FFwD: M. Jacques Armagnac Chicken

m. jacques armagnac chicken

Hey, it’s the first French Fridays with Dorie of 2012 (for me, anyway)! And this week….M. Jacques Armagnac Chicken. This is a pretty easy and delicious weeknight dinner. I typically prefer roasted-type birds with golden, crackly skin, but to its credit, this was one helluva moist bird. And, with the new year’s resolutions and all, it’s probably best to not be tempted to eat all that tasty, golden, crackly skin.

Notes:

1. My bird was about 2.75 pounds and I roasted it for 55 minutes. It came out perfectly done and super moist.
2. I used a mix of gold, red and purple potatoes and two rosemary sprigs (no thyme).
3. I added garlic to the pot (duh).
4. I only had fairly cheap brandy. I used that, although, I did contemplate using some marsala wine instead. The cheap brandy seemed to work fine.
5. I wish I had salted . . . → Read More: FFwD: M. Jacques Armagnac Chicken

Cranberry-Molasses Glazed Turkey

Cranberry Molasses Glazed Turkey

I’d like to begin this post by admitting that I am turkey-challenged. It’s the one thing that I can’t seem to have come out right, ever…until now. Yes, I devoted a whole weekend in December to finding a turkey recipe that I could make and have work. And while this one wasn’t perfect, (it wasn’t quite as moist as I was hoping for — that was my own fault for not checking it about 10 minutes earlier), it was pretty damn good.

It was the moistest turkey I’ve ever made (yes, I realize that’s not saying a lot). But, seriously, I almost can’t wait until next Thanksgiving to pop this one out of the kitchen to cheers and gasps of amazement. Even jwa, who is not a big fan of turkey, thought this was “pretty good.” Hey, I’ll take it.

And the sauce. Oh my . . . → Read More: Cranberry-Molasses Glazed Turkey

Braised Chicken with Tomatillos and Jalapenos

Braised Chicken

It seems like I hardly ever sit around on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon anymore and watch cooking shows. I used to do that all the time. Now, meh. I should really try to get back in the habit of doing that, as I feel like I’ve been in a little bit of a food rut lately.

Now this recipe…this is what happens when I actually see something on a cooking show and right then, go out and get what I need to make it. Except, in this case, I forgot limes. Thankfully, I found an orange in the fridge that I used as a substitute. And, although I think that limes would work really well in this recipe (duh), I have to admit, the orange was quite nice. A little sweeter, but it complimented the tomatillos and jalapeno well.

Plus, this is seriously some braising . . . → Read More: Braised Chicken with Tomatillos and Jalapenos

FFwD: Twenty Minute Honey-Glazed Duck Breasts

Duck Breasts

I have really been looking forward to this week’s French Fridays with Dorie as I love duck and I hardly ever cook it at home. I had no idea it could come together so quickly. Although, I think the reason I never make duck at home is that a). it seems expensive — my frozen duck breast was about 1lb and $14 and b.) jwa’s not crazy about duck. But, I made this anyway (haha!) and he liked it and so did I.

Notes:
1. I sliced the breast in half before cooking, figuring it would cook a little faster (more in line with the directions). So, each piece was about 8 oz.
2. I did the 8 minutes on the skin side and then let them go for about 4.5 minutes on the 2nd side and I got nicely medium-rare duck.
3. A splatter screen was a really . . . → Read More: FFwD: Twenty Minute Honey-Glazed Duck Breasts

Perfect for Fall: Moroccan Chicken Pot Pies

Moroccan Chicken Pot Pie

The flavor of these chicken pot pies is really deep and delightful and I took the advice of a lot of the posters on epicurious and doubled up on the spices. I also opted to use puff pastry as I had some in the freezer and this seemed like as good of a use as any. These turned out so well that I made then twice in one month.

As with any topping application of puff pastry, I’ve learned it give it a few minutes head start on a baking sheet, then flip it over and top it on whatever it’s a lid for. You only need to bite through uncooked, doughy puff pastry once before you develop a workaround.

This is like a really fragrant, tasty tagine topped with puffy, golden dough. How could it not be delicious?

Moroccan Chicken Pot Pies
Recipe adapted . . . → Read More: Perfect for Fall: Moroccan Chicken Pot Pies