Another Modernist Style Dinner: Agave-Chile Glazed Chicken with Lentil Salad

I've been a lazy poster lately so I figured I'd write up Sunday's dinner, a super easy "modernist" style meal of sous vide chicken breast  with agave-chile glaze and the Lentil Salad from Modernist Cuisine at Home.

Agave-Chile Glazed Chicken Breast

Recipe by William Colsher

Ingredients

• 1 Large Chicken Breast Half (about 8 oz.)
• 3 Tbs. Agave syrup
• 1 Tbs. Ancho (or other) Chile powder

Cooking Directions

1. Pre-heat a water bath to 135 F.
2. Trim the chicken breast of excess fat and sinew and vacuum seal in a sous vide safe bag.
3. Place the sealed chicken in the water bath.
4. Cook for at least 3 hours 15 minutes to insure pasteurization.
5. Leave the chicken in the running bath until ready to serve.
6. Combine the agave syrup and chile powder.
7. Pre-heat your broiler on high.
8. Remove the chicken from the bath and bag. Dry it carefully on a paper towel.
9. Place the chicken skin side up on a small oven safe pan and baste it with a little of the glaze.
10. Place the pan under the broiler for a minute or so. Watch it carefully as the glaze will burn very quickly. Baste and broil several times until you have a nice glaze built up.
11. Slice the breast on the bias and serve over Modernist Lentil Salad.

Pressure-Cooked Lentil Saad

Recipe Adapted from Modernist Cuisine at Home

Yield: 6 servings as a salad, 4 as part of a main course
Ingredients

• 200 g Dry Lentils
• 85 g Carrots
• 70 g Leek
• 50 g Sweet Onion
• 50 g Shallot
• 50 g Celery
• 8 g Garlic
• 2 g Black Peppercorns
• 1 g Thyme
• 1 Bay leaf
• 750 ml Mineral Water
• 85 g Your Favorite Vinaigrette
• 80 g Fuji Apple, diced fine
• 95 g Walnuts, diced fine

Cooking Directions

1. Place the lentils in a bowl and cover with cold water for 2 hours.





2. Slice the vegetables thin and wrap them in cheesecloth with the peppercorns and herbs.





3. Drain the lentils and place them in a pressure cooker with the water and package of aromatics.
4. Seal the pressure cooker and cook on high for 7 minutes.
5. Let the cooker cool until it can be opened or depressurize it according to the manufacturer's directions.





6. Discard the aromatics, drain the lentils and spread them on a tray to cool.
7. When the lentils have cooled, place them in a bowl and gently mix in the vinaigrette, apple, and walnuts.

Notes:

Vinaigrette: Modernist Cuisine At Home has a rather elaborate vinaigrette recipe. You want one that's slightly sweet. Use a white wine vinegar.

Lentils: Use whatever you have. I use Bob's Red Mill French Green Lentils both because they're excellent and also because Bob Moore is a good guy.

Apple and Walnuts: you want the dice to be about the same size as the cooked lentils.

Temperature: As part of a regular salad you should probably chill the lentils. I served them warm under the chicken.

Modernist Cuisine at Home: a frighteningly expensive cookbook, even at Amazon. If have have an iPad, get the free "Inkling" app and check out the free sample chapters.