Buttermilk Marinated Roast Chicken

 Hot out of the oven, and with a beautiful dark brown color

to the skin.  My mouth is watering! Can't hardly wait for them to 

cool enough so I can cut into them!

Add salt to a measuring cup.

Pour in the buttermilk.

Stir until the salt is dissolved in the buttermilk.

Put the seasoned chicken in a gallon size Ziplock bag, 

pour over the chicken, the salted buttermilk.

I prepared two chickens, so I set them together in a baking dish

to put in the refrigerator for 24 hours. 

In the morning I flipped the chickens, so both sides would be 

equally marinated.

Remove the chicken from the bag of marinade, and let the excess 

buttermilk drip off a bit. Place in a roasting pan, 

and tie up the legs. 

I have been wanting to try the recipe, and I was not disappointed! 

It turned out so moist.  I took the chickens out of the oven

after one hour of baking, the temperature was 155 degrees,

tent it and let it rest, in the additional 10-15 minutes it rests, 

the temperature of the chicken continues to rise, and it reaches 

the recommended 165 degrees internal temperature for the thigh. 

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Recipe Source:  Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin

3 1/2 - 4 lb. Roasting Chicken

Kosher salt and sea salt

2 cups buttermilk     

The day before you want to cook the chicken, remove the wingtips by cutting through the first wing joint with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Reserve for stock. Season the chicken generously with salt and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Stir 2 tablespoons of kosher salt or 4 teaspoons fine sea salt into the buttermilk to dissolve. Place the chicken in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and pour in the buttermilk. If the chicken won’t fit in a gallon-size bag, double up two plastic produce bags to prevent leakage and tie the bag with a piece of twine.

Seal it, squish the buttermilk all around the chicken, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate. If you’re so inclined, over the next 24 hours you can turn the bag so every part of the chicken gets marinated, but that’s not essential.

Pull the chicken from the fridge an hour before you plan to cook it. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C), with a rack set in the center position.

Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. Tightly tie together the legs of the chicken with a piece of butcher’s twine. Place the chicken in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or shallow roasting pan.

Slide the pan all the way to the back of the oven on the center rack. Rotate the pan so that the legs are pointing toward the rear left corner and the breast is pointing toward the center of the oven (the back corners tend to be the hottest spots in the oven, so this orientation protects the breast from overcooking before the legs are done). Pretty soon you should hear the chicken sizzling.

After about 20 minutes, when the chicken starts to brown, reduce the heat to 400°F and continue roasting for 10 minutes and then move the pan so the legs are facing the back right corner of the oven.

Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is brown all over and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and the thigh.

When the chicken’s done, remove it to a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Crab Mac and Cheese

Browned, gooey, and scrumptious looking! 

I can't wait to dig in!

spread the cooked medium pasta shells 

into a 9x13 casserole dish.

Stir the cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese, into the simmered,

thickened milk.

Continue stirring until all the cheese is melted and 

the sauce is a uniform color.

Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta, and carefully

fold and stir the sauce into all the parts of the pan, 

covering all the pasta with cheese. 

Here I added some additional lump crab to the top 

of the mac n' cheese, just so when served it would 

seem extra decadent with crab lumps, and not just 

the crab pieces that go stirred into the sauce. 

Sprinkle with the reserved cheddar cheese, 

the crumbled bacon, and the buttered panko. 

Put in the oven to bake. 

I put a cookie sheet under the casserole dish, because the 

dish was so full, I did not want the cheese bubbling out of the pan

and making a mess in my oven. That way I caught the drips and 

oil before the mess occurred.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Recipe Source: Spicy Southern Kitchen

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
• 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste, I used 1/2 teaspoon
• 1 (16-ounce) box medium pasta shells cooked according to package directions
• 2 (5-ounce) cans Chicken of the Sea crab
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/3 cup Panko crumbs

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick pan. Remove, crumble, and set aside.
2. Add butter to grease in pan and cook onion until soft.
3. Add flour to pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
4. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
5. Stir in 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning. Set aside 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and stir remaining cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese in until melted.
6. Check for seasoning and add salt to taste.
7. Drain crab and stir into cheese mixture.
8. Place cooked pasta in a 9X13-inch casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce on top and mix.
9. Sprinkle reserved cheese on top along with bacon.
10. In a small bowl, stir together Panko crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle on top of mac and cheese.
11. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
12. Broil for 2-3 minutes (watching closely) to brown bread crumbs

French Chilled Asparagus Salad

The Dijon vinaigrette is drizzled over the tops of the 

asparagus and puddled on the plate.

The mound of asparagus in the middle of the plate

makes a pretty presentation, especially, if it is 

on a plate that contrasts with the green of the asparagus 

and the yellow of the Dijon vinaigrette.

My dear friend Marie from France, prepared this 

classic French chilled salad for me over 20 years ago!

It is one  of my favorite ways to enjoy asparagus.

It is refreshing and light, and is great served at the beginning or the end

of a meal. 

Serve this in spring, when you can get really good fresh, young,

tender and slim asparagus.  I find that the chubby asparagus

don't work as well for this dish.  The asparagus is just blanched, and 

so they are in and out of the boiling water so fast, and then immediately

submerged in ice water, that the very thin ones seem to work best. 

As Always,

ENJOY!

4 Servings

1 bunch fresh spring asparagus

Dijon vinaigrette

In a shallow pan or skillet bring to a boil, a half inch of water.  Place the trimmed asparagus in the pan, and blanch for 1 minute.  Immediately drain off the boiling water and submerge the asparagus in ice cold water.  Drain the asparagus on paper towels.  Place one portion of asparagus on a salad plate and drizzled with a few tablespoons of the Dijon vinaigrette.  Serve.

The asparagus can be prepared a few hours ahead, and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

The Dijon vinaigrette can also be prepared a few hours ahead and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

French Bubbles

At the end of a glorious holiday meal, why not serve something

spectacular!  This Haute Couture, French Bubbles, Limited Edition,

was the perfect thing to finish our French holiday meal!

Funny as it may seem, I happened to have two bottles of this in my 

wine collection, before our family even decided that we were going 

to pick France and French food for our Christmas Eve dinner.

I was delighted to have a special occasion to open the bottles, and who better

than family, to want to share this delicious bottle of French Bubbles with!

The bottle itself is quite beautiful and the contents was so delicious

and went down way to easy, I could have sipped it all night.

Looking forward to another year, and another amazing cuisine to 

prepare for our holiday!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Chocolate Mousse'

Serve in individual cups with Chantilly Cream 

and pistachio chocolate brittle.

A beautiful silver tray with meringues, is always
a lovely addition to a dessert course.

French Macaroons! Who can resist all the pretty pastel colors,
and interesting flavors, perfect with coffee and dessert!

Last but not least the dessert course of our holiday meal.
Thank you to my sister-in-law, Caroline, for preparing the mousse,and  this for
all of us to enjoy!  It was the perfect ending to our
glorious French meal.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe Source:  Paul Bocuse Simply Delicious

Serves 4-5

INGREDIENTS

4 1/2 oz. Bittersweet chocolate

2 Tbsp. softened butter

4 Tbsp. granulated sugar

4 eggs, seperated

Chocolate mousse should be prepared at least 2 hours before serving, but ideally it should be prepared at least 24 hours ahead.

At least an hour ahead of preparation, take the butter and eggs out of the refrigerator.

Break the chocolate into pieces.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over low heat. Stirring gently as they begin to melt.

Stir in the sugar, little by little.  When thick and creamy, pour the chocolate mixture into a large mixing bowl, and stir until it has cooled to lukewarm. Then stir in the egg yolks.

In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff.  Then slide them into the bowl with the chocolate, and fold them in using a spatula.

When the egg whites have been completely incorporated into the chocolate, place the mousse into the refrigerator.

When ready to serve, scoop into individual bowls, and top with chantilly cream and brittle or a cookie on the side.

Arugula, Brussel Sprout, Green Apple and Smoked Salmon Salad

An unusual combination, that is magnificent together!

After all the other foods of our holiday meal, the crisp textures, and bits of bitter, sour,

peppery and salty, all worked to refresh our palate, and ready us for a 

lovely cheese course.

I do love salad at the end of the meal, somehow it perks you up

from the meat and starches and veggies that are all hot and cooked.

The raw ingredients awaken the palate, and separate the courses

just enough to get ready for something else rich, whether that is 

cheese or dessert or both!

Thank you to my sister-in-law, Christina, for preparing this 

dish for our holiday meal!  I know she was happy to get this 

recipe to prepare, since it is gluten free!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Recipe Source:  Marches Francais by Brian Defehr and Pauline Boldt

1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more for water and seasoning

30 brussel sprouts, roughly 21 ounces

1 Granny Smith apple

7 oz. smoked salmon

6 Tbsp. plain whole milk yogurt

2 Tbsp. honey, plus more as needed

1/4 cup minced fresh chives or dill

juice of 1/4 lemon, plus more as needed

2 oz. arugula

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, trim and halve the brussel sprouts, lengthwise. Lower them into the boiling water and when it has come back to a boil, set a timer for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately put into an ice water bath for 1 minute, drain again, then finely slice and season with sea salt. 

Core the apple and slice it thinly along with the smoked salmon. In a bowl mix together yogurt, honey, chives and lemon juice, for the salad dressing. Place the brussel sprouts, apple, salmon and arugula in a large bowl, toss with the dressing, adding more honey, salt or lemon juice as needed.  This salad can be served slightly chilled or at room temperature.