Tuesday, February 11, 2014

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.

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