Judy Rodgers
Late chef of Zuni Cafe, San Francisco. Her dry-brined roast chicken with bread salad is a modern American touchstone.
Speaks to 3 threads
Cited in 4 places
- Roast Chicken/ Commentary
“The third requirement is salting the bird at least 24 hours in advance. This improves flavor, keeps it moist, and makes it tender.”
Zuni Roast Chicken with Bread Salad — The Zuni Café Cookbook / Epicurious (2002) - Roast Chicken/ Commentary
“We don't bother trussing the chicken — I want as much skin as possible to blister and color. And we don't rub the chicken with extra fat, trusting its own skin to provide enough.”
Zuni Roast Chicken with Bread Salad — The Zuni Café Cookbook / Epicurious (2002) - Roast Chicken/ Argument
“Salt the bird at least 24 hours ahead and air-dry uncovered. The skin dehydrates and crisps; the flesh seasons through (Rodgers, Zuni Café Cookbook).”
The Brine Question — argued for "Dry Brine" - Roast Chicken/ Argument
“Rodgers at Zuni explicitly does not truss — the goal is the maximum amount of skin exposed to direct heat, blistered and coloured all over.”
Truss or Don't — argued for "Leave It Open"