So Good: 100 Recipes from My Kitchen to Yours

Price: $17.99 - $14.99
(as of Mar 31, 2025 05:17:25 UTC – Details)


100 all-new, accessible recipes from the favorite Top Chef All-Stars winner and Top Chef judge and Food Network regular.
 
Fans know Richard Blais best as the winner of Bravo’s Top Chef All-Stars, the first competitor to be invited back as a permanent judge on Top Chef, and now as a Food Network regular as well. On television, Blais is famous for his daring cooking, making use of science (think liquid nitrogen) to dazzle and impress. But how does he cook at home for his family when the cameras are off? That’s what this book will answer, with elevated homestyle recipes and personal stories that invite you behind the scenes and into his own kitchen for the first time. Some recipes might look familiar, like spaghetti and meatballs, but have a secret, flavor-boosting ingredient, and others feature clever but unexpected techniques, like his fried chicken that is first marinated in pickle juice. These are creative recipes that anyone can make and are sure to excite, from Seabass with Ginger Beer and Bok Choy to Jerked Spatchcock Chicken and Plantains, making this this the book Blais fans have been waiting for.
 
“I cannot get over how amazing his food is. Can. Not. Get. Over!” —Amy Schumer
 
“This collection of recipes is accessibly bold, certain to wow your family and dinner guests.” —Jesse Tyler Ferguson
 
“A fantastic collection of recipes that, at first glance, may seem out of a home cook’s league. However, Richard Blais has a way of turning beautiful restaurant-like dishes into approachable at-home recipes that will make you look like a rock star in the kitchen.” —Emeril Lagasse

From the Publisher

Jerked Spatchcock Chicken and Plantains from So Good

Serves 4

Spatchcock is one of my favorite words. Because obviously I’m a 12-year-old boy. But it’s also one of my favorite butchering techniques, as it enables you to cook a whole bird, any bird, evenly on a grill or in a pan. Here it’s part of a sweet and spicy Caribbean combo. (But for extra giggles, serve it with cockles.)

Directions

Spatchcock the chicken by removing the backbone and opening the chicken like a book so that it lies nearly flat. Slide out the breast cartilage.

In a shallow glass, ceramic, or other nonreactive bowl, stir together the orange juice, olive oil, garlic, and jerk spices. Flatten the chicken in the marinade so that it’s covered as completely as possible. Cover and refrigerate the chicken for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours or overnight.

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill so that the heating elements or coals are medium-hot.

Lift the chicken from the marinade and let any excess drip back into the pan. Lightly pat the chicken with paper towels to remove excess moisture and then lay the bird on the grill, skin side down. Grill the chicken for 25 to 30 minutes, turning it several times. It’s done when the juices run clear or when an instantread thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 170°F. Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest, loosely covered with aluminum foil.

In a large skillet, heat about 1 inch of the peanut oil until hot. Cook the plantains in a single layer until browned, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt while still hot.

With a heavy knife, cut the spatchcocked chicken into 8 or 10 pieces (you might want to cut the breasts in half if they are large). Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and garnish with scallions, cilantro, and fried plantains. Serve with the pepper vinegar and mango chutney on the side.

Note

Pepper vinegar is exactly that: vinegar flavored with peppers, or to be more accurate, chiles. Many people make their own, stuffing halved or coarsely chopped fresh chiles (any that you have on hand or that you especially like) into bottles or jars and then topping them with vinegar (usually cider vin). After 3 to 4 weeks, you have a pepper sauce to reckon with. Or you can buy pepper vin online, from fancy markets, and at some farmer’s markets.

Ingredients One 2½ – to 3-pound chicken 1 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons jerk spices Peanut or canola oil, for frying 3 large black-skinned plantains Kosher salt 2 or 3 scallions, sliced, white and light green parts only 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro Pepper vinegar, for serving (see Note) Mango chutney, for serving

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N4DR6EM
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Illustrated edition (May 16, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 16, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 43.4 MB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 250 pages