By no means do I consider myself a fatalist. While I’ve learned that having savings for a rainy day is a good thing, I’m not the kind of person who stock-piles food for “the big one” (that’s the earthquake they say will inevitably kill us all and send California floating off into the ocean). I don’t give much thought to drafting my last will and testament. And I am sorely lacking when it comes to a “five-year plan.” In fact, what a “five-year plan” entails is beyond me, and why my in-laws keep asking me for one, tells me I’m labeled an “in the moment” kind of girl… for better or worse.
That said, I *have* thought a lot about my own death. Perhaps everyone goes through a “death phase” as they grow up. Mine included making lists of friends and family who would attend my funeral, the music that would be played, and how much tissue would be needed to quell the predetermined amounts of sobbing. When I made this list, I was probably twelve years old and only just beginning to understand mortality. Had I been a child with any brains, I could have manifested my “death phase” into a bestselling book with a terribly interesting, if not morbid premise.
In the book, My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs And Their Final Meals: Portraits, Interviews, And Recipes, well-known chefs are asked what their “last meal” would include.
For Thomas Keller, (of French Laundry, and Bouchon) his last meal would include the following roast chicken:
Ingredients
3 lb farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp minced thyme (optional)
Unsalted butter to taste
Dijon mustard to taste
I strayed slightly from the original recipe by brining my chicken. I found the brining information here, and wanted to give it a shot.
Preheat the oven to 450F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very, very well with paper towels, inside and out. I opted to follow the drying method that FoodbyZ recommended. Using a small computer fan might seem crude, but the chicken dried out very well, and made for extremely crispy skin- making all of the set-up worth it.
Salt and pepper the cavity, truss the bird, and rain salt (about 1 tbsp) over the bird so it has a nice, uniform coating that will results in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin. You will want to see the salt baked into the skin when it’s done.
Place the chicken in a roasting pan and when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. Leave it alone completely to 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.
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.
Slather the meat with fresh butter (I used herbed butter) before serving.
No photos were taken after we cut into our bird. Unfortunately, it was still slightly undercooked (*MY* fault- not the recipe’s… ), so the bird went back into the oven for a few minutes. This ruined the presentation for me (although my husband remained poised, “It’s not the end of the world” he offered. Like I said before, I’m not a fatalist, so I know that.) After a few more minutes of the chicken baking and me sulking, I was finally rewarded the crispy, salty skin, and now perfectly cooked and moist meat. Thank goodness I had such a delicious meal to console me.
Had my cooking time been spot-on, it could have been one of the best chickens I’ve ever eaten. Since I botched the time/presentation just a tad, it was in the top 5. I still recommend this HIGHLY, and would suggest you check out the book I mentioned earlier for other last supper meal ideas. Interesting stuff- not that I’m back to planning my (hopefully distant) funeral.
Had my cooking time been spot-on, it could have been one of the best chickens I’ve ever eaten. Since I botched the time/presentation just a tad, it was in the top 5. I still recommend this HIGHLY, and would suggest you check out the book I mentioned earlier for other last supper meal ideas. Interesting stuff- not that I’m back to planning my (hopefully distant) funeral.
Not even close to Thomas Kellers brined, dried, and roasted chicken.