There has been a lot of talk (some might call it hype) about Hungry Mother in Cambridge.  It was ranked #7 in Boston Magazine’s Best Restaurants Issue.  It has an impressive 4.5 stars (out of 5) on Yelp and a ranking of 92 (out of 100) on The Phantom Gourmet.  Well I am here to tell you, it is well deserved.  Go make your reservations now because you’ll need them and by the time you finish this post you’ll be wishing you were there now.

We arrived for our dinner and were promptly seated on time.  After a quick perusal of the menu (that’s all you need, it’s not a huge menu), we ordered our drinks and food in one shot.  The appetizers included fried oysters, squid and cornbread.  Now it was difficult to get my head wrapped about the oysters.  I always get them raw with horseradish and cocktail sauce and throw them back like candy.  Well, I’m a convert.  They were delicious.  Warm and crunchy without being overcooked and the remoulade was the perfect amount of tang to counter the Tabasco sauce drizzled on top.  The cornbread was good (pretty standard to be honest).  The squid was also delicious, not chewy and the accompaniments made the plate in my opinion.

Then there was the beer.  My friends had ordered a beer recommended by the waitress.  They loved it.  So she recommended two of their bottles (they’re 22oz each, so we split them). Well, I would like everyone to know, the Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project is going to blow up and take over the craft beer scene.  One sip of the Jack D’Or and I was sold.  Two sips and it might have taken over the #1 favorite beer spot.  Our friend who doesn’t even drink beer liked it.  We were so impressed my friends took the bottles home with them (which apparently according to one of the owners is a fairly frequent occurrence).

Ok…back to the food.  For dinner I ordered the Cornmeal Catfish, which came with andouille sausage and rice (which was clearly cooked in the wonderful wonderful sausage grease).  It was perfect.  The fried crust of the catfish was the right about of crunch, I can still taste it in my mouth.  We also got the collard greens side (nothing exciting) and the grits.  I love grits, and these were no exception.  Grits with ham and cheddar raised the bar.  Although the real winner of this meal was the chicken.  I know, I know.  Chicken?  I have no idea how it was cooked or with what, but I wish I could replicate it.  The inside was juicy and the roasted skin was one of the best things I’ve ever tried.  Plus, it was served with fiddleheads, which are baby ferns.  I had never had them (or knew one could have them) before.  They were really tasty (and form super cute little rings when cooked).

For dessert, we ordered the fig and pecan galette and the honey & buttermilk panna cotta.  The panna cotta was ok (not spectacular to be honest), but the galette, oh the galette.  I would compare it to a fancy, warm fig newton with ice cream.  Swoon.

I also think one of nicest parts of the meal was having one of the owners come over to our table.  The restaurant is over a year old at this point and clearly doing well, but he took the time to come over, make sure everything was alright and chat with us for a few minutes.  It showed the level of commitment and love for their place, which is always appreciated.

And finally, for the record, I did not eat again until 3 pm the following day.

This recipe is super easy and really good, although, I really really need to practice carving.  I didn’t think it was possible to kill a chicken twice until I attempted to slice this one.

Roasted Chicken

Adapted from Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Chicken

• 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Few springs of rosemary
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
• 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
• 5-6 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
• 4-6 russet potatoes, cut into 2-inch cubes
• Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 °F.

Remove the chicken giblets, clean out the inside of the chicken (make sure to check both side because sometimes innards end up inside the neck-end as well) and rinse well with cold water.

Stuff the cavity with the rosemary, lemon halves, garlic, salt and pepper.  Then brush the outside of the chicken with butter and salt and pepper it.  Ina recommends tying the legs together, but I still don’t own any kitchen twine, so I skipped this step.

Next, put the chopped veggies into a roasting pan and toss with salt, pepper, olive oil and some the rosemary (I removed it from the stems in the pan).  Then mix around and spread evenly over the pan before putting the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours (approx 20 minutes per pound), or until the juices run clear.  Cover with aluminum foil and let it stand for at least 20 minutes.  Then have someone else carve it.

Ok…so technically the party past already, I apologize for the late invite.  Although quite frankly, I’m not sure I could have handled more guests; I ran out of chairs in my apartment.
The party was successful (or at least my friends are good sports and like to humor me).  It was actually the first time I had cooked for more than 5 people and I haven’t heard of any cases of food poisoning, so I guess technically that defines a successful party; depending on who you ask.
Initially, I was excited to have a get together with friends.  Having just moved to Boston, I thought it was a good idea to get some people together and eat.  Then of course I started getting overwhelmed, not with what to make, but what not to make.  There are so many options and I wanted to impress, but not make it too complicated that the meal wouldn’t be done cooking until midnight.  Eventually I decided on a menu, presented below (with selected recipes!).  I do apologize for the lack of pictures though, it’s difficult to cook for ten people and take pictures.
As a side note though, I do recommend having dinner parties during the workweek.  It is likely your guests will bring more alcohol than consume, thereby replenishing your wine rack.

Simple Green Salad
Stuffed and Broiled Tomatoes
Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Toasted Pine Nuts

-8-10 beets depending on size
-1/3 c Goat cheese
- 1/3 c Pine Nuts
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Red Wine Vinegar

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Individually wrap each beet in aluminum foil (it will help keep the moisture and flavor in) and cook in oven ~45 minutes or until skewer can be inserted easily
• Meanwhile, toast pine nuts over medium heat until they begin to brown, then remove from heat
• Let the beets cool ~10 minutes then remove skins by holding a beet in a paper towel and rubbing the it off. This will also prevent your hands from turning hot pink
• Add the chopped beets, goat cheese and pine nuts to a bowl. Toss with olive oil and vinegar to taste

Chicken Roulade with Mustard Sauce

Sauce:
-1/2 c plain yogurt
-1 tbsp Dijon mustard
-2 tsp chopped chives

Chicken:
-4 boneless chicken breasts
-1/3 c plain yogurt
-1 tsp Dijon mustard
-1 c breadcrumbs (I used Italian style for extra flavor)
-1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
-2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Salt & pepper

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Lightly brush baking pan with olive oil
• Mix together the yogurt, mustard and chives for the sauce and set aside
• Sprinkle ~1 ½ teaspoons of basil in the center of each chicken breast and season with salt & pepper. Roll the chicken breast up, enclosing the basil
• In a bowl mix together the yogurt and mustard. Separately, mix together the breadcrumbs and the Parmesan
• Roll each chicken breast in the yogurt mixture then the breadcrumbs. Place on the baking pan and drizzle with the olive oil
• Bake ~30 minutes and serve with the sauce on the side

Source:  Williams-Sonoma Chicken Cookbook

Mixed Berry Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

Deluxe Double-Chocolate Cookies

WARNING: If you tend to eat the batter while making baked goods, chances are you will end up with very few of these cookies

Ingredients

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Scharfen-Berger aka the Rolls Royce of chocolate)
1 c + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 c + 2 tbsp Cocoa powder (I used Droste)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c unsalted butter at room temperature
1 c + 2 tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c whole milk

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• In a double-boiler (or make-shift one, like I used) melt the bittersweet chocolate until smooth then remove from heat and set aside to cool
• Stir flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together in a bowl
• Beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy
• Slowly add the sugar to the butter until smooth
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well
• Beat in the salt and vanilla
• Add the melted chocolate and beat until incorporated
• Mix in the milk
• Slowly add the flour mixture until fully incorporated
• Place ~1 tablespoons onto baking sheet lined with parchment, about 1 inch apart
• Bake until the cookies are barely firm, ~7-10 minutes – highly recommend using a thin metal spatula to transfer from pan to wire rack for cooling
• Store in an airtight container

Source:  Tartine Bakery Cookbook

Now any takes to help with some of the dishes?!