Turning the Simple into Something Sublime

I savor this time of year, don't you? When cool days make for cozy cooking ~ and the warmth of the oven is a welcome guest as savory scents waft throughout the house.

This week I decided to do a little grocery shopping in Le Petit Marché, our little market of edible gifts and goodies at the back of the shop, in anticipation of some comfort food.

I selected three local ingredients, along with one from France, to whip up the easiest marinade for chicken. Something I learned long ago from Ina Garten: a recipe can be simple, but if made from high quality ingredients, it turns that simplicity into something sublime.

To make the marinade, mix 1/3 cup of the honey and 1/3 cup of the mustard together. Then add 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp grated lemon zest, 1 tsp sea salt, and some freshly ground black pepper (to taste). Stir until combined.

Pour the marinade over your chicken. I used thighs, and this made enough for 8 of them ~ we like to have leftovers! We marinated them for 24 hours in the fridge before baking. (If making them the same day, you can start the marinating in the morning, or as close as 3 hours prior to cooking.)

Our foil-lined pan of chicken took 1 hour in the oven at 375 degrees (they were big!), and I added slices of lemon and sprigs of fresh rosemary from the garden before baking to add to the yumminess.

I promise you that this was super-easy enough for a weeknight meal, yet made a dish good enough for company! Add simple sides like rice and roasted veggies and it's a meal.

We just got restocked at the shop with the local honey from Circle Dance Farm (those bees are busy working only a few miles from the shop) and with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil (grown, harvested, and pressed just down the road in Quitman). And we have two varieties of the most delicious French mustard in stock ~ even our French customers say it's the best!

xo,