Mustard-Grilled Chicken With Spinach, Pine Nuts, Pecorino, And Soft Egg

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup finely diced shallots
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
• ½ cup dry vermouth
• ½ cup plus 1tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 7 extra-large eggs
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 6 large chicken breasts, boned
• 1 extra-large egg yolk
• 1½ teaspoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 lemon, for juicing
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup pine nuts
• 6 ounces baby spinach, dried
• ¾ cup thin spring onions
• ½ cup grated Pecorino
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• kosher salt and pepper
• Pecorino Pudding

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
2. For the chicken marinade, heat a sauté pan over medium for 1 minute.Swirl in the butter and, when it foams, add the shallots and thyme; sauté for about 2 minutes, until shallots are translucent. Add the vermouth, and reduce by half. Transfer to a baking dish and let cool a few minutes.Whisk in ½ cup Dijon mustard, 1 egg, tarragon, and a pinch of pepper.
3. Place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with a mallet to ½-inch thickness. Remove from the wrap. Slather the chicken with the marinade, coating both sides.Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
4. Whisk the egg yolk in a bowl with 1 tablespoon mustard, vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and a bit of pepper. Slowly whisk in ¾ cup olive oil. Thin the vinaigrette with 1 teaspoon water.
5. Pre-heat the grill before cooking the chicken. Chicken should be room temperature.
6. Spread the pine nuts on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned. When nuts have cooled, coarsely chop them.
7. Meanwhile, carefully lower the remaining six eggs into a pot of boiling water. Cook for 6 minutes, and cool immediately in a bowl of ice water. When cooled, peel them.
8. Place the spinach, half the pine nuts, half the breadcrumbs, and the spring onions in a large bowl.
9. When ready to grill chicken, place the soft-cooked eggs in the oven to heat up.
10. Drizzle the chicken with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and place on the grill skin-side down. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, rotating once or twice until nicely crisp and cooked through.
11. Pour ½ cup of the vinaigrette over the salad, and season with salt, pepper, and lemon. Toss well.
12. Centre the pudding (recipe follows) onto 6 plates; put salad on top, then the chicken. Balance an egg on top of each piece of chicken. Drizzle with ¼ cup vinaigrette. Sprinkle atop remaining pine nuts, breadcrumbs and grated Pecorino.

PECORINO PUDDING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Heat a pot over medium for 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoons unsalted butter. When it foams, whisk in ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Cook about 5 minutes. Slowly pour in 1¾ cups whole milk and 2/3 cup heavy cream, whisking constantly. Cook until warm to touch. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk 1 extra-large egg and 1 extra-large egg yolk in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle eggs into cream mixture, whisking continuously. Stir in 1¼ cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Add ½ teaspoon salt. Pour mixture into an 8-by-6-inch baking dish and cover lightly with foil. Put dish in a roasting pan. Add hot water until halfway up outside of dish. Bake for about 1 hour, until pudding is set.

It has been nine years since her James Beard award-winning first book,Sunday Suppers at Lucques. Now, in her much anticipated follow-up, Suzanne Goin takes the small-plate, shared style dishes of her sophomore restaurant A.O.C. in Los Angeles and turns them into delicious main courses for the home chef. The A.O.C. Cookbook also has helpful wine notes from sommelier Caroline Styne, and concludes with a thoroughly entertaining 56-page guide on the best cheeses from around the world. – Chris Daniels