arts & entertainment >> book fair Finding Her Way In The Kitchen will be bronzed and crisp. The liquid will have reduced by half. Remove from the oven. Here, the cookbook rec- ommends tilting the pan so that the fat gathers and then spooning off as much as possible. I was confused as to whether or not the chicken should remain in the pot for this, so I decided to remove the legs to a clean plate. I spooned the fat off the sauce as it cooled, and then brought it back to a boil over medium heat, swirling as it reduced to a more syrupy consistency. Mix the vinegar and honey, and warm slightly. (I did this in the microwave.) Add the figs to the sauce on the stove, and then the vinegar and honey mixture, stirring. Nestle the chicken back into the pan, careful not to squish the figs, and simmer until the sauce is glossy, only a minute or two. The taste should be rich and vibrant- ly sweet and sour. Add more salt, honey or vinegar to taste. Serve each chicken leg with two wedges of onion and 4 or 5 fig halves, with a few spoonfuls of sauce. Season to Taste author Molly Birnbaum shares some favorite recipes. W hen I lost my sense of smell, returned. Today, I love to cook food with the result of a head injury bright colors and varied textures. I still sustained when f was hit by a rely on simple ingredients, dishes that are car while jogging, I quickly realized that in season and filled with flavor. I could no longer taste. Well, that's not The silken texture of the braised chick- entirely true. I had the salty, en in a Zuni Cafe recipe is per- sweet, bitter, sour and umami fect alongside plump figs, the of my taste buds. But I couldn't bright tang of vinegar and the detect herbs or spices, all of mellow sweet of honey. Penne the nuance that makes food with Butternut Squash, Goat good. Cheese and Walnuts is a study Before the accident I had in textures. been training to be a chef. I The scent of cinnamon in had loved food both compli- my mother's recipe for home- cated and complex. Afterward, made applesauce reminds me however, I began to eat much of my childhood home. M oily more simply, food with bigger, I have written about these Birn baum bolder bite. recipes on my blog, My Specia I to the Over the last six years, my Madeleine (mollysmadeleine. Jewish News sense of smell has slowly blogspot. com ). I I CHICKEN BRAISED WITH HONEY, FIGS AND VINEGAR (Adapted from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook) 4 chicken legs (thigh plus drumstick) salt 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 medium-sized onion, peeled, trimmed and cut into 8 wedges 1 /2 cup dry white wine 2 Tbsp. dry white vermouth 1 /2 cup chicken stock (approximately) 1 bay leaf 1 sprig of fresh thyme a few black peppercorns, barely crushed 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar 1 Tbsp. honey 8-10 (or more) fresh figs, cut in half Rinse and then dry the chicken legs. Trim the excess fat. Season with salt and refrigerate, covered, until ready for use PENNE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH, GOAT CHEESE AND WALNUTS (Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis) 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seed- ed, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes 1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces olive oil kosher salt and black pepper 1 lb. penne pasta (I use whole wheat) 1 cup (8 oz.) goat cheese, crumbled 1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped 1 cup basil leaves, sliced 1 /3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the cubed squash and onion together on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are browned in spots and cooked all the way through. Set aside. While the squash is cooling, bring a (recommended: 12-24 hours in advance). Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a heavy ovenproof skillet, preferably large enough that all of the chicken can be held in one single layer. Over medium heat (the oil should sizzle, not pop explosively), brown the chicken, skin side down, until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Turn the legs over, and cook slightly, about 4 minutes, until just slightly colored. Pour off the fat. If your skillet is not ovenproof, trans- fer chicken to braising dish, skin side up. Arrange onion wedges in the spaces between the legs. Add the wine, vermouth and enough stock to come up 1/2-inch in the dish. Bring to a simmer on the stove. Add the bay leaf, thyme and cracked black pepper. Place in the oven, uncovered, and cook until meat is tender but not falling off the bone, about 40 minutes. The chicken skin PAVILION ANTI 75+ NATIONAL & REGIONAL MERCHANTS! OCTOBER 28, 29 & 30 1 2011 Southfield Municipal Complex Southfield, Michigan • Evergreen Rd at Civic Center Dr Friday 2-9 • Saturday 10 - 6 • Sunday 11 4 • Eight Dollars - 61./ 441 0 . tj ( ) 1 .1 ) FEATURING AMERICAN EUROPEAN &ASIAN ANTI I Ill JEWELRY & DECORATIVE ART 50 October 27 • 2011 iN large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until tender but firm, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, but reserve 2 cups of its cooking water. Place the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of the pasta water into a large serving bowl. Stir until the goat cheese has melted, forming a creamy sauce. Add the squash and onion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well. Season to taste again with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. APPLESAUCE (adapted from my mother) 1 bag of apples (however many, what- ever kind you want — here, I used a mixture of McIntosh and Macoun) 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half ground cinnamon to taste ground nutmeg to taste 1 food mill vanilla yogurt Chop each apple in half, and then the halves in half, and then the quarters in half at 90-degree angles (otherwise known as 8 chunks). Place in a large pot. Add the cinnamon sticks and then a healthy dose of ground cinnamon, as well as a few shakes of ground nutmeg. Add a quarter cup of water to keep the apples from scorching at the start. Cook at medium-high heat, covered, until the apples begin to bubble away. Turn down the heat to low, and let simmer until soft. Then, run the mixture through the food mill, discarding the stem, seed and skin detritus that is left behind. Shake some additional ground cinnamon on top. Serve with vanilla yogurt. Molly Birnbaum, author of Season to Taste: How I Lost My Sense of Smell and Found My Way, speaks 2:15 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, at the Jewish Book Fair in West Bloomfield. See Special Events/ Health Awareness Day on page 44.