January 27 2011 - Guest Chef!

My favorite guest Chef cooked this evening. Chris, A.K.A. "McChris", A.K.A. Darth Grillmaster. He worked with a recipe from Fine Cooking (Dec 10/Jan 11) and he made Pan Seared Chicken Thighs in Beer and Grainy Mustard Sauce.

First thing's first: Proper footwear.

 

Then the coat...

 

Then the chef's "assistant"... We did a lot of research on beer this past weekend in Asheville at the Winter Warmer Beer Festival. I will blog about that tomorrow. Here is some quality Dogfishhead Indian Brown Ale. Delicious.

 

Mise en place.

 

Mincing the shallot. Note the right hand - when using a kitchen knife, always grip the blade with your index and thumb. The remaining fingers should curl around the handle. This will give the best control of the knife.

 

Thighs in the pan. In retrospect, we'd do 6 instead of 8. Recipe said the pan would be crowded...we thought this was a tad too crowded.

 

Flip 'em over and put them in the oven until cooked through (always check with a thermometer - I use the cheapo ones that cost $5 or so...I have a more advanced style that I do use for candy/oil and roasting (the kind with a probe)...we also use it for working out since it has a timer on it.

 

Once the chicken is done drain all but a tablespoon of the fat, saute the minced shallots and add beer and chicken broth. Bring to a rapid simmer and reduce to about 1 cup. You should see it thicken, too (see photo).

Voila!! Delicious!

And lest you think I forgot Fenway, here she is whith the Chef, celebrating success!