I needed fresh chicken stock so I bought two chicken breasts and boned them. The skins I fried for the dogs. I put flour and a little corn flour in a plastic bag and bread crumbs in another bag. An egg whipped up with salt, pepper and paprika. First shake the breast in the flour, then dip in the egg and shake in the crumbs. I put the breasts in a pan and sprinkled some thyme over top, placed a sprig of rosemary on it and sprayed the whole thing with oil. I then put it in a 350ºF oven for 30 minutes.
The rice was done in the microwave with salt and a little oil. The peas were done in microwave, salted, buttered and stirred into the rice when done. Since Fern was away it was safe to experiment so I decided to try to improve the carrots. I boiled then blended them with butter, salt, pepper, pinch of nutmeg and tiny pinch of cinnamon, few drops of lemon juice and a drop of molasses. Fresh parsley and chives over all.
The first thing I noticed when I started eating was how good the rice and peas were. I've served rice with peas many times but never mixed together. The peas made the rice taste better and the rice made the peas taste better. So together, they were better than each alone. I always thought people ate peas and rice because that's what they had, it never occurred to me that they ate it because it tasted better. Somehow that makes me feel a bit bigoted.
The carrot puree was really good. I would have put a dollop of mayonnaise on the chicken but the carrots provided all the moisture and flavour needed. The breading stayed fairly crunchy too so it worked in all respects. This plate is starting to look more sophisticated and cohesive. I'm starting to understand how to assemble a plate. If the assembled plate tastes better, Fern will be more likely to enjoy it. A carrot puree that isn't better will be rejected.
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