FRUIT IN WINE

It’s a cold hard fact that if you buy fruit in the supermarket, you are very likely going to buy some unripe or tasteless specimens. It’s unavoidable. You get home with a bag of beautiful peaches or apricots, take a bite out of one… and carefully place the rest in a fruit bowl, where they will remain until they turn soft and fuzzy, when they will be moved to the garbage can.

Pears and bananas, on the other hand, actually ripen better off the tree. You just put bananas on the kitchen counter and wait. Pears need to be carefully wrapped in a piece of paper – newsprint, for instance – and put away in an undisturbed place for a few days, until they soften and ripen and turn fragrant. But most fruit – what you see is what you get.

So let us say you have bought some fruit that is disappointingly flavorless or unripe and isn’t likely to get any better. What to do?  An easy solution is to poach the fruit in wine or fruit juice.

Here are some Bosc pears – harder and crisper than Anjou, Bartlett, or Comice, they are ideal for cooking (though any pear can be prepared this way).

 

First prepare a poaching liquid. I like to mix about 2 cups wine (red or white), 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup sugar, and simmer until the sugar is dissolved.

Peel and core the pears; as you do, drop them into the poaching liquid.

 

When all fruit is peeled, cored, and soaking in the wine, turn the heat up to a gentle simmer, and slowly cook the pears.

 

Test pears with the tip of a knife. When they are barely tender, remove to a bowl.

Reduce the wine by boiling rapidly until syrupy, then pour over the pears.

 

This makes an unusual light dessert, perfect year-round and appropriate to conclude a formal or casual meal. This is excellent with Asian or Indian food. These go very well with dark chocolate, nuts, really good cheese such a Manchego, aged Cheddar, or stinky Camembert, or barely-sweet shortbread cookies; a spoonful of sour cream, creme fraiche, or pour of heavy cream would be luscious too. Serve with a late-harvest wine or a thimble of armagnac.  Or for  a really recherché appetizer, serve cold poached fruit alongside pâté and crusty bread.

There are many, many possible variations. Of course the wine choices are endless – the fruit juice/wine mixtures sold bottled are good for this, as is port, sherry, Madeira, and Marsala. Add flavorings like a cinnamon stick, strip of lemon or orange peel, fennel seeds, star anise,  vanilla bean, or  a small dried hot pepper or teaspoon of black peppercorns. Swap out the wine for fruit juice or a mixture of juices (say, orange and pear, or pineapple and apple, or cherry and peach, or or or…). And virtually any fruit, ripe or not, can be prepared this way. Very ripe or delicate fruit (such as berries) just need to be prepped and placed in a bowl, then bathed with hot wine syrup.

Fine ripe fruit can also be placed in wine without cooking. A beautiful ripe peach or apricot is delicious when allowed to soak in fruity red wine for an hour or so. And a slice or two of unripe fruit in a glass of vino will improve the fruit and soften a harsh wine.

 

GRANDMOTHER’S CHINESE COUNTRY-STYLE PORK RIBS

My apologies, if needed, go to Andrew Zimmern. You know him, the guy who will eat anything; if he doesn’t like it, you just know it’s got to be foul.  Anyway, a few months back I made his recipe for Grandmother’s Chinese Chicken Wings, and boy howdy were they good. I did have to tweak the directions a little in order to get them falling-apart tender, but other than that, the recipe is great. The original recipe is here at the Food Network website.

Last night we needed dinner that was easy and filling. My husband had been digging post holes; I had been mowing about 1/2 acre. We were both tired but didn’t want to get take-out. We already had leftover steamed rice and salad makings in the refrigerator – what to go with?  I dug around in the freezer and came up with a package of country-style spare ribs.

Not everyone is familiar with country-style pork ribs, or maybe they’re known by other names in other areas.

  Country-style ribs are cut from the sirloin or rib end of the pork loin, which is a less exercised part of the pig – therefore, they are more tender than spareribs.  They are also much meatier and indeed, look like thick-cut narrow steaks. They lend themselves well to braising and are really delicious prepared with Asian seasonings. I thought with a little tweaking, Andrew Zimmern’s chicken wing sauce would be good on the ribs. I was right.

A few words on ingredients:

Mirin is an alcohol-based liquid made from rice and is used in Japanese cooking. At one time it was drunk like sake, but now is considered a condiment. Salt is often added to avoid the alcohol tax. It is available in Asian markets.

Sake is an alcoholic beverage made from rice; there are six zillion varieties available, but unless you live near a large Asian community you may be  able to only find a few.  It is thought of as rice wine,  but it is actually brewed like beer (in winemaking, alcohol is produced via the fermentation of naturally-occurring sugars; in sake and beer, the sugar has to be converted from starch before it can ferment). Available in liquor stores and well-stocked supermarkets.

Oyster sauce is – duh – made from oysters. It is a thick brown salty sauce that has the smell and flavor of oysters. Don’t run off screaming. When cooked in a dish like this, it becomes much less assertive and if you didn’t know it was an ingredient,  you wouldn’t be able to tell. Since it does contain oyster extractives, it is not suitable for people with shellfish allergies. Available in Asian markets and well-stocked supermarkets.

Star anise is the fruit of an evergreen tree from Asia; it is harvested green and dried. It has a strong anise scent and flavor; anise seed could be substituted for it.  Interesting note: star anise is the source of one of the main ingredients in the prescription drug Tamiflu. Available in Asian markets, spice shops, and well-stocked supermarkets, and possibly health food stores.

About soy sauce:

I use either Shoyu Low-Salt Soy Sauce or San-J Low-Salt  Tamari.  Soy sauce contains wheat; tamari does not (but check the label). For God’s sake, throw out the La Choy and get a decent brand of soy sauce. Asian markets have a good selection; at the very least, get some Kikkoman.

Grandmother’s Chinese Country-Style Pork Ribs

• 4 to 6 country-style pork ribs, about 1/2 to 3/4 pound each
• 1/3 cup sake
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons mirin
• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 6 large thin slices fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 cloves star anise
• 1 dried hot chile or 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (pizza parlor type) – more if you want
• 1 cinnamon stick (do not substitute powdered cinnamon)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 carrots, sliced

Garnish:

• Green onions/scallions
• Fresh cilantro (coriander)
• Sesame seeds

Heat heavy skillet or Dutch oven. When hot, add a little vegetable oil and then the ribs. Do not crowd the pan! If the meat is crowded in the pan, the meat will not brown and instead will steam. Do this in batches if necessary, removing meat as it is browned.

While ribs are cooking, combine all the sauce ingredients. Stir to dissolve brown sugar.

When all the ribs are browned, return all to the pan. Pour in the sauce and 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover, leaving lid slightly ajar so the sauce can begin to reduce.

Either cook on lowest heat on the stove, or put in a 300 degree oven and bake slowly until ribs are tender, 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. Edit: a friend asked if this could be made by browning the ribs in an electric skillet, then braising in a crock pot. I don’t see why not. You’d have to reduce the sauce later in the skillet, but I think it would work well.

Prepare the garnishes: thinly slice three or four green onions (scallions). Chop 1/2 cup cilantro (coriander). Lightly toast 2 tablespoons sesame seeds by putting them in a small dry skillet over medium heat and shaking the skillet frequently until they begin to pop and turn brown. Remove them from the pan as soon as they are toasted.

When the ribs are tender, remove them to a serving dish and keep warm. Put the pot containing the sauce on the stove and turn to high heat, boiling the sauce to reduce it.  When the sauce has thickened, pour it over the ribs and then add the garnishes.

This sauce is very intense and rich, so accompaniments should be simple: steamed rice (or possibly mashed potatoes or polenta), steamed or grilled asparagus, sliced fruit like oranges or grapefruit, sauteed chard or spinach. Serve this with a ballsy red wine like a Zinfandel or Sangiovese – a big fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon would work too.

BAKED GARLIC TOMATOES

This isn’t my own recipe, not exactly. Back in the 1980s, I think it was, Sunset Magazine had an article in which they interviewed home French cooks – that is, ordinary French people who cooked at home. Sunset visited their kitchens and got some of their recipes. This was one of the recipes, which I took and ran with, adding a shitload more garlic and parsley. May I immodestly say that everyone who has tasted this has loved it.

You need tomatoes, obviously. It would be ideal to have summer vine-ripened tomatoes out of your own garden, but I have found that Roma tomatoes are an excellent substitute the rest of the year. I figure on minimum two whole tomatoes per person – the leftovers are divine, if there are any.

Cut the tomatoes in half. With your finger, poke into the seed pockets and remove as many seeds and gel as you can. (This is especially important if you do happen to have juicy ripe Beefsteaks or other non-paste tomato.) Put the tomatoes into a baking dish, cut side up.

Now you need bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley.

You can make bread crumbs by whirling slices of plain bread (white, wheat, sourdough, etc.)  in a blender, or you can use panko (which is what I did here).  Please do not use “seasoned breadcrumbs,” “Italian breadcrumbs,” or similar products; they have an artificial taste.  Figure one tablespoon bread crumbs per tomato.

Mince one garlic clove per tomato (or substitute shallots, or use part garlic and part shallots).

Chop one tablespoon Italian flat-leaf parsley per tomato. (The curly parsley has no taste and is only good as a decoration.)

Combine all in a frying pan and add 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or a combination of olive oil and butter.

Saute the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the bread crumbs are lightly browned. Do not let it burn! If the garlic burns, you will have to throw it all out and start over.

Evenly distribute the crumb mixture among the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle more olive oil over.

Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes. This is pretty flexible; it can bake at a higher or lower temperature if the oven needs to be used for something else at the same time. Just don’t burn the crumb topping.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Obviously there are lots of possible variations: substitute other herbs for the parsley; vary the bread you make the crumbs from; add capers, chopped olives, cooked bacon, minced hot peppers, cheese – whatever you think would be good. You could also try this with other vegetables like zucchini boats or eggplant slices. In the summer, use yellow or orange tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes prepared this way are simply out of this world.

This goes well with grilled steak or tri-tip,  with creamy dishes like macaroni & cheese,  alongside strongly flavored/ oily fish such as salmon, eel, bluefish, smoked oysters, etc., or as part of a vegan/vegetarian meal.

MAYONNAISE: EAT IT RAW

I like underdone (runny) fried eggs, carpaccio, beef tartare, extra-extra rare beef, sushi and sashimi, raw cookie dough, and unpasteurized cheeses. And I eat yogurt past the expiration date.

I have been making my own mayonnaise for over 30 years and not once has anyone gotten sick from it.

But for liability reasons, I feel I need to make a disclaimer here:

Eat raw eggs at your own risk.

There.

Now then. Mayonnaise.  It may have been invented in Mahon, Spain. It might have been named after Charles de Lorraine, duke of Mayenne, or it might have been invented in England in the 15th century. I suspect some version of this sauce might have developed in several places over the centuries, and eventually took its current name by popular use. Does it matter?

I actually personally know people who hate mayonnaise, but I like them despite this inexplicable flaw. (Ditto for people who like Miracle Whip.)  So this is not for them.  But for people who love mayo – the world extends beyond Best Foods (or as the label reads, Hellman’s East of the Rockies). (Why is the dividing line The Rockies? Why not the Mississippi or the Louisiana Purchase?)

Making your own mayonnaise is easy. My niece was making it when she was three years old (she did need some assistance getting up on the kitchen counter). It tastes far better than commercial mayonnaise. And you can jazz it up to suit yourself.

The basic principle of making mayonnaise is that you are forcing two different substances – egg yolk and oil – to blend together (emulsify) harmoniously. Technique is crucial. But even if the worst happens and it breaks/separates, it can be repaired.

Mayonnaise can be made in a bowl with a whisk or an electric mixer, in a food processor, or blender. The first method is a sure thing but tedious, and I only resort to that when I have screwed up and the mayo broke/didn’t thicken. In theory the food processor should work well, but I’ve had more failures than successes with it. I think the blender is the way to go.

Separate two eggs. Put the yolks in the blender. Put the egg whites in a covered container in the refrigerator; use in scrambled eggs, baking,  or omelets, or freeze for longer storage: when you collect enough, make an angel food cake.

Add 3 tablespoons vinegar or fresh lemon juice, and blitz for 30 seconds.

Let stand for 3 minutes. This is to kill sick-making bacteria. (Yes, I know someone will pipe up and cite some kind of study that shows this won’t kill .00182 % of the bacteria. If you’re about to do that, perhaps you should go read another blog. This is my blog, dammit, and if you don’t like it, leave.)

Where were we? Yes. Eggs and vinegar.

Now add the seasonings.

1 teaspoon dry mustard or 2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

good hit hot sauce

And blitz again for 30 seconds.

Start adding oil. You want to do this VERY SLOWLY, drop by drop if possible. If you add the oil slowly enough, the oil droplets emulsify with the egg yolk, creating a thick mayonnaise.

I use about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, then switch to a vegetable oil like canola or safflower. The mixture will be thickening; when that happens, you can add the oil a bit faster. You might need as much as one cup of oil or slightly more, but once the mixture stops absorbing oil, do not continue adding it.

When the mayonnaise is very thick and you can’t see oil being absorbed any more – i.e. it’s puddling up on top – turn off the blender. Remove the bottom of the blender carefully (sometimes the mayonnaise will all spill out at once) and scrape into a container.

The mayonnaise will be yellower and much less sweet than commercial products. Store, covered, in refrigerator. You can use it right away or let it continue to develop flavor for a couple of hours in the fridge.

HOW TO FIX BROKEN MAYONNAISE

Sometimes the mayonnaise will not thicken, or it may break and look curdled. This could be due to adding the oil too fast or blending too long after the maximum amount of oil has been added.

Place one egg yolk, at room temperature, in a clean bowl. With a balloon whisk, beat in 1 teaspoon prepared mustard until very thoroughly combined. Then, drop by drop, add the broken mayonnaise, whisking constantly. Once the emulsion begins to take, you can add the mayonnaise a little faster.

SOME VARIATIONS

Vary the vinegar: sherry, pear, red wine, apple cider, garlic, tarragon, champagne, and so on, or try fresh lime lime juice.

For richer mayonnaise, add one or two more egg yolks.

Try different oils, or a higher/lower percentage of olive oil.

To the seasonings, add:

•  a chipotle chili from a can, including some of the adobo sauce. This is particularly good when using lime juice.
•  garlic, raw or roasted.
•  fresh herbs – parsley, basil, dill, tarragon, cilantro, etc.
•  a couple of tablespoons of sesame oil and a little Sriracha.
•  prepared mustard to taste.
•  sun-dried tomatoes. including some of the oil.

Homemade mayonnaise will last a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. It doesn’t have the commercial stabilizers and preservatives found in bottled products so don’t count on keeping it the same amount of time, but that isn’t likely to be a problem: it’s far more delicious than Best Foods.

THE DEFINITIVE WAY TO COOK TRI-TIP

I don’t recall tri-tip being around when I was a kid. We certainly never had it when I was growing up; it only seemed to appear when I was an adult.  And apparently it wasn’t around, at least under that name and cut. According to good old Wikipedia:

In the United States, this cut was typically used for ground beef or sliced into steaks until the late 1950s… Shortly thereafter, it became a local specialty in Santa Maria, California… 

It has different names and cooking methods around the world. If you’re really interested – I don’t know why you would be, but if you are – you can look it up here.

About 20-25 years ago tri-tip suddenly started appearing at barbecues. It was something I always looked forward to and was nearly always bitterly disappointed by. It would have the shit cooked out of it and be grey and tough. You’d have to floss your teeth after eating it to get the stringy bits out. Great flavor but  like chewing on a dog’s tail, without the fur.

A few years ago I bought a tri-tip because it was on sale. I thought maybe it could be made into chili or carne asada.  On some long-forgotten website, I found directions for cooking tri-tip in the oven.  Thinking that even if it was a flop, I could still make the ruins into tacos, I tried it. I was instantly converted, yea verify the scales had fallen from my eyes and lo the voice of the turtle was heard in the land. Tri-tip CAN be modestly tender, juicy, and not overcooked. Done this way, it’s perfect every time. Big thanks and props to the person who posted this, whoever they are.

First: thoroughly preheat the oven to 450 degrees – let it preheat about 20 minutes.  If previously frozen, the tri-tip must be completely defrosted; then let sit at room temperature one to two hours. Don’t worry  - it won’t spoil.

Tri-tips don’t vary much in size. They’re about 3  to 4 pounds, not much bigger or smaller.

Sometimes they have lot of fat across one side. You can slice this off if you want. I usually leave it on to protect the meat while it’s cooking, and also I don’t mind some fat, but suit yourself.

Here I have coated the tri-tip with spicy brown mustard and herbs de Provence plus lots of freshly ground black pepper. You could also marinate the tri-tip for 24 hours in your choice of marinades.  A great marinade with Mexican flavors might be a combination of tequila, chopped cilantro, ground cumin seed, olive oil, salt, and a crumbled dried chipotle pepper (or one from a can of chipotles in adobo). For tastes more associated with a Greek lamb dish, try a combination of red wine and/or lemon juice, crushed garlic, olive oil, rosemary, and pepper. Or apply a dry rub, or just salt and pepper the meat. Your choice. What I would not do is  apply any sweet sauce like a commercial barbecue sauce, because it will burn like crazy.

Put the tri-tip on a baking sheet/cookie sheet and put in the 450 oven for 20 minutes.

After 30 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and roast the meat another 30 minutes.

Now: wrap the tri-tip completely in aluminum foil, and let sit 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, place on a platter and unwrap, carefully letting any juices pour onto the platter.

This is great with horseradish and mustard. To go with, serve a tomato-based dish like lentils and salsa, stewed tomatoes, or a tomato salad, plus a starchy dish… mashed potatoes are always good with beef, but creamy polenta would be delicious too.

If you have leftovers, this makes great tacos, or is even better tucked into pita bread with chopped tomato-cucumber-lettuce-onion salad, plus a big spoonful of yogurt.

REALLY SIMPLE CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

I hate it when recipes have cutesey-poo names.  You know what I mean. Prune Whip Prunella. Wacky Cake. Flippin’ Flapjacks. Giddy-Up Gerbils. That sort of thing.  If I serve one of those concoctions, I rename it.

When my mother was young, there was a popular recipe for a cake called Booze Cake, which she said “smelled just like someone threw up on it,” but was really good, or so she said. Many years later the local Ladies’ Auxilary produced The World’s Worst Cookbook (in which the editor had an unhealthy obsession with semi-colons) and included the Booze Cake, only in deference to local tender sensibiilties renamed it Boose Cake. Maybe someday I’ll make it.

Anyway. Tonight I had a bad jones for chocolate layer cake. I found one in The Doubleday Cookbook (which is, by the way, a really good basic all-purpose cookbook) – Crazy Chocolate Cake. It turned out surprisingly well.  Here it is, slightly adapted and renamed.

SIMPLE CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

Preheat over to 325. Grease two 9″ cake pans.

Take a large mixing bowl and put the following ingredients in it, in the order listed. Do not mix.

• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour milk (if you don’t have any, substitute commercial buttermilk, or mix 1 tablespoon vinegar with 1 cup milk and let stand 5 minutes)
• 3/4 cup cocoa (I use Ghirardelli’s)
• 1 cup butter, softened (this is why God made microwave ovens – this should be quite soft but not melted)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups cake flour (regular all-purpose flour is OK)
• 1 cup boiling strong coffee (add 1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee such as Medaglia D’Oro to brewed coffee)

When all ingredients are in the bowl, beat 1 minute with electric mixer (or 3 minutes by hand).

Pour batter equally into prepared pans and bake at 325 for 45 to 50 minutes, until cakes pull away from pan edges and are springy. Let cool on rack 5 minutes, then remove cakes from pans and cool completely on rack.

BUTTERCREAM CHOCOLATE FROSTING

• 1 stick butter
• 3 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate (I use Baker’s)
• 1 pound confectioner’s sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• cream or milk as needed
• pinch salt

Soften butter in microwave.

Melt the chocolate, either in a double boiler or by microwaving in a cup for 2 minutes, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate melts.

Mix butter and chocolate together. Then slowly add powdered sugar, beating slowly and persistently until sugar is incorporated. You may wish to add a tablespoon or two of cream as needed to make a smooth, thick frosting. When sugar is incorporated, beat in vanilla and salt.

To frost a cake:

Place one layer top-side down on a sturdy dish. Brush away any crumbs. Using a butter knife or dog-leg spatula, evenly spread about 1/3 of the frosting on it nearly to the edges. Don’t fuss too much over it; it’ll all even out. Top with second layer (top side up) and spread 1/3 of the frosting on top of it. Then spread remaining frosting on edges, turning cake slowly so you get all the bald spots. If you want to decorate the cake with something like slivered almonds, put the almonds in one cupped palm and gently, quickly, push them onto the sides of the cake. Some will fall off and that’s to be expected. Just pick them up and repeat.

A nice variation is to spread frosting on the first layer, then top with a layer of jam, such as raspberry, blackberry, or lekvar (prune). Then set the second layer on top and frost as usual.

ROAST CHICKEN, OR WHY YOU SHOULDN’T REVEAL ALL YOUR TRICKS AT ONCE

I was in the check-out line at the supermarket. In the cart along with everything else I had a couple of Cornish game hens. The woman behind me – who, as I recall, had a giant-size bottle of really cheap vodka along with everything else – asked me what those were and what you did with them.  I launched into a spiel about how easy they are to cook, just put them in the oven and roast them, and they are so delicious. I went on like that for a couple of minutes while she paid close attention, nodding and murmuring, “Uh-huh,” at the right moments. When I concluded, she asked, “And do you take the plastic wrap off them before you put them in the oven?”

For some years now I’ve been working on my roast chicken technique. For a while I tried roasting at a low (325F/162C) temperature, and the results were good, but it took forever to get done. I tried roasting it at 375F/190C which was faster, but I thought dried it out a bit. I tried putting the chicken on a rack like the fancy cookbooks tell you, and wound up having to wash the rack and get the little bits of skin off it, which is tedious donkey work, I’m telling you.  I put  chili powder under the skin and beer in the pan, started the chicken breast-down and flipping it to breast-up half way through, folded the wings akimbo, tied the legs, stuffed and unstuffed. I finally came to the conclusion that the best roast chicken was also the simplest. But I also thought that maybe plain roast chicken was just… too plain, and that it wasn’t going to wow anyone except me.

When I met my husband eight years ago, he liked to make pan-fried chicken with gravy, and he was proud of it.  I made various oven-fried chicken dishes, and some of them were pretty good.  We made beer-can chicken, which is good but kind of a gimmick, and it takes forever.  About two years ago I decided to make my plain roast chicken for him. It smelled really good as it roasted… brought it to the table…  served it up. He hasn’t made fried chicken since. He couldn’t believe that I had been making this for myself all these years but  never for him. I think if we hadn’t already been married that it would have sealed the deal.

Moral of the story: don’t reveal all your tricks at once. Hold back some of the clever things you know how to do. Bring them out when you feel like showing off.

It always surprises me that people don’t make roast chicken, preferring instead to buy a packet of Shake & Bake or a jar of Chicken Tonight (do they still make that?) or pour a can of Campbell’s Cream of WTF over an innocent chicken. But then I look at the recipes online: Ina Garten’s recipe for “Perfect Roast Chicken” takes 11 ingredients including a bulb of fennel. Tyler Florence’s “The Ultimate Roast Chicken” involves six strips of bacon and three bunches of fresh herbs.  And so on. No wonder people don’t roast chicken – they think they have to buy all this other stuff.

Well, you don’t. All you need, really, is a chicken. Of course it will be a little fancier and taste a little more special with some seasonings, but really, you don’t need to run to Dean and DeLuca.  And I’ve never trussed a chicken and don’t intend to start now. This is easy comfort food at its simplest and best but is also appropriate for a very fancy dinner. I think this is a dish aspiring cooks should learn to make: it’s the little black dress of cooking.

Below: this is what I use. Salt, freshly ground pepper, thyme from the garden, fresh lemon, homemade lemon pepper (see previous post), and wine. But just salt and pepper would be fine too.

So you’ve got a chicken, which presumably is thawed. If the cavity is still frozen, run water into it so you can remove the contents. Below, clockwise from top left: fat globules pulled from the chicken’s bum, the heart, the gizzard, the liver, the neck. You can throw them away if you want. You can cook the heart, gizzard, and liver, chop them, and give them to your cat. You can render the fat to make schmaltz and gribenes. Or you can do what I do, and add them to the pan.

If you’re using a lemon, rub the chicken all over with the cut side, squeezing it as you go. This will cut surface bacteria and freshen the meat – sometimes a chicken just removed from its plastic bag has a slightly plastic-y smell. (If it has an OBVIOUSLY off smell, take it back to the store pronto.) Squeeze the juice inside too. Sometimes I put the squeezed-out rinds in the cavity while it roasts.

There is ample room under the skin to fit your hand (remove your rings first!) so you can easily season the breast meat – which tends to be very bland. Here I am pushing some thyme leaves under the skin.  The skin is attached by a very thin membrane right down the breastbone. You can ignore it and work around it, or you can cut it with scissors or a knife, or carefully break it with your fingers.  Doesn’t matter.

If you don’t like thyme or don’t have any, you can use fresh minced parsley (use the flat-leaf Italian parsley; it has MUCH more flavor than the curly decorative kind), chopped rosemary, tarragon, cilantro, or whatever fresh herb floats your boat. Or don’t use any. But you probably want to rub some salt and freshly ground pepper under and over the skin, all over the chicken, including in the cavity. I also use lemon pepper here, but again, that is up to you.

Below: a chicken all dressed up with seasonings. I’ve put the giblets in the pan and poured in some white wine. I also added a little water and some chicken broth. Use one, two, or three – or none, if you like, but I like to have a goodly amount of liquid – about 1 inch – in the pan to make gravy with after the chix is done. If you don’t, that’s fine.

OK. Put the chicken in the oven and set the oven at 350F (you don’t need to preheat the oven for this). Go away for a while.

After about 40 minutes:

You can baste the chicken if you want. I do, but I’m not sure it makes any difference. It makes me feel useful, though.

After 1 hour:

At this point I threw in some halved mushrooms because we had some that needed to be used, Certainly not required.

After 1 1/2 hours, the chicken is starting to look relaxed.

When is the chicken done? Most cookbooks tell you to use a thermometer, either the type that you leave in during the entire cooking process or the instant-read type, and you can certainly do this. Myself, I gauge it by the leg wiggle test: if the leg wiggles easily, it’s done. If the skin appears to be getting too dark, loosely tent a sheet of aluminum foil over it.

This chicken was about 5 1/2 pounds, so it roasted about 2 hours before I judged it done. When it came out of the oven the last time, I moved it and the giblets to a plate and poured the broth left in the casserole dish into a pot so my husband could skim off the excess fat and make gravy.

Cornish game hens are roasted exactly the same way, though they will take only about 45 minutes to an hour.  And do take the plastic wrap off first.

 

To make gravy:

Mix 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons cold water in a cup. Pour the broth into a saucepan, skim off excess fat with a spoon, and heat until just starting to simmer. Slowly pour in about half of the cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly. Adjust the heat so it doesn’t boil hard and keep stirring. The gravy will thicken; if it isn’t as thick as you like, add more of the slurry until it thickens to your preference. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.