Cornish Hen with Artichoke and Olive Dressing

Roasted poultry atop stale bread allows the poultry fats to infuse the bread as it cooks, providing you with an excelenty paired crouton perfect for an accompanying salad. This recipe uses the same concept but uses the bread as a dressing to serve alongside the Cornish Hens instead of as croutons in a salad. Either way, you can pretty much forget about the poultry because the bread is the star of the show.

Yield:

Serves four

Ingredients

1. 2 Cornish Game Hens
2. 4 tablespoons butter
3. 1 teaspoon plus ½ teaspoon fresh thyme
4. 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
5. 4 cups of stale crusty bread cut into ½ inch cubes
6. 1/4 cup of assorted Greek olives, coarsely chopped
7. 1/2 cup Gouda cheese, shredded
8. 2/3 cup canned artichokes, roughly chopped
9. Salt and pepper
10. Olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F
2. In a small bowl, combine butter, Dijon, and thyme
3. Place 1 tablespoon of the butter mixture underneath the skin of each of the birds and the rest on the outside of the birds
4. Season the cavity and outside of the birds with salt and pepper
5. In a medium bowl, combine bread, olives, artichokes, cheese, thyme, and a pinch of pepper
6. Lightly grease a cast iron skillet with olive oil
7. Place the bread mixture in the bottom of the skillet
8. Place the Cornish hens on top of the bread mixture
9. Cook the birds for 1 hour or until they reach 160° F in the thickest part of the thigh

Notes

Chicken Pot Pie

A pot pie is a type of baked savory pie with a bottom and top completely encased by flaky crusts and baked inside a pie tin to support its shape.

Yield:

 

Ingredients

1. For the filling:
2. ===============
3. 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
4. 3 tablespoons olive oil
5. Kosher salt
6. Freshly ground black pepper
7. 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
8. 2 chicken bouillon cubes
9. 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
10. 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
11. 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
12. 1/4 cup heavy cream
13. 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
14. 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
15. 1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions, blanched for 2 minutes (can also do this with the carrots)
16. Glug of sherry (optional)
17. 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
18. .
19. For the pastry:
20. ===============
21. 3 cups all-purpose flour
22. 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
23. 1 teaspoon baking powder
24. 1 cup (2 sticks or 1/2 pound or 8 ounces) cold unsalted butter, diced
25. 1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
26. 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
27. Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.
3. In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
4. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, parsley and a glug of sherry, if you’re using it. Mix well.
5. For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together.
6. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. (This can also be made a day or more in advance.)
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
8. Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper.
9. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Notes

Dark Chocolate Tart with Gingersnap Crust

The tart has a shiny, almost crackly top light a brownie and an interior that is exactly like a truffle, which is to say that if you don’t like your chocolate desserts intense — like flourless chocolate cake or pot de creme-level intense — this is definitely not the tart for you.

Yield:

Makes 10 servings

Ingredients

1. For the crust:
2. ===============
3. 8 ounces gingersnap cookies (about 32 cookies), coarsely broken
4. 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter, melted
5. .
6. For the filling:
7. ==============
8. 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
9. 1 cup heavy whipping cream
10. 2 large egg yolks
11. 1 large egg
12. 1/4 cup sugar
13. 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
14. 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
15. Pinch of salt
16. 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
17. .
18. For serving:
19. ===============
20. Softly whipped cream, for serving

Directions

1. For crust: Preheat oven to 325°F. Finely grind gingersnap cookies in processor (yielding 1 1/2 to 1 2/3 cups). Add melted butter and process until moistened. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Place pan on rimmed baking sheet.
2. For filling: Combine finely chopped bittersweet chocolate and heavy whipping cream in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk over low heat until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk egg yolks, egg, sugar, flour, ground black pepper, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl to blend. Very gradually whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until smooth and blended. Pour chocolate filling into crust.
3. Bake chocolate tart until filling puffs slightly at edges and center is softly set, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack. Cool tart in pan 20 minutes. Gently remove tart pan sides and cool tart completely.
4. Cut tart into thin wedges and serve with softly whipped cream.

Notes

Do ahead: Chocolate tart can be made 1 day ahead. Cover tart and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Zuni Cafe Bread Salad

I can’t describe it any better than they do: “Sort of a scrappy extramural stuffing, it is a warm mix of crispy, tender, and chewy chunks of bread, a little slivered garlic and scallion, a scatter of currants and pine nuts, and a handful of greens, all moistened with vinaigrette and chicken drippings.”

Yield:

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1. Generous 8 ounces slightly stale open-crumbed, chewy, peasant-style bread (not sourdough)
2. 6 to 8 tablespoons mild-tasting olive oil
3. 1 1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
4. Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
5. 1 tablespoon dried currants plumped in 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon warm water for ten minutes or so
6. 2 tablespoons pine nuts
7. 2 to 3 garlic cloves, slivered
8. 1/4 cup slivered scallions (about 4 scallions), including a little of the green part
9. 2 tablespoons lightly salted chicken stock or lightly salted water
10. A few handfuls of arugula, frisée, or red mustard greens, carefully washed and dried

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler. Carve off all of the bottom and most of the top and side crusts from your bread (you can reserve these to use as croutons for soup or another salad). Tear bread into irregular 2- to 3-inch chunks, wads, bite-sized bits and fat crumbs. You should get about 4 cups.
2. Toss them with just a tablespoon or two of olive oil, lightly coating them, and broil them very briefly, just to lightly color the edges. If you’d like to toast the pine nuts (recommended) you can put them on your broiler tray as well, but watch them very carefully — they cook quickly! Combine about 1/4 cup of the olive oil with the Champagne or white wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Toss about 1/4 cup of this tart vinaigrette with the torn bread in a wide salad bowl; the bread will be unevenly dressed. Taste one of the more saturated pieces. If it is bland, add a little salt and pepper and toss again.
3. Heat a spoonful of the olive oil in a small skillet, add the garlic and scallions, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until softened. Don’t let them color. Scrape into the bread and fold to combine. Drain the plumped currants and fold them in, along with the pine nuts, if they were not already mixed with the bread scraps from the broiling step. Dribble the chicken stock or lightly salted water over the salad and fold again.
4. Taste a few pieces of bread — a fairly saturated one and a dryish one. If it is bland, add salt, pepper, and/or a few drops of vinegar, then toss well.
5. If you’re going to serve the salad under the roast chicken (recipe above), you can pile the bread salad on the serving dish you want to use and tent it with foil. If you want to serve it separately, do the same, but in a 1-quart shallow baking dish. Hang onto the bowl you mixed it in — you’ll use it again.
6. Place the salad in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes just before you are about to serve it.

Notes

Tip the bread salad back into the salad bowl. It will be steamy-hot, a mixture of soft, moist wads, crispy-on-the-outside-but-moist-in-the-middle-wads, and a few downright crispy ones. Drizzle and toss with a spoonful of the pan juices. Add the greens, a drizzle of vinaigrette, and fold well. Taste again.

Zuni Cafe Roasted Chicken

The dish is typically served with the Bread Salad but I see no reason you can’t use any of your favorite side dishes instead. To me, the real genius is getting that bird so perfectly roasted all over with only a modicum of fuss.

Yield:

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients

1. One small chicken, 2 3/4 to 3 1/2-pounds
2. 4 tender sprigs fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary or sage, about 1/2 inch long
3. 3/4 teaspoon salt
4. 3/4 to 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
5. A little water

Directions

1. Season the chicken: [1 to 3 days before serving; give a 3 1/4 to 3 1/2-pound chicken at least 2 days] Remove and discard the lump of fat inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat very dry inside and out. Be thorough — a wet chicken will spend too much time steaming before it begins to turn golden brown.
2. Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 little pockets. Now use the tip of your finger to gently loosen a pocket of skin on the outside of the thickest section of each thigh. Using your finger, shove an herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets.
3. Season the chicken liberally all over with salt and pepper. Season the thick sections a little more heavily than the skinny ankles and wings. Sprinkle a little of the salt just inside the cavity, on the backbone, but don’t otherwise worry about seasoning the inside. Twist and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders. Cover loosely and refrigerate.
4. Prepare your oven and pan: [Day of, total time is 45 minutes to 1 hour] Preheat the oven to 475°F. Choose a shallow flameproof roasting pan or dish barely larger than the chicken, or use a 10-inch skillet with an all-metal handle (we used a 12-inch cast iron frying pan for a 3 1/2 pound chicken). Preheat the pan over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle.
5. Roast the chicken: Place the chicken in the pan in the center of the oven and listen and watch for it to start browning within 20 minutes. If it doesn’t, raise the temperature progressively until it does. The skin should blister, but if the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoking, reduce temperature by 25 degrees. After about 30 minutes, turn the bird over — drying the bird and preheating the pan should keep the skin from sticking. Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size, then flip back over to recrisp the breast skin, another 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Rest the chicken: Remove the chicken from the oven and turn off the heat. Lift the chicken from the roasting pan and set on a plate. Carefully pour the clear fat from the roasting pan, leaving the lean drippings behind. Add about a tablespoon of water to the hot pan and swirl it.
7. Slash the stretched skin between the thighs and breasts of the chicken, then tilt the bird and plate over the roasting pan to drain the juice into the drippings. You can let it rest while you finish your side dishes (or Bread Salad, below). The meat will become more tender and uniformly succulent as it cools.
8. Serve the chicken: Set a platter in the oven to warm for a minute or two.
9. Tilt the roasting pan and skim the last of the fat. Place over medium-low heat, add any juice that has collected under the chicken, and bring to a simmer. Stir and scrape to soften any hard golden drippings. Taste — the juices will be extremely flavorful.
10. Cut the chicken into pieces, spread on the warm platter (on top of the Bread Salad, if using).

Notes

Capitalize on leftovers: Strain and save the drippings you don’t use, they are delicious tossed with spätzle or egg noodles, or stirred into beans or risotto. You can also use them, plus leftover scraps of roast chicken, for a chicken salad.