James Silverton > wrote:

> I'm not disputing your statement about "whole" garlic but I don't think
> I have a recipe that calls for it, except for roast garlic itself!

There are some such recipes. Here is one for chicken with 40 garlic
cloves from _Food Lover's Guide to France_ by Patricia Wells (German
edition, so I had to translate it back into English :-(). She notes
that it is not necessary to restrict oneself to mere 40 garlic cloves,
that they soak up the wine and Cognac and become mild during cooking.
You are supposed to pick up each clove with the fingers and suck the
flesh out of its skin. Wells suggests serving it with a simple green
salad and a robust red wine.

Poulet à l'ail Chez Tante Paulette
Chicken with Garlic Chez Tante Paulette

3 tablespoons extra-virgin, cold pressed olive oil
15 g (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
1 chicken, cut in serving-sized pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
about 40 large cloves of garlic, unpeeled
250 g (1 cup) dry white wine, e.g. Riesling
8 slices baguette
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tablespoons Cognac
freshly chopped parsley to garnish

1. Heat the oil and butter in a deep 30 cm (12 in) pan over high heat.
(If no large enough pan is available to take up all the chicken pieces,
you can cook the chicken in oil and butter in two pans.) Generously
salt and pepper the chicken. When the oil-butter mixture is hot but not
yet smoking, add the chicken pieces and cook on both sides for 5 minutes
each side, until the skin is evenly golden brown. Regulate the heat
carefully to prevent the skin from splitting.

2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves so that
they lie in one layer at the bottom of the skillet under the chicken
pieces. Sauté for 10 minutes, while shaking the pan frequently, until
the garlic is lightly browned. Deglaze carefully with the wine,
scraping all the browened bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook
uncovered for 10 more minutes until the chicken is ready.

3. Meanwhile, toast the bread on both sides. Cut open the peeled
garlic clove and rub both toast sides generously with it.

4. Heat the Cognac in a very small saucepan over medium-high heat for
20-30 seconds. Ignite with a match and pour over the chicken pieces,
shaking the pan. Go on shaking the pan until the flames subside. Cook,
still shaking the pan for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

5. To serve, place the toast on a large pre-warmed platter, then
arrange the chicken pieces with garlic on top and pour over the sauce.
Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Victor