Note: Those are my brother's hands
For part of my trip home, I visited Pittsburgh, where my brother was studying, for a few days. We'd just arrived that afternoon after a 3.5 hour drive, and I was unexpectedly making dinner for 5 people that night. [*sighs*] What a loving brother have I...
Okay, I'm teasing. I actually offered to cook after going through a list of unfavourable options. And it gave me a chance to try a very "quick and easy" technique called "en papillote."
Working mainly with supplies on hand, I started with a piece of parchment paper and placed a layer of chopped vegetables (carrots, onions, potatoes) and dried cranberries (for sweetness). Above came the chicken breast which I'd rubbed with a hodgepodge mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, various herbs, salt, and pepper (I also made slits in the meat and filled them with the mixture for better flavor penetration). I tucked a couple wedges of lemon under the chicken and drizzled a little more olive oil before wrapping and sealing the parchment paper tightly. Twenty minutes at 425°F (218°C), and each of us was peering into a steaming hot package of mouth-watering chicken and vegetables.
Basically, ''en papillote ''is a form of steam cooking and is ideal for leaner cuts of meat (i.e. chicken breast, fish). Any type of vegetable, fruit, or even rice can be mixed in. A key ingredient is oil; with that, you are free to use whatever sauce, herb, or spice you desire. Although parchment paper is preferred, aluminum foil can also be used. It's because of such freedom and relatively short cooking time that makes ''en papillote'' so friendly. Plus, cleaning is easy!
