roast chicken, baby carrots, lemon, thyme

ingredients:

whole chicken (preferably organic)
baby carrots
garlic
parsley
lemon
thyme
chicken stock
white wine
extra virgin olive oil
butter
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

directions:

1.  preheat oven to 475 degrees.  season chicken cavity with salt and cracked black pepper.  stuff with some lemon wedges, thyme, and garlic cloves.

2.  season the chicken with salt and cracked black pepper on the outside and top with a few dabs of butter.  place in ovenproof dish and set aside.

3.  toss the baby carrots in another ovenproof dish with some extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and cracked black pepper.  add in some chicken stock and a splash of white wine.  sprinkle with thyme leaves and top with a few dabs of butter.

4.  roast chicken and carrots at 475 degrees for 20 minutes then continue roasting at 400 degrees for another 40-50 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken.

5.  when the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170 degrees, it's done.  let it rest for 15 minutes under some tinfoil before serving.

to serve:  carve the chicken into 8 serving pieces and drizzle meat with juices from the ovenproof dish.  you can always finish it off with a smidge more of maldon sea salt if desired.  serve the roasted carrots on the side.  garnish with lemon slices and parsley.

garlic chicken katsu, grilled spring onions

ingredients:

chicken thigh meat
spring onions
chives
lemon
egg
flour
panko
kosher salt
maldon sea salt (the flaky kind)
freshly cracked black pepper
garlic powder
canola oil
tonkatsu sauce (optional)

directions:

1.  prepare three trays.  one with egg wash (by beating an egg with some water), one with flour, and one with panko.  season panko with salt and cracked black pepper.

2.  de-bone the chicken thigh meat and remove the skin.  lay flat and season both sides with salt, garlic powder, and cracked black pepper.  dredge chicken in a light coating of flour, then give it a bath in the egg wash, and lastly coat with panko.

3.  add enough canola oil to a heated flat pan so that bottom is completely covered.  pan-fry chicken pieces until both sides are golden and crispy.  set on a rack (as shown) to drain excess oil.  finish with sprinkle of maldon sea salt.  note: I don't recommend draining the chicken on a paper towel, as bottom gets soggy.

4.  slice the spring onions into quarters.  heat up a grill pan and grill spring onions over medium heat until nicely caramelized and slightly charred.

to plate:

1.  garnish chicken katsu with chives and plate grilled spring onions next to it. serve with a lemon wedge on the side and tonkatsu sauce.

japanese tapas: wagyu beef nigiri, grilled maitake mushroom

ingredients:

wagyu beef- buy the super marbled
sushi rice- see recipe in "sujiki, uni, sushi rice" post
maitake mushrooms
meyer lemon
scallions
shabu shabu sauce
ponzu
olive oil
fine sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper

tools:

blowtorch

directions:

1.  drizzle maitake mushrooms with olive oil, toss with salt and cracked black pepper.  place on grill. you
want it to be slightly charred for a nice smoky flavor.

2.  make sushi rice into nigiri.  you can always look at youtube to leanr how to make nigiri. practice makes
perfect. top nigiri with slices of the marbled wagyu.

3.  thinly slice scallion tips and meyer lemon for garnish. mix half parts shabu shabu sauce and ponzu together.

4.  torch the top of the beef until the top is slightly charred but still a bit rare underneath.  season with fine sea
salt and garnish with scallions.

5.  plating: place grilled maitake mushrooms on the side of a white plate. garnish mushrooms with a slice of
meyer lemon. place wagyu nigiri next to mushrooms and top beef with shabu/ponzu sauce. serve
immediately.

japanese tapas: miragai sashimi, meyer lemon, tobiko

sometimes the best ingredients need nothing at all to enjoy to the fullest.

ingredients:

miragai- geoduck clam
meyer lemon
orange tobiko
fine sea salt

directions:

1.  slice meyer lemon into thin slices.

2.  carefully slice miragai horizontally into thin sashimi pieces.

3.  plating.  arrange meyer lemon on a plate.  top with miragai sashimi, a light sprinkle of fine sea salt, and
garnish with orange tobiko. serve immediately.