ROAST CHICKEN WITH GARLIC CROUTONS

From the French Farmhouse Cook Book, by Susan Hermann Loomis

Ingredients:

10 half slices sourdough bread

3 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 chicken, 3 1/2 - 4 lb, with giblets

1 T cognac, whiskey, or marsala

1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper

Thyme, optional

Ingredients for a caesar salad

Methodology:

Heat the oven to 450°F.

Remove the giblets, place the liver in a small ramekin on a baking sheet, cover with 1 T liquor, and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Place the chicken breast up in a roasting pan.  Squeeze the lemon into the cavity and tie the legs together.  Add the chicken neck.  Roast for 30 minutes.

Spread the bread out on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.  Remove from the oven, cool until it's not too hot to touch, and rub the garlic cloves on both sides of each slice of bread.

Cut the bread into large pieces (4-6 pieces per slice).  Remove chicken from oven, and spread bread pieces around and under chicken (lifting temporarily with tongs).  Roast an additional 20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh.

Remove the chicken, drizzle the croutons with the juices and stir around the pan, scraping up any stuck bits from the bottom of the pan.  Roast an additional 20 minutes, pouring over any remaining juices from the chicken after 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, drizzle over any remaining juices.

Serve with a sharply-dressed caesar salad.

BISCUITS

From CM, via the Secret Family Cookbook

This recipe makes enough to fit into an 8" square glass pan, to serve two or three people.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c flour

1/4 t salt

2 1/4 t baking powder

1/4 c butter, cut into small cubes

~3/4 c milk or buttermilk

Methodology:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. 

Whisk dry ingredients together.  Add the butter pieces, toss to cover in flour, then rub into the flour mixture with your fingers until no chunks remain.  Stir in the liquid.  More may be necessary if using buttermilk.  The dough should be sticky.

Turn out on a well-floured surface, flour the top surface, and knead once or twice before patting out to 3/4" thick.  Cut with a well-floured round cutter (or slice into square biscuits using a sharp, well-floured knife) and place into an 8" glass baking dish (no preparation of the pan is necessary).

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Serve with butter, jam and honeycomb, or with sausage or bacon gravy.

CORNBREAD

From Creme de la Crumb

Here is a 6-muffin recipe, see below for 1 8x8 pan or 12 muffin amounts

This amount will make ~10 waffles in a min-waffle maker.

Ingredients:

2/3 c flour

1/3 c cornmeal

3 T sugar

1 1/2 t baking powder

3/8 t salt

1 t mesquite flour

1/3 c olive oil or (melted butter (5 1/3 T))

100 ml milk

2 T greek yoghurt

1 egg

Methodology:

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease muffin wells.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Whisk wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk to combine.

Transfer to pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

12-muffin or 8 x 8 pan amounts:

1 1/3 c flour

2/3 c cornmeal

1/4 + 2 T sugar

1 T baking powder

5/8 t salt

1 T mesquite flour

1/3 c olive oil (or 1/3 c (5.5 T) butter, melted)

200 ml milk (2/3 + 1/6 c)

1/4 c greek yoghurt

2 eggs

Increase baking time to 40 minutes for 8 x 8 pan.

CREPES

From The French Farmhouse Cookbook, by Susan Hermann Loomis

Ingredients:

3 large eggs

1/4 t salt

2 1/2 c (625 ml) milk, divided

1 t vanilla

1 3/4 c (230 g) flour

Butter, to cook

Methodology:

Mix the eggs and salt in a stand mixer on medium until well broken-up.

Add 1 c milk and vanilla, and mix again.

Add the flour and mix until combined, stopping to scrape down the bowl when necessary.  Once the batter is smooth, add the remaining milk and mix until smooth.  Rest for half an hour, or up to overnight.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then turn down to low.  Butter lightly.  Pour a thin layer of batter into the skillet, swirling it to coat the pan bottom completely.  Once the edges begin to crisp and dry, flip carefully and cook another minute, or until pale brown spots appear on the underside of the crêpe.

Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve warm, with whipped cream, raspberry jam, and fresh fruit.