Chicken with lots of garlic

Posted on December 17, 2011 | Leave a comment

This recipe was originally from the Barefoot Contessa’s 40 Cloves of Garlic. I have to say 40 cloves was way too much garlic for just me and Joel, and I couldn’t bear taking the garlic out of 40 cloves. I actually felt it was too much garlic for even 4 people!  I made adjustments to the original recipe, and scaled it down a bit for just two people. I used about 20 cloves–still one helluva a lot of garlic–probably enough for 4.  The flavor was very garlicky, but integral to the flavor of the chicken.  You really need to love garlic to eat this dish. It is very French, indeed.  I had the butcher cut the breasts in 1/2 because they were unusually large. I served it with rice pilaf and a salad. Really delicious. A bit of an effort due to so much garlic. This is worth the effort, though. It was tres elegante for just the two of us but it would be a really nice dish for company. I removed some of the whole cloves from the sauce before serving. A few errant cloves on your plate are okay and even pretty tasty, I might add.

Ingredients:

2 whole heads garlic (you’ll need about 20 cloves) I started out with 2 heads so I could pick 20 nice size garlic cloves

4 chicken thighs, bone and skin on

2 chicken breasts (if very large, ask butcher to cut in 1/2)

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 tablespoons cognac (brandy) divided  (2 and then another 1 at end)

1  1/2  cups dry white wine

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon all- purpose flour

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions:

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for about a minute. Drain the garlic, allow it to cool for a few minutes and then peel and set aside.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat the butter and oil in a large dutch oven pot (once again, Le Creuset is perfect.) Cook over medium high heat, but don’t let olive oil start smoking, you’ll want it hot enough to form a nice crust on chicken. In batches, saute the chicken in the olive oil/butter, skin side down (and don’t touch it) for about  5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or spatula, because a fork can pierce the skin. If the oil is smoking too much and burning chicken, turn down the heat. When each batch is done, transfer to a plate and continue to saute the rest of the chicken. Remove all the chicken to plate. Now add all of the garlic back to the pot on a lower heat. Saute for about 5 to 10 minutes, until garlic browns, but not burns, up. Scrape up any brown bits as you go. Add 2 tablespoons of cognac and the wine, return to a slow boil, and scrape up bottom of pan (de-glaze). Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. After the chicken is cooked through, remove the chicken to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep it warm. Remove 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and in a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of flour and then put into pot with the rest of the sauce. If it is still not thick enough, add a little more flour. I find that 2 tablespoons is too much flour–but you may need to add more to reach the appropriate thickness. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 – 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. I didn’t need any more because my chicken was sufficiently seasoned already. Plate the chicken, pour the sauce on top, add a few pieces of garlic and serve hot over orzo or rice.  A salad or vegetable is also perfect.

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Seared Spiced Rubbed Salmon (Mark Bittman, The New York Times)

Posted on December 17, 2011 | Leave a comment

Seared Spiced Rubbed Salmon

This recipe came out of my cooking class with Karen Lee on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was a lovely day spent in her warm inviting kitchen. Karen’s classes always make for a day well-spent. (More information for Karen Lee Cooking Class (foodnow@rcn.com) or cookingwithcandi.com

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillet, skin removed (organic or wild but the organic king farm-raised is great, when it is available and the wild salmon is best from April through September)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin or 1 tablespoon fennel seed ( we used cumin)

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

zest of 1 orange (you can substitute lemon or lime)

1/2 cup fresh orange juice, reduced to 2 – 3 tablespoons *see recipe below

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Dunk salmon in a bowl of cold water for a second. Then let drain on paper towels. Rinse and dry salmon.

Rub down the salmon fillet on both sides with olive oil. 

Mix together the salt and the cayenne pepper and rub onto both sides of the salmon then rub in the fennel seed or ground cumin, rosemary and orange zest. Press mixture onto both sides of the fillet.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place in a well seasoned iron skillet or steel fish skillet over high heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil (you may need a bit more.)

Using a fish spatula, slide the salmon into the skillet. Sear for 2-3 minutes. Place the spatula under the salmon and jiggle to loosen. If it resists, then leave it for another minute or so. Continue to saute until the salmon gets very dark and well-seared. Flip the salmon and sear on the other side for another 2-3 minutes.

Place the salmon on a shallow roasting pan and roast in oven for an additional 1-3 minutes. (How long you roast will depend on how thick your fillet is and how you like your salmon cooked.) After fish comes out of oven, using a pastry brush, brush with the reduced orange juice.

(When sauteing the salmon, you may want to lower the heat to avoid burning the spices.)

*to reduce orange juice just put in a small saucepan and boil it down (a slow boil as opposed to a rolling boil,) until orange juice is reduced.

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Don’t Let the Apples Go Bad Cake

Posted on December 15, 2011 | 1 comment

Apples are the kind of fruit we eat all year round. They are always in the fridge and if they don’t get eaten, I  feel guilty that they’re just sitting there and going to go bad.  I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and decided since we were leaving for Colorado and I was not ditching perfectly good apples, I would make it and freeze it for when we come back.  (The cake would freeze well…the apples, not so much.) You’ll need a tube pan. You don’t need an electric mixer, so it’s pretty easy on the special equipment. Use those leftover apples–dont’ let them go bad. No butter in this recipe, lots of sugar though.  My house smelled divine.

I also love this recipe for the Jewish Holidays which are just around the corner…..just saying. I’m not ready to start posting for the Holidays yet but this makes a lovely dessert.

*you can see in photos that I use a melon baller to get the pits out of the middle of the apple. I prefer this technique over the corer thingys which never really work. The melon baller works perfectly: first cut apple in half, then scoop out just the pits.

www.smittenkitchen

Ingredients:

6 apples (I used what I had in the house: a combo of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp. Good old Macintosh will work, too.)

1 tablespoon cinnamon

5 tablespoons sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup orange juice (try to use fresh but if not, Tropicana will do)

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

1 cup walnuts, chopped (this is optional; I didn’t use them this time out)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core, and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside (I sprayed with a baking spray. There’s no need to add any butter here.)

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. This mixture will be rather thick.  Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all ingredients are incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to get it all out of the bowl.

Pour 1/2 the batter into prepared tube pan. Spread 1/2 the apples over this. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Use your eye to halve  batter and apples (don’t worry if it’s not perfectly halved.) Bake for about 90 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean. I would check cake after 1 hour 20 minutes. I baked for the full 90 minutes; it’s a rather thick cake.

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Cooking Class with Karen Lee

Posted on December 13, 2011 | 3 comments

Ginger Sesame Grilled Salmon

Poached Pears and Cherries
Ginger Sesame Grilled Salmon
Parchment Salmon in Saffron Sauce

We are nearing the end of our stay in NY for the fall so I squeezed in one more cooking class with Karen Lee and I am so happy that I did. I had to be on the Upper West Side by 9 a.m. and left Roslyn only to sit in bumper to bumper traffic for 90 minutes to the midtown tunnel. So, I obviously didn’t arrive at the class until closer to 10. It was raining again and it’s such a good thing to do on a rainy day, but such a bad thing for the traffic situation. Once I walked in, any stress I had due to traffic left my body. It’s such a warm, “hamish” atmosphere, yet totally professional. Karen is a real dynamo, and very talented; she knows a lot about cooking, products, and food in general. If the opportunity ever arises, I highly recommend her classes. We cooked from 10 – 2:30 and ate our way through the morning into the afternoon. When I looked at the clock at 1:40, I didn’t know where the time went but it was well spent for sure. We made 3 kinds of salmon, 2 beautiful salads, and a poached pear dessert. (I will elaborate on the recipes.) I learned a few new techniques, a few new facts, and made a few new friends. What a great day!

Check out Karen Lee’s website at: www.karenleecooking.com  

Prep for Salmon in Parchment PaperSalmon in Parchment Paper

142 West End Avenue, NYC             212.787.2227

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Chicken Breasts with Shallots in a Delightful Cream Sauce

Posted on December 9, 2011 | 2 comments

Joel's "after " picture

This is what I made for dinner a few Sunday nights ago, before Thanksgiving I might add.  This chicken makes a beautiful presentation and is easy enough for a delightful quick dinner for 2, or a lovely dish for company. It has a rich cream sauce which contains white wine, shallots and lemon.Why does everyone shrink back when you say cream sauce? Each serving doesn’t have that much cream in it, and honestly once in a while never killed anyone, so enjoy and live a little.  I served with rice. This is sheer perfection on a plate. Joel requested that I put the “after” picture on this post. I also served with fresh cranberry sauce that I had just made for Thanksgiving. Original inspiration for this dish came from The Barefoot Contessa.

Ingredients:

2 split chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.) with skin and bone (I went to the butcher and asked for 2 chicken breasts and had him split them)

3 tablespoons Canola oil

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx. 3 small lemons)

1/2 large shallot, minced (original recipe calls for 1 large, but I felt like it was too oniony, so I cut it)

3 tablespoons heavy cream

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (room temperature is very important), diced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and sprinkle generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. I used my Le Creuset cast iron pot, which is oven proof. You can use any oven proof skillet, preferably cast iron. Heat the oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes (just until oil starts to smoke.) Place the chicken breasts skin side down in the skillet and cook for approx. 5 minutes without moving (don’t play with them); you want a golden brown crust to form.

Turn off heat, and using tongs, turn the chicken breasts skin side up, place the skillet in the oven, and roast for 12-15 minutes (check temperature after 12 minutes. It should read 160 degrees,) then cook until the chicken is cooked through. It took me 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the white wine, lemon juice, and shallots and cook over medium-high heat until sauce reduces (slowly boils down) by at least 1/2 (it may take 8-10 minutes.) If it should reduce too much (it doesn’t happen to me,) add a little more white wine.  After it’s properly reduced, add the cream, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper and bring to a full boil. Remove from the heat, add the diced butter and stir as the butter dissolves. Never reheat this sauce!!! It could get nasty. There is no need to re-heat anyway, because chicken should be ready, it’s hot and sauce is still hot. Spoon over the chicken and rice and serve!!! Fab! Really delicious. It’s worth the effort, and I must say it wasn’t difficult at all.

plated chicken with cream sauce and shallots

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Cream of Mushroom Soup -Vegetarian

Posted on December 7, 2011 | 2 comments

My friend Jean gave me this recipe many years ago and I made it exactly the way she gave it to me. This time out I took a few liberties with the recipe and made it for vegetarians. I am always trying to find recipes which will suit my vegetarian daughter, old habits die hard. I switched out the beef broth for veggie broth and had some hesitation as to the flavor but I actually liked it better. It is wonderful and has a totally different flavor with the Beef broth, use whichever you like or whichever you have on hand. It worked out beautifully though so I will stick with it this way. The freshly ground black pepper gives this soup a great flavor, so don’t skimp on it, unless you hate it. It doesn’t get alot of salt, just a bit. I know there is butter and cream in here, but it really needs it, and honestly how much in each serving? just saying….. This is such an easy recipe, not alot of ingredients, and cooks up very quickly. You will need an immersion blender stick, a cuisinart or a blender. It really tastes like a gourmet soup, throw in a crusty piece of bread on top, or some croutons and you are good to go. This soup will taste like you slaved for hours.

*serves 6 nicely , you can easily double but don’t have to double the butter just increase it to about 8 tablespoons of butter.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter (unsalted)

1 cup onion (yellow) finely chopped

1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms chopped ( I used Portabello , which also gave it a very rich flavor but you can use any kind)

3 tbs. flour

3 cups stock ( Vegetable or Beef)

1 Bay Leaf

Freshly Ground Black Pepper ( about 1/8 tsp. it’s really to taste, and the pepper is very important to this soup)

Kosher Salt ( just a bit)

3/4 cup half and half

Directions:

Melt butter in a large heavy pan ( Le Creuset stock pot is the best ) Add onions and stir over moderate heat until onions are transparent. ( about 5 minutes) . Add mushrooms , and cook, stirring another 4 minutes or so, at this point I threw in a bit of kosher salt. ( A little bit)

Remove the mixture from the heat and place on a cool burner, and add the flour stirring as you go till it blends. Add in the stock slowly, stirring constantly, Add the bay leaf and pepper.

Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf and stir in the half and half. I took off of hot burner and let it cool a bit before I blended it.(about 15 minutes or so)

I then used my immersion blender stick and just pureed it for a few minutes, just do it till you get the consistency you would like. I didn’t puree it completely. I left some pieces of mushroom ,

Portabello Mushrooms for Soup

that’s how I like it. It had a nice texture without being totally smooth. Check for seasoning (salt and pepper) I served with croutons because I had them in the house, you can also serve with a nice piece of toasted baguette, or nothing . It’s really delicious.

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Good Ideas

Posted on December 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

I keep all of my measuring spoons on hand by my stove in this mug. You can never have enough of these spoons. Just a good idea: when you see spoons in the market, buy them and if you have nowhere to store them, this is such a good idea and always handy. I also keep a jar of spoons for tasting, because you can never have enough of these either.

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Salad we had tonite with Turkey Meatloaf

Posted on December 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

Honey Lime Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Ingredients

I love all greens but Joel not so much, so I made a salad that we would both like. He loved, I personally would love it more with an herb green type of lettuce mixed in but sometimes you just have to go with the flow. I made this along with the Turkey Meatloaf and the Butternut Squash. It was very tasty, I have to admit. I made this with my Honey Lime Salad Dressing which is on the site, so just go to it to get recipe. It is super easy, a little sweet but not too much. It is really perfect with a protein as I made in The Lobster Cobb Salad. However it was pretty tasty with just these ingredients. Yum!

Ingredients:

Romaine Lettuce ( buy however you like it, I buy the package with the organic hearts of Romaine)

goat cheese

Raisins or any dried fruit you have in your pantry

Honey Glazed Pecans ( any ones you can buy) they are pretty readily available everywhere , walnuts also work well. The Honey Glazed ones are particularly good, adding crunch and sweetness.

Honey Lime Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (see recipe)

Directions:

First I chopped up Romaine and put in a large bowl. Then I added goat cheese (probably about a cup) then about a handful of raisins, I chopped up the Walnuts with a knife. Tossed them in and anything else you like, but this combo was super tasty. Added dressing a little at a time till I saw consistency I like. Tossed and good to go. Enjoy!

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Roasted Butternut Squash (What I Made Tonite )

Posted on December 2, 2011 | Leave a comment

Tonite I made the turkey meatloaf, and served roasted butternut squash along side. It is so so easy–truly a ‘veggies for beginners’ soup. I’ve made it other ways, but this is really no trouble, and virtually no fuss at all. In New York, you can almost always find butternut squash already cut up in the produce market, or the supermarket. I love Butternut Squash. Whatever squash I don’t use for this recipe, I will mix with a little chicken or vegetable stock the next day to make a new soup and follow directions for my other butternut squash soup, which has a more roasted flavor than the usual butternut squash soup (and it’s something to do with leftovers.)

Ingredients:

3 lbs. butternut squash (2 packages should be good)

olive oil (approx. 3 tablespoons or 1 tablespoon per pound)

1-2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

*adjust all amounts if you use less butternut squash

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Turkey Meatloaf

Posted on November 30, 2011 | 5 comments

Fully Cooked turkey loaf
ready for the oven turkey meatloaf with ketchup/brown sugar topping

 It’s Sunday our kids are still out here and I am in the mood for turkey meatloaf . We haven’t had turkey meat loaf in a very long time and it is a perfect crowd pleaser for the family table.

The first time I made this was in Aspen with my friend Susan many moons ago. We found the recipe from Barefoot Contessa and it was back in the day I wasn’t living out there yet and before my blog was born. We collaborated on it, and Joel and Drew liked it so much they used to tell us to open a shop with turkey lasagna and turkey meat loaf (uh uh, not happening) In any event , it has long become a staple in both of our households and even Drew makes it now. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. I have made a few changes to the original, but the original is a perfect recipe as is. It can easily be cut in 1/2, and tonite I cut it even more using only 1 1/2 lbs. of ground turkey. This recipe as is will serve 8 – 10 servings easily. Great for a large crowd. I serve with roasted butternut squash , roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and/or a beautiful salad. Possibilities are endless with this meatloaf.

*you will need a meat thermometer to check for doneness

Ingredients:

5 lbs ground turkey

3 cups chopped yellow onions ( app. 2 large onions)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/3 cup Worcestershire Sauce

3/4 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 1/2 cups plain dry bread crumbs

3 extra-large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup ketchup/1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a medium saute pan (frying pan) , over a medium low heat, cook the onions in the olive oil, add salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent app. 10 minutes or so. Don’t brown them. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow this mixture to cool in frying pan off the heat to room temperature.

In the meantime, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, and eggs in a large bowl and mix well. Then add in the onion mixture when it’s cooled down and incorporate well. Shape into a rectangular loaf on a lightly sprayed sheet pan. When you shape as a loaf , try to make the ends even with the middle or they will dry out. ( I kind of like the ends like that but just saying…) Spread the ketchup/brown sugar evenly on top. Bake for app. 1 1/2 hours  until the internal temperature of meatloaf is 160 degrees and the meatloaf is cooked through.

I place a large Pyrex with water underneath the meatloaf (rack below) it will help to keep meatloaf from cracking . (it works) I always let it stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Serve hot, at room temperature and delicious cold the next day.

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