FFwD: Chicken B'stilla

The entire time I was making this recipe I was in love with it.  It smelled divine, it looked so good.  My sauce was smooth and creamy.  I was so eager to taste this, I was sure I was going to make a bad pun about the name - Be stilla my heart - was all I kept thinking.  All through my preparation I kept thinking, my God, this smells intoxicating, I can't wait to eat it.  And then, I tried it.  And, you know what?  It wasn't intoxicating anymore.  In fact, it was rather a taste let down.



Chicken B'stilla



The dish turned out beautifully.  I mean look at it.  Perfect shape, fantastic color.  And you know?  I found it disappointing.  I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't there.  It had everything going for it during preparation.  The only thing that did not track as I expected was the sauce reduction.  That took well over thirty minutes.  Maybe I did not have the heat up high enough, it was boiling briskly but the reduction was quite slow to take place.  Eventually, though, it was reduced sufficiently.  I added the eggs and honey, fearful that I would end up with scrambled eggs - but no - my whisking was sufficient to avoid that horror.  But still, when I tasted my slice, I wasn't thrilled.  It did not have quite the punch I was expecting.  It packs a nice presentation, though, so I will keep it in mind for the future.  I'm eager to share it with someone else to see how they feel about it.  I don't have high hopes for the longevity of the lovely pastry, but perhaps the filling will evolve (for me) and I will once again be having heart palpitations over this dish. 





Chicken B'stilla by the slice