A Bird for Andrew Bird

As you've read here before, music is a big part of my life.  I couldn't imagine cooking without it.

But as far as creating dishes at home, I'll take inspiration wherever I can get it.  Certainly cooking shows, books, blogs and restaurants are obvious sources of stimuli.  But sometimes I find ideas in unexpected places.

I recently went to see one of my favorite musicians, Andrew Bird.  His last album has been at the top of my iTunes playlists for over a year and was very excited to see him in concert for the first time recently.  If you don't know about Andrew Bird (listen here), he plays pretty much every instrument on his album, in addition to writing and singing well written, thoughtful lyrics.

Seeing him in concert at Bowery on Jan 17 was an inspiring experience.  Andrew flips between a violin, guitar, glockenspiel and a haunting whistle that adds an amazing depth to many of his songs.  While watching and listening to him at the show, I was totally in awe of his talent. Watching someone so remarkably talented perform an entirely new album (out in March, can't wait!) live with such effortless sincerity and passion was nothing short of inspiring.  While enjoying the show, I couldn't help but wish I pushed myself further and took more chances with my cooking. 

I asked myself a few interesting questions.  Am I drunk? Is that Brookyln Vegan taking those photos? Do I look like that when I go to restaurants? Should I get another beer and doublefist? And, if Andrew Bird were a chef, what kind of dishes would he create?

Well, I'm sure his dishes would be unique, thoughtful and relatively complex.  But I couldn't picture him using science or making foams.  And since he weaves multiple techniques and sounds together as elements that work within a single song,  I started to picture Chef Andrew expressing the same ingredient through multiple cooking techniques on the same plate.  As if transitioning from instrument to instrument, each element on the plate would need to be tied together by a similar flavor.  (I avoided adding music cliches/analogies here, which was very difficult but I hope appreciated).

I went on enjoying the concert but came back to these thoughts the next day.  I would make a dish based on the above ideas, inspired by Andrew Bird.  Now what would be my singular ingredient focus, expressed in a few different ways? Andrew Bird....hmmm.  Right.  Chicken it was.

And the single, uniting element that would tie each preparation of chicken together? I went with chilis.  I'd use a different form of chili within each chicken preparation, in hopes to link each of the chicken dishes together on the plate with a similar flavor.

So, here's an exploration of my Andrew Bird inspired experiment - Chili Chicken Three Ways.

Serrano Honey Chicken Wings - The goal here was to marry earthy, spicy chili flavors with the sweetness of honey.  I covered the chicken wings with an ancho chili powder, olive oil and salt. . While roasting them n the oven for about 25 minutes, I took out my roasted and finely chopped serrano peppers.   I removed the wings from the oven, dotted them with the roasted serrano and drizzled the wings with honey.  I roasted them for another 25 minutes until crusty and caramelized.  These wings were phenomenal. 

Cocoa Chili Crusted Chicken Breast - I brined the on-the-bone chicken breasts overnight.  After drying them very well, I covered them in a coating of 1/2 part bittersweet chocolate and 1/2 part ancho chili powder, salt, pepper and nutmeg. I seared the breasts in olive oil for only two minutes each side, then let them slow roast in the oven.  The brine is essential to ensure for a juicy chicken.  The crust of cocoa and chili added an earthiness that worked well with the other flavors on the plate. 

Coconut Water, Chipotle Braised Chicken - I seared chicken legs and thighs, then added some lemongrass, garlic and onions to the pan and covered the chicken with Zico coconut water and some chipotle and adobo sauce, and a splash of red wine.   I chose coconut water as I wanted the flavor without the richness, which worked well.  The sweetness of the Zico was balanced by the heat of the chipotle.  After braising for an hour and a half, I stripped the chicken into large pieces and reduced the braising liquid by 3/4 for use as a sauce. 

Finally, I added a few garnishes to the plate as a means to transition from one chicken dish to the other.  I dusted some red bliss potato wedges with the ancho chili powder, salt, pepper and olive oil and roasted them for 45 minutes until tender. I placed these wedges between the wings and the chicken breast.  I also poached some shitake mushrooms for about 20 minutes in the chipotle braising liquid, which I placed between the breast and the braised chicken.

All in all, a fun, creative experiment inspired by an unlikely source.

Andrew Bird photo via Brooklyn Vegan.

Comments

[elizabeth]

I am a Joe DeSalazar/foodienyc fan (as you know), but what you may not know is that I am a long time, devoted, Andrew Bird fan. I think you have put together a lovely plate here and it is very Andrew Bird. The different chilis are great. They awaken the senses the way Bird's music does. (Man! I love his music !@!!)

[Tim]

I am impressed by the idea of a chocolate chilli chicken! It certainly takes roasting a 'Bird' to a whole new level!

[ACB]

I've been meaning to come back and thank you for the push to go check out Andrew Bird. I got his album shortly after reading this entry, and, well, I'm kind of in love.

So, thanks! The birds looks good, too, of course; if I still ate meat, the cocoa-chili chicken would win my vote, hands down. Yummmmm...

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