Roast Chicken with Herbed butter recipe

8 Tablespoons of butter

2 Tablespoons for chopped dill, tarragon, chervil or any other herbs you want in combination

Salt and Pepper

1 Three to four pound chicken

½ Cup of white wine or water (plus more if you need it)

Optional

Chopped parsley, or whatever herb leaf you want, as a garnish

1 Clove of garlic

How to Make

            You should first start by pre-heating the oven to about 450 degrees Fahrenheit. From there you should combine the butter with your selected herbs, plus some salt and pepper. You can use a food processor, a fork, or whatever you feel comfortable using to combine them, but note you only need to use half the butter. This is a lot easier if you soften the butter in a microwave first.  Now you should separate the chicken skin from the meat to get the butter-herb mix in there. Do not try to separate all the skin, just where you can, you do not want to tear any of that wonderful stuff. You may also want to spread some in the chicken cavity as well as on top of the breasts (seasoning with more salt and pepper of course).

            You should now put the rest of the butter in the pan you are going to roast the chicken in, and place that in the oven. Do not put the chicken in yet, we still have at least one or two more things of prep work to do. Once the butter has melted, if you are using the ingredients, you can add the garlic clove (smashed) and the white wine to the pan. I like to put some celery stick and pieces of carrots down on the bottom of the pan to create a natural rack, but you can do what you want here. Either way, place the chicken in the pan, breast side down and roast for about 20 minutes. After that you should turn the chicken over and spoon some of the butter in the pan over it. After about ten minutes, the chicken should be starting to turn brown (roast for longer if this is not the case), from there you should baste it again and turn the heat down to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. After that, take the chicken out and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then serve.

Reaction

            Chicken is a really nice base protein to work with, simply because it can absorb a lot of different flavors. Combine this with the excellent flavors that fresh herbs can bring to a dish and it is a winning combination. The herbs, I found, mixed well with the flavor of the butter, and since I chose to use garlic in this, made the chicken that much better. There are a few ingredients in cooking I swear by. One of them is garlic, and the flavor it brought here was tremendous, so I highly recommend using it in the butter and the sauce. And as a side note, I would not limit this herb butter to just this dish.

            As anyone would expect, using such ingredients as butter and herbs, the chicken absorbed the flavors wonderfully. If you watch the chicken enough, and cook it right the meat will be moist and juicy, adding its own flavor to the mix. But as with most roast chickens, the start of the show was the skin. Crispy, crunchy and full of wonderful, herbed filled, buttery flavor, there was nothing to dislike other than there only being so much to eat. And considering that it locked in that flavor for the rest of the chicken was an added plus.

            Overall, this was an excellent dish. It is not a full stand alone meal, however, as it does not provide enough to be eaten solely by itself. Some boiled green beans would easily be best with it, as well as some rice. In the end, if you have the time and patience with this dish, it will come out great.

Macallan 12 Year Single Malt Scotch Whiskey

            I personally think that one of the many beauties of Scotch Whiskey is the amount of diversity this spirit has. What I mean by that is that there is almost like a tree for it: two main types, Single Malt and Blended. Then in those categories there are many styles like Islay, Highland, Speyside and so on. Each one of these has their own distinct style and taste, for instance Islay is more known for being smokier and has more peat, while Speyside has more sweetish flavor. Another good region is Highland, which has a more fruity and smooth taste. A good example I find for an excellent Highland Single Malt is Macallan 12 year aged. Aged in Sherry oak casks from Spain, I honestly think that this is a fine piece of what Highland Scotch Whiskey is.

Nose

            Once more, I am not a very good judge on the aroma of many spirits. But with the Macallan, I found a lot of the scents it advertised to be very present. Macallan claims that their Whiskey’s aroma contains hints of vanilla, some ginger, fruit, sweet sherry and smoke. The Scotch does contain a very sweet smell, a mixture of the sherry and vanilla. It is a comfortable sweetness, and not too heavy in the nose. Of course, I cannot find any of the ginger. There is a hint of smokiness to the nose, and in combination with the sweetness it reminds me of tobacco. While that may turn some off, I should note it is not a cheap tobacco smell, as with cigarettes. Rather, it is a scent of fine pipe tobacco, something I find to reek of quality, care, and a lot of comfort.

Taste

            Being a 12 Year Single Malt, a lot of times I have found that having a nice smoothness to it is nice, but not always the case. But once more with the Macallan, it is surprising in its smooth and comfortable flavor. Again, Macallan claim that the flavor contains a rich note of dried fruit mixed with sherry sweetness. And once again, Macallan delivers on this promise. What I found nice was that the notes of sherry and dried fruit (both powerful and rich flavors by their own rights) were nicely balanced. No one flavored dominated here, but both stood out on an equal footing, creating a nice mixture.

            Behind the flavors of fruit and sherry is another thing Macallan advertised with its 12 Year: Smoke. Aged in sherry casks, this flavor (in my opinion) was an unavoidable addition to the Scotch. And like most Scotches, the smoke is a welcome thing. Unlike an Islay Scotch, the smoke is not an overpowering flavor, rather a subtle background note that adds to the overall experience. Smoke in Scotch is something I am very used to, and enjoy very much, especially when I have to look for it, because by searching for one flavor I enjoy the others more. Think of it as an opposition that others are marked again, or rather a base control. When one flavor is put against an opposite, it stands out more, and that is the case for the smoke in the Macallan. The one note that I cannot find in the Macallan is the spice that is supposedly matched with the smoke. Maybe it is because I am looking too much for the smoke, or that it is too subtle a note against the smoke. Either way, I think the Macallan works fine without it.

Finish

            Being brief about the Macallan’s finish, it is a fine and pleasant one. It leaves a sweet and smooth aftertaste, retaining much of its dried fruit flavor. The smoke, already a background flavor, diminishes even more, but with the fruit being so nice, that is hardly a minus. Once more, the spice is non-existent, as well as the other advertised flavor: sweet toffee. That aside, the finish is wonderful.

Conclusion

            Macallan is a wonderful Highland Scotch Whiskey. The best word I can think to describe it is comfortable, because so many aspects of it are. Its aroma reminds me of a cozy, warm living room with a wood fire sizzling in the corner. The taste, rich with dried fruit, is not an unwelcome one, being sweet on a smoky backdrop. The finish does what all finishes should do: make you just want to sit there for even longer and sip it. This is an excellent Scotch, and for 12 Years old, its quality is something brilliant. If you want to try a good quality Highland Scotch, look no further.

Ardbeg 10 Year Single Malt

            The first time I had Laphroaig Single Malt whiskey was only mid- to late-December of last year, and I was hit by the massive amount of peat this scotch has. This is the staple of Islay style scotch: smoky and peaty. This was Laphroaig Quarter Cask, aged 10 years, and the peat surely (to some people) is overwhelming. I, personally, have learned to love the taste, as the smoke and peat add a depth of flavor to the whiskey that few other drinks can match. So, when the opportunity arose to try another Islay scotch, I literally jumped at the chance and decided to try Ardbeg, 10 year aged.

Nose

            I must admit that when it comes to the aroma of whiskeys, I am not really the man to talk to, as I usually only have one nostril unclogged at any one point and it is usually slightly stuffy. That being said, for the Ardbeg one smell can easily be identified right off the bat: Peat. For those who do not know, peat generally has a more smoky aroma with a slightly earthy scent to it. That should easily give a clue as to how the scotch will taste--as with all food and drink the dominant aroma tends to be the dominant taste. Ardbeg’s website describes the aroma as “smoky fruit…peat infused with zesty lemon and lime, wrapped in waxy dark chocolate.” If you look for it, I am sure the chocolate is there, but I mainly smell the peat and fruit.

Taste

            Once more, Ardbeg’s website gives a lengthy description of the many tastes their 10 year scotch contains. From lemon to “…sizzling cinnamon…” to buttermilk to even liqourice root. I will not shy away from admitting that I was unable to taste most of these, which could be chalked up to my nose being stuffed or just that my tongue is not trained well enough to find these individual flavors. What was immediately stood out to me was the obvious: the peat. I was expecting it to have a flavor similar to the Laphroaig, a massive amount of peat, but I was surprised. While the peat was present, it was not overwhelming, allowing me to taste the other flavors present in the whiskey, such as the other fruity flavors and slightly spicy pepper tones.

Like Laphroaig, I had this over ice, but unlike the Laphroaig, I did not have to wait for the scotch to get watered down before tasting the other flavors. From the start, I could taste the Ardbeg’s peat, but I was also able to taste a sweetness with it as well. I would not call this the lemon taste it advertised, rather more a berry-like taste, but a mild one. Either way, this was a wonderful mixture, as the smoky peat and sweet fruit combined to make a deep and interesting blend of flavors. I enjoyed this very much, especially coming from only a 10 year aged scotch. Moving forward, I must talk about what was one of the most surprising things about Ardbeg: how smooth it is. Currently, one of my favorite scotches is Glenfiddich 15 year aged. The Ardbeg is a smoother scotch than the 15 year, something that surprised me as it is 5 years younger. I consider this a mark of quality.

Finish

            I will not speak at length on Ardbeg’s finish. It is a pleasant finish, smooth, easy, with less peat and more fruit. The aftertaste it leaves is one I do not mind at all, as all those excellent flavors meld nicely together. Personally, I find the finish makes want to drink the Ardbeg more.

Conclusion

            Ardbeg is a nice quality, well made and overall great Single Malt. It is smooth and it is tasty, and from a 10 year, that is a great deal. While I could not taste or smell a lot of the advertised flavors and aromas, that did not stop me from enjoying this scotch. If I had to rate this one, I would easily give it a 9 out of 10. If you have the chance, I would easily recommend you give it a shot. But I will warn you, if you do not like peat or smoke, you will not like this. If you do, what are you waiting for?

Simple Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

3+ strips Bacon (optional—if you don’t want to use bacon, be sure to add cooking oil to the pan before adding the chicken)

3 Boneless Chicken Breasts/Thighs

½ Large Onion (Diced)

2-3 Carrots (chopped)

½ cup Snow/Sweet Peas

A good amount of shredded Cabbage

Stir-Fry Sauce to taste (preferably Szechwan, but whatever you like will work)

Optional:

1-2 stalks of Celery (chopped)

¼ cup nuts (Peanuts, Walnuts, whatever you like)

Mushrooms (as much as you like)

How to Make:

                Slice the Bacon into small strips about a quarter to half inch wide each, and cut the chicken into about one inch cubes. You then are going to want to heat a Wok, or whatever sort of large wide pan you have. Do not bother oiling it; you are going to cook the bacon first, so there is no real point, as the bacon will release a lot of its heavenly grease, which is exactly what we want. Once you think the bacon is crispy enough, remove it so it does not burn (do not worry as we will add them back later, remember: burnt bacon is inedible, which is unacceptable). Now add in the chicken, and let that just cook for a few minutes until all cubes are a nice brown color (not golden, just not raw on the outside).

                Once the chicken looks nice, add the onions. This will notch up the flavor, as the onions will add their own touch to the bacon and chicken while taking both of those in. Once the onions are looking translucent, add in the carrots. Even with the bacon grease and extra moisture from the other ingredients, the carrots can stick and burn, so you might want to watch them carefully. If you want, this is when you can also add in the celery, mushrooms, or whatever vegetables you like. When you are happy with how the carrots look, add in the cabbage along with some seasoning (pepper for sure, but I also add in some chili flakes and garlic sea salt for a little more flavor) and let it reduce for a while. Once that looks nice and translucent, maybe with a little char, add the bacon back in to let it get some more flavor. Once you stir the bacon back in (plus nuts, if you want them), it is time to add the Stir-Fry sauce. The Szechwan has a bit of a kick to it, so add as much or as little as you like, just make sure you taste it first so you do not destroy the other flavors. I added about a couple tablespoons, and that worked fine with how much I had in my Wok. Once that is done, serve!

Reaction:

                I have always been a bit of a believer that the simplest things can come out the best (the Michelin guide recommends, so…). And I was surprised as to how well this came out--everything that had a lot of flavor retained most of it, while those that did not absorbed a great amount of the levels of flavor. Plus, with the amount of time I let the vegetables reduce down, the cabbage (at least) still had a little crunch to it, which was a nice change in texture. I swear by onions, I love the flavor they bring, and I was a little disappointed as to how much their individual taste was muted. But as I started to look for the flavor, I noticed that it had taken a much more subtle taste throughout the dish, which I was more than happy with.

                The Szechwan sauce was also a nice touch as it added a small little kick on the back of your throat and on your tongue. This was a nice change from the salty, savory taste of the bacon, chicken and onions, adding a little more depth. What I liked most about the amount I added was that it was far from overpowering, as when someone I knew could not take spicy food well tried it and really enjoyed the small kick. I should note that if you like eating something made with a massive amount of spice, make it with a lot of spice, but sometimes a small kick adds just a huge amount of depth. If you want just a little more flavor (like I did) it could not hurt to toast up some sesame seeds and sprinkle them over the dish, giving that toasty, sesame aspect to the dish, which really worked well.

                Overall, I was pretty happy with this little experiment that I really just made up on the fly. And what is best about it is that it can be changed around, added to, some things removed, and it can still work. That is what I enjoy about a stir fry, it is simple, easy, and can taste really good. Just goes to show that simple things can be excellent.