(BPT) - Whether it’s in his home kitchen or at one of his restaurants, Michelin-starred Chef Curtis Stone believes a delicious meal is best enjoyed with the people you love. From breakfast favorites, to easy weeknight meals and the perfect dinner for hosting friends and family, Chef Curtis Stone shares some tips and tricks to help you prepare a memorable meal, alongside one of his favorite roast chicken recipes.
1. Let’s start with breakfast. Pancakes are a family favorite, but it can be difficult to achieve that golden-brown finish found in restaurants. How do you make the perfect stack?
The key to the perfect pancake — from classic buttermilk flapjacks to my favorite ricotta hotcakes — is consistent temperature. I have a Bosch Induction Cooktop, which has a special feature called AutoChef that detects the temperature of the pan and distributes heat consistently, so every pancake in the batch is evenly golden brown on the outside, and soft and fluffy inside. High-quality tools make all the difference!
2. Speaking of induction cooktops, can you tell us more about this hot new cooking trend?
Induction cooking is one of my favorite methods because it provides the absolute best in heat efficiency, cooking flexibility and easy cleaning.
Induction cooktops use magnetic currents to apply heat directly to the pot or pan only. As a result, it’s really easy to control the temperature. Since induction only applies heat to the pot or pan, and not the cooktop itself, I can immediately wipe down the cooktop with a damp cloth to remove any residue and my kids can join in on all the fun, too.
To make the whole process simpler, the new Bosch induction cooktops communicate with select chimney hoods via Home Connect, which means I don’t have to worry about turning on ventilation prior to cooking — the appliance does it automatically for me when I turn on the cooktop! It makes my life so much easier.
3. Weeknight meals can be a challenge to prepare because everyone is so busy. How do you get dinner on the table faster?
I’m a big believer in making meals, or parts of a meal, ahead of time. When we’re hungry for dinner with little time to prepare, it’s nice to know I have some ingredients prepped ahead and can quickly transform simple ingredients into the night’s meal. And, technology is making it even easier to quickly get dinner on the table. For example, when I’m using my Bosch Wall Oven with Home Connect I can preheat the oven before I even set foot in the house and put prepped items like my roast chicken in right when we get home, so I can get dinner for my wife and kids on the table faster. It’s one of my ultimate kitchen hacks!
4. What is one super simple, but impressive way to upgrade any dish?
One of my favorite ways to elevate a dish is with a perfectly crafted sauce — talk about an elegant, flavorful garnish. Take, for example, my roast chicken recipe below. Not only is it a weeknight staple, it can be elevated for weekend gatherings with a delicate sauce. The word “delicate” might sound intimidating, but being in control of the flame is half the battle. The Bosch Gas Cooktop makes it super easy with features like FlameSelect, which allows exact adjustment to the flame size — from high to low across nine different power levels. This new feature provides peace of mind that each meal will cook perfectly, every time.
Roast Chicken with Mushroom Pan Sauce
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (about 5 pounds), legs tied with butcher’s twine
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 pound assorted mushrooms (button, oyster, crimini), stems trimmed, thickly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 sprig thyme
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Method
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place large ovenproof frying pan in oven until hot. Place chicken, breast side up, in preheated pan and brush with butter. Insert Bosch oven meat probe into the thickest part of the chicken thigh.
2. Roast chicken in oven 1 hour and 15 minutes or until skin is crisp and golden and the meat probe registers 165°F. Transfer chicken to carving board to rest 10 minutes (do not wipe out pan).
3. Heat same pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently to scrape up browned bits (fond) from bottom of pan, for 6 minutes or until mushrooms are browned and tender. Stir in shallots and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes or until shallots are tender. Add flour and stir 1 minute. Whisk in broth and thyme.
4. Simmer, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes or until gravy thickens. Remove thyme stems. Stir in parsley. Season gravy with salt and pepper.
5. Serve chicken with gravy.
