Carcass Caress

Finally felt comfortable using the oven for an extended amount of time as we were just able to afford, in theory, to get our propane filled.
I purchased a nice 'organic' whole chicken at Adam's Farm and waited for Sunday when I knew I'd have time to not only do a chicken feast but also try my luck at boiling the carcass and making my own broth (to freeze for use at a later time).

I used to use an oil and herb rub but have switched to BUTTER.  Butter is just better... in every circumstance.  It also makes the skin nice and browned, crispy.
Melt a half stick of butter and mix in lots of garlic, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper, and any range of additional herbs in your cupboard or in your garden.. thyme, oregano. .. i also throw in a little cayenne. 
I prefer baking at 425 for about 1.5hours... i cover with foil for the first 1/3 of cook time so as to not get the skin overly crisp.

This time I surrounded the chick with onions, tomato, sweet potato, carrot, and rosemary. (roughly mixed with a little olive oil and spices first)

....yum. Hubbo said it was my best chicken yet.

After an early dinner I stripped that sucker down to the bones and blanched the carcass in 2qts of water...adding in giblets, the neck, etc.. also coarsely chopped celery, onion, and some stuff I had left on my cutting board... half a lemon and a tomato. (I'm not sure the Cordon Bleu would approve of the last bit additions but it had a nice aroma so I don't think I could have screwed it up much.) ...after blanching for a few minutes.. i brought it down to a simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally.  I then used a sieve to separate it down to just the broth and refrigerated overnight.
...now you are supposed to get the fat out then.. but I didn't until the next day (today) and it was so easy.. because it was chilled I was left with separated fat pieces on top so I only had to grab a spatula and carefully remove. Easy.
Now this is where I would then (after cooling) pour into ice trays and freeze for 4 hours before transferring to ziplocks for storage but as I perused my Cordon Bleu book I decided I would try consommé ... which is basically a soup based off of broth...
so because fresh broth is good in the fridge for three days... I think I will do leftover Chick tonight and tomorrow make soup! Which I will note in this blog in a few days once the deed is done.