Dayrecipe Food Community

Poulet aux Quarante Gousses d’Ail

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 50 min

Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic was a recipe that allowed us to be provocative without being downright offensive. It presents the softer side of garlic — the “stinking rose” — mellowed by long, slow cooking.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1(4-lb) chicken
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/4teaspoon black pepper
• 1scant cup olive oil
• 2fresh parsley sprigs
• 1fresh rosemary sprig
• 1fresh thyme sprig
• 1fresh sage sprig
• 1bay leaf (not california)
• 1celery rib
• 40garlic cloves, peeled (from 3 to 4 heads of garlic) accompaniment:toasted baguette slices
• special equipment:kitchen string

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350°F.

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper.Tie legs together with kitchen string and fold wings under chicken.

Heat oil in a 6- to 8-quart wide heavy ovenproof pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, turning it carefully, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Tie herbs and celery together with string to make a bouquet garni and add to pot along with garlic cloves. Put chicken, breast side up, on top of cloves and bake, covered tightly, in middle of oven, basting twice, until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches into fleshy part of a thigh (avoid bone) registers 170°F, 30 to 40 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board, reserving pan juices, and let stand 10 minutes. Cut chicken into serving pieces and spread roasted garlic on toasts. Serve chicken drizzled with some of reserved pan juices.

Raita, an Indian yogurt dish used as a condiment, is often made with cucumber or tomatoes. This version features mango. Serve it with the
Tandoori Chicken Salad or alongside grilled pork or fish.

Makes about 2 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4english hothouse cucumber, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1mango, peeled, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1/4cup plain yogurt
• 2tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
• 2teaspoons honey

DIRECTIONS Toss all ingredients in medium bowl to combine. (Raita can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 2 1/4 hr

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• for chiles
• 12medium to large fresh poblano chiles (2 1/4 lb)for tomato sauce
• 1(14- to 16-oz) can whole tomatoes including juice
• 3large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4teaspoon sugar
• 1/4teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2tablespoons olive oilfor goat cheese sauce
• 1cup heavy cream
• 2teaspoons dried epazote* (optional)
• 8oz soft mild goat cheese
• 1/4teaspoon salt, or to tastefor spinach filling
• 4(3/4-lb) bunches spinach, coarse stems discarded
• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4cup raisins
• 1/4teaspoon salt, or to tasteto assemble dish
• 3tablespoons olive oil
• 6(6-inch) corn tortillas, halved
• 1cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained if cannedspecial equipment:a 2- to 2 1/2-quart shallow flameproof casserole dish (about 2 inches deep; not glass)
• garnish: toasted pine nuts

DIRECTIONS Prepare chiles:
Lay 4 chiles on their sides on racks of gas burners and turn flames on high. Roast chiles, turning with tongs, until skins are blackened and chiles are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. (Or broil all 12 chiles on rack of a broiler pan about 2 inches from heat, turning, until skins are blackened, 8 to 10 minutes.) Transfer immediately to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Roast remaining 8 chiles in same manner, then let stand 20 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, peel chiles, then open flat and discard seeds and stems, wiping with paper towels or dunking in a bowl of water briefly, if necessary, to remove seeds. If chiles taste very spicy, cut out ribs with scissors to make them milder.

Make tomato sauce:
Purée tomatoes with juice, garlic, cilantro, sugar, and salt in a blender. Heat oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then add sauce (be careful of splattering) and simmer, stirring, until thickened and reduced to about 1 cup, about 6 minutes.

Make goat cheese sauce:
Gently simmer cream, with epazote if using, in a small heavy saucepan, covered, 10 minutes. If using epazote, pour cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on and discarding epazote. Return cream to pan. Whisk in goat cheese and salt and heat over low heat, whisking until smooth.

Make spinach filling:
Blanch spinach in batches in a large pot of boiling salted water 1 minute, transferring with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of cold water to cool. Drain in a colander, pressing on spinach with back of a spoon to remove excess water, then coarsely chop.

Heat oil in cleaned nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté spinach and raisins, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in salt and transfer filling to a plate.

Fry tortillas and assemble dish:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat oil in cleaned nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then fry tortillas 2 halves at a time, turning over once, until just crisp, about 1 minute total. Transfer tortillas to paper towels to drain.

Spread 1/4 cup tomato sauce over bottom of casserole dish. Arrange half of tortillas on top, then spread another 1/4 cup tomato sauce on top and sprinkle evenly with black beans. Arrange 4 poblanos flat over black beans to cover, then spread half of spinach filling evenly over chiles and drizzle with 1/4 cup goat cheese sauce. Make another layer with 4 chiles, remaining spinach filling, and another 1/4 cup of goat cheese sauce, then cover with remaining 4 chiles.

Cover chiles with remaining tomato sauce, spreading evenly, then top with remaining tortillas. Cover tortillas with remaining goat cheese sauce, spreading evenly.

Bake lasagne, covered with foil, in middle of oven until bubbling and heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.

Preheat broiler. Remove foil and broil about 3 inches from heat until top is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.

Cooks’ notes:
• Chiles can be roasted and peeled 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Tomato sauce, goat cheese sauce, and spinach filling can be made 1 day ahead and chilled separately, covered. Reheat goat cheese sauce before proceeding.
• Lasagne can be assembled (but not baked) 1 hour ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

* Available at Latino markets and Kitchen/Market (888-468-4433).

This is a healthy snack cake recipe that was created and suitable for diabetics or anyone looking to keep their heart healthy and happy. It’s moist and deliciously chocolaty with a lighter touch of coffee. The bittersweet (or other dark) chocolate is far more better for you than milk chocolate and has, in fact, good health properties of it’s own.

SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
• 5/8 cup quick-cooking oat
• 2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons Splenda sugar substitute
• 1 Tablespoon Splenda brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons egg white
• 1/4 cup strong coffee
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg, oil, vanilla, applesauce, and gently add to dry ingredients.
4. Add hot coffee and boiling water, mix until just blended, and let stand for about 10 minutes.
5. Add chocolate chips.
6. Divide batter among 4 greased mini loaf pans with parchment paper covering the bottoms.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

GARNISH:

Cool Whip Free (optional)

Fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or sliced banana (optional).

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 8 hr (includes chilling and freezing)

Makes about 1 quart.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3cup dark rum
• 3/4cup dried currants
• 2cups heavy cream
• 1cup half-and-half
• 1/8teaspoon salt
• 2large eggs
• 3/4cup packed light brown sugarspecial equipment:an ice cream maker

DIRECTIONS Heat rum in a small saucepan until just warm, then remove from heat. Add currants and let stand, covered, 1 hour.

Bring cream, half-and-half, and salt just to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Whisk together eggs and brown sugar in a large bowl, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Pour custard into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and an instant-read thermometer registers 170 to 175°F, about 5 minutes (do not let boil).

Pour custard through a sieve into a bowl, then add rum and currants and cool completely, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.

Freeze custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. (Due to rum, this ice cream will have a slightly softer texture than others.)