food not yarn

Le Menu: Pan-roasted chicken breasts with sage-vermouth sauce served over egg noodles accompanied by hot buttered peas

I followed a recipe from the April '03 issue of Cook's Illustrated, my all-time favorite cooking magazine for the chicken. It was quick, easy, and delicious. My only quarrel is with the amount of fresh sage called for -- even doubled it was barely perceptible. I've been thrilled with my new instant-read thermometer, which serves to reassure my paranoid husband that chicken need not be dry and tough to be thoroughly cooked. Pan-searing and then roasting at a high temperature (450F) is an excellent method for bone-in chicken breasts -- not only does it keep the meat tender and moist, but it produces a pan full of those delectable brown bits, perfect for deglazing into a wide variety of sauces. Next time I think I'll try some lemon, rosemary, and white wine.


Brining the chicken


While the chicken brined, I prepped
the sauce ingredients: broth,
vermouth, onions, fresh sage,
pepper, and butter


Browning the chicken in olive oil

Sauteeing the onions in the pan
drippings (I poured off about
half the fat first)

Deglazing the pan with the broth
and vermouth. After that, I
added the fresh sage and reduced
the sauce just a bit, before
finishing with the butter and
adding a pinchof pepper to taste.
I meant to take a better picture
after the steam subsided, but I
forgot!


Time to eat!

Back to knitting tomorrow, with my bid for the knitting olympics, a yarn question, and lace temptation...