RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Chicken Breasts, Golden Lemon - meat
This is from the menu which Evelyn Rose offered last year in the Jewish Chronicle, UK (September 19, 1997). It's interesting to see how what she considers traditional varies to some degree from the kinds of things we have been posting and discussing. She writes: "For Rosh Hashanah this year, I have devised a menu that features the familiar foods of this festival — melons, grapes, apples, peaches and chicken — but in a less familiar guise. The whole meal translates these much-loved traditional foods into a contemporary idiom, reflecting the way we cook — and eat — these days." GOLDEN LEMON CHICKEN BREASTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serves 6. Leftovers keep 3 days under refrigeration. The breasts take on a beautiful golden glaze as they and the lemon halves bake in the exquisite lemon syrup. 9 oz. (250 g) caster [superfine] sugar 3 large lemons 1/2 teaspoon salt 15 grinds black pepper 6 partly boned chicken breasts, unskinned fresh parsley to garnish Place the caster sugar in an 8-inch (20 cm) saucepan with 1 pint (575 ml) water and slowly dissolve over a low heat. Bring to the boil and bubble for 3 minutes. Pierce the skin of the lemons with a fork or skewer, place in the sugar syrup, then cover and cook at a slow boil for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven at gas no. 8 (450 F, 230 C). Remove the lemons, then halve when cool. Bubble the liquid over a medium heat for about 12 minutes or until reduced by half (approximately 10 fl oz/275 ml) and a golden caramel colour. To check the colour, take the pan off the heat, then allow the bubbles to settle. Season the chicken breasts and place skin-side down in a roasting tin that is just large enough to hold them in a single layer with the lemon halves. Pour the sugar syrup over the chicken and lemons. Place the tin in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes, turning the breasts over half way through cooking. Nick a breast to make sure that it is cooked right through to the centre. The chicken can now be kept warm at gas 1 (275 F, 150 C). Alternatively, if the chicken is cooked before your guests arrive, take out of the oven, then return to a moderate oven while you are eating the starter. Garnish with the parsley before serving. Note: the inside of the lemon is delicious to eat. Evelyn Rose -- "Table Talk" www.jchron.co.uk/jc/jcdat/97/SEPT19/cook_1.htm
