Happy New Year and all that

Yep 2010

not bad, easy to remember, mathematically pleasing.

I should explain that last one

I have a nervous habit of using mathematical operations to reduce numbers and somehow in my twisted mind make them easier to remember. I remember telephone numbers the same way usually using something like the lowest common denominator. example 939-2424 = 313-1212(3,2). I realize this is more information than actually remembering the actual number but this is not about logic.

so 2010 works really well for me

Its been a while since I wrote anything so I will just throw down the highlights

New Years, 4 parties in 36 hours

Varying degrees of interesting

short work party, dropped off a bottle of wine
went to
a more interesting club like party for the count down
went to
a very nice house party in a very nice house (great kitchen)
went to
a total burner party at a dead end in westlake

4 days of recovery

All in all it took several days to get right after all that.

Party like you're 18 then feel like you're 80

4 days spent convalescing in the winter means comfort food galore.

The scale was not kind this holiday season.

Being the good foodie I am I explored how Padma Lakshmi stays fit,

No red meat...ok I think I can handle that

No alcohol...I'm out

OK Padma, I will go halvsies with you on this. I am a dude in a high stress job and I need booze more than you do.

Alright....no red meat...the freezer is red meat central, a veritable cornucopia...nay, alter to the blessed red meat. Costco had a good sale before Christmas.

what did I have? there might be some tuna way back in the fridge but the idea of spelunking through packed frozen cow bricks just to find a 4oz fish brick somewhere in the bottom did not appeal to me. I was already cold and late home due to car trouble so I needed to do something fast.

In the fridge I had some bone in chicken breasts...ok

A quick consultation of the flavor bible lead me to

carrots, yellow onions, scallions, 2 ribs of celery, meyer lemon, lemon zest, garlic and rosemary

I think all this looks like rosemary lemon garlic chicken.

Method, easy.....papillote

I took apart the chicken and discarded the skin...almost a sin really...and no time for brining

julianne the carrot
french the onion
bias slice the scallions
dice the celery small
mince half the garlic

toss with a tiny amount of olive oil salt and pepper

Position it in a pile on top of a large piece of silicon impregnated parchment

salt and pepper the chicken breast
zest a lemon
mince the rest of the garlic
mince the rosemary

combine together and apply it in a paste/rub to the top of the seasoned skinless chicken breast, tap any excess out over the top of the vegetable pile.

preheat oven to 400F

place chicken breast on top of the vegetable pile and place 2 pats of butter on top of the breast.

fold over the parchment and start crimping it, except for the very end bit.

pour in 2 tbs of vermouth and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice into this bit and crimp it tightly.

Insert probe thermometer into the chicken breast and insert package (on a cookie sheet people) into the oven.

Pull the papillote when the chicken hits 150 at the highest, carryover can go as high as 15 degrees.

open and enjoy (stupid warning, steam is hot, don't be stupid)

Have a good 2010