Tricks of my Trade

Poulet Rôti à la Mode de ma Mère (My Mother's Roast Chicken)

Clean and singe a 3-ponnd chicken and truss the legs and wings close to the body. Season it with salt inside and out. Place the chicken on its side in a roasting pan. spread over it 2 tablespoons butter, and add ¼ cup water to the pan. Roast the chicken in a hot oven (400° F.) for about 10 minutes and turn it on its other side. When it begins to take on a golden color, reduce the heat to $75° F. and continue to cook. turning and basting every 15 minutes and adding more water as necessary. There should be just enough water to keep the juice in the pan from scorching. Cook for I to 1 ½ hours or until done, turning the bird on its back for the last 15 minutes to brown the breast. To test, pierce the second joint with a two-tined kitchen fork Or a metal skewer; if the juice which comes out is clear and colorless, the bird is done; if it has a pink tinge, more cooking is needed.

Remove the chicken from the pan. Add ½ cup water or sunk to the pan and cook over a moderate flame for a few minutes, stirring in all the brown crustiness. Correct the seasoning with salt and swirl in 1 tablespoon butter. Remove the pan gravy from the heat before the butter has completely melted. Serves 4.

Poulet Rôti en Casserole (Roast Chicken en Casserole)

Clean and singe a 3 to 3 ½-pound chicken and truss the legs and wings clow to the body. Season it with salt inside and out and put a clove of garlic in the cavity. Place the chicken on its side in a casserole large enough to accommodate the bird and vegetables. Add a little good fat and cook the chicken over a low flame or in a moderate oven (350° F.) with the casserole partly covered until the bird is brown on one side. Turn it to brown the Other side and continue to cook for about 30 minutes, turning and basting the chicken with the fat. Pour off the fat and reserve it. Pur 12 small white onions and 2 tablespoons butter around the bird and continue to cook until the onions are brown. Add 4 potatoes, peeled and Cut into 24 pieces, and 2 more tablespoons butter and cook with the casserole partly covered until the potatoes are brown. Add ¼ pound diced salt pork, blanched and sautéed until brown in the reserved fat, ¼ pound mushroom caps, browned in a little fat, and ½ cup chicken stock or water and cook 20 to 30 minutes longer, or until the chicken is done when the second joint is tested. Remove the chicken, carve, and arrange it on a warm serving platter. Place the vegetables around it and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve the gravy from the casserole separately. Serves 4.

Roan Turkey or Capon

Clean and singe the bird and stuff it if desired. Truss the legs and wings close to the body and season it with sat. Lay the bird on its side in a roasting pan with slices of fat pork over the breast and spread it generously with good fat. Roast the bird in a hot oven (425° F.) for 15 minutes, turn it on its other side, and cook for 15 minutes longer. Reduce the heat to 350° F. and cook until done, turning from side to side and basting about every 20 minutes. Place the bird on its back for the last 15 minutes. Allow about 15 minutes per pound and an extra 5 minutes per pound if the bird is stuffed. Test by piercing the second joint with a twotined kitchen fork or metal skewer. If the juice which comes out is clear and colorless, the bird is done; if it has a pink tinge, more cooking is needed. If the fat in the pan tends to burn during the cooking, add a little water and keep adding it at necessary.

Remove the bird to a warm serving platter and make a pan gravy: Pour off the fat in the pan. add 1 cup water or stock, and stir in all the brown crustiness. Swirl in 2 tablespoons butter and correct the seasoning with salt. A 12pound turkey serves 10.

Roast Stuffed Goose

Make a stuffing as follows: Sauté 2 onions, chopped, in 3 tablespoons goose fat until they are golden. Mix the ontons with the chopped liver of the goose. Add 1 teaspoon salt and poultry seasoning to taste, ½ pound each fresh lean pork and fresh fat pork, both ground. or 1 pound sausage meat, 3 tablespoons cognac, 1 egg. beaten, 12 to 15 cooked chestnuts, and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly and stuff the goose. Sew up the vent, truss the legs and wings close to the body, and rub the outside with a little salt.

Lay the goose on its side in a roasting pan; pour ½ cup hot water into the pan, and roast the bird in a hot oven (425° F.) for 1 hour. Turn the goose on its oilier side and continue to cook, turning every half hour and basting frequently. As the water cooks away, add more and skim off the surplus fat that collects in the pan. Roast for about 15 to 16 minutes per pound, but test for doneness by piercing the second joint with a two-tined fork or metal skewer. If the juice which comes out is clear and colorless, the bird is done; if it has a pink tinge, more cooking is needed. Put the goose on its back for the last 15 minutes to brown the breast. Remove the goose to a warm serving platter, remove fat from pan, and make a pan gravy following the directions for turkey gravy. A 12-pound goose serves 10.