Slow Cooked

Chicken with Chanterelles and Roast Potatoes

Cold weather makes me want to cook with butter.

Even though I previously pooh-poohed the chicken cutlet, I found myself again facing a package of cutlets in my fridge.  I was also facing, however, a small bag of chanterelles that I had picked up the night before, completely on a (somewhat expensive) whim, so I busted out the butter and flour, and quartered some red potatoes for roasting, and threw together a delicious and buttery dinner.

I quartered the potatoes and tossed them with salt, pepper and olive oil, then set in a preheated oven (425 degrees) to roast for about 45 minutes.  While the potatoes cooked, I cut the chanterelles (I had about 2 small handfuls - I'm not sure how much it was in weight, but at 24.99/lb, I was stingy) lengthwise, and then seasoned my chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  I dredged the chicken LIGHTLY in flour, and then heated up some butter in a saute pan.  When the pan and butter were hot, I browned the chicken, about 5-6 minutes on either side.  When the chicken was done, I set aside on plates and deglazed the pan with about a cup of chicken stock.  I let the stock simmer and reduce by about half, then added about 3/4 cups Chardonnay, and let it reduce a little more.  I threw in the chanterelles and let the whole thing thicken just a bit - about 10 minutes start to finish on the sauce, I'd say.  I poured the mushrooms and sauce over the chicken, and served with roast potatoes and sauteed haricots vert (which I added because I felt guilty about so much BROWN food on my dinner plate). 

Yum.  I'm sure if you searched online you could find a proper recipe for a similar dish, but winging it is half the fun.  Eating things cooked in butter is the other half.

Broiled Chicken with Citrus & Fennel Salad

I think we can all agree that chicken cutlets are about the dullest food out there, but chicken cutlets were in my fridge and so chicken cutlets I attempted to enliven.  Hoping to drive away the frozen rain that's been falling all evening, I opted for the brightest, sunniest alternative I could  think of: this bright and crunchy fennel, radish and citrus salad heaped over marinated and broiled chicken cutlets.

The original Daniel Boulud recipe, which I found via Food & Wine, paired the salad with broiled red snapper and I very much would have preferred snapper for my dinner, but once I got home I knew there was no chance I'd be heading back out to the fish store.  So the cutlets had to do.  I marinated the chicken for about 40 minutes in a quick marinade I whisked together of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons), lemon juice (juice of one lemon), salt, pepper and a small bunch of chopped mint leaves.   (Note: chicken cutlets are thin and start turning into chicken ceviche when marinated in citrus for much more than 40 minutes.  Gross.)

While the chicken marinated, I made the salad, cursing briefly when I realized that I forgot to get a jalapeño at the grocery store.  I'm such a huge fan of all the flavors in this salad that I have no complaints - crunchy fennel and radish plus yummy grapefruit and naval orange segments are all enough to please me, in any form.  It certainly brightened the night a bit, even though part of me wished it was a giant bowl of rigatoni in meat sauce, or some other equally carb-heavy comfort food.

As for the chicken, it was...fine.  It was chicken.  The salad was delish and did its best to make chicken cutlets more exciting, but I would strongly encourage you to try this with the red snapper instead!

Broiled Chicken with Citrus and Fennel Salad
(adapted from Food & Wine, October 2006)

• 4 small radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 small fennel bulb—halved, cored and shaved paper-thin
• 1/2 small red or yellow bell pepper, finely diced
  
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced (I wish I had remembered this!!)
  
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives
• 1 tablespoon finely shredded mint leaves
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 navel orange
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more  for brushing
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Four chicken cutlets, marinated for 30+ minutes in olive oil, lemon juice and mint

Preheat the broiler. In a large bowl, toss the radishes, fennel, bell pepper, jalapeño, cilantro, chives and mint. Using a sharp knife, peel the grapefruit and orange, removing all of the bitter white pith. Working over the bowl, cut between the membranes and release the sections into the bowl. Squeeze the membranes over the bowl. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the lemon juice to the bowl and season the salad with salt and pepper.

Set the chicken on a baking sheet. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 4 minutes on each side. Using a spatula, transfer to plates. Top with the salad and serve.

 

 

Momofuku Ssam Bar

Two words I never thought I'd see on a menu: ham cream.  But we'll get to that later...

Every year when the New York Magazine "Where to Eat" issue hits newsstands, I get a rush of food-frenzy anxiety, suddenly desperate to visit all the hot spots, all the best new restaurants, all the hardest-to-get tables.  Of course, since every other New Yorker is like-minded, there are no available tables at any of those New! Hot! Spots!  Which is when I become thankful for the more democratic (albeit frustrating) no-reservations policy at certain restaurants which allow anyone with the patience and/or free time to dine in their midst.

(photo courtesy of NY Magazine)

My friend Rebecca and I decided to try for an early Saturday night dinner at either Momofuku Noodle or Momofuku Ssam Bar, in the East Village, pending the wait at David Chang's two restaurants.    We arrived at Momofuku Ssam (our first choice, as the menu seems more geared towards dinner than the noodle bar) around 7:30 and were immediately seated at the cramped but sleek bar, right in front of the kitchen window (a spot I always like).   And, as crowded as the bar space is, I appreciated being in close proximity to other diners because I was curious about many of the dishes and liked being able to scan around and even ask our neighbors for ordering tips.  (They might not have liked that as much.)

My first tip: get the pork buns.  I love pork buns in almost all of their manifestations, because it's hard to go wrong with dough and pork, but the pillow-y dough and pork belly were delicious.  My second tip: as enticing as all the pork dishes are, don't overlook the raw bar.  We split an order of scallops that were described by our waiter as 'sexy', and while that may be pure up-selling hooey, the scallops were pretty sexy: thinly sliced and served with pickled cherries and tart watercress.  We also had an order of fried brussel sprouts that come crispy and spicy, courtesy of chili, mint and fish sauce.  I didn't try any of the larger pork dishes (and was especially interested in the clay pot dish) but enjoyed the hangar steak ssam - Bibb lettuce do-it-yourself wraps with marinated beef, kimchi and ginger scallion. 

I had two glasses of rose Cava which went especially well with the scallops and the pork, but on my next visit to Momofuku would like to sample some of the sakes.  And, on my next visit - if I can round up a group to go along with me - I'd like to try the Bo Ssam: the whole Berkshire pork butt, slow roasted in sugar, soy sauce and wine. 

But now for the aforementioned Ham Cream: Rebecca and I looked over the brief dessert menu and were immediately struck by the Amish cheddar shortcake with apples and ham cream.  What's ham cream? we asked our waiter.  Well, he said, it's whipped cream with some ham flavor in it.  Or, so it's exactly what it sounds like, we said.  Yep, he told us.  But he recommended the dessert, telling us how the savory cream and the caramelized apples played off one another.  We took his recommendation, and we were very, very glad to have done so.  The shortbread was actually more of a biscuit - softer than I think of shortbread being - and had just the right amount of sharp cheddar bite to it, the apples were diced and sauteed, and the ham cream was light and rich with a slight savory flavor to it, more smoky tham ham-y, and altogether, it was delicious.

Our total bill, which included 4 drinks, 4 dishes and 2 desserts, came to $112 before tip.  Momofuku Ssam Bar (212 254 3500)is located on the corner of 2nd Avenue and 13th Street, and accepts all major credit cards.  Reservations are not accepted (unless you are ordering the Bo Ssam, which must be pre-ordered).  They are open for both lunch and dinner, and serve until 2am.

My Last Supper, the Book

One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was a copy of My Last Supper, a book featuring 50 top chefs and their preferred final meals.   My whole family enjoyed flipping through it, and what I loved most was comparing who would pick comfort and who would pick luxury.  It was fascinating to read the menus, and also to compare which chefs absolutely wanted to cook their own final meal and those who absolutely wanted someone else to prepare it.  There are recipes and fun photos and interesting glimpses of personality, and I highly recommend the book to anyone who shares a curiosity about food, restaurants and chefs. 

As for me, I think my final meal would begin with raw oysters and Champagne, then sashimi or crudo and a crisp white wine, followed by a pasta course with a fresh tomato sauce, then a thin, crisp pizza with fennel - like the one at Otto - and for dessert, either my mother's lemon cheesecake or plain vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce.  Or a box of chocolates.  Or a really tart lemon dessert.  Or bread pudding.  Oh, and I think I want a nice Barolo with the pasta and pizza.  And then more Champagne with dessert.  Although I might prefer a multi-course Basque feast, now that I think about it.  Or Mexican food and margaritas.  Sushi and pizza.  Maybe a meal of all pastries?  The more you think about it, the harder the question is to answer!  But, it also never gets old...yum.  What would your last meal be?