Sheet pan cooking: Gochujang Chicken, Za’atar Chicken, Roast Rhubarb Chicken

Three Seasonal Recipes of the Summer
Hello there! I'm not sure there is still anyone checking this, as I have been so negligent. But I am still cooking and making discoveries every day and I want to share them with you. Unfortunately, my busy schedule and my poor work habits have stopped me from updating since Thanksgiving, which is just wrong!

As some of you know, I have been a private chef to a great family with very specific dietary needs for the past two years and I have learned so much about alternative ingredients in cooking and baking. I love a challenge! So here are three recipes which started as recipes from the New York Times recipe website which I have modified and—I think—improved. I love the idea of throwing everything on a sheet pan, popping it into a hot oven, and—like magic—dinner is ready!

Great in theory, but the reality is different ingredients take different amounts of time. So you're better off staggering when you add each ingredient and have them all finish at the same time. That being said, once you have a good understanding of how things cook, you can get really creative. (BTW, I could not find my photos of these dishes so you get a pic of this weird tattooed bunny mannequin instead. I am full of sheet!)

Gochujang chicken

Ingredients
4 tablespoons gochujang (spicy Korean chili paste)
3 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
1 one-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 tablespoon)
4 tablespoons neutral oil, like grapeseed or canola, plus more for drizzling
2 pounds squash, such as butternut, acorn, or delicata, unpeeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 5 loose cups)
1 pound turnips, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 3 1/2 loose cups)
10 scallions, ends trimmed, green and white parts separated, but not chopped
Kosher salt
2 1/2 to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 bunch radishes (about 10 ounces), trimmed
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)

Procedure
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the gochujang, soy sauce, ginger and 3 tablespoons oil in a medium bowl or resealable bag. Add the squash, turnips and scallion whites, toss to coat with glaze, or seal bag and shake to coat. Lightly season with salt and transfer to an oiled rimmed baking sheet. Season the chicken with salt and toss to coat in whatever is left of the glaze in the bowl or bag. Arrange the chicken pieces skin-side up on another baking sheet. In the original recipe it was all on one sheet but I found the vegetables got soggy, followed by mushy, so I separated it.

Roast until vegetables are tender, chicken is cooked through and the skin crispy and browned in spots, about 40 minutes. Check your chicken and make sure it is done. Skin should get crispy and dark.

While the chicken cooks, thinly slice the scallion greens. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, cut the radishes into thin rounds. In a small bowl, toss the sliced scallion greens and radishes with the rice vinegar and sesame oil, if using. Season to taste with salt and set aside to lightly pickle.

Top the roast chicken and vegetables with the quick-pickled scallion-radish mix and transfer to serving plates. Serve with steamed rice, if desired.

Za’atar chicken

Ingredients 6 garlic cloves, finely grated, pressed, or minced
2 lemons, zested
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more sprigs for garnish
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons za’atar, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or marjoram, plus more sprigs for garnish
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pound tiny potatoes cut in half

Procedure In a large bowl or container, stir together 5 of the grated garlic cloves, half the lemon zest, 1/3 cup yogurt, the cilantro, oil, za’atar, oregano or marjoram, salt and black pepper. Add chicken and toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Overnight is way better.

When ready to cook, heat your oven to 425. Remove chicken from bowl, shaking off any excess marinade, put on oiled sheet pan, along with the potatoes which have a drizzle of olive oil and salt on them. Cook for should take 25-30 minutes. Make sure to mix it a little and check that the potatoes are tender.

While the chicken is cooking, place remaining 2/3 cup yogurt in a small bowl. Stir in the reserve grated garlic clove and lemon zest, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut one zested lemon in half and set aside for serving (save the other zested lemon for another use). To serve, place chicken and potatoes on a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil and a large squeeze of the zested lemon. Top with cilantro and oregano or marjoram sprigs and serve with yogurt sauce.

Rhubarb Roasted chicken

Ingredients
1 3/4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
5 thyme sprigs
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
8 ounces rhubarb stalks, sliced into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
3 tablespoons honey, plus more to taste
1/2 cup cilantro or mint leaves and tender stems

Procedure
Heat oven to 425 degrees and line sheet pan with parchment paper. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season all over with coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Place onion wedges on the prepared sheet pan and lightly season with more salt and pepper. Add chicken and thyme sprigs to the pan and drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over everything. Toss until well coated, then spread chicken and onions in a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is in the oven, combine rhubarb and 3 tablespoons honey in a medium bowl. Lightly drizzle with oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss until rhubarb is well coated.

Remove chicken from oven and carefully spoon rhubarb onto the hot pan around the onions and chicken. Continue roasting until the chicken is cooked through, and the rhubarb and onion are tender and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes longer, tossing the rhubarb and onions (not the chicken) once about halfway through.

Stir the rhubarb and onions very well, making sure to incorporate all the browned bits and chicken juices from the bottom of the pan (this is the tastiest part). Then sample a piece of rhubarb. If it’s very tart, drizzle with a little more honey, tossing well. Serve chicken with rhubarb-onion mixture garnished with herbs.

Lillet Rose and Rhubarb Bellini

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Here are two lovely Easter cocktails to try. And a crazy idea if you have any extra jelly beans around.

Lillet Rose from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
12 ounces Lillet Rose
12 ounces Ruby Red grapefruit juice
6 ounces gin
6 edible flower blossoms

Procedure
Combine 6 ounces Lillet, 6 ounces grapefruit juice, 3 ounces gin, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake until well chilled. Strain and divide cocktail among 3 stemmed cocktail glasses,Garnish with flowers. Serve immediately.

Rhubarb Bellini

Now, for something pink and different! An improved Bellini — sort of. How about champagne or Prosecco and Rhubarb syrup? First, you need to make the syrup.

Ingredients for syrup
4 C chopped rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Procedure
Combine everything in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently until the fruit is soft and the liquid has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Ladle into a fine strainer (or a coarse strainer lined with cheesecloth) that has been placed over a large bowl. Strain until most of the liquid is in the bowl. Give a little press on the solids with a spoon to extract more syrup.

Carefully pour the syrup into a clean bottle, cover or cork the bottle and refrigerate. It should keep for quite some time in the fridge. The solids make a nice rough jam, so if you want you can put them in a clean jar and keep them in your refrigerator for a week or so. It's great on toast!

To make the Bellinis, mix one part syrup to four parts sparkling wine, Champagne, or Prosecco.

The rhubarb syrup is also excellent on vanilla ice cream.

Flavor-your-own festive vodka

Looking for something to do with those leftover Easter jellybeans? Choose 10-15 jellybeans of the same flavor (or mix and match flavors for a fun quirky combination like piña colada, cherry coke, or banana split!) and drop them in a bottle of vodka. Let the vodka sit for about a week to allow the jelly beans to dissolve, flavoring your vodka to perfection!

Rhubarb

Excellent Ingredient of the Week
Today's excellent ingredient of the week is Rhubarb. You can't eat it raw, it's too tart and fibrous, but cook it up often with strawberry and you have yourself quite a treat. Although the leaves are toxic, various parts of the plants have medicinal and culinary uses. The traditional Chinese pharmacopoeia features rhubarb as a laxative. In culinary use, fresh raw stalks are crisp (similar to celery) with a strong tart taste. Most commonly the plant's stalks are cooked with sugar and used in pies and other desserts. Rhubarb is usually considered to be a vegetable; however, in the United States, a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the United States as a fruit, it was to be counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties. It can also be diced and frozen so you can use it all through the year. Great in upside-down cake for a change. Here are two great easy recipes to try:

Norwegian cold rhubarb soup with mint

Ingredients
4 stalks of rhubarb
1/2 a stick of vanilla
1 pt of water
6 oz sugar
5 sprigs of mint
1 lemon

Procedure
Take the leaves off the mint sprigs. Peel the rhubarb and cut it into thin slices. Put the rhubarb peel in a saucepan with the water, sugar, stick of vanilla, the juice of the lemon and the now-leafless mint stems, let it simmer for 10 minutes. Sieve the liquid and add the rhubarb slices. Bring it to the boil, take off the heat and leave to cool. Cut the mint leaves into thin strips. Serve the soup ice cold with the chopped mint leaves on top. Serves 8.

Oatmeal-Rhubarb Bars

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup oatmeal, uncooked
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup Water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups rhubarb

Procedure
Mix flour, oatmeal, brown sugar and butter until crumbly. Press half into greased 9"x9" pan. Add rhubarb, cut in 1/2" pieces. Combine sugar, cornstarch, water and vanilla; cook till thick and clear. Pour sauce over rhubarb. Top with other half of the crumb mixture. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes.

Chilled Rhubarb Soup

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Keeping with the rhubarb theme, here is an unusual recipe for chilled rhubarb soup, which is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A great make-ahead dessert or a nice surprise addition to a Sunday brunch menu.

Ingredients
1 cup crème de cassis
1 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 cloves
1 star anise pod
1 cinnamon stick, halved
One 3-inch strip of lemon zest
1/2 vanilla bean, split
1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, stalks peeled and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Procedure
In a saucepan, bring the Cassis, wine, brown sugar, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, zest and vanilla bean to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat and discard the flavorings. Stir in the rhubarb and return to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate until chilled. Puree mixture in blender. Spoon the soup into bowls. Top each with a scoop of ice cream and serve.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This cake which is originally from Gourmet magazine (R.I.P.). I make it all year long because I always keep rhubarb in the freezer. Always use a cast iron pan or else getting it out of the pan is almost impossible.

Ingredients for topping
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 pounds trimmed rhubarb

Ingredients for cake
1 teaspoon anise seeds
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/4 cup milk

Procedure
To Make topping:
In a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and reduce heat to low. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly onto bottom of skillet and heat, undisturbed, 3 minutes (not all brown sugar will be melted). Remove skillet from heat. Cut enough rhubarb crosswise into 1-inch pieces to measure 3 cups and decoratively arrange, rounded sides down, in one layer over brown sugar.
Preheat oven to 350°F.

To make Cake:
With a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee/spice grinder, finely grind anise seeds. Into a bowl sift together anise, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy and beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed add flour mixture alternately in batches with buttermilk and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until just combined (do not overbeat). Spoon batter over rhubarb in skillet, spreading evenly (be careful not to disturb rhubarb), and bake cake in middle of oven until golden, about 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in skillet on a rack 15 minutes.

Run a thin knife around edge of skillet and invert a plate over skillet. Keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert cake onto plate. Carefully remove skillet and serve cake warm or at room temperature.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Betty

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Let's get old fashioned, shall we? This is a recipe for a dessert called a Betty -- ever hear of Apple Brown Betty? A Betty is a thrifty dessert made with fresh ripe fruit and sweetened, usually old and stale, buttered breadcrumbs or cubes. It is thought to date back to Colonial times. It is usually served with a lemon sauce or whipped cream. The most familiar version is the Apple Brown Betty, made with sliced apples and brown sugar. So why not make one with strawberries and rhubarb?

Ingredients
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups sliced fresh rhubarb, cut into thin slices
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread cubes-Brioche, challah, or whole-wheat bread, you choose
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter

Procedure
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the berries and the rhubarb. Gently toss together and let sit till the mixture starts to get juicy. To make the topping, put bread cubes in a big bowl and drizzle with the melted butter and toss till well coated. You can add a bit more butter if you think it's necessary. Transfer half the buttered bread cubes to an ungreased 1 1/2 quart glass casserole dish. Pour fruit mixture over the top and then add the remaining bread cubes over the fruit. Bake in a 375 oven for 25-30 minutes or until fruit feels tender and juices are bubbling and bread is golden brown on top. Serve warm with whipped cream, custard or ice cream. So many yummy options — so little time!