Kitchen Conundrum

Chicken Liver Gâteaux with Pickled Onions- French Fridays with Dorie

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It’s time for French Fridays with Dorie!

I’m not going to lie. I was really apprehensive about this recipe. Like, horrified and a bit disgusted actually. Don’t get me wrong, I love pâté, rillettes and foie gras.  But usually,  someone else has prepared it before I enjoyed it. I feel as though some things should be left to the professionals (or less queasy cooks!)- and strange parts with gooey, slimy consistencies fit that bill. I am more than happy to savor pâté with a great bottle of wine after it’s been prepared- pre-packaged, bought at the market, removed from it’s container and plated. Voilà! That, I can handle!

Some things I just don’t want to know how they transformed into something edible.

But, because I never (well almost never) turn down a challenge, I dove into the world of offal- well, not really dove, but rather, waded into the shallow end.  Yes, liver is considered an offal, right along with sweetbreads and calves brain. (shudder!)

Dorie’s chicken liver gateaux with pickled onions only seems intimidating. It is actually really simple to make.

The thinly sliced pickled onions can be used with the pâté or to garnish a salad separately.

Chicken Liver Gateaux with Pickled Onions

 

I thought that the spices that were needed for the pickling liquid were on the meek side so I added more cloves and black pepper. This seemed to do the trick. The pickled onions are quite tangy yet flavorful.

While the onions simmered, the liver was prepared. I could not muster enough strength and courage vigor to do the cleaning, so Ari graciously de-veined and de-greened them for me. He remarked as his hands were covered in goo, “I can do this, but I can’t watch Grey’s Anatomy”.  Go figure.

Chicken Liver Gateaux with Pickled Onions

 

This recipe could not have been easier. Whiz everything up in the food processor and transfer to ramekins for baking in a nice, hot water bath.

Chicken Liver Gateaux with Pickled Onions

 

After three quarters of an hour, they are done. Just plate and serve.

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Despite my initial hesitation at making this, I took a bite and it was… DELICIOUS!  Wow! I was so surprised! Happy that it worked out so well! I would gladly make this again for a dinner party or special occasion. The best part is, it’s a very inexpensive dish that looks and tastes expensive. I was able to purchase almost 2lbs of fresh livers for just over $2! A bargain!

So, I made the offal and it wasn’t awful! (lol) I may foray into the deep end soon.

Unfortunately, I cannot share the recipe- but you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! The January recipes are posted on the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

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Long and Slow Apples- French Fridays with Dorie

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Long Slow ApplesAs you know from my post yesterday, I just discovered what I had been missing for the past couple of years and how I am jumping in at the last minute to play French Fridays with Dorie where bloggers cook through her award-winning book, Around My French Table.

I am thrilled that my first assignment is dessert. Long and slow apples. This simple, elegant dessert has a very modest ingredient list, in sharp contrast to the lengthy baking time – four hours to be exact.

Slicing the apples as thinly as possible (with a mandoline or slicer) is the key to achieving the delicateness of this sweet, luscious dessert.

The apple slices are layered  in ramekins and brushed with melted butter and spiced sugar. They are then baked at a low heat for all those hours, yielding the most tender, juiciest, sweetest bites of velvety goodness.

Long and slow. The best things in life are worth the wait. And these apples are no exception.

Unfortunately, I cannot print the recipe- but you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. There are just three weeks of January recipes posted on the FFWD site and I am not sure how many, if any, recipes are left in their entire schedule. But, even after their regimen ends, I plan to keep on going and cook from the book and post on Fridays until I have completed them.  Or at least until the end of 2013. Consider it my resolution.

Buy the book:

greenspan

frenchfridayswithdorie16

 

Kitchen On the Road- Camino de Santiago- Burgos and an Oven Baked Lamb Recipe

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Mention Burgos and most Spaniard’s mouths begin to water at the thought of the infamous lamb made there.  Considered to be the best in Spain, the local lamb, known as Lechazo, are suckling lamb from the Churra, Castellana or Ojalada breeds. Because the Lechazo is such a special lamb product, they are actually protected by an Indication of Geographic Protection designation -Association of Assadores de Lechazo de Castilla y Leon.  The tradition and skill involved in perfectly roasting this suckling lamb is an esteemed ability that is shared by the members of the Roasters Association of Lechazo from Castile-Leon, who are located all over the country. So if you get to dine in one of their restaurants,  you know there will be some seriously good eating!

The method of cooking for these young lambs is slow roasting them in a wood fired oven. The low, slow heat yields an incredibly tender meat that is very succulent and exceedingly delicious. If you are passing through the region of Castilla y Leon for any reason, you must try some of this lamb. The best part?  It’s perfectly acceptable to eat it with your hands- the meat closest to the bone just begs to be sucked off.

While in Burgos, my Camino friends and I enjoyed a fabulously carnivorous meal at Restaurant Ricon de Espana just off the main square.  We also enjoyed a few bottles of  the Tempranillo seen here. Oh, and dessert? It got a thumbs up.

And while you are in Burgos, be sure to stop into the cathedral. Even if you are not religious, it’s a massive, magnificent Gothic-style building.  Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984, it is the only Spanish cathedral that has this distinction independently without being joined to the historic center of the city. You can spend hours just wandering around the inside looking at all the stone carvings and beautiful relics.

Now, I don’t have a wood fired oven…yet. (It’s on the list!)  But you can easily recreate the tenderness of this meat in your home oven or for that wood fired taste, you can use your grill.  The recipe here is for using your oven for the slow roasting. It takes some time so pop a cork and sit back and relax with a good book. Dinner will be served “soon”.

Kitchen Conundrum’s Slow Roasted Suckling Lamb Recipe
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Meat, Dinner, Lamb
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 11-15lb Suckling Lamb (Also called a Spring Lamb, no more than 4-6 months old. Bone-in. (Also can use a leg or shoulder))
  • 5-8 cloves Garlic (Peeled and smashed into a paste)
  • 3 large sprigs Thyme (Leaves chopped and combined with the garlic paste above)
  • Salt (To season)
  • Olive Oil (To drizzle)
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Rinse the lamb and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut into manageable pieces. Rub the garlic and thyme paste all over each piece of the lamb. Place in a large oven proof dish. In Spain, they use a clay dish- so if you have one in your cupboard, now is the perfect chance to use it! Season each piece with salt and drizzle with olive oil. In the bottom of the pan add a bit of water- no more than ½".
  3. Place the lamb in the hot oven. After 15-20 minutes, or once the lamb is a nice golden color, reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Roast for 1 hour.
  4. At this time, remove the lamb from the oven and turn each piece over. Add some more water (just a little!) if needed so as not to totally dry out the pan. You basically want to steam around the meat until the last few minutes of cooking. Return the lamb back into the oven to continue roasting.
  5. Once the lamb has reached a desired internal temperature, it is ready to serve. For medium rare meat the thermometer should read 120 degrees F. For medium well, 145 degrees F is the magic number. The meat should be tender and flake easily from the bone with a fork.
  6. Serve with a rich, velvety red wine like a Rioja, Priorat, Zinfandel, or Cabernet Sauvignon. (I'd go with one of the first two, keeping with the Spanish theme- but that's just my opinion!)
  7. Serve with a simple salad or roasted potatoes. This is truly a carnivore's delight.