10 CUP RICE COOKER

Who's tired of carrots and purple potatoes?

Roast Chicken
by way of epicurious.com

Makes 2 to 4 servings.
by Thomas Keller

Ingredients:
One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)

Unsalted butter
Dijon mustard

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

Now, salt the chicken — I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a saute pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven.
I leave it alone — I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip — until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.

I leave it alone — I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip — until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.

“Spanish Chicken Empanada”

From the inspiration of one of my favorite chefs Jose Andres I give you the most moorish empanada I have ever tasted. Its rich, smoky and rich crunch will bring the feeling of being in Spain and in a snowed in lodge somewhere in the mountains. This is perfect served room temp so parties its great and will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge and just give it a quick warm through.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts baked until just cooked through and shred with 2 forks as shown in the photo
One large onion sliced
Tablespoon smoked paprika
One cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
Teaspoon sugar
One beaten egg
One sheet of puff pastry dough
Olive oil

Method:
Start by sweating the onions with olive oil, salt and the sugar until they are very soft almost about caramelized. Now add the chicken and sprinkle the smoked paprika one top and incorporate together check for seasoning. Once the chicken is warmed through add the cream and begin cooking until the cream has reduced and is now part of the chicken but still a little wet, my photo should show the texture. Now set aside and roll out your puff pastry sheet until it is almost double in size. Place the mixture in the middle as I’ve shown size it up so you can put the other half over to make a nice package .Take a brush and with some egg white brush the edges that are going to be sealed together as this will be the glue to help hold it together. Now fold over the other half on top and make sure you have as tight a seal as you can meaning the pastry is wrapped around the chicken with no air pockets, crimp the edges anyway you like then take a fork and make an impression all the way around. If you have trimmed any scraps you can cut them out and make a design on top glue them with the egg wash. To finish brush the entire package with the egg wash, make some slits in the top every inch or so to let the steam out while cooking and finish with some kosher salt sprinkles on top. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the pastry is golden brown about 20-30 min and you can see steam coming out of the top and the mixture bubbling a little. Take out and put on a wire rack to cool for at least 15-20 min, return to a cutting board and serve. I like this with a nice simple salad or just on its own its so good.


Thanks Jose for the inspiration!


Benny