More adventures in cookery
March 22, 2008
Whether or not my cooking has gotten any better, I’m getting better at taking food pictures! I even borrowed some of my roommate’s apples for visual effect — how’s that for composition?
Wine was on sale at the supermarket this weekend (for Easter??) so I picked up a bottle of their finest discount Chardonnay. But seriously, I did consult a vintage chart and everything.
I decided to make some chicken to go with the wine. Originally, I set out to make a chicken fried rice — something simple and that would make some tasty leftovers. But as my chicken sauteed, it looked so good by itself that I hated to mix it up with other ingredients. So the rice and peas that I had intended to mix in became the side dishes, and it turned out pretty well.
This time, deglazing was not a good idea. The wine was too weirdly tart on the chicken and the rice and peas. Perhaps if it was like a chicken with mango salsa or something that could have worked, but here it tasted funny.
But it makes a great picture, doesn’t it?
March 22, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Looks like “Good Eats.” I think you need to reconsider “deglazing”; that’s always a good idea but must be done properly. Once pan is deglazed, the process of constructing a good sauce from the remains is the goal. Consider adding a little chicken stock, some chopped fresh rosemary, and a sprig of fresh thyme (maybe a crushed garlic clove–optional). Reduce to sauce consistance; add 1T butted and enjoy.
March 22, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Thanks! All those suggestions sound delicious. Next time I’ll try the chicken stock and herbs — I’ll let you know how that goes.