Post by TasunkaWitko on Apr 29, 2010 18:01:46 GMT -5
Poulet a Quarante Gousses D'Ail (Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic)
NOTE - i tried posting pictures, but had no success. if you would like to see the components of this recipe and a picture of the finished product, you can click here.
This is a French provincial or country-style recipe, meaning it's a plain farmers' recipe; nothing fancy here, just awesome, sweet and buttery flavor. When I prepared this, I tried a couple of additions to the original recipe: first, I added a couple of sprigs of fresh French tarragon in the cavity and on the bird. This was a good addition that definitely added great flavor. Next, after browning the chicken, I sautéed a couple of sliced shallots and de-glazed the pan with some wine (broth also works), then reduced those down with a few bits of bacon scraps left over from the morning's breakfast. When it reduced down to about 2/3-3/4 cup, I then poured it over the chicken.
Results were beyond description. The chicken looked perfect, smelled perfect and tasted better than that. 40 cloves of garlic are exactly right, not over-powering. The toasted, crusty pane siciliano bread was buttered and the garlic paste from the unpeeled cloves was squeezed out onto the bread for a very good garlic toast that was even better when used to sop up the juices that were spooned on the chicken. Every bit of the chicken exploded with tender, juicy flavor and I cannot imagine a better way to serve a whole chicken after trying this. Serve with roasted potatoes and sliced pears.
Here is the recipe:
Preheat oven to 375 F; put 4 garlic cloves, 3 sprigs thyme, 1 sprig of rosemary and 1 bay leaf in cavity of chicken, then tie the legs together and fold the wings underneath. Heat a good splash of olive oil in a heavy pan and quickly brown whole chicken on all sides; top, bottom etc.
Put chicken into a deep casserole with lid and sprinkle the remaining garlic on and around bird. Pour remaining oil from browning over the whole chicken. Toss remaining herbs on and around it, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and put lid on. Seal seam well with tinfoil and scrunch it up tight. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Do not open oven for any reason; have a beer, watch TV, read a book.
Remove casserole from oven and set on stove for at least 10 minutes - DO NOT OPEN. Meanwhile, toast the crusty bread. When toasted, put in basket, carve chicken and serve. Squeeze the deliciously soft garlic onto the buttered and crusty toasted bread and enjoy the chicken.
NOTE - i tried posting pictures, but had no success. if you would like to see the components of this recipe and a picture of the finished product, you can click here.
This is a French provincial or country-style recipe, meaning it's a plain farmers' recipe; nothing fancy here, just awesome, sweet and buttery flavor. When I prepared this, I tried a couple of additions to the original recipe: first, I added a couple of sprigs of fresh French tarragon in the cavity and on the bird. This was a good addition that definitely added great flavor. Next, after browning the chicken, I sautéed a couple of sliced shallots and de-glazed the pan with some wine (broth also works), then reduced those down with a few bits of bacon scraps left over from the morning's breakfast. When it reduced down to about 2/3-3/4 cup, I then poured it over the chicken.
Results were beyond description. The chicken looked perfect, smelled perfect and tasted better than that. 40 cloves of garlic are exactly right, not over-powering. The toasted, crusty pane siciliano bread was buttered and the garlic paste from the unpeeled cloves was squeezed out onto the bread for a very good garlic toast that was even better when used to sop up the juices that were spooned on the chicken. Every bit of the chicken exploded with tender, juicy flavor and I cannot imagine a better way to serve a whole chicken after trying this. Serve with roasted potatoes and sliced pears.
Here is the recipe:
- 1 roasting chicken
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
40 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Crusty bread
Preheat oven to 375 F; put 4 garlic cloves, 3 sprigs thyme, 1 sprig of rosemary and 1 bay leaf in cavity of chicken, then tie the legs together and fold the wings underneath. Heat a good splash of olive oil in a heavy pan and quickly brown whole chicken on all sides; top, bottom etc.
Put chicken into a deep casserole with lid and sprinkle the remaining garlic on and around bird. Pour remaining oil from browning over the whole chicken. Toss remaining herbs on and around it, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and put lid on. Seal seam well with tinfoil and scrunch it up tight. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Do not open oven for any reason; have a beer, watch TV, read a book.
Remove casserole from oven and set on stove for at least 10 minutes - DO NOT OPEN. Meanwhile, toast the crusty bread. When toasted, put in basket, carve chicken and serve. Squeeze the deliciously soft garlic onto the buttered and crusty toasted bread and enjoy the chicken.
