A Perfect Standard - Thick Cut Bacon, Eggs, Fruit

It's little things like this that makes you smile. The espresso with scalded milk and honey was there, too, just off screen. :)

Pork Loin with Duck Fat Sauce on a Bed of Dandelion Greens, Violets, and Fruit

by Frou Frou Feliz

Pork loin gently cooked makes a nice light meal that accentuating the Spring flavors of fresh dandelion greens and violet blooms.



Ingredients:
2 pork loins
2 tablespoons duck fat
1 cup dandelion greens
1/2 cup violet blossoms (use baby herb or mesculin mix if you don't have violets or dandelion greens
1 green tart apple, sliced thin
3 mandarines, peeled and sectioned
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
sea salt and pepper to taste

In heavy bottom pan, add duck fat. Turn flame to medium. When heated, add pork loins and cover. Cook for 4 minutes each side. Remove and slice pork in 1/4 inch slices. Add salt and pepper to duck fat in pan to taste. Stir and reserve.

Toss greens and fruit with lemon juice, vinegar, thyme and some salt and pepper to taste.  Arrange of plates or wide, shallow bowls.  Fan out pork loin slices. Drizzle duck fat over slices and greens.

Rib Eye Steak with Rosemary Sage Reduction, Lime Beets and Roasted Root Vegetables.

by Frou Frou Feliz

Wonderful earthy flavors combine for this harmonious, rich meal ensemble of root vegetables and rib eye steak.



Ingredients:
2 rib eye steaks
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon duck fat
2 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon fresh sage
1/3 cup Duck Stock or Chicken Stock
salt and pepper to taste

Beets with Lime

Roasted Vegetables

In a heavy bottom pan add 1 tablespoon butter. Turn flame to medium low.  When butter starts to turn golden add steaks and cook for 4 minutes each side. Remove steaks.  Arrange on plates with beets and roasted vegetables. Put in warm oven.  Add duck fat and herbs and cook until done. Pan will be a rich brown color. Do not burn.  Keeping the flame low will prevent this. Add stock and reduce scraping sides and bottom with a wooden spoon until half the liquid has evaporated - 1-2 minutes.  Remove steaks from warm oven.  Pour reduction over steaks.

Salmon Ragu with Crispy Salmon Skin

by Frou Frou Feliz

This is a seafaring take on the traditional Bolognese Ragu. Instead of Ground Beef or Pork, I use "ground" salmon and simmer it to perfection. I then top it off with crispy salmon skin to add a nice crunchy kick to that wonderful textured capellini and Ragu.




Ingredients:
1 lb fresh or flash frozen salmon, skinned (reserve whole skins) and cubed into 1 inch pieces
4 small tomatoes, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin into disks
1/2 teaspoon fresh marjoram leaves
1/2 teaspoon fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons duck fat/bacon fat
2 teaspoons butter
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

In a heavy saucepan on low heat, melt fat and butter. Add garlic, marjoram, and basil. simmer for two to three minutes until the garlic just starts to brown. Remove all herbs from pan and reserve in a small bowl.

Add an extra teaspoon of butter to the saucepan with flame still on low. Add the salmon skins skin side down. Cook for three minutes or until crispy on one side then flip and repeat on the second side until crispy. Remove from saucepan and reserve.

Take the reserved herbs and add them back to the saucepan. Add salmon cubed meat and sautee until cooked. Break up the salmon pieces with a wooden spoon. Add diced tomatoes to the salmon and herbs. Add bay leaves and stir. Keep on low and simmer for 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Make some capellini al dente. It's about 3-4 minutes, the cook time.

Toss drained capellini with the Salmon Ragu. Arrange on plates. Top with crispy salmon skins. Garnish with fresh Marjoram.

Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmeggiano Reggian or Asiago if you'd like. Enjoy!

Salmon Ceviche/Poki with Apples

by Frou Frou Feliz

This is what you do with the fresh funny shaped parts you have after making sashimi or sushi. It is delish.

Ingredients:
1 lb salmon chopped up roughly
1 Fuji apple slivered
1/2 of lime, squeezed
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Throw all ingredients together and toss.

Trout with Pine Nuts and Tarragon Cream Sauce

How To Freeze Your Cuts of Meat

by TAG Editor

We did a few tests on freezing choice cuts of flesh. Having freezer burn on a rib eye or magret or center cut loin is nothing but a drag.

1) The most important thing is buy freezer plastic bags. It has thicker plastic and also make sure that it's a zipper bag. Wrap cuts individually.

2) Squeeze all the air out of the bags as you zip them shut. This will prevent freezer burn and preserve flavor and color better.

3) Make sure your freezer is set at extra cold. This ensures that items you freeze will form smaller crystals meaning the frozen meat will maintain its texture better.

Crispy Clove and Cumin Duck Breast in Wine Reduction with Beets, Mashed Potatoes and Bacon

by Frou Frou Feliz

This is the rust-rust-rustic recipe. Getting a crispy duck skin on a breast is golden. How one achieves this is easy with some methodology. In this recipe, cumin seeds are crunchy, too, working well with the duck and wine reduction. also the cloves that i stuck in and removed... that accentuated the duck and the clove also tied it in with the beets.

Mashed potatoes work with anything and has a great texture. The bacon added a different kind of crunchy and salty counterpoint to the beets and the hint of spices.

Ingredients:
2 duck breasts or magrets
1 tablespoon bacon fat
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin
10 whole cloves
4 strips of bacon chopped, hardwood smoked expensive brand


Mashed Potato Recipe
4 potatoes
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoon butter
cracked black pepper
sea salt

4 red beets

Poke holes in skin of duck for fat to render when cooking. This will allow the skin to become crispy. On the stove top, dry roast cumin and whole cloves in heavy pan on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. You should dry roast for only a couple minutes to bring out the aroma and depth of flavor. Be careful not to burn. Pat the meat side of the duck breasts with the cumin. Poke five cloves into each duck breast and let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours, best overnight.

Cooking Duck: In a heavy pan, the best would be cast iron or enameled cast iron. Add bacon fat to pan. Set on low. Put duck in pan skin side down and slow cook for 20 minutes. Do not flip. Please do not flip. Always skin side down. This will make the skin very crunchy and it will cook the duck to medium rare. In the last five minutes of cooking add the chopped bacon strips and cook until golden. Remove duck and place on plate with crunchy skin side up. Set bacon in a bowl.

Pour rendered fat from the pan into a heat resistent holding container. It can be used for other recipes.

Boil the beets with potatoes for 20 minutes or until done. Don't peel the beets or potatoes. Make sure they well scrubbed. Remove. Peel the beets and slice them into medallions. Put potatoes in bowl and mash them with milk, butter, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning.

In the duck pan, reheat on medium. Add 1/3 cup of port or a Rioja or Shiraz. Reduce. Scrape bits from the pan into the sauce with a wooden spoon. Take this reduction and split it between two dinner plates. Arrange the duck breasts, one on each plate along with mashed potatoes and beets. Sprinkle the bacon on top. Garnish with some baby beet leaves or other greens.

Braciole

Braciole is thin sliced beef, pork, chicken or veal which has been pounded, filled tied or picked and braised.  It is then simmered in a tomato sauce until it is very tender.

Ingredients:
-8 slices beef braciole, beef very thinly sliced
-Coarse salt and black pepper
-8 slices prosciutto di Parma
-1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs
-1/2 cup milk
- 2/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
-1 small onion, finely chopped
-1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 cup chopped arugula
-Plain round toothpicks
-2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
-2 cloves garlic cracked away from skin
-2 tablespoons butter
-12 crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
-2 tablespoons flour
-1 cup dry white wine
-1 cup beef broth
-1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste

Season meat with salt and pepper. Top each slice of meat with a slice of prosciutto. In a medium bowl, moisten bread crumbs with milk. Add grated cheese, onion, parsley, arugula, salt and pepper to the crumbs and combine well. Spread a thin layer of stuffing down the center of each beef slice and roll tightly. Fasten rolled meat with plain toothpicks.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to a hot pan along with garlic. Set meat into pan and brown on all sides, 6 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan. Add butter to the pan. Add mushrooms to the melted butter. Saute mushrooms 5 minutes. Add flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Whisk wine into the flour and mushrooms and scrape up pan drippings. Reduce wine 1 minute, then whisk in beef broth and tomato paste. Set meat back into sauce and reduce heat to medium low. Partially cover pan with a cover left ajar an inch. Simmer meat in sauce 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer beef rolls to a platter, removing toothpicks. Pour pan gravy down over the beef rolls and serve.
Cook-Italian.com has a fabulous Braciole recipe. This great Italian cooking blog has a Braciole recipe rolled with garlic, Italian parsley and grated cheeses. Enjoy! My Gloss

American Pork Chops with Clementine, Sage, Thyme, and Garlic Reduction

by Frou Frou Feliz

I was going to make duck and ended up picking up a vintage 1953 edition of the Joy of Cooking. I came upon the pork chops with apple recipe, very Mid Century American. I decided to make a version of the 1950s vintage dish, but updated, e.g. what was in the fridge an on the counter top. This Pork Chops with Clementine, sage, thyme, and garlic reduction works nicely with avocado and boiled potato as a side. Very homey and fresh.

Ingredients:
2 center cut pork chops, seasoned with sea salt and pepper
1 tablespoon bacon fat
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic sliced paper thin into medallions
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, picked of the stem
1/4 teaspoon sage, diced fine
2 clementine oranges
2 small boiled potato (yukon, purple or red)
1 avocado, sliced lengthwise

Season pork chops with salt and pepper and let sit for half an hour while prepping other ingredients. Warm up a heavy skillet or pan on medium heat. Add bacon fat and 1 tablespoon of the butter. When they have melted, place pork chops in the pan to cook 3 minutes. Flip pork chops. Add herbs. Cook the second side for 3 minutes. Remove pork shops and place them on a plate. Turn heat to high. Add clementines to pan and add 1/4 cup water. Turn flame to medium when the liquid boils. Remove clementine from flame. Reduce liquid by half. Arrange pork chops, avocado and boiled potato on plates. Drape clementines over and poor thickened reduction sauce over everything. Enjoy.

Norwegian Soup of Roasted Salmon and Savoy Cabbage

by Frou Frou Feliz

The salmon and savoy cabbage are oven roasted before added to the soup stock infusing a gently smoky flavor to this version of the usually creamy Norwegian Fish Soup.  

Ingredients:
1 bouquet garni recipe

1 Fish Stock recipe or
4 cups Chicken Stock recipe
¼ cup dry white wine
1 lb. skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cups Savoy Cabbage, cut into 1 inch pieces 

Put Savoy Cabbage in a heat proof dish and lay salmon pieces on top of that.  Place in pre-heated 375 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes.  In a large cooking pot, combine stock, white wine and Bouquet Garni. Simmer on medium low while the salmon is roasting.  Add salmon and savoy cabbage to the stock pot. Simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Seared Sea Scallops with Chiffonade Lime Leaf Beurre Blanc

by Frou Frou Feliz

A nice refreshing and healthy seafood small plate with touch of tang from lime leaves and a buttery smooth finish of beurre blanc.

Ingredients: 
2 fresh young lime leaf, chiffonade (can replace with a fresh soft leaf herb)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 large sea scallops
1 Recipe Beurre Blanc

Make Beurre Blanc recipe and set aside.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Sear each scallop on the first side until it is golden brown and then flip over, about 5 minutes  total, until the scallop is firm, opaque, and just cooked.

Plate the scallops on a bed of beurre blanc. Sprinkle the lime leaf or herb chiffonade over.

Salmon Fillet with Tarragon Cream Sauce

by Hugo Vino

Everybody knows how to cook a fillet of salmon, right? Here, I give you my own technique, which ensures the fish is uniformly cooked, doesn't fall apart and looks nice on the plate. A small, nicely cooked salmon fillet can be used to build a complex and gorgeous plate (for example, serve the fillet on pressed rice and top it with a slice of saffron-butter pan-seared scallop).

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh Salmon or other hearty fish
1 recipe Tarragon Cream Sauce

Prepping Fish: Buy your salmon fillet with the skin. Make sure there are no more fish-bones (gently rub the fish with your thumb and remove any fish-bone with clean long-nose pliers). Cut the fillet in 2 squares (ideally, less than 6 inches large). Next, use a sharp knife to scale the fish. Hold the fish firmly with one hand, and rub the knife vigourously, with the blade vertical. Keep changing direction until you get a grip on the scales. Once all the scales are gone, rinse the fish under cold water to wash the sticky scales off, then pat it dry using paper towels. Make sure the fish is clean (you don't want to choke your guests).

...Or: Buy fish from the butcher already dressed and ready to use.

Seasoning the Fish: Add salt and pepper to the fillets. Pour a little bit of white flour (about 1 teaspoon per fillet) and rub it on the fish flesh (it will help it hold together when you grill it.

Cooking the Fish: Pour some cooking oil (no more than 1/8 inch) in a cast iron pan (or any heavy pan). Set temperature to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, cook the fish for 5-7 minutes, skin down. Turn the fillet around and cook for 5 minutes. The fish should be grilled on both sides, thoroughly cooked but still moist at the center.

Wipe the excess oil from the salmon. Top the perfectly cooked salmon fillet with Tarragon Cream Sauce. Nice with grilled or boiled vegetables (I served it with grilled mini pattypans and sliced carrots), rice or couscous.

Braised Lamb Shanks

by Hugo Vino

Shanks are among the least expensive parts of Mister Baaah (read "Bellwether" by Connie Willis to get a clue). And the funniest part is,  they are usually sold in packs of 3 (why not four? Ask your clueless butcher if he knows his anatomy.). Lamb shanks may look hard, fat, bony and unappealing when raw (hey, it's from a dead animal, remember)... perhaps useful to hit zombies or hooligan on the forehead. But when cooked properly, they are delicate and incredibly delicious.

You need a lot of patience and quite a bunch of ingredients to prepare this recipe, but the end result is spectAHcular. I once paid thirty bucks to eat 2 small lamb shanks in a posh French restaurant near Montreal. Just imagine the profit they make, knowing the you can actually pre-braise the meat, vaccuum-seal it & freeze it (separated from the sauce) for later use. Then microwave the sauce, and finish the recipe just in time for service (just don't add butter to the sauce before freezing it, or it might form lumps). Lazy bastards. Now I cook it home and serve it to my 3-years-old son for dinner.
Shanks 1, Rack 0.

Braised Lamb Shanks


Meat:
- 3-4 medium-sized lamb shanks


Marinade:
- 1 cup vegetables duxelles: carrots, onions, garlic, celery, leek, parsnip, etc
- dried herbs: 2 bay leaves, thyme (1 tsp), rosemary (2 tsp)
- ground spices: coriander (1 tsp), cinnammon (1 pinch), paprika (2 tsp), cumin (1 pinch)
- whole spices: juniper bays (5), black pepper (5)
- 1 cup light red wine (such as grenache)
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 30 ml light olive oil
- 30 ml lemon juice
- 30 ml red or white wine vinegar
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup tap water

Cooking Ingredients:
- 30 ml powdered dried mushrooms (use a coffee grinder)
- 30 ml corn starch, diluted into warm water
- 1/4 cup pork flank or bacon, chopped
- 30 ml butter
- brandy or cognac


Finishing Ingredients:
- 15 ml butter
- 30 ml white flour
- 30 ml tomato paste

Mix all the mardinade ingredients into a large bowl. Add the shanks and cover the bowl. If the shanks are not tally covered with the marinade, turn them every 8 hours. Put the covered bowl in the fridge for 24 hours or more, and forget about it for a while.

Remove the shanks from the marinade and wipe them dry. Rub them with pepper and salt.

In a Dutch oven or a roasting pan, melt the butter at high heat and brown the shanks of all sides, turning them often. Remove the shanks, reduce the heat and melt the pork flank. Add some wine and the brandy; flambé and let reduce and caramelize a bit.

Pour the whole marinade (with the duxelles), add the dried mushroom powder, herbs and spices in the pan. Cover and braise at 200°F for 6 hours, basting from time to time. At this point, most of the fat should have melted and the meat should be well cooked, almost falling from the bone.

Remove the shanks, wipe them and keep them warm.

Filter the sauce (throw away the spices and vegetables). In a pan, add the sauce, flour and tomato paste, and bring to a boil. Add a nut of butter and whip like crazy. Simmer at medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Taste and rectify the seasoning. The sauce should have a velvety feel.

If the shanks are still a little pale, you can roast them for 5 minutes in the oven. Don't overcook them or they will be dry. Put 1 shank in a plate. Pour the sauce over. Serve with seasoned potatos, a pearl barley risotto, mushroom & wild rice, or couscous.

Fusilli a Coquilles St. Jacques (Pasta with Scallops)

by FrankSon

This recipe is like the beautiful summer days on the Amalfi Coast, sitting on the beach rocks under shade and sharing companionship with friends.

 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon chilli pepper
1 small tomato, diced
1/4 cup fresh Italian Parsley
5 large fresh Scallops in the shell, de-shelled and cut in pieces (Coquilles St. Jacques) or half dozen thawed jumbo scallops cut in two if you prefer.

Cook garlic on medium low heat with the extra virgin olive oil.  Add the diced tomato.  Cook until the tomato water just evaporates. The most important thing in Italian cuisine or neapolitan cuisine is the time of cooking. It's important to cook enough to eliminate the water but not too much.

Add scallops.  Cook 10 minutes.  Add fresh, chopped parsley and mix with pasta (cooked "al dente")

Pork Belly Confit in Olive Oil

3 to 4 pounds pork belly
10 grams black peppercorns (about 3 1/4 teaspoons)
3 grams ground cinnamon (about 1 teaspoon)
1 gram whole cloves (about 10)
1/2 gram whole allspice (about 6)
2 bay leaves
1 ounce salt (about 4 teaspoons)
5 sprigs thyme
3 cups dry white wine
3 to 4 cups olive oil

Toss with the following dry cure:
2 tbsp ground black pepper
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3 bay leaves crumbled
10 sprigs fresh thyme
4 tbsp salt
1 tsp pink salt (I did not use this)

Cover the pork in white wine. Cover and refrigerate for 24-36 hours.

Remove pork from cure, pat the pieces dry, place in an ovenproof pot/ dutch oven and cover with rendered fat (duck/pork). I needed a 5lb vat of duck fat to entirely cover the pieces. Bring to a simmer on the stovetop, remove from heat, and then place in the oven, uncovered, and cook until the pork is fork tender, about 2-3 hours.


1. Use a sharp knife to peel the skin from the pork belly: Cut a corner free, then grab it firmly and pull away, cutting with the knife while keeping the sharp edge of the blade against the tough skin. When the skin has been removed, cut the pork belly into roughly 3-by-1-inch pieces.
2. In a spice grinder or coffee mill, grind the peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bay leaves and salt to a powder. Sprinkle the mixture over the meat, add the thyme and mix well. Add the wine and mix again. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next day, heat the oven to 250 degrees. Remove the pork pieces from the marinade and pat them dry with a paper towel. Place them in a Dutch oven in as close to an even level as possible. Cover completely with olive oil. Bring to a slow bubble on top of the stove over medium heat, then transfer to the oven and let it cook, uncovered, until the meat is quite tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
4. Remove from the oven and let the meat cool in the fat. When the meat is cool, transfer it to storage containers and pour the fat over top, seal tightly and refrigerate. The meat should be completely submerged. (The confit can be used immediately, but it's better if it's refrigerated for 24 hours.)
5. To cook, remove the meat from the container along with a little of the fat. Fry over medium-high heat, turning to brown all sides. When the meat is well browned and heated through, serve immediately.
Each of 20 servings: 605 calories; 7 grams protein; 0 carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 64 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 57 mg. cholesterol; 0 sugar; 81 mg. sodium.
LA Times

Tea Smoked Game Hens

Servings: 4
Note: There will be considerable smoke at the end of the recipe when the lid is removed; open a kitchen window or turn on the exhaust fan. This recipe calls for a lidded wok; a commercial smoker or roasting pan can also be used, provided it can be used over high heat. Five-spice powder is available in the Asian section of well-stocked supermarkets. Lapsang souchong and Earl Grey teas are generally available at well-stocked and Asian markets.
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
4 teaspoons brown sugar, divided
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
4 (1 1/4-pound) Cornish game hens, thawed if frozen
1/2 cup black tea, preferably Lapsang souchong or Earl Grey
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1. In a medium bowl, combine the salt, five-spice powder, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, orange zest, ginger and garlic to form a dry rub. Set aside.
2. Wash and dry the game hens. Divide the dry rub between each of the birds and massage it onto each of the birds (use most of the rub on the outside of the birds, but be sure to season the cavities as well).
3. Place the birds, uncovered, on a rack on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 24 hours.
4. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the birds from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature (still on the rack on the baking sheet) for about 20 minutes while the oven heats.
5. Roast the birds until the meat is firm and a thermometer inserted in the thigh near the hip reads 160 degrees, about 30 minutes. Rotate the tray halfway through for even roasting.
6. While the birds are roasting, prepare the smoker. Line a 14-inch lidded wok with foil (this will help with cleanup). Make sure the foil tightly lines the pan or the tea mixture will not smoke. In a medium bowl, combine the tea with the rice and remaining 2 teaspoons sugar. Place half the tea mixture evenly into the bottom of the wok (over where the burner will heat). Place a round rack over the tea mixture.
7. When the birds are roasted, remove from the oven and immediately place two of the birds on the rack in the wok (keep the remaining birds warm on the baking sheet). Loosely cover the wok with the lid and set the wok over high heat.
8. As soon as the tea mixture starts to smoke, cover the wok tightly with the lid. Smoke the birds for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the lid (it will be smoky) and move the birds to a platter. Carefully remove the foil with the tea mixture (it will be hot), and set aside until it cools before discarding.
9. Repeat with the remaining tea mixture and birds, lining the wok with foil, spreading the tea mixture and smoking the birds. Serve immediately.
Each serving: 717 calories; 60 grams protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 49 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 351 mg. cholesterol; 4 grams sugar; 1,433 mg. sodium. LA Times

Old-Style Roast Chicken

by Hugo Vino

The real secret to Old-Style Roast Chicken is you don't need a motorized roaster or a high-end barbecue to roast a perfect chicken. You don't even need to work hard. All you need is fresh ingredients and some patience.

Ingredients:
- 1 organic chicken
- 1/4 cup coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup, golden syrup or honey
- 1/4 pound butter (room temperature)
- fresh sage leaves (about 6-8)
- pepper and salt
- root vegetables, onion, garlic, celery stem
- bay leaf, a choice of spices (clove, paprika, etc)

Preparation:
Half-fill a large pan or bowl with cold water. Add the coarse salt and syrup/honey and stir until is dissolves. You may want to pre-dissolve the syrup in a glass of warm water. Add the whole chicken. Add some water to cover it, if necessary. Let the chicken soak for 2 hours on your kitchen counter. (The soaking phase ensures that the chicken's meat won't dry up during cooking.)

Pre-heat the oven to 425-450 degrees Fahrenheit (depends on your oven). Drain the water and let the chicken dry for a few minutes. Pat it dry with a towel. Using a sharp knife, remove the excess fat around the neck and at the back of the chicken. You may also slit the drumstick near the end, to help the fat out during roasting.

Using the knife, puncture a few holes through the skin, near the edges of the breasts. Carefully insert sage leaves underneath the skin, over the breasts, using a spoon handle or a butter knife to help. Grind some black pepper and salt over the whole chicken. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Once the chicken has warmed a little bit, rub it with the butter (you can also melt the butter and use a kitchen brush). If the chicken is too cold or its skin is too moist, the butter won't hold. Keep the excess butter for later use.

Place the root vegetables, onion, garlic, bay leave, and spices in a roasting pan (or in a large lasagna dish). Add 1 inch of water and a pinch of sugar. Install a wire grill over the dish, and the chicken (breast down) over the wire grill.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour. No need to baste. Some of the chicken juice and grease will drop onto the vegetables, giving them a rich flavor.

Then, turn the chicken around, so that the breast is facing up. Rub it with more butter, add salt and pepper, and roast it for 1h30 or until the skin is crisp and has a golden color (you may want to check the doneness with a meat probe). If the vegetables dry up, pour a glass of water in the pan to avoid sticking and burning.

Drain the vegetables and remove the celery stem, bay leaf and any visible spices (clove, pepper corns, etc). Serve the vegetables in a serving dish, and the broth in a saucer. You can also reheat the broth and then whisk it with some butter and flour to make a gravy of the drippings. Serve the gravy as an accompaniment to the Old-Style Roast Chicken.

Lazy Chicken Pot Pie

by Frou Frou Feliz

This is a compound recipe. You can pre-make many of the components of this updated classic Chicken Pot Pie recipe. It's lazy because we put in a pan fried leg of chicken instead of chopping it up first. Be careful of the bones, cloves and bay leaves! You eat at your own risk. :)

This is as rustic as it gets, a whole leg of chicken with thigh, whole cloves and whole bay leaves tucked here and there. We'll begin with the ingredients:

Ingredients:

1 chicken leg and thigh attached

1 large crisp apple (Fuji) cut into wedges 8-16 total, depending on the texture you want

1 lemon cut into eight pieces

3 medium potatoes, 1 inch cubes (choose which texture potato you like best)
1 cup green peas fresh/frozen

1/2 teaspoon whole clove
4 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon thyme (1/2 teaspoon for fresh)
1/4 teaspoon sage (1/2 teaspoon for fresh)
1 teaspoon sea salt
cracked black pepper

1/2 Bechamel Sauce Recipe

1 cup milk

1 Whole Flour Pastry Crust Recipe

Preheat oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Begin with the chicken leg with thigh. Pan fry that plain in grapeseed oil until browned on both sides. Best way to do this is to put flame on medium high for five minutes with the chicken leg have it covered. Then turn the flame down to low for three and flip it to the other side, repeating process. Switching from higher heat to lower heat will help the chicken unstick.

In a heat proof baking dish, maybe a 9x13, add all the chopped fruite and vegetables. Toss. Add to that all the herbs and spices. Toss. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Place fried chicken on roasted vegetables and fruit. Sprinkle a little sea salt on that and cracked black pepper.

Make 1/2 Roux Recipe then add 1 cup of milk stirring until a thick gravy. Pour on top of the chicken and Roasted vegetables spreading it out with a wooden spoon if necessary.

Roll out Whole Flour Pastry Dough and place it on top of everything. Put the baking dish back in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until crust is done.

Roasted Garlic & Caramelized Onion Beef Sausage

by Frou Frou Feliz

Sauteed sausage with browned rustic bread.

I worked on this recipe for a couple days in august. it takes me a while since i'm still rusty with flesh recipes since i was off the flesh food from 2000-late 2008.

sausage mix:

2 lbs fresh, roughly ground beef chuck (get a super fatty piece)
2 teaspoon salt
2-tsp white pepper
1 medium head of roasted garlic*
1/2 cup caramelized onion*
2 habenero, remove seeds and dice finely
1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes (dry roast in pan gently to bring out aromatic flavor)
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, stemmed and chopped (dry roast in pan gently to bring out aromatic flavor)
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, stemmed and chopped
2 dried ancho or california chiles, stemmed/seeded and chopped (dry roast in pan gently to bring out aromatic flavor)

mix all ingredients. set aside.

hog casings:

hog casings, about 2 feet (enough for two pounds of sausage)

rinse and soak hog casings in water for 30 minutes. take out run through water. open up casing and run water through the casings.

sausage links.

assembly required:

to assemble sausages by machine or hand.*

tie one end of casing.
scrunch up casings like you would pantyhose.
scoot open end of casings over funnel.
stuff sausage mix into wider end of funnel into the casing to make sausage.

*if making sausage by hand, use a larger funnel (you can also use a 2 liter pop/soda plastic bottle. use sharp scissors and cut out a funnel from top 1/4 of pop/soda bottle.

-----------------

*Roasted Garlic Recipe

5 bulbs of garlic, top of cloves sliced off
2 tablespoons high thresh hold oil (grapeseed, peanut, canola)

take bulbs and arrange on a doubled piece of aluminum foil to cover all the bulbs. lay bulbs out on the aluminum foil tops up. drizzle oil on the sliced tops of the bulbs. wrap completely with the aluminum foil and put in a preheated oven at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes or until golden and soft.

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*Caramelized Onion Recipe

3 large bulb onions diced, about 3 cups
1/4 cup oil (grapeseed or canola)

toss onions and oil together. put the mixture into a metal pan and put in oven. bake at 400 degrees fahrenheit for about 40 minutes stirring the mixture about every ten minutes. remove when the onions are limp and golden.