Win some lose some

I have been wanting to experiment with Spherification. I chose yesterday to do this. Bad idea. Coming down with a cold and not really into it. So, I found some ingredients that I wanted to try. I wanted to try to make this "caviar" to put on salmon. It was cilantro, limes, and a splash of tequila. Having not researched enough I didn't know that the acidity had an effect.

Then, I tried Maraschino cherry juice so that I could make cherry caviar to put in a Manhattan (yes, I gave you the recipe before). It was going to be the "Manhattan Project" and I was going to have a taste off between these little goodies and the spiced cherries (recipe at the bottom of the post) that I made. I will just have to wait for Dr Food to help me. I think that I need my chemist to take me down this road.



So what do I do when nothing feels good? I make chicken. You can never screw up a chicken. Good idea! This came out fantastic and it was really minimal work which left me time to pass out on the bed.



Dynamite Chicken
"The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook" recipe by Jacqueline McMahan

1 chicken (about 3.5lbs)
1/2 C cilantro leaves
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground chile, such as New Mexico Dixon (I used Ancho)
3/4 C Salsa (chunky bottled salsa may be used) I used fresh that I bought. Don't use the stuff that tends to be sweet that is in a jar.
1/2 C mexican beer

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a Dutch oven with oil
Rinse the chicken, remove the innards and cut off any large pieces of fat or skin about the vent. Blot the chicken dry with paper towels.
Combine the cilantro, garlic, salt and ground chili in a food processor. Chop to a course puree. Rub 1 tablespoon of the mixture inside the chicken. Gently work your fingers under the skin of the breast to loosen it, then rub more of the mixture under the skin over the breast. Rub the remaining mixture over the outside of the bird. Place the chicken breast up in the Dutch oven. Pour 1/4 of the salsa into the cavity of the chicken, then pour the remaining salsa over the bird. Add the beer to the pan, cover and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and roast 10 to 15 minutes longer, basting the chicken with the pan juices a couple of times.

You will like it!