Cook In / Dine Out

Today, I'm wrapping up a month-long focus on "classic" dishes, a theme I used loosely in different ways. I explored classic dishes by notable chefs: A Beef Stew by Jacques Pepin, Bolognese Lasagna from a recipe by Marcella Hazan, and a Spice-Brined Roast Chicken inspired by our local Palena chef Frank Ruta (a dish that has its own discussion thread on this site). I looked for ways to update two once popular dishes that have fallen out of vogue: Grouper Almondine, which I styled after a dish recently served at Poste, and Beef Stroganoff, which I tried to take back to its simpler Russian and French roots. I updated three classic salads with fresher, lighter ingredients: a Smoky Waldorf Salad with a vinaigrette dressing, Cobb Salad with honey-smoked almonds instead of bacon, and a Wilted Spinach and Bacon Salad that uses warm ingredients instead of hot bacon fat to wilt the greens. I had one week focused on bacon as a classic versatile ingredient for soup (Smoky Pinto Bean and Sweet Potato), pasta (Smoky Trofie with Mushrooms), risotto (Bacon-Mushroom Risotto) and a cocktail (an Old Fashioned made with bacon-infused bourbon). Other cocktails included the Gin Tonic, Spain's sophisticated update of the class G&T, the Singapore Sling, and the resurgent use of shrub in cocktails (specifically grapefruit). For dessert, I included a simple classic that never goes out of style: Apple-Pear Crisp. If you take a look at any of these recipes, please let me know what you think.

Sorry about that. The URL is http://www.cookindineout.com/2013/03/spice-brined-roast-chicken-la-palena.html I removed the bad link, but on my iPad I can't imbed an update. I'll fix from home tonight. I hope you like the Pinto beans with bacon. I really loved it. Another winner from Melissa Clark.

I wrote about making the Palena-inspired spice brined chicken on my blog today.

I had dinner at Blue Duck Tavern last weekend and wrote about it on my blog today. We had a very nice dinner there and would definitely go back. The entrees were the highlights, particularly the roast barbecue chicken. I really liked how this was brined to impart the flavor of barbecued chicken without the sticky sweetness of barbecue sauce (not that I don't like barbecue sauce, but it was cool to see the idea interpreted in a new way). The braised rib with steak sauce was also very good, and our salads--warm leek salad and beets with fried peanuts--were interesting dishes in their own right too. If I was going to critique anything, it would be the way the entrees were served in a manner meant to be shared. This seems to be big trend right now. Sometimes I don't mind, but here I thought the dishes with their thoughtful sauces and garnishes would have worked better if they'd been plated individually in the kitchen rather than relying on us to do it. Also, the apple pie, while good, wasn't as stellar as I was expecting based on what people have said about it the past. Too bad, since that was apparently the pastry chef's last Saturday night there, as I read that yesterday was his last day. I thought the service was friendly and efficient.

Results: I was very pleased with how this turned out. The meat had a wonderful flavor, very similar to what you get at Palena, and was tender and juicy. The skin mostly turned out well. It browned nicely, however it pulled away from the breast meat where I had cut the breast in half. I wonder if I hadn't separated the skin from the breast if it wouldn't have done that; however, I've read that separating the skin is also what helps make it brown and crispy. Thankfully, I suppose because of the brining, the exposed breast didn't dry out. I served the chicken with lemon-braised chard (at the restaurant they serve it with chicory and escarole, but I couldn't find those).

I was concerned about it being too salty, since I let it sit in the brine overnight. When I brined my turkey breast for Thanksgiving, I used 1/2 cup of kosher salt (about 2 1/2 oz.), which worked out great, so I reduced it a bit from that since the chicken is smaller.

Thank you, I like your review too (Chevy Volt--funny). I would love to go back. I've only been the one time. Next time I want to eat more of the Italian dishes, especially the pastas. Given all the buzz my expectations for this were really high and coupled by the ambition of the restaurant, I was somewhat expecting to be let down. I was so impressed not to be. Doesn't always happen that way.

Thank you! Appreciate it.

I'm attempting this dish today. This thread was extraordinarily helpful with lots of good ideas. I was the person that asked Tom Sietsema about the dish in August. While "sweet spices" wasn't a very descriptive answer, the spice brine ideas here make a lot of sense. I cut the chicken in half and brined it for 20 hours. It's currently chilling/drying in my fridge for 6 hours. My roasting plan: separate the skin from the breast and shove some truffle butter between the skin and the meat. I'm hopeful this will help keep the outer meat from drying out while providing good flavor as the skin crisps. I got the idea from America's Test Kitchen, which discusses the technique in The Science of Good Cooking, and The NoMad, which stuffs foie gras and truffles between the meat and skin of their chicken (NoMad chicken is good, but Palena's is better--I'm hoping to combine the best of both worlds with this). I think I'll roast at 450 until the meat is done. If the skin isn't brown enough by then I'll finish (carefully) with a blowtorch. Here are the brine ingredients: 5 cloves 10 cardamom pods 2 tbsp. black peppercorns 1/2 tbsp. juniper berries 1/2 tbsp. allspice berries 3 star anise pods 1 tbsp. fennel seeds 1 cinnamon stick (broken in half) 1 tbsp. mustard seeds 2 oz. table salt 1/3 cup sugar 3 large bay leaves 1/2 tbsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 vanilla pod, split (about 3 inches) Garlic – whole head, cloves peeled and smashed 5 sprigs of fresh tarragon 2 tbsp. honey zest and juice of 1 lemon 14 cups of water

Cook In / Dine Out (www.cookindineout.com) started in January 2012 as my creative outlet to share what I'm cooking and drinking and where I'm eating. I've lived in Washington, D.C. since 1999 and, although there is often a D.C. focus to my writing, I do also write about the goings on in other areas, particularly New York. I'm looking forward to connecting with other food bloggers and enthusiasts through DonRockwell.com, especially those in the D.C. area. My primary focus is cooking. I generally share three or four recipes each week, a mix of original dishes and those adapted from or inspired by the work of others. I often like to organize my posts around a theme. For March 2013, for example, I'm focusing on "classic" cooking. A few other things I write about: Cocktails. I generally have one per week, again a mix of original and classic drinks. In February, for example, I did a series of cocktails inspired by each of the Best Picture nominees for the Oscars. I also have an ongoing collaboration with my husband's blog, Dallas Decoder, to create drinks inspired by the characters of the TV show Dallas. Restaurants. I try to have a few posts per month on my dining out experiences. Some recent highlights were Range in Friendship Heights, which is just incredible, and the Momofuku empire's Ma Peche in New York. Food journalism. I like to share what others are writing about in newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites that I find particularly interesting. This year, I have a weekly roundup of my favorite stories called The Feed. Last year, I did a weekly critique of the content in the Washington Post Food section vs. the New York Times Dining section I called "Food (Section) Fight." I hope you take a look at my blog and let me know what you think. I look forward to discussing all that's tasty. Please also follow me on Twitter.

Thanks for the tip on the Blog Central forum. I will do that. I also started reading some of the restaurant threads. Great discussions.

Hello! My name is Andrew and I write the food blog Cook In / Dine Out (www.cookindineout.com), which is mostly about cooking and cocktails but I also write about restaurants, food journalism and sometimes books. I'm not in the food industry, but I learned to cook as a child, really got into it as a teenager and have been doing it regularly ever since. I love how cooking is a constant process of education--there is always something new to try or a technique to perfect. As proficient as I think I am in the kitchen, I know there is so much I don't know. There is always something new to discover, which I think is a big part of what makes cooking so exciting and rewarding. I grew up in Portland, Oregon and moved to D.C. after college (in 1999), where I've been ever since. It has been an exciting time to live in the city as the food scene has evolved and really blossomed. I found this forum while searching for clues on how to make the roast chicken at Palena, which is one of my very favorite things to eat in a D.C. restaurant. I love the discussion on that topic that has unfolded here for the last 7 years. I'm looking forward to exploring this site more, particularly the restaurant guide, which sounds like a great resource.