# Harry's waterbath chicken



## Harry Cobean (Aug 14, 2012)

there is nothing new about "sous vide" my fellow gastronauts,french chefs have been cooking food in waterbaths for centuries.originally,and occasionally now they use pigs bladders.i saw michel roux jnr cook this on tv & have always wanted to have a go.it is served at la gavroche in london & cooked in a pigs bladder,the chicken is poulet de bresse & they use truffles.i can only dream of dining at gavroche,can't afford bresse chicken or truffles & you try buying a dried pigs bladder! i used a cooking quality food bag DO NOT USE ANY PLASTIC/POLYTHENE BAG THAT DOESN'T SAY IT IS SAFE FOR COOKING,a corn fed f/range chicken & chestnut mushrooms/truffle flavoured oil.it is the best tasting/most moist chook i have ever eaten.my ingredients for two people were:
a)1.2kilo(2.25-2.50lb)corn fed free range chook
b)2 or 3 chestnut mushrooms
c)35 grms(about 2ozs)dried porcini mushrooms
d)truffle flavoured oil
e)2 chicken stock gel pots
f)madeira,marsala or olorosso sherry...i used sherry
g)double(heavy)cream
THE METHOD
1)boil a kettle,allow water to cool a bit & pour over porchini's in a jug.about 500ml(0.75pint)
2)snip of wing tips,trim legs to knee joint & truss chicken well.you don't want a leg end or wing tip puncturing the bag
3)carefully slide fingers between breast meat & skin to loosen skin from meat.
4)mandolin/slice fresh mushrooms in wafer thin slices & drizzle with truffle oil
5)slide slices of mushroom between skin & breast
6)pour porcini's through a sieve lined with kitchen paper to catch grit,into a jug
7)pop the chicken,half the porcini's,a stock gel pot,a glug of your booze & a glug of porcini liquid in the bag & tie up tightly with string.
8)gently lower into barely boiling water then cook with lid on,turning bag occasionally for 1.25/1.5 hours.the water must only barely bubble a teensy weensy bit,so only just simmering.that is the art of sous vide.
8)while chook is cooking boil to reduce the reserved porcini liquid with the second stock pot,add a splash of booze,a glug of cream,simmer til shiny & coats the back of a spoon.
9)take chook out of bag,rest 10 mins,carve into portions not slices,pour over cream sauce,serve with veg of choice.i steamed baby carrots,colourful brassicas & put some girolle's in the sauce.
if you don't fancy doing the skin/meat/sliced mushroom thing then don't! just miss that bit out
sous vide?schmoo vide!!


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 14, 2012)

this is how "THE MASTER" cooks it....mine may not look as pretty but it tasted/smelt heavenly & probably cost 90% less!!!

Michel Roux Jnr - Bresse Chicken Cooked in a Pig's Bladder - YouTube


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## Kylie1969 (Aug 14, 2012)

Thanks for the steps and the video H


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 14, 2012)

Kylie1969 said:


> Thanks for the steps and the video H


i would not detract from michel roux jnr's recipe,he is one of the best & has one of the best restaurants...la gavroche in london...in the world...imho.his father,uncle,brother & he are all top of their game but i believe i did his dish justice @ a fraction of the cost.....i don't think he'd object to that.


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## forty_caliber (Aug 14, 2012)

Great job Harry.  Your recipe threads are always well done .  

I'm going to have to try this one out someday.  

.40


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## Bolas De Fraile (Aug 14, 2012)

Thanks for the comments about my brothers food 40 c, what can I say apart from the food is from his heart.


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 14, 2012)

forty_caliber said:


> Great job Harry.  Your recipe threads are always well done .
> 
> I'm going to have to try this one out someday.
> 
> .40


wow!thank you .40.give it a go matey!! it's the first time i've cooked it & the flavour/succulence of the chook is truly fabulous.
next time i cook it i'm going to try a standard chook....i reckon this method would make any chicken taste good!!


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 14, 2012)

Bolas De Fraile said:


> Thanks for the comments about my brothers food 40 c, what can I say apart from the food is from his heart.


cheers bro'....it really is as easy as m roux junior makes it look.....helluva lot cheaper my way too!!


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## Hoot (Aug 14, 2012)

I like the purple cauliflower...Never seen it afore..Reckon where I could find seed or sets for that.  Might put in a fall/winter garden.


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 14, 2012)

Hoot said:


> I like the purple cauliflower...Never seen it afore..Reckon where I could find seed or sets for that.  Might put in a fall/winter garden.


there ya go hoot old buddy....one good turn etc etc etc
Amazon.com: Purple Cauliflower 40 Seeds -LOW CARB!- Veggie: Patio, Lawn & Garden
i bought the purple & green cauli in tesco hoot


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## Hoot (Aug 14, 2012)

Thank ye kindly, ol' Hoss!!


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## CWS4322 (Aug 14, 2012)

Hoot said:


> I like the purple cauliflower...Never seen it afore..Reckon where I could find seed or sets for that.  Might put in a fall/winter garden.


We grew it last year. The variety we had turned green when cooked. I was disappointed--I wanted it to stay purple. Harry--do you know what variety you had? I'd like to plant it next year if it will stay purple when cooked.


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## taxlady (Aug 14, 2012)

I'm wondering about the safety of eating chicken that hasn't gotten hotter than 100C.  D'oh! That's plenty warm enough. I'ts 212F. I was thinking it has to get to 160 to be safe, but it does. I was mixing Fahrenheit and Celsius.


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## Andy M. (Aug 14, 2012)

Harry, I've never done this so pardon my ignorance.  Have you ever measured the temp of the cooked chicken?  Simmering water should be near 200º F (90ºC-95ºC).  Seems to me the chicken would end up cooked to that temp. too.  What am I missing.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Aug 15, 2012)

pretty good recipe harry -- and using nary any punctuation and no capitals at all except for the part where you were screaming about food safety!  and very thrifty on your use of spaces(evidently parentheses suffice)

i think 165f should do it to cook poultry safely... and i think 165f is about the right time to stop too -- the point where safety meets up with succulence imo

eta -- oops you runed it(THE METHOD)


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## buckytom (Aug 15, 2012)

greg, did i miss the post where harry claimed to be a professional writer, journalist, or editor? there's a difference in our righteousness...lol.

nice recipe, harry my bhoy. i've been planning to hit up the local live poultry shop near my house, so i'd need a recipe that shows off the chook as best as possible. i think this may be the one. danke, mein herr.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Aug 15, 2012)

i said i like his recipe! it's a righteous recipe


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## buckytom (Aug 15, 2012)

by mentionng it, you are using a form of passive insult. your intentions might be different, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions... (one of my dad's favourite exoressions).


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## taxlady (Aug 15, 2012)

buckytom said:


> by mentionng it, you are using a form of passive insult. your intentions might be different, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions... (one of my dad's favourite exoressions).



Aw common BT, it was a pretty extreme example of what Greg described. It looked like good natured teasing to me. If we can't rib our friends about something like that, then I dunno...

Or maybe you were just teasing Greg and I am being oblivious.


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## Bolas De Fraile (Aug 15, 2012)

buckytom said:


> by mentionng it, you are using a form of passive insult. your intentions might be different, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions... (one of my dad's favourite exoressions).


Our father's had one fav A pish un a fortz iz vi a khasene un a klezmer I think it is very profound.


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 15, 2012)

CWS4322 said:


> We grew it last year. The variety we had turned green when cooked. I was disappointed--I wanted it to stay purple. Harry--do you know what variety you had? I'd like to plant it next year if it will stay purple when cooked.


it was "tesco" variety cw!!it came in a pack of purple,green & white cauli & just said"colourful brassicas" on it. don't know but it looked very much like the one in the link that i posted for hoot to gets seeds.
i did steam the veg so,maybe,that helped with the colour matey?


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## buckytom (Aug 15, 2012)

yes.


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## Cerise (Aug 15, 2012)

Beautiful, H! Love the colorful vegetables. The pale green looks like romanesco broccoli. Does it taste more like cauliflower or broccoli? So cute. Makes me think of little Christmas trees. lol


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 15, 2012)

taxlady said:


> I'm wondering about the safety of eating chicken that hasn't gotten hotter than 100C.  D'oh! That's plenty warm enough. I'ts 212F. I was thinking it has to get to 160 to be safe, but it does. I was mixing Fahrenheit and Celsius.





Andy M. said:


> Harry, I've never done this so pardon my ignorance.  Have you ever measured the temp of the cooked chicken?  Simmering water should be near 200º F (90ºC-95ºC).  Seems to me the chicken would end up cooked to that temp. too.  What am I missing.


well...."here's harry!" so the chicken didn't get me....or my dinner date!
good points tho' both.so:
a)if it's good enough for m roux jnr,one of the finest chefs in the world imho,then it's good enough for me!
b)the sealed bag creates a mini "pressure cooker" effect,the chicken is also in contact with water @95-100c through the bag & the lid on creates a steam bath too.all this gets the heat into the chicken quicker
c)by using a bag you can "squeeze & prod" test throughout cooking
d)nope andy,never tested fot temp but,after resting(me & the chook!!)because you joint rather than carve you can see the meat is cooked right down to the bone & the juices are clear.
e)not missing anything andy,mate.i'm sure the chicken does hit 200f & maybe a tad less deeper in the meat but this method gives you the moistest,tenderest & tastiest chook i've ever tasted!!
harry


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 15, 2012)

Cerise said:


> Beautiful, H! Love the colorful vegetables. The pale green looks like romanesco broccoli. Does it taste more like cauliflower or broccoli? So cute. Makes me think of little Christmas trees. lol


christmas trees?looks more like the commom flu virus under a microscope C!!
thanks C & yes it was romanesco broccoli.it was delicious too.tasted like "nutty" cauliflower to me.i think the trick is to steam the veg too,retains colour,flavour & texture....maybe not the best technique in 107f heat tho' matey??!!!


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## Cerise (Aug 15, 2012)

Harry Cobean said:


> christmas trees?looks more like the commom flu virus under a microscope C!!
> thanks C & yes it was romanesco broccoli.it was delicious too.tasted like "nutty" cauliflower to me.i think the trick is to steam the veg too,retains colour,flavour & texture....maybe not the best technique in 107f heat tho' matey??!!!


 

104 today. I could put it on the roof of the car with some garlic & bake/roast it. ;-) Thanks, H. Gawgeous.


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 15, 2012)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> pretty good recipe harry -- and using nary any punctuation and no capitals at all except for the part where you were screaming about food safety!  and very thrifty on your use of spaces(evidently parentheses suffice)
> 
> i think 165f should do it to cook poultry safely... and i think 165f is about the right time to stop too -- the point where safety meets up with succulence imo
> 
> eta -- oops you runed it(THE METHOD)


HeE HeEyOu.AnD youR Bl**dY caPs ShIft gReg.....see,i can't get the 'ang of it mate!
both you & i know the importance of food safety in cooking techniques/recipes don't we me old mucker..........?!!
i'm sure the chook goes over 165f greg but,as i said in my reply to tax/andy,there is something almost magical about this method.the meat was firm but tender,moist & soooooooooo tasty!
give it a go greg!


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 15, 2012)

buckytom said:


> greg, did i miss the post where harry claimed to be a professional writer, journalist, or editor? there's a difference in our righteousness...lol.
> 
> nice recipe, harry my bhoy. i've been planning to hit up the local live poultry shop near my house, so i'd need a recipe that shows off the chook as best as possible. i think this may be the one. danke, mein herr.


....... i say old chap.. wine buff & photographer too,what what?
Ich freue alter Junge....& it really is a simple one too...gotta say...them frenchies knows about food....no contest their imo matey


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 15, 2012)

buckytom said:


> by mentionng it, you are using a form of passive insult. your intentions might be different, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions... (one of my dad's favourite exoressions).





taxlady said:


> Aw common BT, it was a pretty extreme example of what Greg described. It looked like good natured teasing to me. If we can't rib our friends about something like that, then I dunno...
> 
> Or maybe you were just teasing Greg and I am being oblivious.





Bolas De Fraile said:


> Our father's had one fav A pish un a fortz iz vi a khasene un a klezmer I think it is very profound.





Greg Who Cooks said:


> i said i like his recipe! it's a righteous recipe


don't worry chaps,i know greg was kidding,he's been trying to get me to use caps shift for ages.Just For You Greg...There,Happy Now? bloody hope so mate,that little burst wore me out!


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## Greg Who Cooks (Aug 15, 2012)

Harry Cobean said:


> it was romanesco broccoli



i had been wondering what the green things were,think i missed it in the ingredient list.did you ever notice how the shape looks fractal,kind of mandelbrot?spiraling in getting smaller and smaller

what were the purple things? i couldn't figure that out



Harry Cobean said:


> don't worry chaps,i know greg was kidding....Just For You Greg...There,Happy Now? bloody hope so mate,that little burst wore me out!



i knew you'd know i was kidding/teasing,and i know you're a good sport,but i think i'm suck in lc for this topicyou have a very condensed style,and sure you appreciate parody as humor


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 15, 2012)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> i had been wondering what the green things were,think i missed it in the ingredient list.did you ever notice how the shape looks fractal,kind of mandelbrot?spiraling in getting smaller and smaller
> 
> what were the purple things? i couldn't figure that out
> i knew you'd know i was kidding/teasing,and i know you're a good sport,but i think i'm suck in lc for this topicyou have a very condensed style,and sure you appreciate parody as humor


surrealist broccoli? there's a thought greg.looking at cerises' pic it did remind me of some sort of microbe under a microscope,now i see either a green space capsule on re entry...the leaves are the flames or the spiral cutter on the front of one of those burrowing machines out of "journey to the centre of the earth"or an onion top roof off the kremlin.....oh boy...the lads are going to have a field day with me!!
the purple things were just purple cauliflower,steamed them so that they held their colour,but i steam most of me veg anyway.posted a link for hoot to get seeds.
i do indeed greg.....spotted the lack of caps shift straight away.....the trick is never to become a parody of oneself buddy.......!!


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## Greg Who Cooks (Aug 15, 2012)

i never knew there was purple cauliflower!

cauliflower is one of the very few vegetables i dislike


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## Dawgluver (Aug 15, 2012)

I like cauliflower.  I'm intrigued by a purple strain that keeps its color when cooked, most lose their color, even if steamed AFAIK.   It would be beautiful in a raw veg tray.


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## Cheryl J (Aug 15, 2012)

I love cauliflower, too - I've been buying and steaming purple (and orange) cauliflower for several years and have never had it change color....?   It does get a little darker, though.  I think I have an old pic of some steamed, I'll look for it - but it might be gone by now.


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## Somebunny (Aug 16, 2012)

Harry......I think that Chef Michel Roux Jr would be proud of you, and it is "pretty".


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 16, 2012)

Cheryl J said:


> I love cauliflower, too - I've been buying and steaming purple (and orange) cauliflower for several years and have never had it change color....?   It does get a little darker, though.  I think I have an old pic of some steamed, I'll look for it - but it might be gone by now.





Dawgluver said:


> I like cauliflower.  I'm intrigued by a purple strain that keeps its color when cooked, most lose their color, even if steamed AFAIK.   It would be beautiful in a raw veg tray.





Greg Who Cooks said:


> i never knew there was purple cauliflower!
> 
> cauliflower is one of the very few vegetables i dislike


cauliflower is one of my all time faves.....love it in curry,cauliflower cheese...yum & finely sliced on the mandolin & fried...heaven.
if you want yellow cauli then just put some turmeric in the boiling water with white cauli....the taste works well with the cauli too.
as i said earlier,i steam most of my veg & as you say cheryl i'm sure that has a lot to do with the colour holding or maybe you've just been unlucky with the variety you used dawg?
try frying it greg,it does take on a different flavour mate


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 16, 2012)

Somebunny said:


> Harry......I think that Chef Michel Roux Jr would be proud of you, and it is "pretty".


thanks somebunny....as long as m roux jnr doesn't sue my ass for hijacking his receep that's fine!!


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## Kylie1969 (Sep 1, 2012)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> i never knew there was purple cauliflower!
> 
> cauliflower is one of the very few vegetables i dislike



I had never seen it either Greg


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## taxlady (Sep 1, 2012)

Kylie1969 said:


> I had never seen it either Greg


Have you tried it raw?


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## Kylie1969 (Sep 2, 2012)

No, I have ever only eaten cauliflower cooked Taxy


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## taxlady (Sep 2, 2012)

Kylie1969 said:


> No, I have ever only eaten cauliflower cooked Taxy


You should give raw cauliflower a try. Very different from cooked cauliflower, and yummy. Stirling really likes the raw stuff and can't abide the cooked stuff.


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## Harry Cobean (Sep 2, 2012)

Kylie1969 said:


> No, I have ever only eaten cauliflower cooked Taxy





taxlady said:


> You should give raw cauliflower a try. Very different from cooked cauliflower, and yummy. Stirling really likes the raw stuff and can't abide the cooked stuff.


spot on tax.when i'm preparing cauli,half of it gets eaten raw & never see's the pan!! makes a deeelish coleslaw & pretty darn good fried too....best sliced but a tricky one as it can crumble or just broken into small florette's & stir fried.my fav part of the cauli is the stalk...peeled & cut into french fry size "sticks"(same with broccoli & brussels sprouts stalks)....raw,steamed or fried...it's all good


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## Greg Who Cooks (Sep 2, 2012)

taxlady said:


> You should give raw cauliflower a try.



I recommend all chefs taste all their raw ingredients, within reason. You wouldn't want to try raw supermarket ground chicken, beef, pork...

Big losers here are potatoes (yuck) and galanga (very bitter, I won't try that again).

I have a lot of vegetables that I enjoy raw. I often make a dipping sauce out of non-fat sour cream and dry onion soup mix.


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