Poussin

In the United Kingdom, poussin (or less common coquelet) is a term commonly used by butchers for a young chicken, less than 28 days old at slaughter and usually weighing 400-450 grams but not above 750g. It is sometimes also called spring chicken, although the term “spring chicken” usually refers to chickens weighing 750-900g.

Stateside, poussin is an alternative name for a small-sized [cross-breed] chicken called Rock Cornish game hen. Developed in the late 1950s, this breed is twice as old and twice as large as the typical British poussin.

Roast poussin with cumin-lime-herb butter, served with pan-fried potatoes, shallots and rosemary

Click here to view a large-sized version of this picture.

If you can’t get poussin at your local farmers’ market, substitute a Cornish game hen. You might have to adjust the cooking time however. Allow one poussin or Cornish game hen per person.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lime zest
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt
freshly milled black pepper
2 poussins
1/3 cup pinot gris or other white wine
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a small bowl stir together 2 tablespoons butter, parsley, lime zest, cumin, salt, and pepper until combined. Trim necks of poussins flush with bodies if necessary. Rinse birds inside and out and pat dry. Beginning at neck end of each bird, slide fingers between meat and skin to loosen skin, being careful not to tear the skin. Divide seasoned butter into 4 portions. Using a teaspoon put 1 portion of butter under skin of each breast half. Spread seasoned butter evenly under skin by pressing outside of skin with fingers. If desired, truss legs of each bird together with kitchen twine and secure wings to sides with toothpicks or skewers.

Arrange birds in a roasting pan or Pyrex baking dish just large enough to hold them. Melt remaining tablespoon butter. Brush butter onto birds; generously sprinkle with salt. Roast the poussin in the upper third of oven for 45 minutes, or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of the inner thigh registers 170 F.

Transfer birds to a platter and loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Add wine to roasting pan and deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Gradually whisk in the butter cubes. Reduce over moderate heat until sauce thickens slightly. Check seasoning.

Serve poussins with sauce.

The potatoes were 6 Ozette potatoes and one large shallot, peeled and sliced, fried in unsalted butter over medium-high heat, then finished with sea salt and rosemary leaves.

A Farewell to Summer

I know, I know…it’s early November. I have no business posting anything about summer knee-deep in autumn.

Migliorelli had some beautiful plum tomatoes for about $1.60 a pound. I bought three or four pounds fully intending to make some of Marcella’s tomato sauce later in the week but this post on Mouthfulsfood gave me other ideas.

Tomato risotto

Click here for a closeup version of this picture.

Le Chevrier Vert

I rarely cook from recipes unless it’s something I’ve never made before. Then I’ll make it once or twice to get the technique down pat before venturing out on my own. I own a very limited set of cookbooks — 23 at last count. I use them primarily for reference, occasionally as inspiration. Once in a while I’ll prepare something lifted straight from their pages. I find that it’s best when you’ve cooked something that you’ve devised from the ground up. Besides, it’s seriously useful when you’re building your repertoire. There’s a quiet confidence that develops when you can gaze on a basket of food and call to mind ideas for the evening’s menu.

Technique is the most important element when it comes to cooking, in my opinion. Once you’re able to master something, the world becomes an open book.

And of course, nothing is more gratifying than cooking something from scratch and having it come together without a hitch.

Shelled flageolet beans

Le Chevrier vert, also known as the flageolet bean, was first obtained by a French grower named Gabriel Chevrier sometime in the late 19th century. This bean is set apart by its green color, which it holds onto even after the bean has dried in the pod. Though it is technically a white-seeded bean, it possesses the ability to retain chlorophyll much longer than other beans. It maintains its pale green shade even after cooking.

Flavor wise, the bean is creamy, delicate and slightly starchy. It tends to absorb and intensify the flavor of food it has been cooked with. Flageolets are best cooked simply with aromatics such as carrots, leeks and onion in chicken or vegetable stock, or in cassoulet.

Tomato Season 7

Pan-glazed heirloom tomato salad served over roasted fingerling potatoes

Click here and here for high-resolution versions of these pictures.

* * *

When I began foodblogging in earnest, I decided that I wanted to have a vegetable-focused foodblog without making the crossover to vegetarianism. I like chicken, butter and eggs too much to ever consider giving them up entirely. That being said, these days I eat much less red meat than I used to, although I won’t say no to a nice piece of steak every now and then.

Dinner menu for Sunday, October 4, 2009:

Peperonata and zucchini omelette
Heirloom tomato salad served over roasted fingerling potatoes — (see recipe below)
2006 Anthony Road Pinot Gris (Finger Lakes, New York)
Fromage blanc with ginger-lemon confiture

Gnocchi 5

Gnocchi has a permanent place in my repertoire. On average, I have it once or twice every six weeks. I usually make ricotta gnocchi because it’s lighter and lends itself to more dishes than the usual potato kind. There are variants made with chestnuts, semolina and corn meal but these are less-known, not to mention I’m unfamiliar with a couple of them.

Ricotta gnocchi with corn and heirloom tomatoes

Click here for a high-resolution version of this picture.

Recipe and demo after the jump.

Cauliflower 1

To most people, cauliflower is decidedly boring. It’s not sexy compared to say, tomatoes or corn. I seriously doubt that it springs to mind when you ask someone what his or her favorite vegetable is.

“Cheese” cauliflower — By the way, this picture hasn’t been photoshopped. That’s the way it really looks, hence the name cheese cauliflower.

Roasting cauliflower changes its flavor to something approaching French fries. It’s an easy way to persuade someone to eat a vegetable that he or she might not normally consume. Once you cook it this way, you’ll be sorry you hadn’t bought more than one head. It’s pretty amazing.

One head cauliflower
4 T. extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375 F. Break apart cauliflower. The smaller the florets, the better. You want the florets to be of similarly uniform size, so that the cauliflower cooks evenly. Drizzle olive oil over cauliflower; sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat. Roast for 45 minutes or until cauliflower has caramelized and turns golden brown. Let cool slightly, then serve immediately.

Discussion on eGullet can be found here.

Cheese cauliflower with heirloom tomatoes and beets
Here, I’ve paired roasted cauliflower with chopped heirloom tomatoes and roasted beets, along with black mustard seeds, sea salt, olive oil and chopped parsley.

Carpe Diem

This is my favorite time of year, foodwise. So many wonderful things are available at the market this time of year. The thin, light meals of summer give way to heartier fare that autumn demands. Yet, there is still time to savor the fruits of late summer before the first chill makes its presence felt.

Heirloom tomato and stone fruit salad

Click here for a high-resolution version of this picture.

For this salad, choose a variety of tomatoes and pair them with plums and peaches. Apricots and nectarines are also good choices, if available. Season lightly with sea salt or fleur de sel; dress with lime juice, mint and extra-virgin olive oil and serve at once.

Tomato Season 5

Slow cooking concentrates the flavor of late-summer tomatoes so that no other seasonings, not even salt, are needed in the final product.

Preheat the oven to 200 F.

Slice plum tomatoes in half and arrange them, cut side up, in a Pyrex roasting dish or cookie sheet. Lightly sprinkle each with a mixture of kosher salt and cracked black pepper. You can if you wish, add dried herbs like thyme, oregano or basil. Go easy on them, however. Drizzle each tomato half with 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil.

Roast the tomatoes for 8 to 10 hours. When done, use as desired in pasta, omelettes, as a tomato sauce or as confit.

Click here for a high-resolution version of this picture.

The danger with this dish is that you’ll make too few, as I did. I solved that problem by whipping up a batch of pasta. Next time — and there will be a next time, probably next weekend — I’ll make triple this recipe and freeze the whole thing so I can enjoy them during the winter.

Penne with slow-roasted plum tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, tomato oil and herbs

Saturday Market

You can definitely tell that autumn is on the threshold.

There’s a chill in the air; carpe diem while you can.

Yellow plum tomatoes

Golden nugget potatoes

Apples

Tomatoes and Oysters

Back before Mario Batali became a big star on The Food Network, he owned a restaurant named Po, located on Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village. One of Chef Batali’s signature offerings was white bean bruschetta — cannellini beans kissed with a touch of garlic, balsamic vinegar and herbs and spooned atop hunks of toasted Italian bread. I remember having dinner there shortly after my 25th birthday. It was the first time I had had bruschetta, and it was a taste revelation.

According to Wikipedia, bruschetta is a food the origin of which dates to at least the 15th century from central Italy. It consists of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Variations may include toppings of spicy red pepper, tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, and/or cheese. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer.

One of the more familiar and popular recipes involves tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil. For myself, I prefer tomatoes, salt, pepper, some kind of herb (mint, tarragon, basil or even celery leaves), some acid (a teaspoon or two of white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or lemon juice), shallots or Vidalia onion and good quality extra-virgin olive oil. No cheese — I feel it throws off the balance of the dish. Ditto for garlic.

One other thing — when you make bruschetta, you should strive to use the best and freshest ingredients possible. You’ll definitely taste the difference in the end.

Heirloom tomato bruschetta

Click here to view a high-resolution version of this picture.

3 small to medium ripe heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
pinch of kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon mint, cut into a chiffonade (1)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Italian bread or sourdough bread, sliced

In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the bread. Mix well.

Toast the bread until lightly golden. Spoon the tomato mixture atop the toast and serve immediately.

(1) — Chiffonade is a cooking technique in which herbs or leafy green vegetables are cut into long, thin strips. This is generally accomplished by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, then cutting across the rolled leaves with a sharp knife, producing fine ribbons.

Recipe and demo for the oyster stew after the jump.