Sanctuary from The Mad World
Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch. - Orson Welles

I was infatuated with Alton Brown of Good Eats recently so I hunt his videos on youtube. His method of roasting the chicken is so tempting I just had to make it. He butterflies the chicken, ensuring crispy skin on both sides. The meat is perfumed with herbs and spices as they are placed beneath the skin instead of the traditional skin-rub.

I modified the recipe a little as I wasn’t keen on leaving a lemon without its zest languishing on my counter top. But it is still lovely and fragrant and flavourful.

I will try this method to make a version of Ayam Taliwang, a grilled chicken special of Lombok. Chilies and spices underneath all that skin? I can feel the heat already!


Ingredients:
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Servings:  four

This week, I had a craving for duck ragu. I dream of their succulence within rich tomato sauce. I bought a piece of duck breast from our favourite butcher.

Apparently, it’s quite a popular dish for celebrity chefs. Gooling brought me to Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali. My own copy of Cook with Jamie contains one too.

This recipe is a simplification of Jamie Oliver’s recipe as I want to taste the gamey flavour of the duck in rich tomato sauce (from the duck fat) instead of witnessing the fight of flavours among orange, duck, and tomato sauce. For wine, I used the fruity yet powerful Chilean red from Maipo Valley (Cab. Sauvignon and Carménère). 

Now I know why this is such a popular dish. It’s not difficult to make but the result is impressive. The meat is tender and the sauce complex making it the perfect sleep-inducing meal on a hot Sunday afternoon.  After (his) washing the dishes, we snored away.

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