This will be published in the Alternative Press tomorrow.  Hope you enjoy it!

I’ve been writing this weekly column for a number of weeks now and realized that I really haven’t done anything particularly French yet. Since I trained in classic French cuisine, I need to rectify this particular situation. This dish utilizes classic French ingredients and techniques, but it’s rather rustic. I would say it’s definitely more of a French country dish rather than something more sophisticated and Parisian.
The chicken is cooked on the range to crisp the skin and brown and then finished in the oven with a few herbs and vegetables and a splash of wine. The sauce is a simple au jus reduction using pan juice, chicken stock, mushroom stock, and brandy and it’s paired with incredibly crispy potatoes. Add a baby spinach salad seasoned only with salt, pepper, and chives and dressed simply with olive oil and you have a meal that is both healthy and well rounded (not to mention incredibly delicious). Even the duck fat isn’t too bad for you as it contains high levels of ‘good’ fat…nutrition information on that is widely available on-line.
All the ingredients can be found at any grocery store or market expect for the duck fat. I purchased my duck fat at Kings and I keep it in the freezer. I break it out every once in a while and simply return it to the freezer for another day. I never use a lot…just a few tablespoons at a time. If you are really ambitious, you can make a duck dish, reserve the fat and use your own. Either way, a little goes a long way. Bon appetite! Continue reading →