Dinner Tonight: Rookie Romertopf Chicken

There’s a reason the professionals can charge a premium for their services.

The food in this picture is not it.  Above is my rookie attempt at roasting a chicken.  It should be pretty obvious from the content of this blog that I have no training whatsoever in cooking.  What little knowledge I have is haphazardly learned from books, TV, the internet, and friends.  As with any kind of learning, one has to take the obtained information with a grain of salt.  No, I’m not attempting to make some kind of cooking pun.

What started this roast chicken endeavor?  Simply, I love roasted chicken, and I’d love to learn how to make a good one.  I know people who do make good ones.  They are professionals who deserve to be paid for their cooking skills.  I’m like the guy who plays guitar at home, trying to learn how to play like his heroes by listening, looking at books, etc.  I’m doing the culinary version, I suppose.  I’m not after a practical goal like putting dinner on the table for the family.  I’m chasing a perfect roast chicken.  Perhaps, I’ll never have the chops to pull it off, but I’d like to be able to make something that will satisfy me.

How did I make the chicken pictured above?  Believe it, or not.  This has been a process that has been going on for months.  I was inspired by a local restaurant, whose roast chicken is impeccable.  I’d love to be able to emulate that recipe one day.  So, this journey started several months ago when I fell in love with that dish.  Since then, I’ve longed to be able to make chicken like that.  I took the advice of a friend who suggested I try a clay roasting pot (Thanks, Michelle!).  A few months ago, another friend gave me Romertopf clay roasting pot she found at a thrift shop after she heard me talking about using it to make some chicken. (Thanks, Colleen!)  Last night, I decided to get of my butt and try to make some chicken.  I took some inspiration from some cookbooks and YouTube videos.

First, I brined the chicken.  For the brine, I used a cup of David’s sea salt, a gallon of water, some ginger syrup (I had no sugar, and I forgot to buy some.), some Tellicherry black peppercorns, and a splash of Zingerman’s 16 year-old balsamic vinegar.  I think I could have used more salt or brined the chicken longer.  The breast ultimately needed more flavor.  I don’t see how some more pepper and vinegar could hurt either.

While the chicken sat in the brine, I chopped my carrots; half a Spanish onion; and some fresh basil, rosemary, and thyme (about a tbsp. each).  Also, I zested half a lemon.  Simultaneously, I let  125g of Life in Provence  unsalted butter sit at room temperature to soften.  After chopping all that plant life, I mixed the lemon zest and herbs with my butter.  Then, I seasoned the herb butter with some sea salt and pepper.  I eventually let the chicken sit in the brine for about two hours.  I probably should have let the chicken sit there longer.

After I felt I was done brining the chicken, I went to town with the herb butter.  I spread it under the skin, making sure to get some on the thighs and legs.  I also left a good dollop of the herb butter sitting under the skin on both breasts.  I stuffed the chicken cavity with both halves of my lemon (one zested, on un-zested) and the other half of the onion.  It looked like the chicken was going to be good.  When I was ready to try to cook the chicken, I immersed my unglazed clay pot in water for 15 minutes.  Then, I layered some onions and mushrooms at the bottom of the pot.  I placed some carrots along the edges of the pot.

Next, I followed Romertopf’s directions for electric ovens.  I placed the clay pot into the middle of a cold oven.  Then, I set the oven to 450 degrees F.  I cooked for 85 minutes.  I did not open either the oven or the pot.

Then, I took the veggies and chicken out of the pot.  I poured the juices into a saucepan for gravy-making.  I returned my chicken to the bottom of the pot.    Then, I put the pot back into the oven (without the top) to brown and crisp the skin, which was a little more blistered than I expected.  I wondered if I put too thick a layer of butter under the blisters.  While the chicken skin crisped up, I started my gravy.

I poured a cup of ruby port in with the juices.  I brought the mixture to a boil and reduced it by half.  Then, I whisked in a few tablespoons of butter.  After that, I strained out the remaining solids.  I probably should have been more aggressive with the reduction.  The gravy was a little too watery.  While I was working on this part, I took the chicken out of the oven when it looked brown.  I probably could have crisped the chicken up a little longer.  I just wanted to make sure I didn’t burn it.

How did it all taste?  The breast was somewhat underseasoned.  The chicken could have been crisper.  I could have had more veggies in there.  I would have had to have used a roaster pan for that.  The sauce could have been thicker, but the flavor was great.  I felt that the chicken certainly had enough herbs and butter involved.  It needed more salt.  I’m not completely happy with the texture of the breast.  It’s not quite moist enough.  It was a little too fibrous; I’m searching for smoother texture.  The mushrooms and carrots turned out great.  Overall, it wasn’t too bad for a rookie.

Dessert Tonight: Caramelized Peach Slices with Ginger Syrup and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Lately, I’ve been thinking that I haven’t been eating enough fruit.  I think that somehow my body is telling me I need fruit.  I’ve been craving it.  I bought some peaches, a plum, and some strawberries this past weekend.  Honestly, I haven’t a clue how to eat a peach.  So, I caramelized the suckers.  I took some inspiration from Eric Ripert’s videos at his website (http://aveceric.com/).  In one video he caramelized some mango and basically did what I did here.  So, I’m cribbing from Eric Ripert, basically.

I followed basically what Chef Eric Ripert did by taking my fruit slices, basting them with butter, seasoning with brown sugar, and placing them on a buttered toaster-oven baking pan.  What I did differently, was that I took my peach slices and drizzled them with some Robert Lambert White Ginger Syrup.  There’s just something about peaches and ginger that seems to work.  Think of the Republic of Tea Ginger Peach tea.  The ginger seems to add a little spicy complexity to the whole thing.  I put the pan in the toaster oven and broiled for about 5 minutes.  The peel came off the slices easily in most cases.  Then, I plated the slices.  After that, I put a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top and drizzled the syrup left in the pan on the whole thing.

Some rum might have made it a lot more interesting.  Maybe, I could have added some more of the ginger syrup too.

Next up, I’m going to have to do something with all the cherries and other berries out there.  I’m probably going to try Chef Eric’s Raspberry Clafouti that’s found on his website.