Tuesday Recipes

Here are today's six recipes. Enjoy!

SALT-AND-PEPPER ROAST CHICKEN

This comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times' Cooking e-newsletter. Melissa writes, “Calling for just four ingredients – chicken, salt, pepper and whatever herbs you have around – this is a recipe for roast chicken at its simplest and best. The method is fairly straightforward. You season the bird, then roast it at high heat until the skin is bronzed and crisp and the flesh juicy. If you have time to season the chicken ahead, you should; it makes a difference in flavor. And bear in mind, if you have the kind of oven that starts smoking at high heat, you can cook your bird at 400 degrees instead of 450, though you’ll need an extra 5 to 20 minutes to get it done.” Makes 4 servings.

To view this recipe, as well as a great guide on roasting chicken, written by Melissa Clark, click here. Very thorough!

Ingredients

1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken, patted dry

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

Small bunch mixed herbs, such as rosemary, thyme and sage

Preparation

Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. If you have time, refrigerate the chicken, uncovered, for an hour, or overnight.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan or large ovenproof skillet. Stuff cavity with herbs and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. (If you don’t have twine, leave the legs as they are.)

Roast 50 minutes, then baste chicken with pan juices. Continue roasting until chicken's juices run clear when skin is pierced with a knife, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Tips: (by Melissa Clark)

“Now that you know the basics of roasting a chicken, here are some suggestions for how to serve it:

“Try a side sauce. Aioli, béarnaise sauce, salsa verde, romesco sauce, chimichurri, and make-ahead gravy can be prepared in advance, and transform a simple roast chicken into a something a little more special. Even a dollop of Dijon mustard does wonders here.

“Serve your chicken directly on top of a pile of watercress, baby kale, tatsoi, arugula, or other tender, dark greens that have been sprinkled with lemon juice and dusted with salt. The heat of the bird will wilt some of the greens while others remain crisp, and the hot chicken fat makes an instant dressing once it mixes with the lemon juice.

“Substitute hot toasted bread for the watercress or greens, above. The hot chicken fat makes these croutons exquisite.”

GREEN GODDESS ROASTED CHICKEN

This also comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times' Cooking e-newsletter. Here, Melissa writes, “Green Goddess dressing — a creamy, piquant blend of herbs, garlic and anchovies — is good to eat on salad. And it’s wonderful as a dipping sauce for vegetables. But its best use may be as a marinade for roast chicken. The mild chicken absorbs all the zippy flavors of the dressing, to emerge from the oven fragrant and golden, flecked with green. To intensify the herbal flavor, some of the green goddess mixture is set aside to use as a sauce. You could even pour a little on a salad or some vegetables on the side, and enjoy the best of all the Green Goddess variations in one savory bite.” Makes 4 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt

1 cup packed basil leaves

1/4 cup packed chives

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 anchovy fillets (optional)

1 scallion, white and green parts

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 (4- to 5-pound) chicken, halved through the breast and back bones, patted dry with paper towels

1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preparation

In a blender, purée buttermilk, basil, chives, garlic, anchovies (if using), scallion, lime zest and juice, salt and pepper until smooth.

Put chicken halves in a bowl or large heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and cover with three-quarters of the Green Goddess marinade. (Save the rest to serve as a sauce.) Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Remove chicken from the marinade, shaking off as much liquid as possible, and lay the halves on a rimmed baking sheet. (Discard the used marinade.) Pat chicken tops dry with paper towels and drizzle with oil. Roast until cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving, with some of the reserved sauce if you like.

VICHY CARROTS

This comes from Sam Sifton, founding member of NYT Cooking. Sam writes, “Vichy carrots are a dish in which the vegetables are cooked through in water with a little sugar on them to create a glaze. Historically, the excellence of this preparation derived from the quality of the spring water in Vichy, a resort town in central France. Jody Williams, the chef at Buvette in Greenwich Village, from whom this recipe is adapted, adds sherry vinegar to the water, along with, eventually, some honey, shallots and a pinch or two of fresh thyme. Who knows if the Vichyssoise would recognize the result. But served hot, room temperature or cold, they are some fantastic carrots.” Time: 25 minutes; makes 4 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pound carrots, young ones if possible, or older ones cut into lengths of around 1/2 inch by 2 inches, trimmed and peeled

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium-size shallot, peeled and finely diced

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

Black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Put carrots in a sauté pan, season aggressively with salt and add a tablespoon of the vinegar. Add cold water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the carrots. Set pan over high heat and bring liquid to a boil.

Turn heat down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are just cooked through, about 15 minutes. (If pan appears about to dry out during this process, add a splash or two of water.)

Once carrots are cooked through, discard any excess liquid in the pan. Add remaining tablespoon sherry vinegar to pan, along with the honey, olive oil, shallot and thyme, and cook for about 2 minutes to glaze the carrots. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or at room temperature, or cold from the refrigerator.

HONEY DIJON BAKED CHICKEN

This chicken recipe comes from Diana Rattray, About.com's Southern Food expert. Diana writes, “In this recipe, the split bone-in chicken breasts are baked with a delicious mixture of honey, spicy mustard, and curry powder for an entree that's full of flavor. If you have time, marinate the chicken breasts for an hour or two before baking.

“This chicken is absolutely delicious with cooked kale or chard and baked potatoes. Serve a simple green salad or sliced tomatoes on the side.” Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 75 minutes; Total Time: 85 minutes; Yield: Serves 4.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup Dijon or spicy brown mustard

3 teaspoons curry powder

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Dash ground cayenne pepper

4 split chicken breast halves, bone-in, skin removed or left on

Preparation

In a bowl, combine the honey, mustard, curry powder, butter, and peppers; blend well.

Trim away any excess fat and remove skin, if desired.

Arrange the chicken breasts, skin or meaty side up, in a lightly greased baking pan. Coat the chicken with the honey mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate for an hour or two.

Bake the chicken, covered tightly with foil, in a 375° oven for 45 minutes.

Remove foil and baste the chicken with pan juices. Continue baking, uncovered, for 30 minutes longer, basting every 10 to 15 minutes.

HOT PINK RASPBERRY AND CREAM CAKE

Here's a great recipe to try for New Year's Eve! It comes from Tablespoon's e-newsletter, and begins, “Create layers of luscious cream and cake with a tart punch of fresh raspberries.” Prep Time: 30 min; Total Time: 1 hr 40 min; makes 8 servings.

To view this online, along with a photo of this (!), click here.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups Pillsbury BEST® Self-Rising Flour

2 eggs

1 cup Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Hot Pink Vanilla Flavored Frosting

3/4 cup sugar

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 cups fresh raspberries

DirectionsHeat oven to 350°F. Line bottoms of 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with parchment paper; spray paper with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray.

In a medium bowl, beat flour, eggs, frosting, 1/4 cup of the sugar and 1/3 cup water with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until blended. Pour and spread batter evenly in pans.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 15 minutes. Carefully invert cake layers from pans onto cooling racks; remove parchment paper. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

To make filling, in medium bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining 1/2 cup sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in whipped topping on low speed until blended.

To assemble cake, place 1 cake layer top side down on serving plate. Spread half of filling to edge; top with 1 cup of the raspberries; pressing berries into filling. Sprinkle with half of the pink decorator sugar. Place remaining cake layer, rounded side up on raspberries; press gently. Spread remaining filling on cake. Top with remaining raspberries and pink decorator sugar. Store in refrigerator.

PINK LEMONADE CUPCAKES

This recipes also comes from Tablespoon's e-newsletter. This one begins, “With some pink lemonade concentrate and a box of Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist® natural vanilla cake mix, you can create uniquely colorful pretty-in-pink cupcakes.” Prep Time: 25 min; Total Time: 1 hr 30 min; Makes 24 servings.

To view this recipe and a photo of these yummy cupcakes online, click here.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ natural vanilla cake mix

3/4 cup frozen (thawed) pink lemonade concentrate

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

3 eggs

Pink food color, if desired

Frosting and Garnish

2 containers Betty Crocker™ Whipped fluffy white frosting

6 tablespoons frozen (thawed) pink lemonade concentrate

Pink food color, if desired

Pink candy sprinkles, if desired

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box, using cake mix, 3/4 cup lemonade concentrate, 1/2 cup oil, the water, eggs and food color. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In large bowl, beat frosting, 6 tablespoons lemonade concentrate and the food color with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Frost cooled cupcakes. Garnish tops with candy sprinkles.