Conference turris::cooks

    
    I came across this recipe in a cook book, but have never tried it
    as I do not have a clay pot.  I hope it turns out well!
    *******************************************************************
    
    A clay pot is specialized equipment, but well worth the modest
    investment.  It produces a rich, moist, flavorful chicken with little
    or no fat.  Clay pots should be soaked in water before using.
    
    Ingrediants:
    
    1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds
    12 pearl onions, peeled
    2 carrots, cut into 4" strips
    2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
    1 garlic clove, chopped
    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
    1/2 teaspoon rosemary, crumbled
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
    
    1.  Soak top and bottom of a 2 quart clay pot in water about 15
        minutes.  Drain
    
    2.  Rinse and dry the chicken.  Remove excess fat.  Place chicken
        inside cooker.  Place onions and carrots around chicken.
    
    3.  In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, pepper, rosemary, and
        parsley.  Drizzle over chicken and vegetables.
    
    4.  Cover and place cooker in middle of cold oven.  Turn temperature
        to 450 degrees and bake for 1 hour.  Remove lid and roast uncovered
        5 to 10 minutes to brown skin slightly.
    
    
    (This recipe taken from "365 Ways to Cook Chicken" by Cheryl Sedaker)
        

    
    Re: 490.1
    
    Preparation time is 20 minutes
    Cooking time is 1 1/4 hours
    Serves 4

    
    I found another chicken recipe for a clay pot in the same cook book
    as 490.1.
    **********************************************************************
    
    Preparation time is 20 minutes
    Cooking time is 1 1/4 hours
    Serves 4
    
    Ingrediants:
    
    1/3 cup brown sugar
    1 teaspoon grated orange peel
    1 cup orange juice
    Dash of hot pepper sauce
    1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds
    1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
    2 orange slices, halved
    1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
    
    1.  Soak top and bottom of a 2 quart clay pot in water about 15
        minutes.  Drain
    
    2.  In a small bowl combine brown sugar, orange peel, orange juice,
        and hot sauce.
    
    3.  Rinse and dry the chicken; remove excess fat around the cavity.
        Rub with butter and place inside pot.  Pour sauce over all.
        Secure orange slices on top of chicken with wooden toothpicks.
    
    4.  Cover and place cooker in the middle of a cold oven.  Turn the
        oven on to 475 degrees and bake 1 hour.  Remove the lid and
        bake uncovered for 10 minutes to brown skin lightly.
    
    5.  Remove chicken to a heated platter.  Place sauce in a small
        saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.  Add dissolved cornstarch
        to liguid and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens
        and bubbles.  Serve with chicken.
                                         

    If you don't mind a naive question -- what are the benefits of clay
    pan over conventional metal?
    
    I make a lot of quick breads and might want to invest in better pans.
    How are the clay pan for regular (yeast) breads?
    
    Thanks.
    
    Jeanne
    

    re: .3
    
    Years ago, when I was replacing my by-then pretty grungy metal bread
    pans, I happened to find clay pans, which immediately captured my
    interest as being nicer looking, and they were advertised as giving
    a "superior crust".  Well, I have in fact found that the crust on
    my breads is firmer, crispier, just generally "nicer", and the pans
    are easy to keep good-looking:  no rust stains, no dents, etc.
    
    Now that I've taught my sister how to make bread, I would like to
    find clay pans for her as well.
    
    Joanna

    Joanna,
    	Is there any problem with sticking when you use clay pans?  Are the
    ones you use glazed on the inside?  I've seen some unglazed
    (terracotta?), and wonder if you should grease them, or if a recipe
    with a high fat-content would leach the oil into the clay and stain it?
    I've seen stove-top bread bakers, a terracotta dome shaped thing, but
    wasn't sure if I could make the investment worthwhile.  
    
    Sarah
    

    Sarah,
    
    	I usually "grease" the pans (using a spray, like Pam) when I'm
    making something dry like bread.  The pans don't seem to be glazed
    on the inside (or outside either, for that matter), unless it's
    a very subtle matte-like glaze that I can't detect.  On the other
    hand, I've used the same pans when making meatloaf, for example,
    and I haven't seen any sign of fat leaching through.
    
    	BTW, I have recently seen (in some mail-order catalog -- Colonial
    Garden Kitchens, or something like that, I think) some similar pans,
    but they are 5.5" wide.  I'm looking for pans that are 4.5" wide.
    (Picky, picky!)  The narrower pan makes a more attractive loaf,
    dimension-wise, IMHO.
    
    Joanna
    

    
    
    
    I've had four of these gems for several years now.  They are made by
    COPCO and I believe I got mine at Joy of Cooking in the Mall of NH
    in Manchester -- may have found 2 at Jordan-Marsh as they also carry
    Copco.
    
    Rummaged around and finally found the cardboard labels that came with
    the pan (saved the recipe and directions).  Here's what the card says:
    
    Copco Brick Oven Bread Pan with Terra Sigillata Coating/Dishwasher
    Safe/Microwave Oven Safe
    
    This Brick Oven Bread Pan makes bread at home as good as the loaves
    that come from old-fashioned stone-hearth ovens.  These unique pans
    produce the kind of loaf that bread-eaters dream about: high-rising,
    fine-grained, with a crisp crust.
    
    These pans are the only bakeware in the world designed and manufac-
    tured at a University.  Engineers and artists at Alfred University
    College of Ceramics utilized a unique clay from local sources.  The
    clay is molded into bread pans under thousands of pounds of pressure.
    Determining the precise temperature of firing that would produce the
    best surface for bread-making, they revised and modified the use of
    an ancient Greek coating, terra sigillata.
    
    These bread pans must be pre-heated before they are used for the first
    time.  Rub the inside of the pan with vegetable oil, and then bake at
    250 degrees for one hour.  Thereafter, oil before each use, only
    then will the unique terra sigillata coating be able to do its work
    in preventing sticking.
    
    If anyone finds the pans but doesn't get the recipe, let me know and 
    I'll post the one that came with mine.
    
    As I remember they were on the expensive side, but over the long-haul
    they've been worth it.  I prefer them to any metal pans I've ever
    used.  In fact, I found an 8.5X12X1.5 pan in which to make cornbread
    (see my chili-corn-cheese recipe in 2b::chili) -- tough to equal with
    metal or glass!
    
    Bill

    re: .13 & .14
    
    Actually, flower pot bread is pretty good.  Well washed and rinsed, the
    danger of contamination is minimal, if at all -- ESPECIALLY if non-
    acidic things are baked (e.g., bread without tomatoes, lemon peel,
    etc.) in them.
    
    If still concerned, you can 'cure' the pots (as you should 'cure'
    Mexican clay dishes, such as ollas -- in this case to prevent lead
    poisoning).  Recommended that you 'bake' the clay pots/ollas, etc.
    in water to cover in an oven at 300 degrees (keep the water at a 
    simmer) for twenty-four hours.  Add water as needed to keep the clay
    items covered. When done discard the water, then never, never
    store or cook acidy food in the pot/olla else contaminants, such as
    lead can leach into the food.
    
    Probably not a bad idea to start with unused flower pots in the first
    place!
    
    Bill
              

    Re: .11
    
    Bill,
    	I think I have to lean on you for a little more help -- does
    your bread-pan insert include Copco's address or phone number? 
    I think I'm going to have to try to contact them directly because,
    so far, I haven't had any luck finding the pans.  (Jordan Marsh tells
    me they carry no clay pans, the Cheese Shop in Concord didn't have
    what I want, and I haven't made it to the Mall of NH yet.)  So,
    instead of chasing all over the place, maybe I should check with
    the source.
    
    Thanks for your help.
    
    Joanna

  Several months ago, I bought a La Cloche from the Breadbasket catalog. 
Since then, the Breadbasket has moved to Norwich, VT and is now part of
the King Arthur Flour Baker's Catalogue.   Here's the catalog description
of La Cloche:

	    "Home ovens never give quite the same crust to breads
	    commercial ovens give.  Using a La Cloche is the closest
	    you can come.  It gives a wonderful crinkly crisp crust
	    to loaves.  The unglazed stoneware "oven within an oven"
	    is a platter with a bell-shaped lid.  Includes 
	    instructions and a recipe.  #5557  $45.00

I *love* this thing!  It makes *wonderful* free-form loaves of bread!
None of the fuss of putting water into a pan in the bottom
of the oven to get a good crust, either!

  I highly recommend La Cloche!  The price is a little high - it used to
be around $30, but now that the catalogue is out of Norwich instead of
Seattle (?), they have to have the units shipped from Washington to
Vermont.  So, you really pay for shipping twice.

  The phone number for The King Arther Catalogue is 1-800-827-6836.

--Sharon

    Would someone know what temp to put the oven on when making a
    roast (using the clay pot) ????
    
    thanks
    
    sandy

The recipes posted in the previous mentioned notes all have oven temps in them.
When I make an experimental recipe, I use a cold oven and place claypot onto 
rack and then turn up temp, ususally about 400 degrees plus or minus.

dana

    What do folks think of cooking in their clay pots?  I'm considering
    getting one for a relative as a gift, and I'm just looking for
    opinions.
    
    Thanks,
    
    	--Sharon