When you’re roasting a chicken breast, skin and bones yield the very best flavor.  It’s also very important to have your split breasts closer to room temperature before throwing in the hot oven.  I drizzled and seasoned these about an hour before they went into the oven creating an optimally tender result.  I’ve cooked them straight out of the fridge lots of times.  Fear not, in a time crunch this won’t wreck your dinner.  You simply won’t have *ideal* results.  I’m led to wonder if this is what went wrong with my bone in ribeye at Wolfgang Puck’s CUT in Las Vegas – surely they couldn’t be aiming for mediocre?

As a photography aside, I am dutifully working through a Publix (grocery store generic) paprika that I picked up this summer in Rosemary Beach, FL.  I kind of hate it.  The flavor is fine but the color is WAY TOO ORANGE!  I’ll probably throw it out soon, but take note if you use a different brand your chicken will have a slightly different color.  As my mother taught me, the purpose of  paprika is for coloring – not for flavor.  So if it’s not serving it’s purpose, I guess I should throw it out.

Roasted Chicken Breasts with Whiskey Portabella Mushroom Pan Sauce

serves 2

2 medium chicken split breasts (out of the fridge an hour before cooking if you can!)

olive oil

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

paprika

1 and 1/2 tbsp butter

2 large portabella mushroom caps, chopped

pan drippings 2 roast split breasts

1 c. hot water

1/3 c. Makers Mark Bourbon Whiskey

1 tsp corn starch and 2 tbsp water mixed together

Preheat your oven to 425.  Place chicken breasts in a heavy bottomed saute pan.  Drizzle chicken breasts with olive oil, then generously sprinkle with kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and paprika.  Roast chicken in oven for about 45 minutes to an hour – until they have an internal temperature of 165.  Remove to a cutting board to rest.

Warm a separate saute pan over medium high heat.  Add butter after two minutes to melt, then add chopped portabella mushrooms.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, then brown thoroughly until mushroom water has been released and evaporated.  Set aside.

Spoon off any oil gathered in your pan drippings, then add hot water to pan over medium high heat.  Use a wooden spatula to scrape up the brown bits, cook until volume is reduced by half.  Add whiskey, then cornstarch and water mixture.  Stir continuously with spatula.  Stir until slightly thickened, then add mushrooms, stir and serve immediately.

What have I been up to the last six months?  Inertia.  Does that ever happen to anyone else?  I wish I had more to report, just enjoying life mainly.  As for culinary endeavors, here are a few of the best meals we had this summer.  Martha Stewart’s Thai Chicken and Noodle Salad – Click where it says Spicy Asian Dressing for the recipe, do *not* leave out the mint, and if you’re feeling courageous – boil the chicken then hand shred (same method as my Chicken Enchiladas), then marinate the pulled chicken and warm in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes.  If you’re not feeling courageous, you could always buy a rotisserie chicken and shred that, then toss with the marinade and heat.  In any scenario, the result was great!  The Italian Beef Stew from Jan/Feb issue of Cooking Light was shockingly good.  Shockingly, because I almost never want to make *anything* from Cooking Light, but I keep taking the magazine for years on end.  Just remember to add your fresh herbs right at serving time, otherwise they’ll be browner than green.  So much prettier that way.  And of course tons of shrimp.  If you haven’t tried my Roasted Shrimp with Chimichurri sauce, you should.  It’s probably my most requested dish this year.  Roasting the shrimp is covered in this post, and you can find my favorite chimichurri recipe here.

This chicken was a quick weekday night meal for us.  Roasting split breasts does take nearly an hour, but you can half that with your convection setting or use skinless, boneless for a similar meal in less time.  If you go that route – I’d use this style for braised chicken breasts.

Roasted Chicken Breasts with Artichokes, Mushrooms, and Capers

serves 3 adults

3 chicken split breasts

olive oil

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

paprika

1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and quartered

8 oz cremains mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp butter

1/4 tsp oregano leaves

3 tbsp capers

1/4 c. Madeira wine

1/4 c. water

2 tbsp chopped Italian Parsley

Preheat oven to 425.  Place chicken breasts in a heavy bottomed skillet skin side up, then drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper, and paprika.  Roast chicken in oven approx 45 minutes, then start checking internal temperature.  The larger sizes tend to take just under an hour to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  Remove from oven and cover your handle with a handle sleeve.  (You can use a towel or hot pad, but if you’re anything like me – you’ll suffer at least 3 burns in the process.  Save your skin and buy a sleeve!)

Remove chicken breasts to a cutting board to rest.  Heat skillet over medium heat to reduce the pan juices.  (You can skim any visible fat at this point if you’re counting calories!)  Use a wooden spatula to scrape up all the brown bits.  When juices are reduced by half (approx 3-5 minutes), reduce heat to low and add artichoke hearts, stir.  In a separate skillet, melt 1 tbsp of butter, 1/4 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp oregano leaves.  Brown cremini mushrooms until thoroughly browned, then remove from heat and set aside.  Add capers, Madeira and water to artichoke mixture, then stir until combined.  Heat 2 minutes, then add creminis and stir.  Just before serving, stir in chopped parsley, let rest no more than one minute.  Plate chicken breasts, then spoon sauce over the top.  Enjoy!

Turkey Tenderloins

1 lb turkey tenderloins

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

paprika

Old Bay seasoning

1 tbsp olive oil

1 and 1/2 c. chicken broth

Preheat oven to 375.  Sprinkle the entire surface of tenderloins with salt, pepper, paprika, and a smidge of Old Bay, ensuring you coat all sides.  Heat a braising pan over medium heat for 3 minutes, add olive oil, swirl for 30 seconds then brown turkey tenderloins on all sides.  Add chicken broth, then cover and move to oven.  Cook for 35-40 minutes then check with a meat thermometer.  Ensure an internal temperature of 170 in the thickest part, return to oven if necessary.

Slice at into 1/2 an inch rounds,then top with Chimichurri.  Enjoy!

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I received several coupons from Fresh Express redeemable for one free bag of salad each and the challenge to create a recipe featuring the salad.  I jumped at the chance as we already eat a lot of Fresh Express Salads around here.  My favorites include the Baby Spinach, the 50/50, and the Fresh Herb Salad.  Any of those three would create a terrific base for this crab cake salad, but can you think of anything more tender than a 1/4 pound of lump crab meat?  A cake like that deserves a bed of pillows provided by tender baby spinach leaves.  If you’d like to give this salad a shot, or come up with a fresh salad creation of your own, post a comment and I’ll mail you a coupon for a free bag salad, compliments of Fresh Express.

Did you read that right? Yes, 1/4 pound of lump crab meat.  I use the super lump crab meat from Costco.  It’s $13.99 a pound compared to the fishmonger’s $25 a pound.  There are almost never shell pieces mixed in and it tastes and smells delicious, sweet, and delicate.  I cooked these in about 2 teaspoons of olive oil in my Calphalon Unison Slide Non-Stick Griddle.  Crab meat is so tender, frying crab cakes in loads of oil is blasphemous.  This non-stick griddle has such a slippery surface, you can use very little oil when browning, but not run into any sticking or falling apart issues, just be sure not to flip before your first side is completely browned.  As an added bonus, the Unison line is dishwasher safe!

Crab Cake Salad

1 pound super lump crabmeat

1/2 a large white onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp olive oil

1 egg

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp capers

3 tbsp Italian Parsley, chopped

3 tbsp panko

1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

cayenne pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

12 turns fresh ground pepper

panko for coating

olive oil

1 bag Fresh Express Baby Spinach

In a large bowl, pick through crab meat and remove any shells you find.  In a saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil, then onions.  Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add garlic.  Cook one more minute, then add mixture to the crab.  Add egg, mayonnaise, capers, parsley, and panko to crab mixture.  Add old bay, 3 dashes of cayenne from shaker top, salt, and pepper.  Mix all together, then divide mixture into four equal portions.  Form each portion into a round disk about 1 inch tall.

Preheat oven to 300.  Cover the bottom of a rimmed plate with panko.  Place crab cakes one at a time on panko, then coat completely in panko crust.  Heat a non-stick griddle over medium high heat.  Add two teaspoons of olive oil and swirl to coat.  Brown the crab cakes on one side for about 4-5 minutes until lightly browned.   Turn, then brown the second side for 3 minutes.  Add small bits of additional olive oil if pan looks dry.  Move pan to oven and bake 5 more minutes.  Serve over a bed of Fresh Express Baby Spinach, top with blue cheese and Sherry Vinaigrette.

Sherry Vinaigrette

4 tbsp sherry vinegar

6 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp water

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp kosher salt

12 turns fresh ground pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk like crazy.  Serve.

Roasting the cherry tomatoes allows them to absorb the heat from the chili flakes and the flavor from the garlic an the herbs.  The resulting pan sauce is delicious mopped up with a crusty french bread, but I’d love it served over a garlic mashed potatoes as well.  I served the dish with lentils and a spinach salad, it made a colorful presentation and was all completely finished in 45 minutes with a lot of idle time!  Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken with Tomatoes, Garlic, and Oregano Recipe

serves 4

4 bone in split breasts

2 bags cherry tomatoes (next time I’ll try grape tomatoes!), whole, washed, and stemmed

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 and 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp kosher salt

6 turns fresh ground pepper

1/4 c. olive oil

Preheat oven to 450.  In a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish, place the four split breasts evenly spaced.  In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Season the chicken breasts with a sprinkling of kosher salt and pepper, then pour tomato mixture over the top.  Roast in oven for about 40 minutes, until an internal temperature of 170.

Enjoy!

I also wanted to try the polenta base with a Port Salut and Montasio cheese so I’ll be trying that later this week.   You can also make them with blue cheese or a parmesan or probably fontina, but the cream cheese was yummy.  Really surprisingly delicious for me.

All of my food idols recommend cooking with as nice a wine as you would drink, if not nicer.  I’ll admit, I don’t do that.  This recipe was made with Black Box wine and a part of an already opened bottle of Bogle Cabernet. I do drink box wine.  I like it.  It takes up less room in both the grocery cart and the recycling bin than the equivalent 4 bottles of wine.  It’s cheap.  It doesn’t compare to a $50 bottle of Cab, but I can’t really afford those anyway.  Now the already opened for a couple days of Bogle?  I probably wouldn’t drink that.  That’s another bonus to the box.  It stays fresh.  Once a red wine has been opened, I tend to think of it as expired.  I tried the Bogle before I cooked with it and though it tasted a little vinegary.  Not horrible, but not preferable either.  Cory thought it was fine, but I’m never quite sure if he’s telling me the truth or if he just didn’t want me to waste that bottle and open another bottle.  Either way, it didn’t make one bit of difference in the sauce.  The sauce was divine.  So good that I’m thinking about eating it again.  For breakfast.  So the moral of the story is, I don’t know who is right on the mandatory quality of wine for cooking.  I’d say no to using a big jug of red table wine, but that’s mainly because I don’t really like that flavor to begin with.  But I think I’d still consider it sacrilege to cook with a $30+ bottle.

Cabernet Braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs

adapted from Bon Appetit October 2007 serves 10

5 lbs boneless beef short ribs

4 long stalks rosemary

dried thyme leaves

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

1/2 c. olive oil

4 and 1/2 c. cabernet sauvingnon

1 can beef consomme

1 can water

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons flour

Use your thumb and forefinger to strip all the leaves from the rosemary stems.  Chop leaves into smaller pieces with a sharp knife.  Rub beef ribs with the rosemary, then sprinkle with the ground thyme leaves from a shaker top spice jar.  Next, season with kosher salt and pepper.  Heat a heavy bottomed stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add olive oil let warm 1 minute, then add 4-5 of the ribs so they can sit in a single layer.  Turn the heat up to high and brown ribs on all sides. When thoroughly browned, remove to a plate and continue until all ribs are browned.

Preheat oven to 375.  Pour any fat from stock pot, than add wine, consomme, and water and bring to a simmer.  Add ribs and any juices from plate, cover and put in the oven.  Cook for two hours.

Remove stock pot from oven and use a large shallow spoon to skim any fat from the surface of the liquid.  (Up to this point you can do a day in advance – reheat on the stovetop to a simmer, then continue.)  Remove the ribs to a bowl and cover tightly to keep warm.  Turn heat on stock pot to high and boil sauce until reduced to about a third of the volume.  In a small bowl, use a fork to mash the softened butter and flour to a paste.  Add to stock and whisk furiously to combine.  Continue heating until thickened – about five minutes.  Serve ribs over polenta then spoon sauce over both.  Happy Eating!

Creamy Polenta Recipe

I used Elise’s recipe from Simply Recipes with a minor adjustment.  I’d say this recipe serves about 6 – maybe 7.  I used a 5:1 water to polenta ratio instead of the written 4:1.  To stir in the cream cheese with ease, I’d suggest having your cream cheese at room temperature, then adding it to your pan, covering it with a mound of warm polenta, cover the pan and walk away for 5 minutes.  Then come back and it’s a lot easier to stir.  Yum.

When I moved to Austin, everyone was dipping their pizza in ranch.  Which is just wrong.  Well, maybe wrong is unfair since I’m not really a fan of ranch dressing.  But I’m all for sauces and dipping, so I’ve been on the lookout for a suitable replacement.  Thus far, I’ve yet to find any pizzerias in the Lone Star State serving a vinaigrette sauce.  I’m pushing the trend.  If my extra thin crust pizza recipe seems like too much work to you, please consider making a quick batch of my Sabertooth Sauce the next time you order Campisi’s or other takeout.  It adds a zip and a twist enhancing your pizza experience and making  takeout something truly worth writing home about.  Or at least a status update on your facebook page.  Plus, don’t you just feel more powerful by adding a little Sabertooth to your life?  Whisk some up, and drizzle some spice into your life.

Happy Eating!

Sabertooth Sauce – Zippy Vinaigrette Sauce Perfect for Thin Crust Pizza

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinager

1 tbsp white wine vinager

1 tbsp water

4 dash (shakes through the shaker top) ground mustard

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp onion powder

Whisk like crazy, then drizzle from a spoon over your favorite thin crust pizza.

8 turns fresh ground pepper

As a part of the Easy and Elegant Party Package, Calphalon sent me a Unison Slide Nonstick Griddle and Sear Nonstick Grill Pan.  The pork was made using the Sear Grill Pan.  If you don’t have a grill pan in your repertoire, you need one.  I have a variety of shapes and sizes.  The bonus of the Calphalon Unison line is that unlike most nonsticks – these *are* dishwasher safe.  I love grill pans for meat, vegetables, breads, grilled sandwiches, anything really.  I think the Unison Grill Pan is perfect for a family.  I most often cook en masse as with the 9 pounds of pork tenderloin in the recipe below.  When cooking large quantities like this, I love my All-Clad Gourmet Double Burner Grill.  As for the 9lbs, if I’m serving 2 meats, I go with about a 3 oz serving of each meat per guest.  For this recipe, that yielded about 50 servings of pork tenderloin.

I have to admit, this is my first use of coriander seeds.  I’ve been avoiding recipes with them for years as the seeds are the dried fruit of the plant from which cilantro leaves are harvested.  Cilantro is another love it or hate it ingredient.  Some believe a person is genetically predisposed to love or hate the herb.  I think I was merely shattered by an article in the Austin Chronicle proclaiming that cilantro tastes like body odor smells.  After that description, I had a hard time ever wanting to ingest the stuff again.  Whatever the situation, the coriander seeds have a totally different flavor than cilantro.  Both are a fresh “herby” taste, but I’d call the leaves musky and the seeds light and citrus tinged.  In any case, I’m so glad to discover I love the seeds!   A whole new world of recipes to explore has just opened up to me.

Seared Pork with Lime, Coriander, and Cumin Marinade Recipe

adapted from Chef Michael Symon’s recipe – about 50 buffet servings

2 whole, trimmed pork tenderloins (approx 9 lbs)

4 tsps coriander seed

1 tsp cumin seed

zest of 9 limes

juice from 6 limes

2/3 c. olive oil

4 tsp kosher salt

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 a white onion, minced

With a very sharp knife, cut tenderloins into 1 and 1/2 inch medallions.  In a small dry fry pan, toast the coriander and cumin seeds about 5 minutes on medium heat, swirling occasionally.  In a bowl, combine toasted seeds with zest, lime juice, olive oil, salt, garlic and onion.  Whisk until blended then pour over the pork medallions.  Use tongs to toss pork in marinade every 30 minutes, up to a total of two hours.

Preheat oven to 375.  Heat grill pan over medium high heat, use tongs to sear pork on each side for 3 minutes each, then place grill pan in the oven for 5 minutes to cook through.  Move to a platter and serve with herb sauce.

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The children certainly had a fabulous time as did the adults.  I just love a family backyard party.  Part of my entry response to the contest was detailing how much I love home entertaining and preparing food for guests to enjoy and celebrate together.  I love watching children have a fantastic time, while the grownups get to imbibe an adult beverage and spend time mingling and simply enjoying the moment.

Menu

Appetizers

Crostini with Goat Cheese and ‘wichcraft Tomato Relish

Caprese Salad Crostini with Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette

Frozen Green Grapes

Mains

Seared Pork Tenderloin with Lime-Cumin-Corriander Marindade

Citrus Marinated Grilled Chicken with Fresh Herb Sauce

Ripe Watermelon Balls

Strawberries and Raspberries with Fresh Mint Garnish

Sugar Snap Peas with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Sauce

Sliced and Seasoned Kirby Cucumbers

Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Goat Cheese, and Almond Slivers

Dessert

Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream and Dark Chocolate Ganache

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

The items with links have already been featured on dinnerandconversation.com and helped make this party great.  Those with out, barring the raw foods, will be featured over the next week or so.  Part of home entertaining, especially in the summer in Texas, requires cold raw foods, so that’s part of why those were included.  The other reason is in my personal food philosophy.  Blessedly, I have children who will eat darn near anything.  I don’t prepare separate children’s meals, partly of course because we don’t have toddler food wars, so I wanted to include a variety of fruits that I thought even picky preschoolers could enjoy before indulging in a dessert sugar high.

All in all, I’d call it a grand success.  As I individually break down the recipes, I’ll give some tips on how I go about planning quantities and portion sizes for large gatherings.  Salud to the home party!

This lemon butter sauce added an extra little zest to the fish, and the lemon pepper was a great choice, too.  My lemon pepper came from a local spice company (Good Spice) I found at the Milestone farmers market.  Coincidentally, the summer season for the Milestone Farmers Market kicks off Sunday the 18th at 4531 McKinney Avenue in Dallas from 11-3.  Last time I went I was the only one there, which was kind of eerie, but they did have local eggs and local butter and other cool stuff.

Roasted Salmon

(serves 3)

3/4  lb. Wild Coho Salmon

grapeseed oil

Lemon Pepper

Kosher Salt

Preheat oven to 375.  Place rinsed and dried coho in a glass pan.  Drizzle with a small amount of grapeseed oil, then sprinkle liberally with lemon pepper and kosher salt.  Roast for about 15 minutes.  To test for doneness, gently poke center of fish with a metal fork, fish should flake and fork will feel just slightly warm when removed.

Lemon Caper Butter Sauce

(Serves 3-4)

4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp white wine

1 and 1/2 tbsp capers

fresh ground pepper

In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter.  Add lemon juice, wine, capers and stir with a wooden spatula.  Dust surface with fresh ground pepper.  Stir and let continue cooking for 2 minutes then serve.