We have roasted chicken on our mind. It’s close to Rosh Hashanah (September 23rd this year), and we’re thinking back to Nana’s roasted chicken.

Post-Nana, our roast chicken was never as good, even if we followed the same steps. Nana must have had an understanding with chickens.

Until we tried the recipe below, soaking the chicken in buttermilk. Some chefs prefer to soak the chicken overnight. It creates a tender chicken with an extra punch of flavor.

Marinating chicken in buttermilk is a time-honored pathway to moister meat, whether roasted or fried. With a bit of advance planning the night before to marinate the chicken, you’re virtually guaranteed a beautifully browned and richly-flavored bird the next day.

The recipe is from chef/writer Samin Nosrat.

Samin serves the chicken with a panzanella (bread salad with vegetables). In this case, panzanella comprises the greens and rustic bread cooked in the pan.

If you’re off bread, simply roast, saute or steam triple the amount of veggies. Samin uses mustard greens. We highly recommend them—they’re a very under-used green. If you don’t like even a hint of mustard flavor, you can substitute collards or kale.

Thanks to Good Eggs for sending us the recipe.

Don’t need a while bird? Another of our favorite food writers and photographers, the White On Rice Couple, presents this delicious recipe for Milk Roasted Chicken Thighs, using whole milk.
 
 
RECIPE: SAMIN’S BUTTERMILK ROAST CHICKEN WITH MUSTARD GREEN PANZANELLA

With the chicken marinated in buttermilk, you need just 15 minutes of prep time, and 60 minutes to roast the chicken.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Plus

________________

[2] A country loaf, also known as a rustic loaf.

Mustard greens. You can substitute kale.

King trumpet mushrooms. All photos courtesy Good Eggs.

Preparation

This recipe requires some preparation a day in advance. Beginning the day before you plan to cook the chicken:

1. SEASON it generously with the salt (more salt than you’d use for ordinary seasoning). Let the salted chicken sit for 30 minutes.

2. ADD 3 tablespoons of salt into the container container of buttermilk. Seal it and shake to encourage the salt to dissolve. Place the chicken in a re-sealable plastic bag and pour in the buttermilk. Seal it, squish the buttermilk all around the chicken, place the bag on a rimmed plate or in a pan, and refrigerate. If you’re so inclined, over the next 24 hours you can turn the bag so each part of the chicken gets marinated, but it’s not essential.

3. REMOVE the chicken from the fridge two hours before you plan to start cooking. When you’re ready to roast, preheat the oven to 425°F/218°C. Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive (we used a rubber spatula).

4. TRUSS the chicken by placing a 12-inch length of butcher’s twine with its center at the small of the chicken’s back. Tie the twine around each wing tightly and then flip the chicken over and use the remaining twine to tie the legs together as tight as you can.

5. PLACE the bird in a big cast iron skillet or a roasting pan with, the legs pointing toward the rear left corner of the oven. Place in the oven and close the door. You should hear the chicken sizzling pretty quickly. After about 15 minutes, when the chicken starts to brown, reduce the heat to 400°F/205°C and continue roasting.

6. WAIT another 15 minutes, remove the pan and add the shallots/onion, greens, herbs and chanterelles. Using tongs, mix the veggies around in the chicken drippings and place the pan back in the oven, this time with the legs facing the rear right corner of the oven.

7. CONTINUE cooking for another 35-40 minutes, stirring the veggies with tongs once or twice so they cook evenly. The chicken is done when it’s brown all over and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and the thigh.

8. REMOVE the bird to a platter and set it on a cutting board on your counter. Add the bread to the skillet or pan and toss with all of the veggies, making sure to coat the bread evenly in the drippings.

9. RETURN the vegetables to the oven for 10 minutes. When you remove the pan from the oven, add the preserved lemon to the bread and mustard greens. The chicken will be ready to carve and eat immediately.

[2] Blini with quail eggs, trout roe and crème fraîche. Here’s the recipe from Martha Stewart.

[3] Quail egg stuffed mushrooms. Here’s the recipe from Bite Delite.

[4] The quail herself (photo courtesy Red Ted Art).

To some fine chefs, small is better: from miniature vegetables to more “elegant”-size portions overall.

Quail eggs fit right in.

For years, we’d only seen quail eggs at Japanese restaurants, on top of an uni (sea urchin) or tobiko (flying fish roe) gunkan-maki.

Since better supermarkets now carry them, it’s time to take a closer look at quail eggs.

Quail Eggs Are Barely Healthier than Chicken Eggs! Compared to chicken eggs, quail eggs are slightly healthier if

> For soft-boiled eggs, gently place the eggs in boiling water (with a spoon) and boil for three minutes and place in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.
> For hard-boiled eggs, boil for 4-5 minutes. Test one after 4 minutes.

>The body temperature of quail is also higher than that of chickens: another reason why quail don’t harbor the same harmful bacteria.
>Here’s more on the health benefits of quail eggs.
 
 
HOW TO SERVE QUAIL EGGS

You can garnish a green salad, serve three boiled eggs with asparagus, make Scotch eggs, stuff mushroom caps (photo #3), garnish a mini-latke with smoked salmon and a boiled quail egg.

You can pickle quail eggs, turning the white exterior into a vivid red (from beet juice). Don’t say what they are: Let guests be surprised.

You can pop fried quail eggs onto ramen, make breakfast tartlets, top an avocado tea sandwich, serve them raw with steak tartare…whatever your palate desires.

Here are some ideas from D’Artagnan:

 
Quail eggs are pricey, so they are [for most of us] a special-occasion treat.

When you find them at a good price, get ready to pounce!
 
 
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EGGS

*Lysozyme is present to a lesser or greater extent in other animals, as well.
  

Our runners up span good-for-you foods like Pete & Jerry’s Organic Hard Boiled Eggs, Bonne Maman’s new Lemon Curd, and a new line extension from one of our favorite yogurts, Noosa Yoghurt (the Australian spelling).
 
 
SNACK FACTORY DESSERT THINS

We have long enjoyed Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps, so when they announced a new line of Dessert Thins cookies, we had hope.

And we are not disappointed! lightly textured, airy biscuits in delectable dessert flavors! Made with non-GMO ingredients, Dessert Thins are available in

 
All three are fragrant, flavorful, and a calorie bargain. Use them for mini cookie sandwiches, an ice cream garnish, dippers for chocolate fondue, or an alternative to biscotti with coffee.

When you want just a bit of cookie, without fear of overdoing it, you can be satisfied with just one (the recommended serving size is 4 pieces, 120 calories).

Following America’s desire for natural, better-for-you foods, Dessert Thins are non-GMO, contain zero grams of trans-fat, no cholesterol, no artificial colors or flavors.

As for why the company calls them by the British word for cookies—biscuits—we can’t fathom. In the U.S., “biscuit” does not indicate a sweet treat. But why ask why?

We hope the new line is a success for selfish reasons: We want to keep eating them.

See more at SnackFactory.com.
 
 
BONNE MAMAN LEMON CURD

Lemon curd has been a favorite British spread for centuries. Why it isn’t more popular in the U.S., we have no idea. You have to hunt for it in specialty food stores.

Thanks to Bonne Maman’s national supermarket distribution, you may now find it in an aisle near you. Don’t pass it by!

The combination of eggs, butter, lemon juice and sugar has uses beyond toast and croissants. Use it:

 
Bright yellow, delightfully lemony, this rich spread belongs at your breakfast table…and beyond.

The line is non-GMO, Certified Gluten Free and certified kosher by OU.

Discover more at BonneMamanUS.

Bonne Maman French preserves and spreads debut a new spread flavor: Lemon Curd (photo courtesy Bonne Maman).

[3] Noosa Mates score! Four mix-in yoghurts worthy of dessert (photo curry Noosa).

NOOSA YOGURT: NOOSA MATES

Noosa, the Australian yoghurt brand made in Colorado for the U.S. market, has been a NIBBLE favorite since it first landed here.

Made with 5% milk, instead of 2% or 0%, it is sumptuous, silky, and the closest yogurt you’ll find that can pass for pudding.

The 5.5-ounce containers have a separate container that holds the mix-ins. It’s a lot of packaging, but it’s delicious to the max.

Flavors include:

 
They’re all so good, we can’t even pick a favorite—although a nod goes to Banana Chocolate Peanut. Why is there not more banana yogurt out there???

The line is certified kosher by OU. See more Noosa at NoosaYohgurt.com.

[4] These organic, grab-and-go hard-boiled eggs from Pete & Jerry’s are from free-range hens who are treated very well (photo courtesy Pete & Jerry’s).

PETE & JERRY’S ORGANIC HARD BOILED EGGS

There’s a difference in the flavor of eggs produced by faceless factory farms, and eggs produced by small farmers dedicated to treating hens like the queens they are.

We have long admired Pete & Jerry’s organic eggs, from free-range chickens who live happy lives.

How, following the trend to nutritious, grab-and-go peeled, hard-boiled eggs, Pete & Jerry’s has packaged their eggs in pouches and larger containers.

We love them as snacks, with a bit of pepper or chili flakes.

 
It’s a food you can feel good about, both in terms of nutritional and humanity.

Learn more about Pete & Jerry’s organic farming at PeteAndJerrys.com.

We thought our own ice cube tips were creative: freezing coffee, fruit, herbs, juice, lemonade, vegetables, tea, wine—even bouillon for Bloody Marys.

We don’t like melting ice cubes to dilute our drinks, so we freeze the same liquid (e.g. iced tea cubes for iced tea) or a complimentary flavor (e.g., blueberry or other fruit juice ice cubes for that lemonade).

Then we saw these clever cubes, from Sherry Chen of Personal Creations, who has kindly provided them for today’s tip.

They turn an everday beverage—water, a glass of milk, iced tea or coffee, cocktails and mocktails—into something truly special.

SHERRY CHEN’S TIPS FOR PERFECT FLAVORED ICE CUBES

Whether for a party or a refreshing day at home, a flavored ice cube will always add style, says Sherry.

Making unique flavored ice cubes is simple. Here are a few things to keep in mind when prepping.

 
 
ICE CUBE RECIPES

The subhead reminds us of the joke about the cook who was so stupid, he forgot the recipe for ice.

But these isn’t ice: They’re frozen flavor art.

Here are five of Sherry’s ice cube recipes. You can find five more here.

 
 
Garnishing The Cubes

You can add even more festivity to the ice cubes with a garnish on top of the cube.

When the cubes have frozen into a slurry state, quickly remove and shake on your choice of whatever goes with the beverage:

 
 
MORE ICE CUBE RECIPES

 
And take a gander at:

[2] Ice cream cubes melt creaminess and flavor into the drink.

[3] Smoothie ice cubes.

[4] Matcha ice cubes.

[5] Jewel ice cubes.

[6] Latte ice cubes in a glass of milk (photo courtesy Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth).

[2] Zucchini noodles, spiralized and ready to cook.

[3] A classic dish of Cacio e Pepe. Here’s a recipe from Philo’s Kitchen.

Two years ago, when zucchini noodles became the rage, many of us ran out to buy spiralizers—simple gadgets that turned a zucchini into ribbons of vegetable “pasta.”

You can now buy spiralized zucchini in bags.

A big bowl of pasta with Bolognese sauce and lots of grated cheese can be lightened, both texturally and calorically, and is an attractive substitute.

We’ve previously written about Cacio e Peppe (KAH-chee-oh ay PEP-pay, cheese and pepper), an ancient pasta dish (in fact, one of the most ancient dishes in Italian cuisine).

The classic recipe is a quick one Grated cheese—cacio in Roman dialect, referring to a sheep’s milk cheese like pecorino romano—becomes a creamy, cheesy sauce when mixed with a a few spoons of the hot water used to cook the pasta.

The result: creamy sauce, obtained by combining the best quality Pecorino Romano and a few spoons of the water used to cook the spaghetti. The starch that leaches from the spaghetti into the cooking water combines with the grated cheese in just the right way.

But Good Eggs has taken it one step further in the name of lowering the carbs: They mixed conventional wheat pasta noodles with zucchini noodles.

The recipe is below, but first:
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CACIO & PEPE

Cacio e Pepe, a Roman dish, was an easy comfort food. The ingredients were very portable and did not spoil. Roman shepherds and travelers needed only water and a fire to create a stick-to-your-ribs meal.

The classic recipe has no butter or cream, ingredients which are used to make creamy Alfredo sauce. There’s just pasta, salted water to cook it, cheese, and ground black pepper. Some modern recipes use a bit of olive oil to bind the ingredients.

All the ingredients are ancient foods:

Ingredients For 2 Main Course Servings

 
Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of salted water to a boil. While it heats, place the zucchini in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté for about 2 minutes, until al dente. Turn the heat off and cover the zucchini to keep it warm.

2. COOK the spaghetti according to package directions; then drain it, holding back a few tablespoons of pasta water. Add the pasta and half the pasta water to the zucchini pan, and toss together.

3. REMOVE from the heat and toss with the cheese and pepper to taste (Italians go heavy on the pepper). The heat of the pasta and the pasta water should help melt the cheese into a smooth, creamy sauce. Add more hot pasta water as needed to achieve the consistency you desire. If the water has become tepid, microwave it for 30 seconds.

4. GARNISH with parsley and serve. It isn’t part of the official recipe, but we like the crunch of toasted bread crumbs or croutons as a garnish.

________________

*Humans can’t live without some sodium. It’s needed to transmit nerve impulses, contract and relax muscle fibers (including the heart muscle and blood vessels), and maintain a proper fluid balance. Here’s more about it from Harvard Medical School.

†Long, thin spaghetti has different names in different regions of Italy; for example, capellini, fedelini, spaghetti alla chitarra and tonnarelli. Spaghetti alla chitarra, also known as maccheroni alla chitarra, is a variety of egg pasta typical of the Abruzzo region in Italy, with a square cross-section about 2–3 mm thick. Tonnarelli is a similar pasta from the Lazio region. In the U.S., you’re most likely to find spaghetti, spaghettini, and vermicelli (angel hair, capelli d’angelo, is too thin for this rich sauce). The widths of all of these strands vary, but not in a significant way to impact the recipe.