Thomas Keller's Favorite Simple Roast Chicken

I love bargain shopping. You never know what treasures you are going to find. I discovered this cookbook - "My Last Supper" by award-winning photographer Melanie Dunea with introduction by Anthony Bourdain at a basement discount book fair for $10 a few weeks ago.

- What would your last meal on earth be? -

"This is the age-old question chefs ask each other after hours, once we, the punters, are safely out of earshot. In this brilliantly realised book, award-winning photographer Melanie Dunea convinces fifty of the world's most famous chefs to share their last supper fantasies with the rest of us, asking them who would prepare it, where it would take place, who would be invited, whether there would be music, and, most importantly, what the dishes would be. Accompanying the interviews are unique portraits that effortlessly capture their intimate responses, and mouth-watering recipes from each of the chefs - from Anthony Bourdain's roast bone marrow and parsley salad and Gordon Ramsay's roast beef with all the trimmings, to Jamie Oliver's spaghetti all'arrabiata and Raymond Blanc's mother's apple tart."

There are many more famous chefs whom I love that are featured in this book such as Fergus Henderson, Giorgio Locatelli, Angela Hartnett, Mario Batali, Tetsuya Wakuda.

Among many great recipes, I was drawn to this simple roast chicken recipe because it's Thomas Keller's favourite and he chose to be included in his last meal on earth. I was curious how good can a simple roast chicken be? It's no way as sophisticated as the Poulet Roti (French Roast Chicken) by Anthony Bourdain and it's only simply seasoned with salt and pepper but the result is a out of this world. It's the most well cooked, moist roast chicken with the crispiest skin I have tasted.

- Thomas Keller -

Who would prepare the meal? I would like all the chefs from the French Laundry and Bouchon to prepare my final meal.

What would be your last meal on earth? I would begin with a half kilo of osetra caviar, followed by some otoro. I would then have a quesadilla, followed by a roast chicken, and finally, brie with truffles. For dessert I would choose to have either profiteroles or a lemon tart.

What would be the setting for the meal? I would want to eat my last meal at home in Yountville, California, and in New York City.

What would you drink with your meal? I would start out with a 1983 Salon champagne, followed by a Ridge Lytton Springs zinfandel. I would end with a twenty-five-year-old Macallan scotch.

Would there be music? I would listen to the compilation of music that is played at Ad Hoc, our restaurant in Napa Valley.

Who would be your dining companions? Lauran Cunningham, my brothers, my sister, and my father.

Thomas Keller's Roast Chicken Recipe
(Adapted from Melanie Dunea's My Last Supper)
Serves 2

Ingredients

1 x 2 to 3-lb / 1 1/3-kg farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp minced thyme (optional)
Unsalted butter to taste
Dijon mustard to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 450F / 230C. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird.

   

2. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs are tied close to the body, and the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.
3. Next, salt the chicken with about 1 tbsp of salt - I like to rain the salt over the bird so it has a nice, uniform coating that will results in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin. When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

   

4. Place the chicken i na saute pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone - I don't baste it, I don't add butter, you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the juices run clear. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if desired, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

   

5. Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oyster, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded there, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip - until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's reward.

   

6. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each half. The preparation is not meat to be super elegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but you'll finish with your fingers because it's so good.

I used the leftover to make a fried rice the following day. Cut the meat into cubes with chopped onions, diced carrots and frozen peas. Season with fish sauce, soy sauce and kecap manis. It's another delicious meal by itself.

Vietnamese Baked Banana Cake

Vietnam today is like Malaysia 30-40 years ago. Reading "The Songs of Sapa Cookbook" by Luke Nguyen is like revisiting the Malaysia of my childhood. The Songs of Sapa is not just a cookbook, it's also a story of Vietnam. It's a collection of recipes Luke has eaten while he was in Vietnam, and some of the recipes are from his own family, going back to the days that he was growing up.

I was born as the third generation of a Chinese family in Malaysia. My mum has five sisters. They always gather at my grandmother's house (we still call it 'my grandmother's house', although my grandmother has passed away many years ago; some of my aunties still live there), where my aunties are constantly cooking traditional Chinese dishes, pastries and cakes.

When I was growing up, I never had a chance to cook, but I always loved to hang around in the kitchen, consuming the atmosphere as well as bites of the food. I asked lots of questions, was very curious and have been learning about food from them. Unfortunately, their recipes are not well documented. Neither were the recipes from both my grandmothers. I do wish that one day I will have the chance to sit down with them to write down all these old traditional recipes.

This is my dream and I wish I will be able to fulfill it before it's too late.

I had never heard of Vietnamese baked banana cake. I was attracted to this recipe because there are not many oven-baked Asian cakes or desserts. Furthermore, this recipe contains condensed milk, which I love from the time I was a child. I was curious how the flavour and texture would blend together. A cake with these ingredients and preparation method is truly unique. I have not come across one before.

The fragrance of the banana being baked in the oven is very appetizing. The texture turned out to be quite similar to the Malaysian "Talam Pisang", except that the banana in this recipe is sliced instead of mashed. The cookbook recommends refrigerating the cake before eating but I prefer it warm, straight from the oven!

Luke Nguyen - "I have not yet met a Vitenamese person who has not said that this cake is their favourite or that their mother makes the best version. Be warned, you won't be able to stop at one piece. So I've made this recipe big enough for seconds... and thirds."

Vietnamese Baked Banana Cake Recipe
(Adapted from Luke Nguyen's The Songs of Sapa)
Serves 12

Ingredients

12 ripe finger bananas (For the best flavour, choose bananas that are fairly ripe but not starting to turn black)
60 g (2 1/4 oz / 1/4 cup) caster sugar
7 eggs
380 g (13 1/2 oz) tin sweetened condensed milk
250 g (9 oz) unsalted butter, melted
200 g (7 oz / 1 1/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

Method

1. Slice the bananas thinly on the diagonal and coat with sugar. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Grease a 24 cm (9 1/2 inch) round baking tin with butter and line the base with baking paper.
3. Beat the eggs and combine with the condensed milk and melted butter. Now add the flour and mix well, then gently fold the bananas through the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour, or until the cake is cooked through and golden brown.
   

   

4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Anthony Bourdain's Roti de Porc Au Lait (Roast Pork with Milk)

Anthony Bourdain loves his pork. Almost Bourdain loves her pork too. Here I am cooking the first pork dish from his Les Halles Cookbook. I love French cooking technique. This dish is undeniable one of the better ways to cook a good piece of pork (besides roast pork with crackling) and the result is a piece of moist, juicy, tender pork with thick creamy and flavorful sauce. Add some potatoes and vegetables, it's a perfect dinner for any pork lover.

Roti de Porc Au Lait (Roast Pork with Milk) Recipe
(Adapted from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook)
Serves 6

Ingredients

3 lb / 1.35 kg boneless pork loin roast (I use rolled pork loin)
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp / 28 ml olive oil
1 tbsp / 14 g butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 leek, white part only, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp flour
2 cups / 450 ml whole milk
1 bouquet garni (1 sprig of flat parsley, 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, and 1 bay leaf, tied together with string. Tying the bundle in cheesecloth makes it easier to retrieve from the pot)

Method

1. Cook The Pork: Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven. When the oil is hot, add the butter. Brown the roast on all sides, 6 to 7 minutes total. Remove the roast from the pan and set aside on the large plate. Add the onion, carrot, leek, and garlic and stir over high heat until soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Stirring constantly, add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then add the milk and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Add the pork and any juices that have collected on the plate. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour, making sure to periodically rotate the pork (the sugars) in the milk can cause sticking and scorching). Remove the pork and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

   

2. Finish the sauce and serve: Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Strain the cooking liquid into a small pot and bring to a boil. Using a hand blender, puree the sauce until foamy. Adjust the seasoning as needed.

   

   Carve the pork and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon the sauce over and around and serve immediately.

Bourke Street Bakery's Carrot Cake

This is another one of those - long list of ingredients, two-pages long instructions, too many steps, can't be bothered - put aside kind of recipes. But, how wrong you are. Most of the ingredients are common pantry items. The instructions are long but clear and all steps are explained in detail. This is probably the best carrot cake I have ever tasted and it is going to remain my favourite carrot cake recipe.

I am loving the rustic look of the cake. The crisp meringue-like top, the super moist centre, the sweetness of the carrot that harmonised with the spices and the cream cheese frosting added the perfect finishing touch to it. We usually have to share the cakes I make with friends or neighbours but not with this cake. Mr J and myself finished the WHOLE cake ourselves! We didn't want to part with it.

This is the second recipe I have tackled from the Bourke Street Bakery's Cookbook after their popular Flourless Chocolate Cake. Both recipes have exceeded my expectations. There are many more great recipes that I will definitely try and this cookbook will always be the top of the list when comes to baking.

I am a self-taught home cook. I learnt many of my cooking and baking techniques from the cookbooks I own or books borrowed from the library. I credited my kitchen skills to all the talented chefs, cooks and bakers who shared their passions, experiences, recipes on their cookbooks that taught me how to cook and bake.

You probably wouldn't believed me if I told you that I haven't baked anything complicated until after having this blog. I started this blog because I want to be motivated to learn as well as to share my cooking and baking journey with all of you. There is no fast and easy way to learn and to improve except by practising.

I want to document and share with my readers all my favourite recipes and recipes that work in this blog. This is the main objective of me starting this blog. On top of that, I want to be able to access to my collection of recipes when I am travelling so I can cook for my family in Malaysia and Mr J's family in Holland. At the same time, I sincerely hope you - my readers - who read my blog are inspired and able to indulge in the fun of cooking and baking knowing that the recipes posted on this blog are workable and can enjoy the same level of success as I did.

Bourke Street Bakery's Carrot Cake Recipe
(Adapted from Bourke Street Bakery's Cookbook)
Serves 10

Bourke Street Bakery - "It's necessary to work quickly to make this recipe succeed. Everything is whipped to incorporate a lot of air and the dry ingredients are quickly folded through at the end. The whipped egg whites result in a fantastic crisp meringue-like top on the cake. We have a number of mixers. So we can have everything mixing at one time, but for a home kitchen you will get the best results working in the order listed within the recipe.

Ingredients

70 g (2 1/2 oz) walnuts
150 g (5 1/2 oz / 1 cup) self-raising flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
55 ml (1 3/4 fl oz / about 2) egg whites
60g (2 1/4 oz / 1/4 cup) sugar for egg whites
1 egg
1 egg yolk
160g (5 3/4 oz / 3/4 cup) sugar for egg yolks
170 ml (5 1/2 fl oz / 2/3 cup) extra light olive oil
125 g (4 1/2 oz) carrots, peeled and grated

Cream Cheese Frosting:
20 g (3/4 oz / 1 tsp) icing (confectioners') sugar, plus extra, for dusting
20 g (3/4 oz / 1 tbsp) butter, softened
145 g (5 1/4 oz) cream cheese (preferably Neufchatel)
40 ml (1 1/4 fl oz / 2 tbsp) pouring (whipping) cream (35% fat)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Grease an 18 cm (7 inch) round cake tin and line the base and side with baking paper - the paper should protrude about 2.5 cm (1 inch) above the tin.
2. Place the walnuts on a baking tray and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until lightly roasted. Cool and cut into thirds. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt into a bowl. Repeat to ensure they are evenly mixed.
3. Put the egg whites in a very clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks start to form. Slowly pour in the sugar for the egg whites, while the motor is still running, being careful not to overmix - the meringue should reach soft peak stage. Quickly transfer the meringue to another bowl and set side until needed.
4. Put the egg and egg yolk in the bowl of the electric mixer and add the sugar for the egg yolks. Mix on high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture doubles in volume and is quite airy. With the motor still running, slowly pour in the oil in a thin stream being careful that it doesn't split or deflate too much.
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and with a spatula or gloved hand, gently fold in the flour mixture until combined. Fold in the carrots and walnuts. Quickly and lightly fold in the meringue - do not fold it through completely, you should still be able to see streaks of meringue through the mix.

   

6. Pour into the preapred tin and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into centre of the cake comes out clean. You may need to drop the oven temperature to 180C (350F) after the first 30 minutes if the top is browning too quickly) (* The top of my cake was browning too quickly and I had turn down the oven temperature as instructed but still a little too burnt. I would suggest to monitor the temperature very closely for the first 30 minutes.)
7. Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting. Cream the icing sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until pale and smooth. Add the cream cheese in small amounts, allowing it to completely incorporated before adding the rest. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl during this process to ensure even mixing. Add the cream and mix until smooth, being careful not to overmix at this stage or the cream may curdle and separate. If using a different type of cream cheese for this recipe you may need to add a little more cream - the frosting needs to be of a spreadable consistency but not at all runny.
8. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for about 30 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Using a serrate knife, slice horizontally through the centre of the cake to form two even-sized layers and fill with cream cheese frosting. (* I like my carrot cake to be eaten warm. I frosted the cake before it was completely cool. Hence, the slightly melted looking cream cheese frosting)

   

9. Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar to serve.

Cabbage, Apple and Baby Rocket Salad with Rosemary Pancetta

I can't believe this is the first salad recipe I have posted on my blog! I hope it doesn't give the impression that I am not a salad person. I do love my vegetables. I guess most of the time, my salad is simply made by mixing some green leaves, drizzling them with straightforward dressings. So, there is really nothing great to shout about. However, this recipe is for a great salad. And I do feel the need to share.

It's a great salad on its own right but it is also great to serve it topped with slices of roast pork and crunchy crackling instead of pancetta.

Cabbage, Apple and Baby Rocket Salad with Rosemary Pancetta
(Loosely adapted from Adrian Richardson's MEAT - Cabbage, apple and tarragon salad)
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 kg white cabbage, hard core removed and very finely shredded
75 g salt
1 Granny Smith apple, skin on, cored and sliced into thin matchsticks
1 cup baby rocket leaves
6 slices rosemary pancetta
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt
fresh ground black pepper

Method

1. Pan fried the rosemary pancetta until browned and crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.
   

   

2. Toss the cabage with the salt in a large container. Cover with a damp towel and leave for 1-2 hours. You can leave it overnight, which will soften the cabbage even more. (Note: salting the cabbage overnight will take away the rawness to make it tastes a bit like fresh sauerkraut.)
3. Tip the cabbage into a colander and wash very thoroughly to remove the salt. Pat the cabbage dry and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the apple and baby rockets and toss gently.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar and oil. Pour onto the salad and toss to combine. Season to taste and serve with rosemary pancetta.