Curse my writing abilities...

It takes me hours to read a chapter because I take such thorough notes! For my International Cuisine class we get to choose what countries we want to learn about - and I'm thinking Ireland is gonna be my pick. All that seafood!!!!! I hope I get it.

Today was craaaaazy. Some first quarter cut his hand so bad he had to go to the hospital to get stitches. What a bummer. I had about 33298575 things going at once, and messed up Chef Plemmons' smoked salmon! EFFFFFUUHHHH. I hope it will be okay, I was so darn pissed off. I NEVER screw stuff up, and it had to be his smoked salmon! Ugh, okay enough thinking about it. I told Alysha (one of the first quarters in my group) she was going to be responsible for getting the chicken in the oven today, and I was going to make the stuffing and the pan gravy. But of course I ended up doing all of it, and she just took off for lunch - so I didn't get to eat for the 4th time this week. I think that's why I keep getting headaches. I've been standing for 8 hours straight and then going home and finally getting to eat something - not so good I know. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to eat lunch - prooobably not though.

Today I made Stuffed Chicken with Sauce Smitaine. I made up the stuffing - a cranberry, blue cheese and brandy stuffing, YUM - and stuffed the chicken, and baked the chicken, and made the sauce! Ha =]. I did make the first quarters butcher the chickens for me though. So they did one thing.



Chicken Stuffed with Cranberry-Blue Cheese Dressing and Sauce Smitaine
Serves 8

Skin-on chicken parts (two whole chickens cut into 2 breasts and 2 legs and thighs, 8 pieces total)
Panko Bread crumbs
Dried cranberries
Celery, small dice
Dried sage, to taste
Blue cheese
Brandy
Good chicken stock, or broth
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Clarified butter

Mix the Panko bread crumbs with cranberries, celery, sage, blue cheese, salt and pepper, and brandy. Basically just want an even mixture of all the ingredients - what you use may vary depending on your taste buds. Season to taste with salt and pepper, brandy, and sage. Don't use too much brandy though! Add cold chicken stock until the stuffing is moist enough to be shaped and HOLD it's shape. Stuff under the skin of the chicken pieces, pulling the skin down to cover the stuffing.

Place pieces on a baking sheet,and pour some clarified butter over the top to brown the skin and keep it moist. Bake at 350 degrees until the breasts reach 165 degrees or above (20-25 min), and the legs and thighs reach 170-175 degrees (30-35 mins). The legs and thighs will take longer because they are dark meat and bone-in.

While those are cooking, work on your sauce.

Sauce Smitaine

Clarified butter
Chicken scraps
Mirepoix
Chicken stock (however much sauce you need)
Roux, enough to thicken to desired consistency
Sour cream, to taste
Cayenne pepper, just a pinch
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, heat clarified butter until it moves around the pan fast (med-high heat). Add chicken scraps and brown. Then add the mirepoix and brown them as well. Deglaze the pan to get all the flavors off the bottom with the chicken stock, use enough to make the amount of sauce you need. Make a roux with equal parts by weight of flour and clarified butter - cooked in a small saute pan until the flour taste is gone. Should look crumbly and almost dry. Add the roux to the sauce, while stirring, to thicken to desired consistency. Adjust seasonings with a pinch of cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Finish with sour cream, to taste. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.

Serve chicken with your sauce and enjoy!


I had my "kitchen math" class today, and I just realized how long it has been since I've taken an actual math class. My brain doesn't remember all those years of division apparently? Once I figure it out it'll all come back to me I hope.

We're also doing a Valentine's Day Brunch on V-day! AHHH! I'm so excited. I LOOOOOVE Valentine's Day - especially since my birthday is the day before! I think I get to be on the committee to plan the menu and decorations and stuff, which I absolutely love party planning. Pretty awesome.

Watching Gilmore Girls, relaxing before I have to get ready for bed, and another long day tomorrow. But it's FRIDAY! Yay for that.