Thomas Keller's BEST EVER simple Roasted Chicken

Looking around online for a new and easy roasted chicken recipe, I found this article on BuzzFeed where they did a cook off of the ten best roast chicken recipes from greats like Thomas Keller, Martha Stewart, Julia Child, Jamie Oliver and so on.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/roast-chicken-rules#4befe4q

Seeing that Thomas Keller's incredibly simple recipe was the winner, I needed to give it a try. I mean come on! Three ingredients? You really can't screw this one up. You can follow the link above for pictures & the recipe but it's this uncomplicated:

• allow chicken to come to room temperature
• preheat oven to 450 degrees
• dry chicken all over & in the cavity with paper towels (moisture is not your friend)
• generously add kosher salt & some ground black pepper to the cavity
• generously salt the outside of the chicken with kosher salt & black pepper
• truss the bird (there's a nice YouTube video to see TK demonstrate trussing)
• put on roasting rack, in roasting pan
• throw in oven for 50-60 minutes until gorgeous golden all over
• take out of oven and let sit on cutting board still trussed for 15 minutes
• carve and serve

Best chicken ever! So juicy it's out of control.

** excuse my amateur trussing technique - needs practice ***

Blue Ribbon Sushi, Las Vegas NV

This March I did a girl's weekend in Las Vegas with Patty & Gianne. One of the places we unanimously voted to go for dinner was Blue Ribbon Sushi in the Cosmopolitan. This would be my second trip to this Blue Ribbon outpost - one of a collection of restaurants in New York City and Sin City. We had a long day by the time we sat for dinner (plus drinks and appetizers at Hyde in Bellagio); ordering sushi and the famous fried chicken.

Patty & Gianne chose to start with the Hamachi Tataki (Yellowtail tartar with quail egg) while I went with a simple house salad with watercress, avocado and ginger dressing. Both were quite good even if mine seems like a boring choice...I needed something green.

Next were the sushi selections: while P&G decided to split a specialty roll, I ordered a selection of fishes including Yellowtail, Amber Jack, Tuna, Eel and Albacore. Tasty but nothing to knock your socks off.

And to finish the meal we got the Blue Ribbon Style fried chicken with Wasabi & honey dipping sauce. Now I've had this dish three times prior - the first time it blew my mind ~ so unbelievably good. The second time it was just okay but we were with a huge group of people and I only had one bite so chalked that up to poor circumstances. This time I was hoping for a repeat of that magical first encounter. But alas...it wasn't to be. Too dry, bland even with the sauce that this time felt that a mask and not a compliment. Disappointing to say the least.

While the ambiance is fun and casual and the location in Cosmopolitan is great, I think I'm done with Blue Ribbon Sushi. Too many other places that still bring the WOW factor. But that being said, if you haven't tried it and since the possibility exists that you too can have that truly noteworthy experience of this place at it's best - give it a go. When the chicken is on - it's Donkey Kong On.

Zagat's Rating: 24-23-22
Jenn's Rating: 81

The NoMad, NYC

Mary & I met up at the NoMad last week to chat, eat & drink. It's such a pretty, unique location with it's different rooms and vibes. Owned and run by Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park fame, it's the more casual sister also located off Madison Park.

We met in the bar for a drink ahead of time. It's a relatively small bar though for the size of the restaurant and it gets packed so assume you won't get a seat. A glass of bubbly (Billecart-Salmon) before we were shown to our table in the Parlour room. This is a more intimate room with oak and dark fabrics adding a richness. We like this room better than the larger Atrium with it's uniformed rows of tables all close together.

After selecting a bottle of the Araujo Altagracia, Eisele Vineyard 2010 Syrah we got busy picking menu options. We went with two appetizers served back to back and then a shared entree.

To start, the FOIE GRAS; SMOKED TERRINE WITH APPLE, SUNFLOWER SEEDS & THYME

This was just perfection! The sunflower seeds were roasted giving the dish not only texture but a nice nuttiness to compliment the sweetness of the terrine and apple. The bread they served with it was unexpected - almost a Texas toast thickness with multi-grain texture.

Next course was the Egg, slow cooked with mushrooms and black garlic kale.

There is no better ingredient than an egg. It won't be overwhelmed as easily as shellfish but it's delicate, runny, luxurious and goes well with almost everything. They pairing with mushrooms was fantastic. These two courses were close to perfect and there was nothing left on the plate.

For our entree we shared the whole roasted chicken for two with foie gras and black truffle. They actually come and present your chicken to you before taking it into the kitchen for deconstruction and presentation. Your chicken comes back as two dishes - the breast and the dark meat. The breast had foie gras and black truffle stuffed under the skin served with what I believe was cauliflower puree. The chicken is moist and super flavorful - added layers of depth from the truffle and foie gras ensure this isn't your everyday poultry dish.

And my personal favorite, the dark meat:

This evening's preparation was with crispy chicken skin and a poached egg. Yep, another egg! Holy happiness!! Incredible flavor - so decadent!!

If you get the chance to go to this 28th and Broadway fun spot, I promise you'll love the food. Not to be missed in NYC.

Zagat: 27-26-24
Jenn's Rating: 93
Michelin: One Star

Eating in Sin City: Blue Ribbon Sushi

Hey!! It's been a long time since I've posted - new job & nicer weather mean no free time. So I'm playing a little catch up here. In April we went to Las Vegas for a conference and piled on as many good meals as possible.

Our first night there after a hectic scramble to get from airport to hotel (and then to a second hotel) and back to Cosmopolitan for dinner at Blue Ribbon Sushi. This was our first time trying BRS though we'd been to the one in NYC with a large group and were a bit underwhelmed.

Starving and jet lagged, we ordered drinks and dinner. As a group we decided to go with the famous Fried Chicken "Blue Ribbon Style" with wasabi & honey and the Oxtail Fried Rice with daikon, shitake and bone marrow. We also ordered sushi to round out the meal.

The chicken arrived looking crispy and reddish - covered in spices. It was super moist in the middle and had quite a kick to it. The wasabi honey dipping sauce was a fantastic accompaniment. An excellent dish - one of the best takes on fried chicken we've ever had.

Served alongside the chicken was the rice in a giant bowl meant for sharing. This might be the single most incredible rice dish I've encountered. The oxtail & bone marrow give it such a heartiness and the rice still has that crisp, al dente style interior...what a keeper! I would go back to BRS for just these two dishes over and over again.

We ended with sushi as I mentioned before - the menu had a lot of unusual and interesting fishes we don't see here in NYC much. For instance, Japanese Red Snapper, Amberjack, Orange Clam, Fluke Fin and Jellyfish. The sushi was excellent - super fresh and with such diverse choices, got to try and great new things.

While we were all struggling to stay awake -the meal was super enjoyable; one of the best of the trip. Service was attentive and fun and the ambiance was jumping, a touch loud, but very energetic with good people watching. Highly recommend!

Jenn's Rating: 91

Zagat: 24-23-22

Seriously Good Roasted Chicken

I was flipping through our cookbooks today looking for ceviche & tuna tartar recipes for an upcoming party. Along the way I found a recipe for an oven roasted chicken in the Simply French cookbook by Joel Robuchon called, "Grandmother's Roasted Chicken". I had the defrosted chicken all ready to go but had to cut some corners on the other ingredients since this was unplanned. I'll list both the recipe's and what I used. I'm sure following the recipe to the letter would be even better.

We just finished eating it and I'm so happy with the way it turned out, I'm sharing the chicken recipe here but not the finishing sauce since we didn't make it.

Preheat oven to 425 F

Cookbook Ingredients: free range chicken with neck reserved, about 5 pounds; unsalted butter, softened; sea salt & freshly ground white pepper; 2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and cut in half; sprig of fresh rosemary & sprig of fresh thyme.

(Jenn's Ingredients: fresh, whole chicken, giblets removed, salted butter, kosher salt, black pepper, minced garlic, onion powder, garlic powder, dried rosemary, dried thyme, white onion sliced)

Rub the skin of the chicken with the butter and season it with salt & pepper inside and out.
(I softened the butter and mixed it with the salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder and the dried herbs and brushed it liberally all over the chicken. I also put onion slices and extra salt & pepper in the cavity).

Place the chicken on its side in an oval baking dish. Alongside the chicken, scatter the reserved neck and garlic cloves along with the rosemary and thyme (I just added sliced onion and garlic around the chicken).

Place the baking dish in the center of the oven and roast, uncovered for 20 minutes. Baste the chicken, turn it onto its other side and roast for another 20 minutes. Baste again, turning the chicken breast side up and roast for 20 minutes more for a total of one hour roasting time. By this time, the skin should be a deep golden color. Reduce the heat to 375 F and baste again. Roast until the juices run clear when you pierce a thigh...about 15 minutes more.

Remove the chicken from the oven and the dish; season again with salt & pepper (I omitted this second seasoning step since I had more salt & pepper in the rub). Transfer the chicken to a platter and place it on an angle with the head down, tail up (you can use a balled up piece of foil to get it propped up appropriately). This heightens the flavor by allowing the juices to flow down through the breast meat. Cover with loose foil and put it back in the oven, heat off & door ajar, for between 15 and 30 minutes. The chicken will continue to cook as it rests. During this time, they suggest using the drippings from the original roasting pan to make a sauce. If anyone wants this part of the recipe, let me know and I'll post it.

Remove, carve and serve immediately. We paired this with mashed, baked cheesy potatoes and creamed spinach. Best roast chicken!

Leftovers

After dinner here with Susan & Rich we had leftover fresh mozzarella sitting nicely in tupperware & water that we didn't want to go bad. Last night we finished up a tomato with another round of Caprese salad, olive oil and balsamic vinegar but that didn't quite polish off the cheese.

So tonight we marinated boneless chicken breast in Wegmans Lemon & Garlic sauce and grilled it along side bell peppers (only red, orange and yellow - the green ones don't like me very much) tossed with garlic powder and olive oil. When the chicken and peppers come off the grill, layer on leftover fresh mozzarella on the chicken and top with the peppers. The heat from the chicken and peppers melts the cheese...yummy! Served with a simple Caesar salad of Romaine lettuce, bacon bits, Parmesan cheese and croutons.

Grand Del Mar, California: 2011

Alan and I are spending his pre-Birthday week in Del Mar, California at the absolutely gorgeous Grand Del Mar Resort & Spa. Located just north of San Diego in the cliffs and just a few miles in from the dark blue Pacific Ocean. I have no idea how expensive this resort is to stay at out-of-pocket, but when on a business paid conference trip, it's just the perfect location.

Our room is on the third floor and our balcony looks over one of the courtyards as well as the third hole of the on-property golf course. The room itself is one of my favorites of any resort - very spacious with a monstrous king size bed, a wonderfully comfy L-shaped sofa with ottoman, two desks and a huge bathroom featuring a walk in dressing room & closet. It's also got one of the most important aspects to a truly wonderful hotel room - a beautiful, large, glass enclosed shower with the most fabulous water pressure. Powerful, streaming a nonstop flow of hot, hot water. So nice after a long plane ride or a brutal round of golf. As we sit here once again after hitting the links, with our balcony doors wide open watching the Yankees play the Reds we hear the not infrequent sound of navy F-15 fighter jets flying overhead....and for the second time in one day, a little sparrow flies into our room, hops around as Alan gently shoo-shoos it back out the balcony doors. I wanted to feed it but Alan said no, sternly. He doesn't want a repeat of the banded mongoose fiasco of 2002.

But this post is about food...and hopefully wine since I'm thinking Alan will add an addendum to talk about the five bottles packing snugly in our luggage that made the trip out here with us on Continental from Newark.

Our first on resort food experience was the California sandwich they made at the Cafe. Really, really great chicken breast sandwich. Big (enough for two of us to share), warm (heated in a panini press), wet with an olive oil mayo and perfectly accompanied with fresh tomato, bacon and avocado. The bread was a french style baguette, fresh and doughy. Served with crunchy pickles.

Second taste was breakfast from the same Cafe to take To Go out to Torrey Pines with us. We get two toasted bagels - mine plain with cream cheese and Alan's a cinnamon-raisin with butter. They added little fruit cups into our To Go boxes that was a welcome surprise. The bagels were what they should be.

The next dining experience is a last minute trip down to the in hotel restaurant, Amaya. It's a combination of indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the lovely Aria lawn. This is a wide expanse of perfectly manicured lawn surrounded by blooming flora and a large Italian style, open aired pavilion that I know from the Travel Channel is a favorite wedding location. What it means when we're there, a place for every child in the place to run about screaming...interestingly in this case, the kids don't both me or anyone else and are even a bit amusing to watch them chase, tag and tumble all over each other.

I ordered a Caesar salad to start that was nicely prepared with that heavy anchovy taste that I'm particularly fond of. Alan had the short rib cannelloni with beech mushroom ragout and I ordered the crab & lobster pappardelle with tarragon, mushrooms and Parmesan. Alan liked his cannelloni quite a bit. I very much liked the flavor of my dish but between the bottle and a half we already drank and my overall exhaustion after walking the course at Torrey Pines, I ran out of steam after eating only a quarter of my dish.

The next morning (today, actually as I post this), we decide to go for a sit down breakfast since we're not teeing off until 12:30pm in a shot gun start. Back to Amaya we go. Once again sitting outside and once again treated to children running nonstop on the grand Aria lawn. It's a most beautiful morning.

A nice menu, we opt for a mixed seasonal fruit plate to share plus I get the egg white frittata with spinach, tomato and goat cheese served with toast and Alan's breakfast burrito with Parmesan cheese, prosciutto and carameliz onion served with breakfast potatoes. Oh, joy!! My frittata is wonderful - the goat cheese adding that twang of flavor to jazz up the eggs and blend so nicely with the freshness of spinach and tomato. Alan's burrito was good but could have used more meat and less tomato and needed a little salt. The fresh fruit was perfect.

Next up for food - a boxed lunch provided on our golf carts for the tournament. A big box, it held a giant turkey, tomato & lettuce combination in sun dried tomato wrap with a seasoned ranch dressing, a bag of jalapeno chips, chocolate brownie and cold pasta salad.YUMMY. Matched up with unlimited drinks, it made for a perfect golf day lunch! So far, so good!! Hope to be able to post good things about our dinner tomorrow night at Addison.

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