Fabricant serves dinner guests an elegant chicken dish, which combines preserved lemons and a traditional liqueur, Caravella Limoncello, which is made with lemons from Southern Italy and is available nationwide at finer liquor stores and restaurants.

Ingredients:

• 1 5-6 lb. roasting chicken, cleaned and dried
• 3-4 preserved lemons*, pulp and pith discarded
• 12-16 fresh rosemary branches, about 5" long
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• Sea salt and fresh pepper
• 2/3 cup Caravella Limoncello

Directions:

Julienne preserved lemons.

Separate the skin from the breast of the chicken.

Slide several slices of lemon, rosemary and garlic under the skin, distributing evenly over the chicken breast.

Stuff the chicken cavity with remaining lemon, rosemary and garlic and tie the legs together.

Salt and pepper the chicken. Place in a roasting pan.

Place in a preheated 425- degree oven and immediately reduce the heat to 375 degrees. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, begin basting the chicken with limoncello every 15 minutes. Cooking time is approximately 1.5 hours.

Remove chicken from the oven and let rest, covered, for 15 minutes.

While chicken rests, skim fat from the roasting pan and discard. Scrape up drippings and transfer to a saucepan. Add remaining limoncello. Boil at medium heat for about two minutes, remove from heat and pour into a small serving dish.

Serve limoncello sauce alongside the chicken.

NOTE:

If you don't want to serve a whole roasted chicken, use chicken breasts. Lift the skin and slip the lemons, rosemary and garlic underneath. Proceed with the recipe, cooking the chicken breasts for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, basting frequently with the limoncello.

*You may also use regular lemons, thinly sliced.