meaty: December 2006 Archives

"This recipe ... seems to be possessed of a multitude of virtues, the ease of its preparation and the beauty of its presentation being not among the least; the breasts, moreover, being both protected from the direct onslaught of heat and nourished by the melting fats of the stuffing, remain moist and are delicately perfumed; the skin, basted from within as well as from without, crispens evenly to a rich golden brown, a miracle of beauty and flavour; it is elastic and, unlike stuffed flesh, will not shrink in contact with the heat, splitting beneath the presence of a swelling forcemeat."

These are the words of Richard Olney, an American food writer who lived in Provence and whose recipe I'm sending you an adaptation of this week.  If they aren't enough to tempt you I don't know what is.  Richard died in 1999.  He became a bit of a cult figure and had a reputation for enjoying a colourful lifestyle within France’s gastronomic social circles.

You can make the stuffing with other vegetables too, such as sautéed wild mushrooms, parboiled peas, or roasted aubergine, and the addition of little bacon, pancetta or prosciutto pieces can only be a good thing.

Sorry for the delay in getting you this week's recipe.  After our Thanksgiving cooking extravaganza weekend in the redwoods I was torn between too many things to write up for you.  You nearly got seared scallops with orange tarragon beurre blanc, or navarin of lamb with herby polenta, or tarte tatin with spicy crème anglaise, or green beans with ginger butter, or sweet yams with pancetta, or celeriac lasagne, or ....  Maybe another week.