This week we faced the challenge of Mustard Chicken, Quik Dauphinoise, Greens and Black Forest Affogato. To sum it up in a single word - delicious. When I was explaining this week's meal to a colleague ("mustard chicken with some yummy greans and a potato bake-style dish, oooh and black forest affogato for dessert!" I said excitedly, expecting she would be at least mildly impressed and perhaps drool just a little bit) she responded "oh, so like pub food then?". Obviously I did not explain myself very well. This meal is way beyond pub food and your average mustard chicken with creamy sauce. This meal is SO much better than that! We enjoyed the company of my sister and her boyfriend, which is always so good because we are all only a few years apart in age and get along really well. I love having them over for tea! That, and she thinks our cooking is so good that she went and bought her own copy of 30 Minute Meals. (You can thank me later, Jamie).
Now. Reasons this is so much better than pub food! For starters, this one could easily have been completed at the 30 minute mark, had I the inclination or the need to do so. Instead I followed the current routine of casually putting everything together over the course of at least an hour, so as to enjoy as much of the cooking experience as possible (and enjoy a sneaky wine or two before the guests arrive). Secondly, you get a good serving of protein, of veg, of carbs, and despite the cream and other fats you do actually walk away feeling as though you've had a slightly naughty but somewhat balanced meal. Afterall, you ate you greens.
The chicken was actually really fun to cook - just standing by the stove and smelling the deliciousness was probably my favourite part. When you first start cooking you get the smells of mustard and rosemary mingling with the chicken, and then the further you progress the more amazing it smells - the wine, the garlic, the leek... it basically turns into the greatest smelling frying pan full of food ever. When you serve it up it doesn't look nearly as pretty as the pictures in the book (but let's be honest, without the magic of Instagram almost none of it would!) but it tastes just as good as it smells. The leek makes a really yummy addition to the chicken and there's honestly not a bad word I could say about this entire portion of the meal!
Add to that the delicious smells wafting out of the oven from the potatoes. I faced a bit of a dilemma this afternoon - I didn't have a roasting pan that was both stove and oven appropriate. Instead I opted to just increase the cooking time and leave the whole thing in the oven. I had it in for about 45 mins but it just wasn't the right consistency. I think there was probably a little too much water in it when I made it and the stovetop cooking would have helped with that. But aside from being a little bit soupy it was actually really tasty. I think I'll experiment a little more with this one til I can get it perfect because it was yummy - in fact we caught our guests sneaking extra bits of it out of the tray in the kitchen before they left.
The greens were a really nice surprise - they were easily put together once all of the chopping was sorted (thank you Dear Housemate!) and pretty much just had to boil down a little before being mixed up and thrown together with some olive oil and lemon juice. Fresh, light, nutritious, great colouring and so so good for you!! Eat your greens people!!
And then dessert... I'm a big fan of affogato. I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out as I am used to the coffee/liquer/ice cream combo you get at most cafe's, but you really haven't had affogato until you've tried it this way. The crushed up bikkies and the cherries give it a little bit of substance, so it does feel more like a dessert than a beverage. You only need the littlest bit of coffee on it so you don't suffer from a night-time caffeine hit that threatens to have you more wired than a nerd's gaming den and the bitterness of the coffee helps to take down some of the sweet flavours from the ice cream, cherries and biscuits. And my teacups got used again - yay! They feel less and less like an impulsive waste of a purchase everytime I use them.
So that's it! I honestly cannot say a bad word about any of it - and neither could the guests. My sister doesn't like coffee so she skipped that part, but ate the rest of the dessert and loved it. Everything else got devoured - all but one servings worth of food which will be carefully delivered to a very lucky colleague of Dear Housemate, as per the usual agreement. Aside from investing in a stove use roasting dish I can't say I would tackle tonight any differently, it was just good from start to finish!
Next week is Tray Baked Chicken, Squashed Potatoes, Creamed Spinach and Strawberry Slushie. I can't wait, it all looks and sounds so delicious.
Til then - Bon Appetit!
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