Poultry week is underway

New meats, new techniques, and new partners.  This week I'm with L, my Filipino friend who loves his Glock and loves him a 5 Hour Energy shot. 

Last night was roast whole chicken with mushroom dressing and gravy, and half a partially deboned Cornish hen with batonned celery root/carrot in anise burre blanc over a horseradish cream sauce.  Our birds both came out juicy as can be.  It was easy to take the temp of the chicken and pull it when it hit 160; the hen was harder, at that size of a bird chef said the thermometer can lie to you so you must also get to know doneness by the feel of the meat.  Which sounds like an awesome way to give someone samonella.  But ours came out perfect.

For both birds we let them rest 15-20 minutes before carving and presenting.  Chef said chicken should be served just above room temperature, and it will do some reheating from the sauce.  Other teams had some juice loss, or some meat that looked underdone.  Theirs didn't rest long enough, but our timing was good.  The only things we missed were A) too much negative space on our chicken plate and B) the horseradish sauce was a little too thick. 

Tonight is saute: duck breast, chicken breast.