8/19/2019 Watercress Pesto

1/3

Watercress Pesto (Pesto de Cresson)

Adapted from ‘In a French Kitchen’ by Susan Hermannoomis

• 4 cups watercress leaves (about ½ bunch)

• ½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

• 2 shallots, chopped

• Zest from 1 lemon

• 1 clove garlic, chopped

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

• tablespoons e!tra-virgin olive oil

• "ine sea salt and freshly ground blac# pepper 

!" $ince together watercress, parsley, shallots, lemon %est and garlic, then transfer to a bowl&

'mmediately stir in vinegar, then oil& eason with salt and pepper to taste&

#" over and let sit at least * minutes before serving&

8/19/2019 Watercress Pesto

2/3

Poulet Rôti aux Pommes et Poires (Roast Apple and Pear Chicken)

This is an easy supper that turns a simple roast chicken into a feast. You can useeither apple cider or white wine instead of water, and if you don’t have apples, useall pears, or vice versa.

• 2 onions, cut into + wedges each

• fresh or dried bay leaves

• cup water, apple cider or dry white wine, such as auvignon lanc

• 1 (½-4 pound) whole roasting chic#en, with giblets

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

• ea salt and freshly ground blac# pepper

•

½ lemon

• 2 large, firm and slightly tart apples, such as o! .range /ippin or 0oney risp, peeled,

cored and cut into wedges each

• 2 medium pears, such as omice or illiam, peeled, cored and cut into 4 wedges each

!" /reheat oven to 423 degrees& ombine onions, 2 bay leaves and water in a roasting pan&

#" emove giblets from chic#en cavity& ub 1 tablespoon butter inside cavity, then season

generously with salt and pepper& ub remaining butter under s#in& (5he s#in can tear easily, so be

gentle as you detach it from meat&) /lace lemon half, giblets and remaining bay leaf insidecavity& 5russ chic#en with #itchen twine, then place in roasting pan atop onions, or on a rac#

sitting in pan above onions&

$" oast chic#en in center of oven 13 minutes& eason chic#en all over with salt, then roast an

additional 1* minutes& "lip on its side and roast an additional 13 minutes& "lip on other side androast 13 minutes more& ('f you don6t have the time or inclination to turn the chic#en, you can let

it roast for the entire hour without turning, and the results will still be delicious&)

8/19/2019 Watercress Pesto

3/3

%" 7dd apples and pears to pan, sha#ing pan so fruit settles into coo#ing 8uices& 7dd additional

water, if necessary, to #eep fruit and onions moist& "lip chic#en so breast is facing up, then

season chic#en and fruit with salt& ontinue roasting until 8uices run clear when leg and thigh 8oint is pierced with a for#, about 13 minutes more&

&" 5ransfer chic#en, breast-side down, to a cutting board so 8uices run into breast meat& 9et rest,uncovered, at least 2* minutes before carving&

'" $eanwhile, return pan to oven and continue roasting fruit until tender and beginning to turngolden, 2*-23 minutes& .ccasionally chec# on fruit, sha#ing pan and adding additional water if

necessary to #eep from burning on bottom&

" 5o serve, remove giblets from cavity and thinly slice& arve chic#en and arrange on a warmed

serving platter& :uee%e lemon half that was in cavity over chic#en, catching and discarding anyseeds& 7rrange fruit, onions and giblets around chic#en& /our any pan 8uices over top&