ThinkProof Cooking^TM
Lemon Chicken: Meal Guide

A. Menu

Type	Formal/Informal Meal
Food	Lemon Chicken, with Rice and Rocket/Watercress Salad Lychee and Strawberry Ice Cream
Booze	Dry white wine
Serves	Four diners; Starting 7.30pm
Sources	"The Best of Sainsbury's Quick Cooking", Cathay Books, London, 1987, p87 "The Sainsbury's Book of Ices and Cold Desserts", Carole Handslip, Cathay Books, London, 1983, p48 (only vaguely)

B. Ingredients Checklist

Stuff to have or buy:

*Ingredient*	*Already have*	*To buy*
Rocket and watercress salad (packet for four; or similar)
Onion (one; medium)
Garlic bulb (one)
Mushrooms (60g/2oz; button)
Lemon (two; medium)
Lychees (150g/5oz)
Strawberries (150g/5oz)
Single cream (250ml/½pt)
Chicken breast (three large/four medium: 500g/18oz; skinless)
White rice (500g/18oz; e.g. easy-cook long grain)
Cooking oil (1tbsp)
Soy sauce (1tbsp)
Salad dressing (30ml/1tbsp; e.g. lemon & honey)
Sugar (60g/2oz; preferably icing but caster will do)
Dry white wine

C. Pre-Preparation

When?: Timeline minus c.six hours (e.g. c.noon)

How long?: Pre-preparation takes about 15 minutes

Ö
	1	Put wine in fridge
	2	Get implements ready: food processor (or could use hand blender), freezerproof container sufficient to hold c.1litre (2pts)
	3	Open up the lychees, remove stone and put fruit in processor bowl
	4	Top and wash strawberries; Put strawberries, sugar and 125ml (¼pt) cream in bowl
	5	Halve and squeeze one lemon to get juice; Pour juice into bowl
	6	Blend ingredients with processor until smooth (c.1 minute or less.)
	7	Pour into freezerproof container, then place in freezer

Optional extra: After about three hours, you can break up all the ice crystals in the ice cream if you wish to make it smoother. If it's still a bit mushy, you can do this with a fork. Otherwise, scrape ice cream mixture back into processor bowl with whisk attachment (or use hand whisk) and whisk well; then put back into freezerproof container and re-freeze.

D. Preparation

When?: Timeline minus c.1 hour (e.g. c.5pm)

How long?: Preparation takes about 15 minutes

Food Preparation

Ö
	1	Finely grate whole lemon and store rind
	2	Squeeze half the lemon and save the juice
	3	Measure 4 tablespoons of water into a covered cup
	4	Slice 60g (2oz) of button mushrooms and store
	5	Chop onion quite finely
	6	Measure out 500g (18oz) of rice
	7	Clear away

Note: Keep food fresh in containers; Any dairy/fish/meat in fridge

Timeline Preparation

Ö
	1	Get cooking implements ready:	Large saucepan for rice; Frying pan and spoon for chicken; Colander for draining rice; Garlic press
	2	Get serving implements ready:	Large serving bowl and serving spoon for rice; Large bowl and servers for salad; Medium serving bowl and serving spoon for chicken
	3	Get eating implements ready:	Large plates for first course; Bowls and teaspoons for ice cream; Wine and other glasses; Cutlery
	4	Make sure ingredients are all to hand:	All prepared items; Garlic; Pepper grinder; Rice; Soy sauce; Salad and dressing; Cooking oil; Chicken breasts
	5	Get changed for dinner

E. Timeline Cooking^TM

Ö	*Abs*	*Rel*	*Your*
	6.57	0		Put 3 pints (1½l) of fresh water on to boil in saucepan
	6.58	+1		Put salad into bowl; Pull out four sprigs of watercress and set aside under cover; Add dressing to main salad and cover
	7.03	+6		Cut up chicken breasts into thin slices (2 x 1 x 1 cm) and cover; Put away all chickeny stuff and wash hands
	7.08	+11		Heat one tablespoon of cooking oil in frying pan
	7.10	+13		Add chopped onion to frying pan, and stir-fry
	7.12	+15		Squeeze garlic into pan, stir around and then push to one side
	7.13	+16		Add 500g (18oz) of rice to saucepan
	7.14	+17		Turn heat up on frying pan, add chicken and stir-fry; Put away remaining chickeny stuff and wash hands
	7.16	+19		Stir rice once to prevent sticking
	7.19	+22		Lower the heat on the chicken; Add sliced mushrooms and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
	7.21	+24		Add lemon rind and water to chicken and stir
	7.27	+30		Add a grind of pepper to chicken and stir
	7.28	+31		Take rice off heat, drain, put into serving bowl and cover
	7.29	+32		Put chicken into serving bowl and pour squeezed lemon juice over; Then stir in 2 tablespoons of cream
	7.30	+33		Serve chicken and rice, add sprig of watercress
	7.31	+34		Transfer ice cream from freezer to fridge
				Serve dessert when appropriate