Chicken with 15 cloves--a new take on an old classic. Plus, chocolate chip cookies!

So since there are only two of us I rarely make a whole chicken...we never seem to eat the whole thing and it's just wasteful. However, three bone-in skin-on chicken breasts is just enough for dinner and a yummy lunch!

I decided that tonight should be "date night" because we are going out for drinks after this yummy dinner and then to see Knocked Up. We haven't been to a movie since we saw Apocolypto back in December or January. Wow. This is why I decided to make the cookies--it's a special dinner, so it deserves a dessert!

***This is a knock-off of Ina's Chicken and 40 cloves

Here's the plan:
3 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts
1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil

Melt butter and oil together in a dutch oven, sprinkle chicken breasts with S&P to taste, and brown in the butter-oil mixture. Remove to plate and set aside.

15 cloves of garlic (1 head for me)
1 1/2 cup dry white wine
1-2 TBS cognac (I'm not using it but the original uses it) I used a little chicken stock.

Blanche the cloves, skin and all, in the water for 60 seconds. Remove from boiling water and "shock" in an ice bath. The skins should slip off pretty easily (I needed the aid of a paring knife).
Brown the garlic on all sides in the chickeny-oil. Add the wine (and cognac if using) to the pan. Bring to a simmer and deglaze the pan.

Add the chicken pieces back to the mixture and sprinkle with thyme (fresh is best, they didn't have it today so I used parsley). Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Using 2TBS flour and 1/3-1/2 cup of the wine sauce, make a little thickening paste for the sauce. Stir back in to the mixture. Add 2 TBS of heavy cream (I am using 2% milk...I never have cream and refuse to buy it for only 2-3 TBS) and stir in.

Let it set for a few minutes, and while you wait enjoy a glass of that nice white wine!

Served with roasted asparagus. Nothing fancy. Just toss with plenty of olive oil, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper and roast at 400°F for about 10 minutes or until it is to your desired doneness.

Here is the finished product on the plate:


Now for the chocolate chip cookies! This is the recipe off the back of the Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chip bag. Very fancy.

2 1/4 cups AP flour (I used unbleached)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (oops, forgot this!)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed (I only had dark brown, cest la vie!)
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup optional chopped walnuts or pecans (I opted out)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Stir flour with baking soda and salt, set aside. In large mixer bowl, beat butter with both sugars at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture (I split it into thirds). Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts). Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

And here they are: