Serves 10
CHICKEN
| 10 | skinless, boneless chicken breast halves |
| 3 | tablespoons vegetable oil |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| ½ | cup water |
1. Set the oven at 400 degrees.
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2. Sprinkle the breasts with oil, salt, and pepper. In a large roasting pan, arrange them, tightly packed, skinned side up; do not overlap. Pour in the water at the side. Cover with parchment paper and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is firm to the touch and cooked through.
3. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Transfer the chicken to a container to chill. (Use the cooking liquid in any recipe calling for chicken stock.)
MAYONNAISE
| 1½ | teaspoons vegetable oil |
| 1½ | teaspoons curry powder |
| ½ | cup tomato juice |
| 1 | tablespoon apricot jam |
| 2 | teaspoons red or white wine vinegar |
| 1½ | cups mayonnaise |
1. In a skillet, heat the oil and cook the curry powder over low heat, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the tomato juice, jam, and vinegar. Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Simmer, stirring often, for 8 minutes or until it reduces by half; cool.
2. In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise. Blend in 2 tablespoons of the curry mixture. Add more curry, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mayonnaise is nicely flavored with curry. Refrigerate the mayonnaise and curry mixture separately.
RICE SALAD
| 3 | tomatoes, cored |
| Salt and black pepper, to taste | |
| 2½ | cups long-grain white rice |
| ½ | lemon |
| ½ | cup slivered almonds |
| 4 | carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal |
| 1 | cup golden raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained |
| 2 | yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch strips |
| 1½ | cups green peas, thawed and rinsed |
| ½ | English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced |
| ¼ | cup white wine vinegar |
| 1 | teaspoon Dijon mustard |
| ¼ | cup vegetable oil |
| ½ | cup chopped fresh parsley |
| 1 | bunch fresh watercress or microgreens (for garnish) |
1. Bring a stock pot of water to a boil. Drop in the tomatoes, count to 10, and use a slotted spoon to transfer to a bowl of ice water.
2. Generously salt the water. Add the rice and lemon half. Cook over high heat, uncovered, stirring often, until the water returns to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-high heat and cook exactly 12 minutes (check after 11 minutes; the rice will not absorb all the water. Drain into a colander and with the handle of a wooden spoon, poke a dozen holes in the rice; cool. Discard the lemon.
3. Peel, halve, and seed the tomatoes. Cut them into thin strips.
4. In a skillet, toast the almonds, tossing constantly, for 2 minutes or until they are golden.
5. In a saucepan of salted water, cook the carrots for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
6. In a large bowl, combine the rice, tomatoes, almonds, carrots, raisins, yellow peppers, peas, and cucumber. Toss gently.
7. In another bowl, whisk the vinegar, salt, black pepper, and mustard. Gradually whisk in the oil. Add to the rice salad with ¼ cup of the parsley. Taste for seasoning and; add salt and pepper, if you like.
8. Arrange the rice on a large platter.
9. Cut the chicken into large strips and set on the rice. Whisk the mayonnaise with more of the curry mixture, if you like, or water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make a sauce that pours. Coat the chicken with enough mayonnaise to almost cover it. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup parsley. Garnish with watercress or microgreens. Sheryl Julian. Adapted from The Cordon Bleu Cookery School