Roulade

When I hear the word, "roulade," I instantly think of Kohlrouladen.  I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but I am just not a fun of Kohlrouladen.  It's basically a German cabbage roll.  I'm not a huge fan of cooked cabbage (although I appreciate it as an ingredient), and I'm not wild about the seasoning that my family used when preparing the meat mixture to go in it.  (Seasonings I assume are very traditional).  but really, roulade refers to a range of rolled-up foods, including Kohlrouladen, but also things like jelly roll cakes and meats wrapped around fillings.  I'm a fan of the latter, which can include chicken cordon bleu, a perennial favorite.  It is also, as they demonstrated on Worst Cooks in America, a great "canvas" for trying flavor combinations.  Thus, when I was faced with "something chicken" on our menu, I decided to throw together one of my own.  Enjoy this chicken roulade (serves 2), with just a hint of sweetness.

Almond-Cranberry Chicken Roulade
1 chicken breast

Rub:
     1 tsp salt
     1/2 tsp pepper
     pinch* ground chipotle pepper
     pinch sage
     pinch onion powder
     pinch parsley
     dash* thyme

Filling:
     1/3 C coarsely chopped almonds (see technique notes at the bottom)
     1/4 C dried cranberries, chopped
     1 pinch sesame seeds
     1 C cooked rice (any type-- I used leftovers from a different meal)

Sauce:
      1 Tbsp butter
      1 Tbsp flour
      1 C milk
      pinch* sage
      salt and pepper to taste

*Because these are super technical terms, I'll clarify: to me, a pinch is roughly double a dash.  I give my shaker a few flings for a pinch--or reach in and pinch a decent amount with two fingers (and my thumb).  For a dash, I tip a pretty minimal amount from the shaker into the mix.

Begin by preheating your oven to 350˚F.   Meanwhile, pound the chicken breast to a flat 1/3ish-inch thick.  (See below for technique notes.)  Tip: place the chicken breast between layers of waxed paper and plastic wrap to keep chicken juices from getting all over the place.

Combine the rub ingredients in a small dish and sprinkle over both sides of the chicken breast.  While you're doing this, make sure the prettier side is down.

Combine the filling ingredients in a small mixing bowl, then place it along the middle of the chicken breast.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Wrap the chicken around the filling, then place it on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down.  Bake 20-30 minutes until done. The chicken will not brown much at this temperature, and the filling can sometimes make it difficult to place a thermometer, so I find the best way to test it is to make a small cut in the chicken near the center of the roulade to see if it has cooked all the way through or not.  It'll be Ok.

While that's in the oven, make a sauce!  Start with a roux-- melt the butter, stir in the flour, and let it brown for about a minute (this is so hard for me; I'm impatient).  While stirring, gradually add the milk  If you don't like the consistency, adjust: add more milk to make it thinner, add a precombined mixture of milk and flour (a slurry) to thicken it.  Add sage for flavor, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add some worchestershire sauce if you want a little more umami (meaty) flavor, but be careful-- a little bit can go a long way, and the delicate creaminess of this sauce actually pairs nicely with the nutty/sweet chicken.

Slice the chicken and serve it with sauce alongside a vegetable of your choice.

Technique notes:

Chopping almonds: You can get chopped almonds.  But it's better to chop them yourself, for flavor as well as for control over texture.  You can chop them as finely or coarsely as you like if you do it yourself.  That said, it can be a pain in the rear trying to chop them yourself.  You can give them a couple quick pulses in a food processor (quick-- you don't want to end up with flour!), or you can get what my sister calls a "whopper-chopper," probably most commonly recognized as a "slap-chop".  I have the Pampered Chef version.  When I was younger I would use it for chopping onions, because it saved me a lot of tears.  I have since improved my onion-chopping skills, which renders it no longer necessary for that.  However, I think it is absolutely the best tool for chopping nuts.  They're contained by the device, so they don't fly around or roll off your cutting board, and you can easily see (and control) how finely you've chopped things.  I do not, however, recommend it for chopping cranberries. Any kind of dried fruit just gums up the blade, and things stick and don't get cut, and it's a pain to clean off.  Just use a knife for the cranberries.

Pounding the chicken:  If you have a meat mallet, use it (a flat side).  If you don't have a meat mallet, don't despair.  I don't have one, either.  When I lived at home, I think I used one of my dad's mallets (he does woodworking and landscaping and other things that require using a mallet on occasion.)  This is not the best solution, because things form the garage are not necessarily things you want around your food.  A better option would be to use a rolling pin (if you have a wooden one, be sure to use layers of waxed paper and plastic wrap).  The drawback to a rolling pin, though, is that they aren't really meant for whacking away at things, and I'm always afraid I'll break the center rod.  It depends on your rolling pin, really, but it's not a chance I really like to take.  The best alternative, in my opinion, is a heavy-bottomed skillet.  I favor a smallish omelet pan, because then I have a little more control over where I'm hitting.  I know the handle to my pan is well-attached, and I could see right away if that were to change.  

Thoughts on the recipe:

I feel like I knocked this one out of the park.  The flavors went extremely well together.  Earthiness (sage), sweetness with a hint of tartness (cranberry), nuttiness (we used a fairly nutty-flavored rice, plus the almonds), and creaminess…  It was very well-balanced.  The roulade technique also makes it very pretty on the plate, don't you think?  

The only thing I would like to do differently is brown the chicken a little more.  It just looks more appetizing that way.  There are a couple ways to do this.  I could sear it before baking, but I worry about the filling falling out.  I could also try finishing it under the broiler after baking it.  The trick with that method is that the chicken might dry out and toughen.  I think basting the chicken before broiling might help, as well as applying a bit of butter (perhaps seasoned butter?).  If I try either of those, I'll be sure to post an update.  But that's really more a visual thing.  I would say this is a good recipe to use as-is.  

Hey, Stud Muffin

While I was working on my undergrad, someone mentioned The Bread Bible to me, more or less offhandedly.  I followed up by checking it out of my local library first chance I got.  My sister and I made crumpets right away.  I didn't have another chance to make something from it for a while, when I finally decided it was time to try the "Stud Muffin" recipe.  It was a little tricky, because you need a soufflé dish, which I did not (and do not) have.  So I did the best I could and made my casserole work, because as far as I can tell, a soufflé dish is just a taller casserole.  But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.  Here's the recipe, from Rose Levy Beranbaum,  the apparent queen of baking.  I give only the measurements that I used, which are an inconsistent mix based on convenience and almost certain to give professional bakers blood pressure issues; in her book, she gives measurements in volume, grams, and ounces, so you can use what you're comfortable with.

Stud Muffin, from The Bread Bible
Starter:
156 g unbleached flour 
3/4 tsp instant yeast
3/4 C room temperature water

Dough:
2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 oz. Romano
343 g unbleached flour, with a skimpy 1/4 C reserved
1 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
56 g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C room temperature water
1 large egg, room temperature
2.5 oz Gruyère, cut into 1/4-inch dice

Begin by combining the starter ingredients in a mixing bowl, and whisking like crazy to incorporate air.  After about 2 minutes, it should be smooth and have a thick batter consistency.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap and allow it to stand 1-4 hours at room temperature.

After allowing your starter to develop, grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano and Romano cheeses.  In a small liquid measuring cup, whisk together the water and egg.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour that is not reserved, the yeast, salt, and black pepper.  Sprinkle the flour mixture over the starter, then add the softened butter and mix on low speed with a dough hook. (I don't have one, so this was something I had to do by hand.)  As you do so, gradually add the water/egg mixture until the flour is moistened.  Add the cheeses, and raise the speed to medium (Knead vigorously in the bowl), for 5 minutes until the dough is elastic and springy, yet slightly sticky.  If it doesn't pull away from the bowl, it's too sticky, and you need to add some of the reserved flour, a spoonful at a time.  Sprinkle flour over your workspace, and dump the flour onto it.  Spread it into a rough rectangle, and sprinkle about half a cup of the Gruyère cheese into the dough.  Roll it up like a cinnamon roll, then knead it.  This all serves to incorporate the cheese as evenly as possible.

Lightly grease a 2-quart bowl and place the dough in it to rise.  Push the dough down slightly and grease the tops, then cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap.  Put the bowl in the refrigerator and let it chill for at least 8 hours of two days to firm up and develop flavor.  Pat it down a couple times during the first hour or so, until it becomes cold and stops rising.  (I know, this is somewhat counterintuitive.  What you're doing is letting flavor develop; if you let it rise the whole time, your yeast population would grow too much and die off.)

After the dough has chilled for a good while, dump it out and knead it lightly.  Form the dough into a ball.  Grease the heck out of your soufflé dish (or use a coffee can-- with neither of these vessels, I was forced to use my casserole dish, which was a bit too short to be ideal.) and push the dough down into it; it should be about half full.  Cover it lightly with wax paper and let it rise in a warm area until it almost triples, about 3-4 hours.

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with foil, and place it on the lowest shelf in your oven.  Preheat the oven to 350˚F about 45 minutes before baking.

After the dough has risen, brush the surface of the bread with a lightly beaten egg, being carful not to let the egg touch the dish (which will seal in the dough and prevent proper rising).  Gently push the remaining Gruyère into dough.

Place the dish on the hot baking sheet.  Bake 45-50 minutes, until the bread is golden and a skewer can be inserted and come out clean.  Remove the dish from the oven and let it cool on a rack for 30 minutes.  Use a knife to gently loosen the bread from the sides of the container.  Put plastic wrap over a cushion or folded towel, and gently dump the bread onto it.  (It's supposed to be delicate.)  Keep it laying on its side, and allow the bread to finish cooling, about an hour.  Then you can finally tuck in and enjoy it!

Ok, as I said, I had to improvise and use my casserole dish.  I decided this was a reasonable substitution after checking the dimensions of soufflé dishes online.  My casserole dish was shorter and wider than a soufflé dish would be, so it wasn't the best stand-in.  Yes, I was able to enjoy a cheesy bread with the delightful name, "Stud Muffin," which was what I really wanted.  However, the texture was denser than I reckon it ought to have been, because I was unable to let the dough triple.  After only doubling, it had already filled my baking dish completely, so I had to stop and bake it off.  That's not to say it was super-dense.  It just wasn't light and airy; it was a more or less standard bread texture.  I also didn't need to let it rest on its side.  In addition to the extra density, it was wider than it was tall.

But it was a delicious, moist bread, and the bits of cheese were like little gems of salty, cheesy goodness.  We ate it alongside soup and salad, with steaks, and by itself.  I loved just helping myself to a heart slice as a quick snack or a tasty breakfast.