We love discovering shops like Chay Wike’s. Aptly named Chay and nestled into a great shopping neighborhood on West 3rd in Los Angeles, the shop houses a devastatingly chic mix of home and lifestyle goods including Japanese brass servingware, lucite blocks, felt hats, and an exclusive line of jewelery by Kathleen Whitaker. Forget that she’s curating a shop full of some of the best gifts of the season, Chay has also launched a fun and stylish food blog we love. It’s called Butter and highlights the kitchens and recipes of a few of our favorite local tastemakers.
Join Chay and – speaking of devastatingly chic – model Kirsty Hume at her home above, in one of the first of a series we’ll be sharing here called Kitchen Visit. Chay will be visiting a number of women we love here at The Chalkboard, talking about the art of cooking, entertaining, and how to keep the whole thing feeling simple, yet elevated.
Butter Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
3 ½ lbs chicken
half an onion
half a lemon
4 Tbsp butter
a few fresh sprigs of rosemary
fresh thyme, removed from the stem
1 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place the bird in a baking dish. Put lemon, onion, and rosemary inside the cavity. Melt the butter in a small skillet and add thyme, salt and honey. Cook for 5 minutes until all is softened and pour the mixture over the chicken. Roast for 30 minutes and then lower heat to 350 degrees. Make sure to baste the chicken at this point.
Continue to roast for another 45 minutes. Make sure to baste the chicken again one or two more times during this last phase and check on it. Cooking times may vary, depending on your oven . The butter will brown so keep an eye on it.
When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. In the meantime, use the drippings to make a quick gravy. Strain out the solids and transfer to a small saucepan. Simmer gently until it reduces slightly and thickens.
Mixed Greens with shallots, figs and goat cheese
Ingredients
1 container of fresh, mixed greens
2 Tbsp of butter
2 small shallots
handful of figs cut in halves
couple of ounces of goat cheese
For the dressing:
¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar
tsp honey
juice of half a small lemon
salt and pepper
Directions
Remove skins from shallots and thinly slice. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet as before. Gently sauté the shallot until they are golden brown and crispy. In a salad bowl combine mixed greens, sliced figs, and sprinkle with crispy shallots.
For the dressing, combine juice of half a lemon, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil until all ingredients are combined.
Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss. Gently crumble goat cheese on top.
