ROASTED BUTTERFLIED CHICKEN WITH CARDAMOM AND YOGURT

✠ Ingredients :

• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup whole milk yogurt
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• One 3- to 4-pound chicken, butterflied
• Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

✠ Preparation Steps :

1. Grind the cardamom seeds and peppercorns to a fine powder in a mortar and pestle or a spice/coffee grinder. Stir in the salt, coriander, and cumin, then add the garlic and smash it. Add the olive oil and work everything together to form a paste. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the yogurt, ginger, and lemon juice.

2. Place the chicken in a large bowl or a baking dish. Rub about half the yogurt mixture between the skin and the meat over the breasts and thighs. Then smear the remaining yogurt all over the chicken, front and back. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and up to 24 hours.

3. Thirty minutes before roasting, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature. Heat the oven to 425°F.

4. Place the chicken breast side up in a cast iron skillet or baking pan. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving.

5. Serve the chicken garnished with cilantro leaves.

❤ Good news !

TANGERINE AND ALMOND SHORTBREAD TART

TANGERINE AND ALMOND SHORTBREAD TART

♦ Ingredients :

➽ Tart

• 2 tangerines
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, diced
• ½ cup superfine sugar
• ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup orange blossom honey
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 cups sliced almonds, toasted

➽ Optional Garnish

• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
• Small fresh mint sprigs

♦ Preparation Steps :

1. Zest the tangerines and juice them. Chill the juice.

2. Pulse the flour, confectioners’ sugar, salt, butter, and tangerine zest in the bowl of a food processor until combined and the butter pieces are pea-size. Add tangerine juice by the tablespoon, pulsing, until the dough looks like wet sand (reserve the remaining juice). Pulse just until the dough starts to form a ball.

3. Line the bottom of a 10-inch tart pan with a removable base with buttered parchment paper. Pat the dough into the tart pan, being careful to press it up and into the sides. Chill the crust for at least 1 hour, and up to 4.

4. Heat the oven to 375°F.

5. In a heavy saucepan, mix together the superfine sugar, brown sugar, honey, and 2 teaspoons of the reserved tangerine juice and cook over medium-low heat, swirling the pan gently, until the sugars and honey dissolve, then cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mixture darkens and caramelizes. (Tip: You can use the leftover tangerine juice mixed with some warm water to brush down the sides of the pan to remove any sugar crystals.)

6. Add the cream, increase the heat to medium, and cook the mixture at a low boil for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is richly caramelized and thick, making sure it doesn’t boil over. Stir in the almonds and spread the mixture in the chilled tart crust.

7. Bake the tart for 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the crust is richly browned. Cool the tart completely on a rack.

8. To make the optional whipped cream: Whip the cream, vanilla, and sugar together.

9. To serve, remove the sides of the pan and, using a long-bladed spatula, slide the tart off the pan bottom and onto a cake stand or platter. Serve with sweetened whipped cream and a mint garnish.

❤ That's Not All, Read Also :

LAMB MERGUEZ

LAMB MERGUEZ

✔ Ingredients :

• 1 pound freshly ground lamb shoulder
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon Spice Mixture (recipe follows)
• 2 tablespoons harissa (I prefer fresh harissa, as opposed to what is available in a can or a tube)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Ice water as needed
• ¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste

✔ Preparation Steps :

1. Combine all the ingredients except the ice water and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time, mixing until the mixture is well combined. Add salt. (If you have ground the meat yourself, you probably won’t need much ice water.)

2. Form a little patty of the mixture and cook it in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Taste the patty and adjust the seasoning as you see fit.

3. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably overnight, to help the flavors develop.

4. Dip your hands in ice water as you form sausage patties, about 2 inches in diameter and ½ inch thick. Refrigerate the patties if you are not going to cook them right away. (Or, if you like, you can stuff the sausage mixture into a casing to form a long coil.)

5. Fry the patties in a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side until browned. (Or grill the merguez coil for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once.) 

✔ Spice Mixture :

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted
• 1 tablespoon anise seeds (or fennel seeds in a pinch), toasted
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (I used Ceylon)
• ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, depending on the spiciness of your harissa
• 2 teaspoons turmeric

1. Combine all the ingredients and finely grind using a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. The extra can be stored in a lidded glass jar.

❤ Don't Forget :

ROASTED CARROT SOUP

ROASTED CARROT SOUP

✦ Ingredients :

• 6 to 8 large carrots (about 1¾ pounds), peeled and cut into
• ½-inch-thick slices
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Salt
• 6 cups vegetable stock, or as needed
• One 1-inch-long piece fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 fresh thyme sprig, plus chopped thyme for garnish
• ½ large sweet onion, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• Fresly ground black pepper

✦ Preparation Steps :

1. Set an oven rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat source and turn on the broiler. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the carrots with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Broil the carrots until they brown and soften, turning them over with a spatula every 5 minutes or so; this should take 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. 

Add the ginger and sprig of thyme, turn down the heat, and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

3. Just before the carrots are done put the onion in a large saucepan with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then add the carrots.

4. Remove the ginger and thyme from the stock and add the stock to the onions and carrots. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the carrots are very soft.

5. Use an immersion or a standard blender to puree the soup until smooth. If the soup seems too thick, add more stock or water and reheat gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Serve garnished with chopped thyme.

❤ Read Also :

SPRING COOKBOOK : EGG DECORATION RECIPE

5 TIPS FOR HALTHY EATING - RECIPES IN SPRING