Chicken Canzanese

This is a easy, delicious meal that makes ordinary chicken thighs amazing.  We love it over polenta.

Serves 4 to 6. Published May 1, 2010. From Cook's Illustrated.

When seasoning the dish at the end, be mindful that the prosciutto adds a fair amount of salt. It is important to use a piece of thickly sliced prosciutto in this recipe; thin strips will become tough and stringy. An equal amount of thickly sliced pancetta or bacon can be used in place of the prosciutto. Serve the chicken with boiled potatoes, noodles, or polenta to absorb extra sauce.


1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ounces prosciutto (1/4 inch thick), cut into 1/4-inch cubes (see note)
4 medium garlic cloves , sliced thin lengthwise
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), trimmed of excess fat and skin
ground black pepper
2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 whole cloves
1 (4-inch) sprig fresh rosemary , leaves removed and minced fine (about 1/2 teaspoon), stem reserved
12 whole fresh sage leaves
2 bay leaves
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Table salt

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed ovensafe skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add prosciutto and cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic slices and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden brown, about 1½ minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic and prosciutto to small bowl and set aside. Do not rinse pan.

2. Increase heat to medium-high; add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat until just smoking. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with ground black pepper. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until well browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and brown on second side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.

3. Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. Sprinkle flour over fat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly add wine and broth; bring to simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid is slightly reduced, 3 minutes. Stir in cloves, rosemary stem, sage leaves, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and reserved prosciutto and garlic. Nestle chicken into liquid, skin side up (skin should be above surface of liquid), and bake, uncovered, until meat offers no resistance when poked with fork but is not falling off bones, about 1 hour 15 minutes. (Check chicken after 15 minutes; broth should be barely bubbling. If bubbling vigorously, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.)

4. Using tongs, transfer chicken to serving platter and tent with foil. Remove and discard sage leaves, rosemary stem, cloves, and bay leaves. Place skillet over high heat and bring sauce to boil. Cook until sauce is reduced to 1¼ cups, 2 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in minced rosemary, lemon juice, and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce around chicken and serve.

Best Blueberry Muffins

Just the thing for a morning that is seven below.  In New Jersey.  "Seven below what?" Holly asked.  My thoughts exactly.

Makes 12 muffins. Published May 1, 2009. From Cook's Illustrated.


Lemon-Sugar Topping

1/3 cup sugar (2 1/3 ounces)

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon

Muffins

2 cups fresh blueberries (about 10 ounces), picked over

1 1/8 cups sugar (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Instructions

1. FOR THE TOPPING: Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.


2. FOR THE MUFFINS: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.


3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk remaining 11/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)

4. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Place 1 teaspoon of cooled berry jam in center of each batter-filled cup, pushing it below surface.


Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.


5. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

kumquat-champagne cocktails

I just took this out of the Martha Stewart Living December 2010 issue. Her quantities were for twice as much (a party). I halved everything here for a one-bottle party for six..... These cocktails are really pretty!

• 1 pint kumquats, pricked a few times with a pin
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 bottle sparkling wine

1. Place kumquats in a saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Drain immediately. Repeat twice.
2. Add sugar and 1 cup water to drained kumquats in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat immediately, and let kumquats and syrup cool completely.
3. Spoon 3 kumquats and 1 TBS syrup into each of 6 champagne glasses.
4. Top off with champagne.
   
5. Toast, drink, enjoy.
   

Delicious, Stupid-Easy Salsa Verde

My friend Susan Stevenson brought a small group of local farmers and producers to our tiny burg for a monthly farmer's market this summer (hopefully more often in 2011!).  Here's what I did with yesterday's $3 of tomatillos.  We ate some with chips and will have the rest with chicken enchiladas.  Thanks Chuck Williams (Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library "Mexican Favorites")!

Makes 2-3 cups

3 cups water
2 1/2 tsp salt
3 fresh serrano chili peppers
1 lb (I used 1 qt) tomatillos, husks removed
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped onion

In a saucepan over high heat combine the water and 1 tsp of the salt and bring to boil.  Add the garlic, chilies and tomatillos and cook uncovered 8-10 minutes.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup liquid.

When cool enough to handle, stem the chilies and tomatillos.

In a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine chilies, garlic, tomatillos, reserved liquid, remaining 1 1/2 tsp salt and cilantro and process to a smooth puree.  Add the onion and pulse to combine.

Let the salsa cool to room temperature and serve.

Will keep refrigerated for up to one week.

sausage in puff pastry

I've made this twice and it was a hit both times. The recipe is in Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I did change it ever so slightly. Instead of using lamb sausage I used italian chicken sausage (mild). Because those sausages tend to be fatter, I sliced them in halve lengthwise before rolling in the puff pastry. Here is the link to the original..... It is super-easy and totally yummy. And yes, both times I made it ahead, refrigerated wrapped in plastic wrap and then baked when I got to my destination.....

Tiramisu

I realized today that my only copy of this recipe is from the original issue of Fine Cooking (May 1999) when it was published.  If that goes missing I will never forgive myself, so now here, I have a backup.  Joanne Chang was a former economist with a startup Boston bakery when the article was published.  Today she is a respected chef; I even saw her on Throwdown doing sticky buns (she beat Bobby Flay easily).

I'm making this for Father's Day dessert.

You can make the sponge yourself, which makes all the difference.  Or you can cheat, and use lady fingers (the dried savoiardi are better than the fresh ones) and just do the filling.  I admit to doing that frequently, and it's still delicious! 

Another change is that sometimes I use half Kahlua and half sweet Marsala (the latter is traditional).

Finally, my grocery store cuts the price of the mascarpone when it's close to its expiration date.  I've paid as little as 99 cents for an 8.8 ounce container!  It can be frozen and thawed successfully.

serves ten

For the coffee-flavored sponge cake:

4 eggs, separated
2/3 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup hot brewed espresso
4 1/2 ounce (1 cup) all-purpose flour
pinch salt

For the mascarpone filling:

4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup coffee liquor such as Kahlua (*see my note above)
pinch salt
3/4 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup heavy cream

For assembly:

1 cup hot brewed espresso
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate

For the sponge cake:

Heat the oven to 350.  Line a rimmed pan or jelly roll pan measuring 14x11 or 15x10 (or close to those measurements) with parchment.  Using a stand mixer with its whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks, 1/3 cup of the sugar  and the hot espresso on high until thick and voluminous, at least 6 minutes.  In another bowl and with clean beaters, whisk the egg whites on medium speed.  When they reach the soft-peak stage, slowly add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar with the mixer running.  Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the whites are smooth and glossy with peaks that hold their shape without drooping; another 1 to 2 minutes.  Fold one-third of the whites into the yolk mixture to lighten them and then gently fold in the rest of the whites.

Sift the flour and salt over the mixture and fold it in gently.  Spread the batter evenly on the prepared sheet pan.  Bake until the center of the cake springs back when lightly pressed and the cake doesn't stick to your fingers 12-14 minutes.  Remove from the oven and invert it onto a cooling rack.  Gently peel off the parchment and allow the cake to cool completely.

For the filling:

Set a pan of warm water to simmer and fill a large bowl with ice.  In a medium stainless-steel bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, coffee liquor and salt.  Set the bowl over, but not touching, the simmering water and whisk until the mixture thickens, the whisk leaves ribbons trailing off of it and you can see the bottom of the bowl when you scrape the whisk along the bottom; 6 to 7 minutes.  Cool the yolk mixture by setting the bowl on the ice bath and whisking the mixture occasionally.  Meanwhile, whisk together the cream and mascarpone until it holds peaks.  When the yolk mixture is cool, gently fold in the cream mixture until combined.  Keep the mixture cool.

For assembly:

Divide the sponge cake into thirds (three rectangles about 4.5x11 or 5x10 inches).  Lay one of the cake rectangles on the bottom of a rectangular pan (I use a Pyrex baking dish, or a glass loaf pan if I use the lady fingers).  Brush the top with one-third of the hot espresso.  Spread just under half of the mascarpone filling over the cake.  Grate one third of the chocolate on top of the mascarpone.  Repeat with another layer of cake, espresso, filling and chocolate.  Top with the last layer of cake, brush on the last of the coffee, spread on a very thin layer of mascarpone and grate the rest of the chocolate on top.  Refrigerate several ours or overnight before serving.  Slice and serve.

Grilled Lemon Chicken Skewers with Satay Dip

This is one of my go-to recpies for parties.  A neighbor has me make it for her parties about twice a year.  Tonight I'm taking it to book group, as it's perfect at room temperature.

I love that you cook the breasts whole and slice them to skewer.  Much easier and much prettier.  When I make it in the summer I usually lay the skewers on a bed of thyme from the garden.

From Ina Garten; The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, 1999
serves 8-10 easily

Ingredients

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
3/4 cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
Satay Dip, recipe follows

Directions

Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Pour over the chicken breasts in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.

Grill the chicken breasts for 10 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Cool slightly and cut diagonally in 1/2-inch-thick slices. Skewer with wooden sticks and serve with Satay Dip.

Satay Dip:

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2/3 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion) (sometimes I just use a large shallot - A)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice  (lemon is just fine too - why be complicated!  -A)

Cook the olive oil, sesame oil, red onion, garlic, ginger root, and red pepper flakes in a small, heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat until the onion is transparent, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, ketchup, sherry, and lime juice; cook for 1 more minute. Cool and use as a dip for Grilled Lemon Chicken skewers.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups