The Bloody! Bloody Mary Experiment

I thought bacon was cure for all ails…and I’m sure at some point in my adult life I’ve heard that a Bloody Mary is also a cure for what ails ya.  So one would be safe to assume combining bacon with a Bloody Mary could be the magical cure all.  The best Blood Mary has alluded me for some time now.  Anyway, here’s what NOT to do:

serves 2

3 strips of thick sliced bacon, 2 for garnish 1 for snacking

5 beefsteak tomatoes, halved and seeded

1 jalapeno

2  1/4″inch slices of sweet yellow onion

4″ piece of cucumber, peeled and seeded

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 12ounce can of tomato juice

Do not bother to preheat your oven to 400° or mess with the rest of this process, BUT you may be able to prevent making the same mistakes.

Lay bacon on sheet pan and bake in oven for about 12 minutes or until crisp.  Meanwhile chop the peeled and seeded cucumber and place it in a pitcher or blender with the lemon juice.  If using a pitcher, use a hand mixer to macerate the cucumber into a fine pulp.

Remove cooked bacon and drain on paper towels.  Place the tomato halves, jalapeno and onion on the sheet pan with bacon drippings.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove cooked vegetables and let cool.  Remove the tomato skins and discard.  Place the tomatoes, onion, and 1 tablespoon of the jalapeno in the pitcher or blender and mix until no more mixing can be done.  Add 12 ounces of tomato juice and blend well.  Cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  Serve in chilled, iced glasses.  Garnish with a lemon wedge and bacon.

The sad part was this wasn’t much more interesting than a spicy V8 mix.  It was a little more complex in flavors, but unfortunately not different enough to really justify the time and mess. We vote thumbs down on this one  –  SO, if anyone has a really great Bloody Mary recipe (even w/o bacon 😉  )  please let us know!!

Roasted ‘Flatty’ Chicken with Compound Butter

Making a ‘flatty’ chicken is quick and simple allowing for more even cooking.  Using compound butter under the skin gives extra flavor and moisture.

FOR THE CHICKEN:

1  4 pound whole chicken

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

FOR THE COMPOUND BUTTER:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperture

1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Preheat oven to 350°. Remove any loose bits in the chicken cavity and either reserve for another use or discard.  Rinse and pat dry inside and out.  Flatty the chicken (slideshow of this below) rub both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place chicken on rack inside a large roasting pan, tucking the wings behind the breasts.  

2.  FOR THE COMPOUND BUTTER: Using room temperature butter, add herbs de provence, salt, smoked paprika and garlic powder until well blended.  Stuff the butter under the skin of the chicken (images shown below).  Roast the chicken until internal temperature reaches 165°.   Once the internal temperature is met, turn the broiler on to 500° to crisp the chicken skin to medium brown (optional). Let cool slightly and quarter.  Serve on warm plates.

How To Flatty a Chicken & Add Compound Butter:

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