Roast Chicken with Lemon and Sage

 

from Gourmet – Julia Child
via Anne Halsted
serves 8 (generously)

 

One 7 to 8-pound roasting chicken

salt and pepper

6 fresh sage leaves (or 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon)

1 large lemon, cut into ¼ inch slices

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

⅔ cup (or so) roughly chopped carrots and onions

roasting pan with a v-shaped roasting rack

2 tablespoons minced shallots

⅓ cup dry white wine

⅔ cup chicken stock

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Rinse chicken thoroughly, inside and out, under hot water. Then dry it with paper towels. Remove any lumps of fat from inside the cavity near the tail opening. To make carving easier, you may remove the wishbone. Then trim the small bony protrusions (“nubbins”) from the wing tip joint. Fold the wings up under the breast, where they will be held in place by the v-rack.

Salt and pepper the cavity and place the sage leaves and 3 or 4 lemon slices inside. Give the slices a squeeze as you put them in. Rub the butter over the entire chicken skin, top and bottom, salt generously.

Tie the ends of the drumsticks together with twine. Place the chicken in the rack breast side up. Squeeze the remaining lemon pieces over the top. Set the pan in the oven. After 20 minutes, lower the heat to 375 degrees and roast for another hour and a half or longer. When the chicken begins to brown rapidly (about 30 minutes), baste with accumulated pan juices. Add the onions and carrots, continuing to baste every 20 minutes or so. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the inner thigh registers 180 degrees.

When done, remove from the oven and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. Let rest for 15 minutes until carving. Spoon fat off the top of the pan juices. Place the roasting pan on a stove burner over medium heat. Add de-fatted pan juices and shallots and stir for a minute until sizzling. Pour in wine and the stock and heat rapidly to a simmer scraping up all the glazed bits in the pan. Cook briefly until the liquid is slightly syrupy. Strain into a saucepan. Keep cooking until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve chicken, passing sauce separately.

Tuscan Herb Mixture(Herbe Toscane)

 

from Judy Witts Francini
via Mary and Dick Lonergan

 

1 bunch fresh rosemary, leaves removed from branches

1 bunch fresh sage, leaves removed from branches

4 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thickly

sea salt

 

Put rosemary, sage, and garlic together on a cutting board and chop using a sharp chef’s knife or mezzaluna. As you chop, sprinkle generously with salt. You may need 3 to 4 tablespoons. The salt absorbs the moisture and also preserves the flavor and fragrance. It will dry the herbs and prevent mold from forming. Spread out the herbs and let them dry overnight. When they are dry you can put them in a jar.

You can create blends for other uses: marjoram, oregano, fennel seeds, thyme, etc. Anne Halsted often made an herb salt mixture much like this one from the herbs in her garden in Glen Ellen and had been known to give jars of it as gifts. It was often coveted as her herb salt mixture could be used on most any type of dish.

 

Herbed Pork Filet Baked in Bread(Filetto de Maiale in Crosta)

 

from Judy Witts Francini
via Mary and Dick Lonergan

 

1 pork tenderloin

1 bunch fresh sage, leaves removed from branches

1 baguette

Tuscan herb mixture

olive oil

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice baguette open leaving attached on one side. Remove excess bread from the inside, making a shell for the pork. Drizzle the inside with olive oil and sprinkle with the Tuscan herb mixture. Place the pork filet inside, trimming to fit. Close the baguette around the filet. Place on a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle generously with olive oil and close foil around the filet. Bake until done – about 50 minutes, depending on size of filet. You can open foil slightly to test with an instant-read thermometer inserted into meat. Remove from oven when meat is about 170 degrees. Allow to rest 10 minutes (meat will continue to cook).

Serve in 3-inch slices, cut side up.

This is also good with turkey tenderloin or other meats. If you have any leftover the next day, separate the meat from the bread. Slice the meat to serve at room temperature and warm the bread in the oven.

This recipe seems to impress people because of its simplicity – much easier than “en croute” or Wellington and very moist and tasty.

1999 Recipe List

** Individual recipe links coming soon! **

In the meantime, recipes can be located using the year tabs above.

SAUCES AND STARTERS

Walnut Sauce

Eggplant Puree

Green Sauce (Salsa Verde)

Tuscan Herb Mixture (Herbe Toscane)

Pear, Pecorino and Arugula Salad

November Soup

SIDE DISHES

Roast Chicken with Lemon and Sage

Poached Salmon with Leeks and Asparagus

Herbed Pork Filet Baked in Bread (Filetto di Maiale in Crosta)

Portuguese Fish Stew (Red Snapper in Tomato Broth with Potatoes and Herbs)

MAIN DISHES

Eggplant Custard Gratin (Gratin d’Augergines)

Jean’s Provinçal Tomato Sauce

Roast Vegetables (Verdure Arrostite)

Sweet and Sour Onions (Cipolline Agro-Dolce)

Potato “Risotto”

Lemon Risotto

Corn Cakes

DESSERTS

Chris’ Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce