Rustic Roasted Chicken Galantine

Copyright 2015 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Chicken Galantine is a French dish that is prepared to impress. It is laborious, both in the preparation and in the cooking process. The ingredients are varied but there seems to be a common thread among the different recipes I read to prepare my own rustic version of this dish. The filling is usually prepared using either ground veal or beef in combination with ground pork. The nut of choice are pistachio nuts with either apricot or raisins to add some nuttiness and sweetness respectively, to the flavor. Traditionally ground into a forcemeat, I am going to prepare my filling more like a meatloaf preserving the texture of the various ingredients intact for maximum impact. Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of cold cuts and the galantine is prepared to resemble one. Another big change is how I plan to cook my galantine. The original recipe calls for the galantine to be wrapped in cheesecloth and poached in a broth. I am baking my galantine and serving it warm.

Rustic Roasted Chicken Galantine

3-4 shallots, finely diced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
50g pistachios, shelled and roughly diced
1 whole chicken, about 2 lbs
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb bacon strips
5 tbsp heavy cream
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup golden raisins
4 tbsp white wine
1/2 tbsp dried thyme
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Debone the chicken leaving the leg and wing bones intact. Set aside. 
    Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In a small pan over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the shallots 
    until softened. Let cool.

3. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients except the bacon. Add
    the shallots and mix with your hands. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Lay flat the deboned chicken, skin side down and season with salt and 
    pepper. Layer the bacon strips until it covers the inside of the chicken. 

5. Fill with the meat filling and gather the edges securing with a toothpick or 
    by sewing. Truss the chicken with a butcher's twine and place in the 
    center of a baking pan lined with aluminum foil seam side down. Baste 
    with enough olive oil to help brown the skin.

6. Bake for 1 1/2 hour or until a meat thermometer reads 160°F. Let it rest
    for 15 minutes covered with foil before slicing.    
    

Dave Lebovitz's Chocolate Tart

Copyright 2015 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Thank goodness for Dave Lebovitz! This guy is after my gastronomic heart. After sharing his wonderful chocolate chip cookie recipe, he came up with another amazing chocolate concoction. The ever chocolatey and gooey Chocolate Tart. This was meant to be the star of a party I planned for friends but ended up being a dessert given as gifts to friends. The party went bust. Anyway, this was a stellar find in the cacophany of chocolate tart recipes on the internet. It also comes with the most buttery French tart dough recipe which earned raves as well. Nothing works better with butter than the French. On to the recipe!

Dave Lebovitz's Chocolate Tart*

Crust (for a 9-inch tart an):
3 oz unsalted butter
1 tbsp palm oil
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
150 g flour (slightly rounded cup)

1. In a deep frying pan over low heat, melt the butter with the oil, water, 
    sugar and salt. Once melted, increase the heat to medium high. 

2. Continue to cook until the butter is bubbly and the edges start to turn 
    golden brown. 

3. Turn off the heat and carefully add the flour and stir quickly until it 
    starts to form a ball and the dough pulls away from the sides.

4. When cooled slightly, transfer to the tart pan and spread towards the 
    sides and edges until the pan is completely covered. Use the tines of 
    the fork to flatten and press the dough onto the tart pan. 

5. Prick the dough with the tines of the fork all around and bake at 400°F
    in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Let cool before filling. 

Chocolate Filling:
1 1/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp warm freshly brewed coffee
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 oz semisweet chocolate
2 oz 70% cacao chocolate
2 large eggs
1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp dark rum

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a deep non-stick pan, melt the sugar over medium low heat until it 
    melts and caramelizes.

3. Very carefully, add the warm coffee and stir quickly with a rubber 
    spatula. If the caramel siezes, continue to cook until it becomes smooth. 
    Add the butter and salt until incorporated. 

4. Turn off the heat and add the chocolates. Stir until it melts into the 
    caramel mixture. 

5. Mix in the eggs one at a time and add the flour. Mix well. Add the rum 
    and pour the filling into the prepared tart shell. 

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Do not overbake. The edges will be a bit puffy 
    but the center should still be jiggly. Allow to cool completely before 
    slicing.  
 
*Chocolate Tart: My Life in Paris blog