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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

ROAST CHICKEN LES PARESSEUX & PUMPKIN FLAN@THANKSGIVING SIDES@DORIE@ FRENCH FRIDAYS

 Every body loves a good roast and so do i!!
When Dorie named this Les Paresseux ,she meant for lazy people , u put the lovely roast in , set ur timer and take it out rite at dinner!!
 Well for me ,while it was in the oven the first time round ,i was busy making Potato gratin ,and the second time Pumpkin flan and on both counts doing the dishes!!lol
 These are pics of my second round of the roast....
This one has the home terrifically aromatic with bursts of very flavorful air,wafting around,so welcoming ,so delicious and fantastic, as a roast is!!
THis recipe is a total keeper and it comes together so beautifully too!!
 We begin with seasoning a chicken [well cleant at that], inside out with salt and pepper.

Well, i stretched the salt and pepper a bit and seasoned it with some gourmet salts and peppers rite from Hawaiian red salt to Himalayan pink salt  [exotic but jus a bit is enuf]....



and eurasian black salt to  pure ocean salt ....

And Sel de Guerande to smoked salt ....ahh, yup, all these lend to the character to my roast, i know , i jus got this stuff and couldn help using them all , a little bit each....
And the smoked salt is so smoky...in a good way.....

Did i go overboard for the peppers too , i dont know , but i had Habanero pepper flakes to Chiptole   pepper flakes...

And Le Corden blue whole peppers too....
You need to make this in a dutch oven , and for the first time i broke in my new dutch oven [thannkkk u mom], cool and for the second time , for experimentation , i used a metal tray!


And rub the insides of the oven well , with olive oil , for once ,i wasnt using portuguese olive oil:-)
Lods of herbs and onions/shallots came together to add more character to this chicken!
A well seasoned and herbed chicken ,marinated barely for an hour the first time and overnight the second [yeah so far have baked this twice,on demand:-) ]
Ahh , yeah ,thats a shrimpy u see there, along with the liver , i added 1 single shrimp and beef too [i am known to mix seafood with meat by the way and i dont seem to mind]
So besides the rosemary ,sage, parsley ,thyme and garlic , there were baby potatoes, cherry toms, carrots, brussels sprouts and  peppers too , to be tossed and seasoned wth salt,pepper and oil!
 Hearty sides assured!
 Dont skip on the baby potatoes, they are a must!!


And mushrooms too....dont u love them?
Garlic, whole heads cut into half, i added a head everywhere, in ,out and with the veggies and beef too...
Garlic makes everything better and lods of it ,even better....

 i was tempted to zest some lemon for both , the chicken , ie green lemon and for the Pumpkin flan ,the yellow lemon!


I love this trick ,Dorie teaches us here, about placing a bread at the base of the dutch oven before placing the chicken, the bread soaks up all the delicious juices and crisps up later, perfect for the liver u must add to the cavity, mash it up ,serve it with the bread , with a mash of the roasted garlic too and a chop of chives...
Must add that first time ,my bread didn crisp, but was wet , and i had lods of juices , coz i did add around 2/3rd cup or dry white wine.
But with terrific flavor with all the juices absorbed!
This is  a local bread picked from a local, hand made, wooden fired, brick oven, kinda bakery,

And the second time used 2 of these, from the same bakery ,but opened up!!


And i added a Chilly too, whole dry red chilly , mommy always adds one for the portuguese goan flame top roast ,which bdw, i make now too and quite often!
And second time added a few other chillies too, de seeded ,ofcourse!
Over stuffing the chicken and ready to go to roast.....i added the veggies along with the chicken ,though the recipe says to add it 45 mins later, but thats coz my oven takes a lonnnnggg time to kick over!
Already looks so goodddd, telling u of whats in store for u!!
Hey and do add some white wine before u pop that in the oven , it makes things all the more delicious and yummy!!

 Plus ,the juices of the marinade if any, this is the pic of the second round!!

Now is the time to use ur cute timer, my Mickey mouse is absolutely cute and i needede to set it to 45mins twice, i dont mind !!
Now im looking for a pink spotty timer, ok i know i dont need one :-(

Though the recipe calls for 90mins of baking , i took double that time for a smaller bird , but then my oven oven is always like that , so it all depends on ur oven !
Ahh, food safe kitchen twine is the best thing that happenned, to a roast chicken!!
Honestly ,for the second time it held the legs together beautifully!

I had a well roasted and browned bird and super crisp skin and super moist meat inside!
Give in to the temptation to brush olive oil /butter or both from time to time!!
Brushed the bread too with butter and olive oil!!
Ahh, bliss!

 The liver , mashed ,with chives and the shrimpy too, u can place it under a griller if that'll help!!!
I didn , coz it got wiped clean before i did!!
The beef was excellent too, the flavors super and the beef ,soft and jus rite!!!!

I skipped the beef the second time and added extra liver!And the liver well roasted was very substantial, on the crisped part of the bread!!
So the above is the 2nd one with the cilantro and below the first time with the chives!
I told u i mix seafood with meats and love it too!!
Setting stage for the fabulous roast!!!

I had to do absolutely nothing about the juices that collected, very flavorful , thick and a super gloss to the meat!
The roasted garlic is absolutely fantastic!!!
The roasted piece without the skin was good too!!
Oh the skin is soooo crackly crisp , remember the olive /butter brushing ...
And the insides remain super moist too....
Now for the summing up of the 2 methods, i love both!!
The first ,in the dutch oven , and a rather large one for a small bird, produces lods of juices and gravy , but my bread didn crisp , got nice and soggy and souped by all the juices, yet i had lods of gravy!
Now about the crisping ,i think if i placed it a little differently ,as i did in the baking tray today , it might work!
And the baking tray one , was drier ,and by that i dont mean the meat was less moist ,in any way!!
But there was barely any gravy, though i did splash a little wine now and then, but there was enough to keep u going and well!
Flavors , both were way too terrific!!
And went well with mashed potato does the way i did the toppin for the HP here!


PUMPkiN FLaN
 For the first time i had Potato Gratin with this and this time ,i decided on some Pumpkin Gorgonzola flan, by the way a confession , i have never had gorgonzola and didn find it yet either so i went in for a soft cheese , philly cheese [really] ,but i loveee Philly cheese!!


All u do is put a 15ounce pumpkin can +3L eggs + 2 egg yolks [yeah lods of egg]+ 1/2 heavy cream [lite cream, d only one easily available here,worked fine for me]in a blender and whirrrrrr.
I did sub some of the cream for coconut milk!

Season with salt and pepper, and i added garlic,some chicken stock cube, and lemon zest too and thats that!
FOr step by step pics of how to make pumpkin puree go here, i always make pumpkin puree at home [never mind if i have only jus begun dng that], we find not those cans here!!
And this is what it looks like after whirring!

Butter whatever cups ur using really well,coz Dorie says so and butter makes everything betta!!
And a little extra butter wont hurt:-)
And the philly cheese!

Divide between 6 custard cups, divide 3.5 ounces of the cheese ur using among them .....sprinkle the tops with 2tbh chopped walnuts ....
 And pepper too... i added freshly crushed pepper atop instead of with the mix!
My flan ,wasnt as yellow ,coz the pumpkin i got this time wasnt as yellow:-(
and no, we find none of the canned ones here:-(

And bake in a preheated oven @ 350 , in a water bath , for around 35 to 40 mins, honestly this totally depends on ur oven , mine takes way longer and my oven was already preheated to 400 for the chicken!
And though Dorie suggests on the side of under baked ,i love very v well baked , n i got it well browned coz the oven was already roasting the chicken at high heat!!
A drizzle of golden syrup is good!
Yeah,a dash of golden syrup atop  caramalised beautifully so do add in some more later!


And u can jus leave them there , in the water bath , they will continue cooking, to check , a knife inserted should come nice and clean!

Thats it, easy peasy and goes real well with the chicken too!!
Dig in ...ur gng to love it.....

For more suc delicious recipes u gotta buy Around my French Table ,by award winning Author ,Dorie Greenspan, and this book has/is cracking the charts too!!

And the next natural step ,to ensure ur family , has lods of french dinners and u wanna cook ur way thru it , u have to join French Friday with Dorie ,started by Laurie [ofcourse that rhymes so cutely].
It so so muc fun to bake /cook along a group, with the months 4chosen recipes !!!
Im posting this a bit earlier coz i have a couple of things i wanna put up before thanksgiving and need to space the posts:-)

53 comments:

  1. Great post! I love how you used multiple heads of garlic. When I made it, my friends and I fought over who got to spread the roasted garlic on their rolls!

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  2. Holy cow does this ever look good! I just received some Himalayan pink salt and a variety of organic peppercorns as a gift (these are from Sustainable Sourcing https://secure.sustainablesourcing.com) and I will have to use them in these recipes. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Wow, is post full of deliciousness! Your roast chicken looks perfect! Crispy skin, moist and juicy meat...mmm! Love the smell of roast chicken cooking. :) The flan looks great too, nice substitution with the cream cheese!

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  4. My God, your work is absolutely breathtaking.
    Loads of awesome photos and your dishes are always so beautiful and special.
    Wishing you a great week ♥

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  5. Oh Mia, what a perfectly beautiful roast chicken! Oh my, that skin looks so golden and crispy I want to eat it right now. :-) Love all those delicious salts and spices too. Mmm. :-)

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  6. Mia darling, this is such a beautiful post and perfect recipe for the coming thanksgiving or X'mas. The roasted chicken looks so very tempting and the desserts sound simply divine. Thanks for sharing & hope you're having a fabulous day ahead.
    Blessings, Kristy ((hugs))

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  7. @yummy C, thannk u , yeah i did ,loved squeezn those mushy heady later!!!

    @Anderburf, thannk u for that link and ur compliments!!
    this is fantastic!!I loveee those salts and peppers too!!!

    @faith , yeah rite , this roast is sooo good!!
    Loved it !!
    the second method gives more of a crackly skin than the first but i love both!!!
    thannnkkk u!

    Hey Ana,
    Hiiii,thannnk u gurl!!!
    Love ur thoughts and wishing u a wonderful week too!!

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  8. @krista. awww, thannk u babe!!
    i so agree:-)

    @Kristy, thannnk u dear!
    Well dat aint a dessert but a savory flan to go with the chicken!

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  9. This roast looks so mouthwatering. And you put so many beautiful ingredients on it. You did an excellent job with everything that you made.

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  10. You have an AMAZING variety of salts, spices and herbs! And that's a very pretty roast chicken =)

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  11. I truly enjoyed reading your post, showing what you've used also the utensil coupled with your lovely clicks that are remarkable...

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  12. That look incredible! I love the idea of pumpkin flan-it would add that something extra and a nice texture too!

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  13. @Clare @ Mrs Multitasker, :-)
    thannnk u!!


    Thannnk u Lorraine!!
    The pumpkin plan is fantastic , and i had one ,upturned and the next day[today],its actually got a crab meat flavor which i love!!

    @treak & treat, am so glad u enjoyed it , i did enjoy puttn it together too!

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  14. Sugar Plum Fairy, I don't know if you are a better photographer or cook! OH.MY.GOODNESS all of your food looks and sounds so very delicious! Your photographs are stunningly beautiful! I'd love to be a dinner guest at your house anytime! ;)

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  15. hey Tana, ur soooo cute !!
    Am so excited with ur thoughts, exactly when we were doing a critical acclaim of my pics ,and how i can improve on them [my bro and me] , lol!!
    Am with a point and shoot rite now, it aint a year yet , maybe ,after that i will be given a DSLR!LOL!
    I loveee cooking and loveeee having u over and maybe someday we will jus have u over for dinner.
    with love!
    bdw, somebody did drop by yestrday and was happy to find this feast + a salad and mashed potatoes!!
    thannnk u for the biggg pat!!

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  16. My mouth is watering, Mia. Is there anything better than a roast chicken? (Well perhaps the roasted garlic!)
    And I'm loving your divine dessert!

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  17. Such a mouth watering recipe !

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  18. My mouth is watering looking at these amazing pictures. I can almost smell it baking. I like your little jar of salts. I've been wondering about the Himalayan.

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  19. I love your step-by-step photos, and direction to this wonderful and colorful roasted chicken. I love your exotic spices too, that you show on the photos. I would love to be in the kitchen cooking with you. Fabulous, just fabulous!

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  20. Je suis admirative et impressionnée.
    Quel menu. Un repas délicieux.
    BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  21. I love your post! I got a real feel of who You are and how you cook from it! There's lots of fun energy in your kitchen!! I'm so glad I read your post this morning...I was thinking of making this tonight...but I just realized I'd better LOOK at the recipe! I'm missing a few things! I do have everything for the pumpkin flan...which I was also thinking about! Thanks for sharing your experience!

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  22. Hi sugar plum! Thanks for stopping by passageparadis and leaving a nice note! I love your pictures here and your choice of recipes is impeccable! I have so much admiration for you food bloggers who can cook, style, and take pictures all at the same time. HAPPY COOKING!

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  23. love whole idea of cooking whole chicken :)

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  24. This looks absolutely divine! You are one amazing chef. Your dishes always get my mouth watering!

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  25. Everything really looks delicious. Your photos of the meal are just gorgeous and have started my mouth to water. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  26. That chicken looks incredible; so colorful, so flavorful. I am particularly intrigued by the pumpkin flan. It has so many textures and flavors.

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  27. Wow, that DOES look yummy! And the pictures are gorgeous.
    I think I have "Around my French Table" on my Amazon shopping list, to buy next :)

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  28. Beautifully done. It all looked wonderful!

    The skin on your chicken was stunning and your flans looked delightful.

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  29. Incredible looking chicken - sounds totally delicious. Beautiful photos too.
    Sue :-)

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  30. What a beautiful photographed post! This looks like a delicious chicken dish.

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  31. This sounds like one crazy marathon cooking extravaganza but you managed to pull everything off beautifully. I love the colorful step by step photos. They make me want even more to be able to be there next to you, tasting every bite.

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  32. I love your tweaks...your chicken looks excellent!!!

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  33. I am so using Philly cheese in my flans! Thank you for the idea! I made the PG this week and loved it!
    Can I have your camera or your picture taking skills!?? LOVe all your great photos...your blog is RoCKin!!

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  34. Thank u Barbara, oh the roasted garlic, i agree:-)
    Bdw ,dats a savory flan but wud make a gorgeous dessert if i worked in the sweet direction too:-)

    @Elra, thannnk u!!

    @Pattie @ Olla-Podrida, thannnk u babe!!
    Oh the himalayan is one of the first salts i had and its gorgeous!!

    @Elisabeth, u sound like so warm and sweet a person , that i wud so muc love being with u too:-)
    Thannnk u for ur kind words, ur so generous and alwys make my day brighter!

    Muitissmo Obrigado com Amor Nadji!!


    Oh ''i cant belive we ate that'',thannnnk u for being so kind and generous with ur words, der brightenned my day a bit more:-)tingggg
    I actually seem to love energy too, specially positive:-)
    So looking forward to ur flan too!!!

    @Mlle P, thank u to u too!
    Aww, u say it so sweetly and make it sound sooo good, actually ur rite ,its fun too:-)

    @Ananda,Yeah , a whole roast is fantastic:-)

    Aww, Julie , thannnk u for adding the Zinng and brighten'n my day...tingg...

    Oh thankkk u Mary , now im hungry too:-)
    Great weekend to u too!!

    oh Kristen ,thannnk u!
    U know the P flan gets a crab meat flav the next day which i totally loved !!

    Oh Sophie, thannnk u!!!

    :-),thannnk u Indie Tea, u must pick the book , its already rocking the charts :-)

    @cher, hey u know we loved the skin too:-)

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  35. Thannnnk u Sue!
    It is:-)

    @SavoringTime in the Kitchen, thannnnk u:-))

    @Jo, i love u compare it to crazy marathon cooking extravaganza, coz i know jus how close that is to ur heart and now to mine, everytime i hear of a marathon in NY , im excited:-)
    Oh wud loveeee to be with u ,in ur kitchen or mine:-)

    @Lizzy ,thannnk u!!

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  36. @Flourchild , am soooo looking forward to ur flan!!
    Am so glad we are on the same page ,i cud sub philly cheese for every cheese, well almost!!

    Oh my point and shoot camera wud be happy to be with u for a few click moments:-)

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  37. OMW does your chicken look spectacular!! WOW. And process photos...you are really wonderful with the process photos. Your camera/photos, etc. the best I have ever seen on a blog...seriously. I'll be back...this was FUN! You did both of these recipes proud...yes, you did!

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  38. Oh Kayte, ur so cute!!
    I jus met u and already know jus how warm,kind and generous ur ,u have totally pepped my day with the zingggg....
    Oh i enjoy that soooo muc, and am so thrillled u lovee the pics!!
    Looking forward to have u back and will be there on ur lovely blog too!!
    Thannnk uuuu again , lods!!

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  39. WOW! Your photos are so great and they show lovely details! The chicken and flans look scrumptious. Yum, Yum, Yum!

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  40. Look at all those salts and peppers. What dun you are having.

    Those vegetables must be delicious mixed in with all the goodies.

    I love your new Dutch oven and all the other items, I see here. I am so happy for you with this "everything kitchen".

    All, I can say is, "Wow!".

    The best part of the post is how you present it. You make it come to life and now, we are all hungry.

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  41. I get such joy out of watching you approach every recipe with gleeful abandon. Thank you for your enthusiasm and fearlessness around cooking.

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  42. Chaya, i wait for u and when u come i ammm soooo thrilled,i feel my guest of honor has come:-)
    Ha ha, i was so excited with those salts and peppers:-)
    The new dutch oven is non stick + its pretty and available here easily too:-)Oh the veggies are so good!!
    He he, u leave me with cravings on ur blog too:-)

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  43. @serene, thannnk u , i love to read ur thoughts with glee too:-))))
    I love how u make me see how i cook:-)
    happy weekend babe!

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  44. A superb roast chicken-great job. You took Dorie's roast chicken to new heights.

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  45. You are so ambitious making the chicken twice. I love your variations and all the extra ingredients you added - so imaginative! I am looking forward to making these last two recipes even more now that I have seen all your beautiful photos! Hooray for mom getting you a dutch oven! :)

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  46. @Elaine, :-),I love how u think:-)
    Im looking forward to u posting these 2 recipes and also lookin forward to the semolina cake u posted!

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  47. Wow! Everything looks so good! Your chicken is so nice and brown--mine was a bit pale. Maybe I have to make it again too, but next I want to do the flan. Coconut milk is a great idea.

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  48. Thannnk u Mary!!
    I think maybe coz i kept brushing a little butter/oil atop:-)
    A sprinkle of sugar helps too, try it sometime:-)
    Oh the lite coconutty flav shines thru:-)

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  49. Fantastic,everything looks perfect...Love your photos, just stunning...And I can see you are a bit of a salt junky too, lol

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  50. @magic of spice, i have jus gotten to know salts and am so already in love with them!
    Thannnk u for being here!
    Loved having ya over!

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