Lesson 31: I'M BACK! Roasting II

Isn't January the worst month ever?  The holidays are over and it's just cold!!  It was kind of depressing getting to NYC today and not having holiday music playing as I exit Penn Station into the blistering cold.

Anyways, I was really excited to get back into the kitchen today after the long break!  So excited that I barely slept last night, which made me kind of tired once I got to class (meh).  Once I got started cooking the adrenaline kicked in!

We continued our lesson on roasting today with a new selection of proteins and vegetables.  The first protein we prepared was the poussin.  I have never worked with a poussin before (I actually googled it when I heard we were making it--it's just a baby chicken).  We made a truffle butter and spread some of it under the skins of the breasts.  We also stuffed the cavity of each chicken with thyme, bay leaf, garlic, and salt.  Here's my tiny baby chicken trussed and ready to cook:

(It's a zoomed in pic, so it actually looks like a regular chicken.  It was a little larger than my hand)

We seared the poussin on all sides before roasting it in the oven until the internal temp reached 160 degrees.  Then, we deglazed the pan with brandy and made a red wine sauce with more truffle butter swirled in at the end, parsley and a touch of bone marrow.  The poussin was delicious and was extremely moist and tender.

We served the poussin with roasted cauliflower with curry oil.

Next, we trimmed and tied veal tenderloins.  We also seared the tenderloins before roasting them until they reached an internal temp of 130 degrees.

We sauteed oyster mushrooms in the same pan and flambed with brandy and madeira.  After a bit of veal stock, heavy cream, and truffle butter it became the most amazing sauce I have ever tasted.  It was so rich and creamy--the perfect topping for the tender veal.

We served our veal with roasted carrots that were marinated in shallots, garlic, thyme, tarragon, and olive oil.

I forgot how exhausting a day in the kitchen is until I got on the train with aching feet, my hair in shambles, and my face flushed from the heat of the kitchen and then the rush of the commute.  And it's only MONDAY!!  Tomorrow I have a quiz and then we have our first lesson on braising!