BOILED CHICKEN BLUES

TONIGHT, BOILED CHICKEN! Yeah, Poule Au Pot, Sauce Raifort (Poached Chicken with Horseradish Cream Sauce) doesn't excite me either. When I see it I wonder what deformity marred the skin of the chicken that inspired the French chef who invented the dish to boil the poor bird and peel it all off. IF he was French. Wait, FCI: Food Cooked Irish-style? Um, tenderness? Flavor? Where? Ah, the second dish, Poulet Sauté À l'Estragon, Sauteed Tarragon Chicken.

The upsides are twofold:
1) I've had trouble trussing chickens and this is good practice
2) I love horseradish and practicing the cream sauce (sauce raifort) may help me replicate a variation of it with fish roe I tasted with fried deliciousness in a hideaway Korean lounge a classmate introduced me to (more later).

DISH: Poule Au Pot, Sauce Raifort, Poached Chicken with Horseradish Cream Sauce

DUE: 8:30 p.m. SERVED: 8:30 p.m.

COOKING NOTES: We started by trimming the chicken (removing the wishbone and wing-tips and then cutting off the bone ends-- or manchonnez, as the French say) and then tied it up (trussed). After several failed attempts, we asked Chef to demonstrate how to tie the chicken up so that whether it was boiled, baked, pan-seared or all three (!) the bird wouldn't get loose and run away. There were two tricks to this: 1) the butcher's twine needs to go around both leg ends and 2) when the bird is flipped the twine needs to go around it's neck (PICTURE TK).

After rinsing it, the chicken is put in a russe and covered with water and brought to a simmer, skimmed and kept simmering for 2 minutes. The water is drained, the bird refreshed with new water and drained again before being rubbed with lemon and returned to the russe, this time with chicken stock over medium heat with an onion stuck with bay leaf and clove (oignon cloute). The bird is cooked about 35 minutes until done (when the internal temperature reaches 145). If it's still a bit pink when pulled out and cut, back in the hot water with the heat off.

Carrots, turnips, and pototoes are all cut in curved diamond shapes a little larger than an inch (turned), while leeks and celery are cut to the same lengths. The potatoes are cooked in heavily salted water (a l'anglaise), at the time directly before service (a la minute) and the carrots, turnips and celery are cooked in the same bouillion in which the chicken is cooked.

We made a roux, starting with flour and butter over low heat to which 500 ml stock was whisked in on the heat and simmered for about 15 minutes. Then the cream goes in, the lemon juice, salt and pepper and freshly grated horseradish at the last moment before serving so that it retains it's flavor.

CHEF'S CRITIQUE: When chef came to look over our dishes I asked him if he really liked this recipe. He noted that we should not have thrown the lemon halves into the simmering stock with the chicken because it would make the bouillion bitter. Also, we should have reduced the bouillion further and there needn't be so much of it in the shallow bowl with the chicken. He said that cooked correctly it could be tasty. While he's right, I'm sure that those things would make the dish so much better that I'd be excited about cooking it.

DISH: Poulet Sauté À l'Estragon, Sauteed Tarragon Chicken

DUE: 10 p.m. SERVED: 10:05 p.m.

COOKING NOTES: The chicken is quartered, seared and roasted for 20 minutes. The brown bits at the bottom of the pan from sauteing the chicken are joined by butter and chopped shallots then loosened from the pan bottom by some red sherry vinegar and white wine (deglazed) and the whole mixture is reduced to 50-60 ml. Add some reinforced stock, simmerdown, add a bit of butter, salt, pepper and your fresh chopped tarragon (hache) and mm, mm, mm. Oh yeah, serve with mashed potatoes.

CHEF'S CRITIQUE: The sauce was a bit sweet but besides that the dish was cooked well and nicely presented. The stock we used, a reinforced brown veal stock from the restaurant kitchen may have had too much tomato paste. It was very red to begin with which might explain the sweetness.

OVERALL: What else is there to say about boiled chicken? Well, as chef explained, you need different styles of cooking to round out a menu, "you can't just serve grilled chicken all the time." It touches on a thought I keep coming back to, how do chef's make food they're not crazy about, and make it well. I guess that's what being a professional is all about but I'd think you'd have to work harder at those dishes, at least until you own your own restaurant.