Real Life Recipes

Mother's Day Meal 
As prepared by Chef Mike Benninger - May 6

Roasted Chicken with Fresh herbs

1 regular fresh chicken (2-3 lbs)
1/2 stick salted butter at room temperature
A few sprigs each of fresh thyme and rosemary
Salt and pepper

Strip the herbs off the stems and mix into the butter. Rinse the bird
off well and dry. Use a finger and separate the skin from the meat
around the breasts and push the herb butter in. Rub the rest of the herb
butter over the skin and then season aggressively. Roast in a 400F oven
for about an hour and 10 minutes or until cooked.


Pain Perdu
1/4 cup milk or heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 slices baguette
3 eggs
2 Tbsps sugar
1 tbsp unsalted butter
 
Directions:
Beat together the milk, vanilla and , eggs with the sugar and pour onto
a plate. Heat the butter in a skillet until sizzling. Take the bread
from the milk, holding it above the bowl to drain slightly. Dip into the
egg mixture to coat both sides, then drop into the sizzling butter and
fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.

Sweet Pea Risotto
Olive oil
1 chopped onion
4 ounces of rice per person if it is a main dish or 2 ounces per person
if it is a side dish.
3 to 5 cups of canned or homemade chicken broth
Baby Sweet peas

In a frying pan, heat some little olive oil and/or butter. Add the
onions and fry until the onion has a nice golden appearance. Add the
rice and make sure that the rice has a nice olive oil coat. Stir and
gently fry the rice for a few minutes.

Slowly incorporate some chicken broth 1/3 cup at a time. The rice should
stay wet but should never be completed covered by the broth. The rice
will absorb the liquid and at that point you can repeat the process of
adding more broth, so leave the stove at low/simmer heat and do not stop
stirring. When the rice tastes cooked, add the parmesan cheese and stir
to combine, then add the sweet peas, serve immediately.