LCB Notes

Artichokes: Probable exam item
Filleted Merlan (whiting) also (almost always)
Exam is sans notes

Poulet is 1,8 kg = 1hr 1, 5 kh = 45 mn (estimates)

Sequence: (I'm getting better at noting sequence I hope)

• Trim/clean
• Truss
• Pan
  
• Butter it
• On burner - 1 mn
• Oven (look frequently)
• Baste
• Vegs - jardiniere
• Cook separate - 2 pans - white 1st
• Un Blanc - liquid for artichokes
• "Turn" 'chokes
• Cook 'em
• Prep vegs for reheat
• Salt skin (for crispness) - add mirepoix
• Snip string
• Remove
  
• Brush
• Rack 'im
• Farcée (sp?) jus
• Reheat vegs
• Cok jus
• Strain
• Plate

Mirepoix goes in for last 10-15 mn of roasting. Very little; it's not a vegetable jus.
1/4 carrot
1/4 onion
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
Maximum 25% of weight of trimmings (not the chicken)

Cleaning & trussing chicken:

• remove wishbone using only the tip of the knife
  
• remove oil sac/glands (yellow) at tail end (if any) (taste funky)
  
• trim fatty edges of tail bit
• remove fat globs under skin at head & tail ends
  
• remove any guts/lungs left inside (lungs leave funny taste)
  
• cut off sticking out neck (if any)
• if it's got feet trim off all but longest toe (leaving a tapered look)
• foil feet to prevent burning

• Truss with needle
• instructions to follow (complex)

Other notes -

• into pan w/ salt - no pepper (leaves specks on skin)
• toss in trimmings (and extras if you've any)
  
• start on its side
• should, after a bit, make some sizzling noise (else raise heat a coupla degrees)
  
• lower heat is over-browning/coloring
  

• vegs: Terrien likes them shorter than I did - maybe 4-5cm - watch the length!
  
• boil water then add vegs
  
• veggies: kill cooking w/ ice water - then into standby (a pan)
  
• reheat w/ btr, 4 drops of h20 + 1/2 t sugar

• snip string before finish to let it loosen up
• brush off bits of skin that dont look good (would have been way too much on mine)
• brush on butter a little - carefully
• drain/rest breast side down - so juices go there - covered w/ btr'd paper (not foil)
  

• Jus: Farcée (sp?) slowly. to remove water from jus pan; fat will go clear
• drain fat
  
• v. important that bottom of pan is browning (for later deglazing) avoid burning
  
• deglaze - transfer all to smaller pan
• just cover with h20 (I forgot)
• cook briefly (all the work for the jus [flavor] has been done earlier while cooking the chicken)