Gilroy Garlic Festival

The Gilroy Garlic Festival is held each year in Gilroy, CA the last full weekend in July.  We love garlic in all its various forms.  There are few aromas better than an oven full of garlic roasting to nice ooey, gooey goodness just waiting to be spread on hot bread or mixed into mashed potatoes or vegetables.

Let's start with some nice roasted garlic.

Whole garlic bulbs

Dried thyme or oregano

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Peel loose, papery skins off garlic bulbs.  Slice top of each head (pointy end) so that the flesh is exposed.  Arrange in a baking dish or garlic baker and drizzle with oil.  Sprinkle with herbs.  Cover with foil or baker lid and bake for about 45 minutes until the garlic is soft and golden.  Cool before serving.  Squeeze soft garlic out of skins and spread on meat or French bread.

Now on to Ina Garten's Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic.  Of course, I break rules and made mine with 42 cloves of garlic.

3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
  (I used breasts and thighs this time)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches.

Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot.  Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned.  Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.  In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot.  Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes.  Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland.  Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.