast meat.
  3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the softened butter under the skin of one side of the breast. Spread the butter by massaging it through the skin. Repeat with the other side of the breast.
  4. Rub the skin of the entire bird with the remaining butter and season with pepper. Cut off both ends of the lemon and then cut the lemon in half horizontally. Insert the lemon halves and rosemary into the cavity of the chicken.
  5. Move the chicken to the oiled rack, placing it on its side (one wing facing up). Let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  6. Roast for 15 minutes.
  7. Using long tongs or wadded paper towels, rotate the chicken in the rack to the other side so that the other wing is facing up. Roast 15 minutes.
  8. Rotate the chicken again so that the breast is now facing up and continue roasting for 20-25 minutes, or until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 175° on an instant read thermometer.
  9. Remove the chicken to a clean cutting board and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes, then carve and serve
Notes
  1. Brining
  2. Soaking a chicken in a solution of water and salt before roasting adds moisture to the meat, resulting in a very succulent, juicy chicken. The salt denatures the proteins in the muscle fibers – actually unwinding the protein bundles in the muscle – thereby tenderizing the meat and allowing the fibers to absorb the flavor of the brine. Note that if you are brining smaller pieces of chicken (thighs, wings, drumsticks), brine for only 30 minutes. Always discard the brine after use.
  3. ©2016 The University of North Carolina Press and Cynthia Graubart
  4. From “a Savor the South Cookbook: Chicken”
Recipes from Cooks Warehouse http://recipe.cookswarehouse.com/
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Sour Cream-Blueberry Waffles

Sour Cream-Blueberry Waffles
Serves 6
Don't feel like beating egg whites? Try this waffle recipe that uses sour cream for added flavor. And feel free to swap out the blueberries for your favorite. We love raspberries in this one!
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Ingredients
  1. 4 eggs
  2. 1 cup milk
  3. 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  4. 1 cup sour cream
  5. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  6. 2 1⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
  7. 3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
  8. 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
  9. 3⁄4 cup fresh blueberries, plus more for garnish
  10. confectioners' sugar, for dusting
  11. maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
  1. Preheat the All-Clad waffle maker on medium-high heat. Preheat an oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the milk, butter and sour cream. Over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Stir in the 3/4 cup blueberries.
  3. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into each well of the waffle maker and close the lid. Cook the waffles until golden brown and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the waffles to a wire rack set on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat to cook the remaining batter.
  4. Garnish the waffles with blueberries, dust with confectioners' sugar and serve hot with maple syrup.
Notes
  1. ©All-Clad 2018
Recipes from Cooks Warehouse http://recipe.cookswarehouse.com/
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Buttermilk Waffles

Buttermilk Waffles
Serves 6
Whisking the egg whites separately makes these waffles light and airy!
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Ingredients
  1. 3 eggs, separated
  2. 1 ¾ C Buttermilk
  3. 8 Tbsp (1 stick) Butter, melted
  4. ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
  5. 1 ¾ C AP Flour
  6. 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
  7. 1 tsp Baking Soda
  8. ½ tsp Salt
  9. ⅓ C Sugar
  10. Maple Syrup and Butter for serving
Instructions
  1. Preheat All-Clad waffle maker on medium high heat. Preheat an oven to 200° if you will need to keep the waffles warm before serving.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Set aside. In another large bowl, whisk the egg yolks (reserve egg whites for step 4). Next whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla, blend well.
  3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture; whisk together until smooth. (A hand whisk is perfect for this task, no mixer needed)
  4. In another bowl using an electric hand mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1 C of the egg whites into the batter, then careful fold in the remaining whites.
  5. Pour about ⅓C of batter into each well of the waffle iron and close the lid. Cook the waffle until golden brown and crisp, about 5 min.
  6. If you need to keep the waffles warm before serving, transfer the waffles to a wire rack set on a baking sheet in the preheated oven.
  7. Repeat to cook the remaining batter. Serve the waffles hot with butter and syrup. Makes twelve 4" waffles.
Notes
  1. ©All-Clad 2018
Recipes from Cooks Warehouse http://recipe.cookswarehouse.com/
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