Zuni Cafe Roasted Chicken and Bread Salad

Last night for our Christmas Eve dinner I made the Zuni Café Roasted Chicken & Bread Salad from Judy Rodgers Zuni Café Cookbook.  I had first read about this technique of roasting a chicken and the incredible bread salad a few years ago when it was all the rage and popping up on numerous food blogs and forums.  I made it once for my family and it is always brought up as one of the favorite meals and frequently requested.  A few key points are required to prepare a chicken in the style of the Zuni Café.  Firstly it must be a small bird, no more than 3 ½ lbs and secondly, you need to salt the bird and let it dry brine in the fridge for 2 days prior to roasting.  The final key point is roasting at a very high temperature for a relatively short amount of time.  Doing all of this produces one of the best roasted chickens you will ever have the pleasure to enjoy.  Exquisitely crisp skin on the entire bird and juicy succulent meat that is just out of this world.  The bread salad while not a requirement is a real treat and a modern almost deconstructed version of a traditional stuffing.  The salad is loaded with flavor from roasted pine nuts, slivered garlic, green onions, delicious vinaigrette and a final addition of pan juices from the roasted chicken.  Served on a bed of baby arugula on a large platter is a feast to behold.

Choose a hearty European style bread (not sourdough)

Santa hat brownies

Look at how cute these are.  I was putting together an appetizer party for my 18 yr old step daughter and a few of her friends.  When I saw this idea on The Chew the other morning, I knew this was something I was going to add to the menu.  To make it super easy I bought those two-bite brownies from the grocery store.  Then simply cut the stem off of each strawberry making a flat surface, pipe whipped cream on top of the brownie, add a strawberry and then top with a dot of whipped cream.  They look really cute and are very festive.  Maybe leave these for Santa tonight instead of cookies.

Sablefish with Miso, Ginger and Maple Syrup

I frequently post on my love for sablefish, also known as black cod.  Not only is it an incredibly succulent firm white fish but it is also very high in Omega 3′s which promotes health and is very supportive in reducing inflammation.  Shout out to my local grocery store @ThriftyFoods .  Usually I’m picking up sablefish at my local fish monger , Granville Island Market or Whole Foods which is fine, but to find in at Thrifty’s is a really great surprise.  I hope to see it there often.  I wanted to do something with miso and maple syrup having read that as a frequent flavor combination with some of the local chefs.

Marinate fish skin side up for 6 – 24 hours in a mixture of miso, sake, maple syrup and ginger.  Remove from marinade and dry of with paper towels.  Bake at 400 on a parchment lined baking sheet, skin side up for 10 – 15 min.

Served over a a bed of a reduction of miso, ginger and maple syrup with sides of oven roasted potatoes and asparagus.