Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken with Gravy

I love Chicken as I really love all kinds of food, so whenever I post a recipe you know there's a whole lot of love involved! It happens from the minute i clear my countertop and place my whole chicken in the cutting board till i get to actually taste it ! I think the best chefs are the ones that give their love to the food, once love is there, flavor comes right after it!

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken 5-7lb , the freshest the better (whenever i have time i go to a place where they have live chickens, can't get them any fresher than that)

1/2 stick of butter at room temperature

1 large yellow onion

1 large lemon cut in half ( 1 half whole and 1 half thinly sliced)

2 ribs of celery chopped with the leaves

2 carrots

Fresh thyme

Salt and Pepper

10 red potatoes quartered

Remove the wish bone with a boning knife by cutting the meat around the bone and puling it off (if you don't want to remove the bone it's just fine, i like doing it so it makes it easier to carve the bird). Rinse the chicken in cool water inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Season the cavity with salt and pepper and stuff it with celery leaves, half sliced lemon and a handful of fresh thyme sprigs. Tie the legs together to hold the bird's shape with cooking twine.

Sprinkle salt and pepper all over and under the skin of the bird, rub it well with the butter (under skin also) and squeeze the half lemon all over it.  Place breast side down on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes basting it once halfway thru it.

Meanwhile boil  potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes (not too soft). Drain and reserve.

Remove the chicken from oven and turn it breast side up and insert a thermometer in between the leg and the breast.

Place celery, onion, carrots and potatoes around the chicken and bake it at 350F for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the meat thermometer reaches 180F , it will take a little longer with bigger chickens. Don't forget to baste the chicken with the drippings from the pan every 15 minutes or so.

Remove from oven. Set chicken on a platter and let it rest 10-15 minutes before carving it. Remove veggies from pan and place in a platter.

Gravy:

Brown bits from roasting pan

1/2 cup of white wine

1 1/2 cups of chicken stock

1 tablespoon of butter room temperature

1 tablespoon of all purpose flour

With a fork mix butter and flour.

Place the roasting pan on top of a burner on your stove and over moderate heat. Whisk the white wine and brown bits until all dissolved. Add chicken stock and the butter/flour mixture and whisk it until it thickens. Serve it warm with roasted chicken and potatoes.

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

Having tons of Italian culinary experience and all my Italian background is easy to say that cooking anything that reminds me of Italy and the amazing times I've spent there makes me extremely happy!

Panna Cotta is the simplest but yet the richest dessert, it means "cooked cream" in italian. I like it simple with just vanilla beans and then topped with fresh berries, red wine syrup, or caramel sauce...
I catered a party and one of the desserts was panna cotta , which i plated individually and topped with fresh berries and chocolate sauce (it was a hit)! Today I'm making 6 individual desserts for family supper tonight!

Ingredients
3 cups of heavy cream
2 teaspoons of unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons of water
1/2 cup of sugar
1 whole vanilla bean, split
6 small ramekins (5oz) lightly oiled (unflavored oil spray)

In a medium saucepan, combine cream, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand until evenly moistened, about 5 minutes.

Uncover the cream and bring it to a simmer again. Remove from heat and add the gelatin. Stir until all the gelatin is dissolved. Remove the vanilla bean and pour the mixture into 6 prepared ramekins. Let it cool to room temperature, cover with plastic film and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
The oiled rameckins will make it a lot easier to remove the panna cotta from them. Plate it,  and top with your favorite topping. Today I'm serving them with homemade caramel sauce.