bigwino

Oh my God, am I starving now! After reading that NYT Bittman article about braising in milk, I'm thinking the original Marcella Hazan recipe (Here's the article) might be nice. Maybe I can sneak in the roasted brussel sprouts with them and hope my family likes them.

Brussel sprouts are not welcome at my house, either. I've never roasted them, though. Maybe that would get them back on the list of acceptable vegetables. I am so ready for fall foods. It is the best time of year for cooking. The ingredients are right up my alley (root veggies, all varieties of allium, game). The cooking methods are my favorites, too (roasting, braising). Is anyone doing a celebratory fall menu this weekend?

Spatchcocking might be a little extreme for an ex-vegetarian's first chicken. My wife can't stand to watch me do it and she's never been a vegetarian. For a first time chicken roaster, I think simplicity is key. Tuck some fresh herbs under the breast skin (also slightly gross for those not used to working with raw meat and dead animals). Dry the skin with paper towels. Shove some citrus in the butt and put on a rack in a roasting pan. Put in a 400 degree oven and cook until done. Done depends on the size of the bird. One of these thermometer things can be helpful in watching for doneness without opening and closing the oven. Look for 155 degrees or so for the breast and 165 or so from the thigh. I think you can assume about 18 minutes per pound. Have fun.

It only gets worse past the cover.

Magic Hat Brewing Company's Ravel (a vanilla porter) and Heart of Darkness (stout). Oh man, are those good beers. Magic Hat's Website

Bruce, It looks like you had some time to eat well here in Boston. For romantic, a couple of nice places are L'Espalier and Sel de la Terre. Traditional French and Provencal-focus respectively. They're both chef-owned by the same chef. They both do wine dinners that are very good for the $. L'Espalier also does a cheese dinner that looks excellent. I've had the tasting menu at both Radius and No. 9, both with the wine accompaniments. Radius impressed the hell out of me and No. 9 completely disappointed me. No. 9's portions were just ridiculously small and they varied greatly between the party of four that each had the tasting menu. One course was chestnut farfalle with some bland reduction sauce. Each plate had five(!) bowties all neatly lined up in a row with about 1/2 teaspoon. of brown, tasteless sauce. I will say that the service at both is truly excellent. I've since gone back to No. 9 and ate on the bar side and had a terrific meal with some excellent wines. I would recommend the restaurant highly to Boston visitors and residents, just avoid the tasting menu. Also, the bartenders are a great bunch and know their wines and how to pour a nice drink. Was there a computer security event here in Boston? I can't imagine you came here just for the food!