Another Chicken Dinner

Note: I don't know what is going on with some of the fonts and font sizes in this post - I can't fix them!

A lovely dinner for 4 or fewer: Lemon Chicken with Croutons, Spinach in Puff Pastry, and Plum Cake Tatin. All three recipes are from Ina Garten's book Barefoot in Paris. I can pick up any of her books and make a million combinations for an awesome meal.

This is a very complete meal, with the bread in the chicken dish and the vegetable as either the first course or the side dish. You can add any extra vegetables or potatoes in with the chicken to roast; I added quartered button mushrooms. If I'd had carrots I definitely would have tossed them in too.
Next time I make this - and I most definitely will - I'll not put all the croutons on the platter under the chicken with all the juices like the recipe instructs. I'll put some around the chicken, whole or cut into pieces, on the platter, and try not to let them get completely soaked because they end up very quickly (big surprise:) just soggy. The best part of having croutons is the crunch! I might make a gravy out of the juices too, or reduce it a little, or add a squeeze of fresh lemon to the juices right before pouring them over the chicken next time. But without taking those extra steps it was still really great! Lemon zest over top on the plate was a perfect final touch for me because I love lots of lemon flavor with chicken.
A perfect bite! Chicken, mushroom, caramelized onion, crouton, with pepper and lemon zest:
Lemon Chicken with Croutons
Ina Garten, Barefoot in Paris

• 1 (4 to 5-pound) roasting chicken
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 6 cups (3/4-inch) bread cubes (1 baguette or round boule)
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Take the giblets out of the chicken and wash it inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers. Toss the onion with a little olive oil in a small roasting pan. Place the chicken on top and sprinkle the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper. Place the lemons inside the chicken. Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels, brush it with the melted butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

Roast for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Cover with foil and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. (The onions may burn, but the flavor is good.)

Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until very hot. Lower the heat to medium-low and saute the bread cubes, tossing frequently, until nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add more olive oil, as needed, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the croutons on a serving platter. Slice the chicken and place it, plus all the pan juices, over the croutons. Sprinkle with salt and serve warm.

I made a lot of tiny changes to this spinach in puff pastry recipe, so I'll note them within the recipe below.

Spinach in Puff Pastry
Ina Garten, Barefoot in Paris

• 4 T. (half a stick) unsalted butter
  
• 2 cups chopped onions (about 2 onions)
• 1 T. chopped garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 - 10 ounce - boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
  
• 1/3 cup chopped scallions (2 scallions)
• 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (I used small cubes of Swiss - flavor is perfect and it's cheaper!)
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 4 extra-large eggs, beaten (I only had 2 large eggs to use, and it turned out just fine. More eggs would have made the filling firmer, but I didn't mind because I was serving this on a plate with a fork anyway.)
  
• 1 T. dry bread crumbs, plain or seasoned
• 2 t. kosher salt (do use this full amount - it seemed like a lot to me so I didn't, but then it needed to be salted later)
  
• 3/4 t. pepper
• 1/2 t. ground nutmeg (I left this out)
  
• 1/4 cup toasted pignoli (pine) nuts (Left these out too)
• 2 sheets (one box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator (Without fail I forget to do this or don't plan ahead. Leave the frozen puff pastry on the counter near a hot stove for a little while and it will be fine. Just make sure it doesn't get too warm or it will get sticky.)
  
• 1 extra-large egg beaten with 1 T. water, for egg wash (so I ran out of eggs, right? So I used melted butter in place of egg wash, no problemo.)
  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the butter in a saute pan and cook the onions over med-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. Meanwhile, squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place it in a bowl. Add the onions and garlic, scallions, both cheeses, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and pignolis. Mix well.

Unfold one sheet of puff pastry and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the spinach mixture in the middle of the pastry, leaving a one inch border. Brush the border with egg wash. Roll out the second piece of puff pastry on a floured board until it's an inch larger in each direction. Place the second sheet of pastry over the spinach and seal the edges, crimping them with a fork. Brush the top with egg wash but don't let it drip down the sides or the pastry won't rise. (At this point I used a sharp knife and trimmed all four sides.) Make three small slits in the pastry top, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the pastry is lightly browned. Transfer to a cutting board and serve hot.

And, dessert! Hot, sweet, fruity, cakey, delicious! There are some interesting steps to this dish, but it's fun to make and can be made mostly ahead of time and then baked while you're eating dinner. I thought it looked so cool too, like an upside down cake. The red color is from the plums alone, darkened from the caramel. Andrew, my 2 year old, called it "jelly cake" because it did look like red jelly.

The intimidating part of this recipe is the sugar syrup. You have to cook water and sugar in a saucepan over high heat until it turns "a warm amber color, about 360 degrees." I think that a digital thermometer is an ESSENTIAL piece of kitchen equipment, but if you don't have one, still do make this recipe!! Cook the syrup until it turns brown - take it a little farther than you're probably comfortable with, but keep a close eye on it the entire time it's on the heat because it will burn fast once it's beyond it's perfect stage. However the syrup looks, because you will be skeptical, just continue with the recipe and it will turn out just fine.

Plum Cake Tatin
Ina Garten, Barefoot in Paris

nocoupons

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the dish
• 10 to 12 purple "prune" plums, cut in half and pitted (I just chose the purple ones over the orange/purple ones; they weren't labeled "prune." It took 5 and a half of them.)
  
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (I used large because that's what I had.)
  
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Confectioners' sugar (optional - I think unnecessary)
  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9-inch glass pie dish and arrange the plums in the dish, cut side down.

Combine 1 cup of the granulated sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until it turns a warm amber color, about 360 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Swirl the pan but don't stir. Pour evenly over the plums.

Meanwhile, cream the 6 tablespoons of butter and the remaining 3/4 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Lower the speed and beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream, zest, and vanilla and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and, with the mixer on low speed, add it to the butter mixture. Mix only until combined.

Pour the cake batter evenly over the plums and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a flat plate. If a plum sticks, ease it out and replace it in the design on top of the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Bruschetta with Crunchy Jalepeno Topping

I went to a farmer's market the other day, and I had this random thought to make some interesting bruschetta to have with dinner. We had leftovers of chili and pasta salad in the fridge to eat up, and lots of fresh vegetables to also use in the bruschetta topping.

Huge baskets of fresh jalepenos looked perfect at the market, so that's what I thought I'd use as the main ingredient for the fresh salsa-like topping for the fresh focattia bread I got at the Hearvest Bread Company. I really wanted sourdough, but they didn't have any made that day.

This is not a recipe really, I just chopped everything pretty tiny and threw it in the bowl until I was satisfied with it. I wanted lots of jalepenos, so I used only the outside flesh of the pepper, no ribs or seeds, and it wasn't very spicy. On the last pepper I chopped (I used 5 I think) I did add a little bit of the ribs because it needed a little heat though. Since I had celery and cucumber I threw them in and they added lots of cool crunch. Red onion and grape tomatoes, salt, pepper, a tiny splash of each olive oil and red wine vinegar, and done! If I had herbs like basil, cilantro, or mint, I would have thrown some in - dang I do have a mint plant on my porch but I totally forgot about it! Oh well, my point is use whatever you have... or think you have. Chop it fine or use the food processor and add ingredients until you like the balance of tastes. Tomatoes are the classic ingredient. I wouldn't put those in the processor, but if you use them, leave in all the juices and everything. If you think it needs a little perk up, throw in the olive oil, your favorite vinegar, lemon or lime juice and it will make a world of difference. Don't top the bread ahead of time if you're serving people, but when you spoon it on the bread do get the juices onto the bread because it's yummy!

Cut the bread in slices, toast, and then rub with a cut piece of garlic and drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper on top. That is bruschetta. It's great with many types of bread; focaccia would never be my first choice, but it was good, this one had stuff like fennel seeds baked in. Whatever topping you like - could be simply chopped tomatoes in a dressing, is a bonus! If you make this, leave a comment and let me know what you used!

Brie en Croute

Here is another recipe from our weekend at Deep Creek Lake. I placed the brie in a round glass oven-safe dish, rather than on a cookie sheet as called for, for easy transport in the cooler. It baked up perfectly in the dish, but I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of the final product. I did paste at the bottom a picture from Foodtv.com where the recipe is listed.

This is one of those SIMPLE recipes that never fails to wow people. A 2 year old could make this. What makes this special is 1) it looks cool, 2) frozen puff pastry is such a great product and everyone is automatically impressed because it's not an everyday ingredient, and 3) Brie cheese is so delicious and special just on it's own. I'd make this much more often if Brie was less expensive, but the fact that it's a once-in-a-while dish also makes it special.Brie en Croute

recipe from The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook by Paula Deen

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, pre-packaged

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup walnuts

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (8-ounce) wheel Brie

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

Crackers, for serving

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Defrost puff pastry for approximately 15 to 20 minutes and unfold.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the walnuts in the butter until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon and stir until walnuts are coated well. Place the walnut mixture on top of the Brie and sprinkle the brown sugar over the mixture.

Lay the puff pastry out on a flat surface. Place the brie in the center of the pastry. Gather up the edges of the brie, pressing around the brie and gather at the top. Gently squeeze together the excess dough and tie together with a piece of kitchen twine (or just overlap the corners of the dough on top).

Brush the beaten egg over top and side of Brie. Place Brie on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown. Serve with crackers. To give a special look, cut extra pastry into heart or flower shapes and bake until golden.

Picture is from foodtv.com

Spinach Dip Olé

I don't have a picture of this recipe, but I do have a picture of the man who requests it every time I see him! Here he is with Erol at the cabin that weekend, enjoying their favorite pasttimes of laughing and eating:

I got this recipe from Anna, my friend and former co-worker, and I've also seen it other places so I don't know where it originated. Anna had a good point when she mentioned that this recipe is so simple because it uses whole packages of only four ingredients, so it's a cinch to shop for and no leftovers of ingredients. You'll rarely have leftovers of the dip too because it's so good! Serve it with sturdy crackers like melba toasts or sliced baguette, toasted or not. You could add 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste, but I thing these are unnecessary because of the salsa.

Spinach Dip Olé
one 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
one 16oz jar salsa
one 8oz package cream cheese, cubed (more like pinched off into the bowl)
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Combine all ingredients and pour into a shallow baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for aprox 35 minutes until bubbly and top is brown. Serve with bread, crackers, or chips.

Turkey Meatballs

Alright, moving on from Fakesgiving, I have 3 dinner recipes I'm ready to post. I can't find the magazine with the recipe for the sweet potato biscuits we made anyway, but when I find it I'll post it.

My family eats dinner very early in the evening; actually you could prob call it late afternoon. Erol gets home from work by 4:00 usually, and is always starving. We had been having a lot of take out, and one day wanted a home cooked meal, so when he got home I ran to the grocery store with no idea about what to buy. I first stopped by the magazine aisle to find inspiration in the food magazines, but didn't find them helpful. So I wandered over to the meat section, and ground turkey was on sale, so I thought: Meatballs!

Meatballs are quick, healthy, satisfying, and I didn't need to buy too many ingredients. Erol's a rice man, so I knew I'd be serving them over rice for dinner, but what kind of sauce to use? I searched around in the condiment and bottled marinade section and a sesame and ginger flavored one caught my eye. There were many brands to choose from of this, and tons of other flavors, but I got Paul Newman's because it was cheap. Picked up an onion and red pepper to add moisture and flavor to the ground turkey, and I was all set to make dinner!

Erol noted that these could be made a little smaller and they'd be a great appetizer with toothpicks.

Taste the marinade before you use it, I have a feeling that different brands will taste very different. It will have a very strong, vinegary flavor. You may want to adjust the amounts of marinade and honey to balance the flavors for your taste.
Turkey Meatballs
1 lb. ground turkey (or chicken - do not substitute beef)
half an onion, diced
half a red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
pepper
2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup sesame and ginger flavored marinade, such as Paul Newmans' brand
2 T. honey

In a large bowl combine the ground turkey, diced onion and red bell pepper, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper; do not over mix. Roll into balls and place them on a separate plate. (I wear latex-type gloves to mix and roll meatballs because it feels yucky.)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high, then add the meatballs. Don't push them around or turn them until they are nicely dark browned on the bottom; when they are ready to turn they will release easily from the pan. Let brown on all sides.

Once they are fully cooked and dark brown almost all over, turn down the heat to low and add the marinade and honey to the pan, and turn the meatballs to coat in the glaze. Serve over rice.

Gougères, Spiced Nuts, and Poinsettia Cocktails

It's always fun to have cocktails and a little nibble before dinner, especially when the house smells so good and everyone is hungry!

Gougère are cheese puffs made from pâte à choux, or choux paste (choux pronounced shoe). They're typically made with Gruyere cheese, but seeing as that would cost over $20 to make this recipe, I used regular old Swiss. Other cheese could also be substituted.

Gougère
recipe adapted from Ruth Reichl's, in her book Garlic and Sapphires

1 cup water
1 stick butter
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 cups flour
5 eggs, room temp
Pinch of pepper
1 cup diced Swiss cheese
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter 3 (standard sized) baking sheets. Combine the water, butter, and one teaspoon of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the butter melts. Remove pan from the heat and let cool slightly. Stir in the flour and mix well. Return the pan to the heat until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan. Turn off the heat and remove the pan. Stir in the eggs, one at a time until well combined. (At this point it looks as if it will never come together, but keep beating it with your spoon and it will!) Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, a pinch of pepper, and the diced cheese, stirring well.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheets, at least an inch and a half apart. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and bake for 25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.

Gougères about to hit the oven:

Spiced Nuts
recipe from Bon Appetite, November 1998

Makes 1 1/2 cups

2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. curry powder
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
2 T. sugar
1 T. honey
3/4 cup walnut halves
3/4 cup pecan halves

Line a baking sheet with foil. Lightly oil the foil (or use the nonstick foil and no oil will be necessary). Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger, curry powder, and cayenne and saute until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Stir in sugar and honey. Add nuts. Stir until honey mixture is amber in color and nuts are well coated, about 6 minutes.

Transfer nut mixture to prepared baking sheet. Working quickly, separate nuts with a spoon. Sprinkle with salt and let cool. (Can be made 3 days ahead; store in airtight containers at room temp.)

Poinsettia Cocktails ,
from Freixenet advertisement in Food & Wine magazine, November 2005

1/2 ounce Triple Sec (optional)
2-3 ounces cranberry juice
4-5 ounces chilled champagne

Fill a tall glass with ice cubes, stir in Triple Sec and cranberry juice, then add champagne.