Well let me see how best to approach this most delicate of situations. You see I happen to know the Chef at the Auberge and have dined at his table more than just a few times so I consider myself a good customer indeed and he has prepared for me some of the most delicious meals I have ever tasted. A glass of wine please, I know it’s early. This particular dish requires some prep time (as I indicated on the recipe) but perhaps more than it deserved. Let me share with you some thoughts and you can tell me if I am just cooking this all up or not. Bon. The idea of roasting the chicken in the deep fry pan was somewhat of a novel approach. I tried and quickly lost interest in the uniqueness of the moment. Far too elaborate with little meaningful results to suit my taste buds. I am like that, I can tell very quickly if a recipe and I are going to get along well. It’s OK if one of us is temperamental (like moi) but all that quickly fades when the recipe comes together and a little bit of magic has been created. And those of you out there, I am sure enjoy the successes just like me. Back to swatting a flea with a hammer. Once the vegetables have been browned and set aside in the baking dish and the chicken is somewhat browned, and after the stock and white wine has been poured over the chicken, you then get to play surgeon by making incisions in several places which will then be filled with an herbal and lemon zest mix. That was fun. Up to a point. Remember, do not try this at home unless there is proper supervision!! Additional Rosemary and the sliced peeled lemons are placed in the cavity and the door slammed shut. An hour or so later, the bird is withdrawn from the oven and is left to set for 10 minutes while you finish the rest of the bottle of wine and wonder about the whole process.
But there is some good news – two pieces of good news in all of this. First, the sauce is fantastic and it’s wonderful drizzled over some new potatoes. Second, the chicken tastes superb the following day – as a cold dish with a nice rosé. Oh a word about the wine. I decided on a white Bordeaux, Chateau Haut Dambert Entre-Deux-Mers 2009. Crisp and wonderfully refreshing and helped put things in their proper perspective. So, will I return to the Auberge? Definitely, as they say “I’m in for a penny, in for a pound” and furthermore I respect the Chef for honestly dissecting his dishes in good and in not so good times. Don’t you agree?