I’m Liking This

I really like this new kitchen. Tonight as I was preparing dinner, both my wife and son were in the kitchen and we weren’t in each other’s way. The kitchen in the old house was strictly a one-person-kitchen.

Me and the new stove are getting along famously. I had all four burners going at once tonight. And now that I have a stove that can doo better than just ON or OFF, I was able to prefect the Chicken Legs with Raspberry Vinaigrette recipe that I learned from Chef Bernard Chirant a few weeks ago.

Man, I love this recipe. What could be more plebeian than a chicken drumstick? Yet with the addition of two simple ingredients – raspberry vinegar and veal stock (I used demi-glace) the lowly chick drumstick is turned into something that will elicit a WOW in response to your guest’s first bite. In fact, I think part of the attraction of this recipe is that it allows you to eat very well and cheaply at the same time: I checked Safeway today and you can get big packages of drumsticks for $1.16/pound.

I made this a couple of weeks ago, but here is the refined recipe:

Chick Drumsticks with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Whack off the foot end of each drumstick. You could leave them on, but if you want to impress with this bistro-style dish then whack ’em off. It’s easier than you think: all it takes is a quick chop with a chef’s knife. Put about two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil into the sauté pan over medium-high heat. Put the drumsticks into the pan. Turn them every few minutes. Your objective is to get them nicely browned all over. When they are nicely browned then put them on a plate and tent with foil.

Pour off most of the oil/fat. Deglaze the pan with about 6oz of raspberry vinegar (I get it at Safeway). Let the vinegar reduce or 1-2 minutes. Add a cup of veal stock or demi glace. Put the drumsticks back in the pan and turn the heat to medium low. Cover the pan.

Let them babies cook for at least 30 minutes, turning several times so that they are evenly coated with the sauce. When the meat starts to fall off the bone you know they are done.

Remove from the pan and serve, pouring a little of the sauce over each one.