Tuesday, September 14, 2010
I can’t believe I’ve never blogged this recipe. I’ve been making this for about 4 years now. It’s just so simple to throw together, easily adaptable, and most of all tasty. It’s just my personal preference, but I’m really not all that into creamy pastas. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy taking a bite of The Boy’s chicken alfredo, or Hot Chicken Pasta (from Amerigo). But I can’t say I’ve ever ordered a creamy pasta dish. To me, it’s just too much richness. I much prefer the simple, but flavorful combination of this dish. Using fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar creates a sweet, tangy, fresh dish. The Boy will rarely call it dinner without meat, so the chicken adds the protein he desires. Plus, as I’ve said before, I just love a colorful dish!
This time with I made it, I added roasted eggplant slices I received in my CSA. They were a welcomed addition to this dish, I must say!
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Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
adapted from Ronzoni Heathly Harvest Pasta
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 box whole wheat thin spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
Oregano and basil (fresh or dried) to taste
Shredded Parmesan cheese, cracked pepper, salt to taste
optional:
1 eggplant
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Marinate chicken in 1/2 cup (more or less as needed) balsamic vinegar at least 30 min.
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until white all the way through, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to plate.
Return skillet to burner, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté garlic until golden. Add tomatoes, 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and herbs. Heat until sauce is slightly reduced and tomatoes softened (about 2 minutes). Add pasta and chicken to tomato mixture and heat until warmed (about 2-3 minutes), tossing/stirring to fully incorporate. Serve topped with fresh basil.
Optional addition:
Marinate eggplant the same amount of time as chicken. Preheat broiler. Roast eggplant under broiler 5-8 minutes on each side, flipping once. Serve alongside pasta & chicken.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
I apologize for the lack of posts recently. I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed. You see, both my sister and my cousin are getting married within a month of each other. This leads to lots of showers, parties, and more! Luckily the only event I actually had to PLAN was the bachelorette party because it was in my town (and I had a some help). But I’ve still been traveling to Kentucky frequently on the weekends for other showers. My aunt offered to throw showers for my sister & cousin. She did a great job planning, decorating, and preparing the food. She did ask for my help for the cakes. For my sister’s shower, she wanted a tropical/luau theme. I quickly suggested a Hummingbird cake. I’m not sure I’ve ever had it, but I had definitely heard of it. I knew it was similar to a carrot cake (which I love), but with pineapple & banana instead, so that seemed like the perfect tropical flavor for the shower. My aunt also asked me if I knew how to work with fondant, and if I could make flowers. I quickly shot that down! My “style” is more natural. I immediately knew I wanted to try to make the dried pineapple flowers I’d seen quite a while ago on TheKitchn.
Left: The towel cake my aunt made. Doesn’t it look like a wedding cake?
Right: A bit of the spread, before ALL the rest of the food was added!
This cake required 3 different steps of preparation: the cake, the frosting, the dried pineapples. Due to my work schedule I am unable to do any of this on Wednesday or Thursday. The shower was Saturday, and I wouldn’t have time to do anything that day, as I’d be driving out of town. I’m pretty slow when it comes to making something like this. So, to take some of the pressure off I decided to bake the cake on Monday, when I had more time. Here’s a little hint, bake it, let it cool, wrap it in wax paper, then double wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer. I promise you it will retain it’s original texture & flavor, and no one will know the difference! The cake thawed just fine, and was still very moist.
Now, here is a very important second tip. DON’T WAIT UNTIL 9PM TO BEGIN THE DRYING OF THE PINEAPPLE FLOWERS. Ok? Unless you ENJOY waking up at 1am to check on them. (Especially because it’s a near miracle for me to actually be able to fall asleep before that time.) The flowers take a couple hours to dry in the oven, and then they need to cool and dry more in the open air. My suggestion is to begin this in the morning or afternoon!
Everyone really enjoyed this cake. Of course there were many compliments on the pineapple flowers, but also on the flavor & moistness of the cake. I’ll admit, when taking the cakes out of the pans, I was worried it would be dry and stiff, perhaps more like banana bread texture. I was definitely pleased upon my first bite to find it moist and delicious. The tang of the cream cheese was the perfect frosting to counter the sweet cake. And as someone who is a reformed nut-hater, I really enjoyed the walnuts in this cake, but of course you can always leave them out (especially if concerned for a nut allergy). This is a cake I would definitely look forward to making again. I think of it in romantic Southern terms, like as the centerpiece of a lovely summer garden party.
Finally, if you’re wondering how to decorate the edges with walnuts, all I can say is “palm & press”. Haha… I just grab a handful, and with a swift flip of the wrist press them into the cake. I just hope you don’t mind a bit of a mess! They don’t all make it on there on the first attempt. I like to lay down a sheet of wax paper, that way the nuts that don’t make it onto the cake are easy to collect.
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Hummingbird Cake
Ingredients:
For cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups chopped bananas
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Flowers:
1 pineapple
Directions:
Cake:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not beat.) Stir in vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup pecans, and bananas.
Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
Frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.
Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake; sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pecans on top. Store in refrigerator.
Flowers:
Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats) or parchment paper.
Peel pineapple. Using a small melon baller, remove and discard "eyes." Slice pineapple very thinly; place slices on baking sheets. Cook until tops look dried, about 30 minutes (mine took nearly an hour). Flip slices; cook until completely dried, 25 to 30 minutes more (again, mine took longer, so be prepared). Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
It’s easy to be overwhelmed with summer produce if you are doing a CSA or growing vegetables in your garden. “Squash, again?” “More tomatoes?!” As I’ve mentioned in the past, roasting vegetables tends to be my go-to for a fair amount of my produce. But sometimes I remind myself that one of the reasons I really enjoy doing a CSA is that it really makes me branch out and try new things. In this instance, it’s not a matter of trying new vegetables, but of trying a new recipe. Again, using the Epicurious app, my favorite recipe app for the iPhone, I found this recipe, originally printed in Gourmet magazine. While I happened to overlook the “chicken breasts with skin and bone” the original recipe calls for, and used boneless skinless breasts; I don’t regret it for a minute. I’m not a fan of the skin on chicken, and when prepared this way, there’s less fat as well.
This recipe definitely solved the “what to do with squash & tomato” dilemma of the week. The Boy & I found it to be flavorful, and juicy, despite the lack of fat from the skin. It was a simple & easy dish to prepare. With just salt, pepper, garlic, and marjoram, it was perfectly & simply seasoned. I know for sure we’ll be enjoying it again next summer, if not once more this summer!
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Pressed Chicken with Yellow Squash & Tomatoes
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 teaspoons chopped marjoram, divided
Directions:
Pat chicken dry and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
Add chicken. Cover with a round of parchment paper, then a heavy pot or skillet, followed by a 3- to 5-pound weight (such as two 32-ounce cans or a brick wrapped in foil). Cook 8 minutes, then remove weight, pot, and parchment.
Turn chicken over and re-cover with a clean round of parchment, pot, and weight, then cook until just cooked through, about 6-8 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm, covered.
Add squash, tomatoes, garlic, 2 teaspoons marjoram, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to juices in skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until squash is just tender and tomatoes have become saucy, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in any juices from plate and season with salt and pepper. Spoon over chicken. Sprinkle chicken and vegetables with remaining teaspoon marjoram.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Let me share a true conversation between The Boy & The Nephew (soon to be 8 years old).
“Did it hurt when you got that tattoo?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because they use a needle to put the ink in your arm.”
“Oh. Why would you do that when you can just go to the store & buy one from the machine, and peel it off, and take a rag and get it wet, and put it on your arm? And then just not take a bath.”
Hahahaha… Oh the mind of a 7-almost-8 year old. You know I guess a stick-on tattoo might sound less painful than a real tattoo. But it won’t be personal & meaningful, the way The Boy has his late mother’s name tattooed on him. And it won’t make a lasting impression if it only lasts until the next bath.
I guess just going to the grocery and purchasing some ice cream would be easier & less time-intensive than making your own. After all, first you make the caramel, then you let it cool to room temperature. Then you make the custard, and let it cool more than a few hours in the refrigerator, usually overnight. Then you churn the ice cream. And then, you let it firm up in the freezer for at least a few hours before you can eat it. But if all you did was pick some up from the grocery, I guarantee it won’t have the same incredibly rich, smooth, sweet, and salty flavor that this one has. Plus, when you make your own, you can adapt it to your very own tastes. If you want more salt (yes please!) do it; if you wanted to add bits of candy in the churning process, do it; a ripple of fudge, do it. No matter how you design your ice cream, it will definitely make you glad you made it yourself. In the same way one might prefer the customization & permance of a real tattoo vs a stick-on!
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Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
2 1/4 cups heavy cream, divided
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt such as Maldon
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
Directions:
Heat 1 cup sugar in a dry 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber.
Add 1 1/4 cups cream (mixture will spatter) and cook, stirring, until all of caramel has dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and stir in sea salt and vanilla. Cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, bring milk, remaining cup cream, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar just to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally.
Lightly whisk eggs in a medium bowl, then add half of hot milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard coats back of spoon and registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil). Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, then stir in cooled caramel.
Chill custard, stirring occasionally, until very cold, 3 to 6 hours. Freeze custard in ice cream maker (it will still be quite soft), then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to firm up.
Ice cream keeps 1 week.
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