French Fun with Da and Lexi

Da and I were feeling the cooking mojo today and spent the whole day in the kitchen.

Today's menu:

Stuffed Chicken Roulade

Risotto with White Wine Reduction Sauce

Saute Green Beans with Almonds

Shaved Salad

Crestini with Goat Cheese, Pesto & tomato

Cinnamon Apple Upside Down Cake

Blanch the green beans in 2/3 water, 1/3 chicken stock and a small palm full of coarse salt.

Drain when the beans are al dente.

Saute beans in two pads butter, add slivered almonds, saute 1-2 minutes more tossing constantly in pan. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Risotto - add 3 pads butter and 1 turn olive oil to hot skillet. Add arborio rice to mixture and saute in pan until butter is foaming. Add warm chicken stock to pan until arborio rice is covered. Stir constantly until liquid is absorbed. The risotto will not be cooked through at this point... Add more stock and continue in this fashion until rice is cooked through and sauce is creamy. Serve with chicken and white wine sauce over top. (white wine sauce in early post)

Chicken roulade - start with a fully deboned chicken. Pat inside and outside of chicken dry and season with French thyme, S&P. Add stuffing of preferance, close back and sew closed.
Turn chicken over and truss working from the center out in order to create a uniform log.

Place in a casserol (create a trivet on the bottom with carrots, celery and onion.)

Preheat oven to 450. Cook for 15minutes at this temp and baste every 5min with a mixture of melted butter and olive oil.

Reduce heat to 350 and continue to baste ever 15min until bird reaches between 150-160 degrees.

Remove from oven, turn out into a metal bowl with breast facing down, tent with foil and allow to sit. The temp will continue to rise until the core temp is 170 degrees and juices will redistribute to the meat. (Allowing to sit for 5-10 minutes will ensure the meat is tender and juicy).
Turn out onto a platter and slice in thin rounds.
Use innards from deboned chicken to create a rich chicken broth to cook rice stuffing and risotto and/or other soups and dishes for future dinners.
Simmer slowly for at least a few hours if not all day.
For the stuffing finely dice carrots, celery, onion, and rehydrate dried morels (mushrooms).

Add butter and olive oil in a hot pan, add long grain rice and saute until butter is foaming then add the vegetables and saute until fragrant.
Add chicken stock, bring to a boil and the cover and reduce heat. Simmer until rice is cooked through. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before stuffing bird.
For shaved salad (recipe in previous post). Slice vegetables as thinly as possible. Toss in dressing and then serve with shaved Parmesan Reggiano and parsley as a garnish.

Pesto - start with fresh basil, resh pine nuts, Parmesan Reggiano, garlic, lemon juice, and high quality olive oil.
Blend all ingredients in a high powered mixer until smooth.
Crestini - slice day old bread very thin.
Brush with olive oil and Italian spices of choice.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until crispy, but not burnt.
Top crestini with soft goat cheese, a dollop of pesto and a half of a grape tomato.