We always are looking for fast, easy and tasty dinners during the week. With a little tweeking with side dishes and dessert, you have company fare as well.
- 2 large boneless, no skin chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp. granulated garlic
- 1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese
- 1/2 cup ground almonds
- 3 tbsp. light oil
- 1 cup tomato sauce(homemade is best, but commercial is also good)
- 4 slices of mozzarella cheese
- 4 sprigs oregano
Halve each chicken breast, through the thick end to make 4 slices. Season with a little salt and pepper and the granulated garlic.
In a shallow bowl, mix together the Asiago cheese and ground almonds. Press each breast in to coat all sides.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a non-stick pan, heat the oil and cook the chicken, 2 pieces at a time, for 3 minutes each side. Remove from the pan and cook the remaining 2 pieces the same way.
Meanwhile, warm the tomato sauce over medium-low heat.
Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish and top each one with a slice of the mozarella cheese, baking until the cheese has melted and you are sure the chicken is cooked through. Do not over cook or it will become dry.
Warm the plates, divide the sauce into 4 and put on the plates. Place a chicken breast on top and place a sprig of oregano on the side.
Add a crisp salad and, of course, a glass of chilled wine. There you are: fast, easy and yummy.
Pralines
Lesson #1 – these are pronounced ‘praw-leens’ and got their humble beginnings in Louisiana ( Marshal Luplesis-Praslin,1598-1695) from his butler, who had a recipe for almonds coated in sugar, used as a digestive aid. Later, when Louisiana was settled by the French colonists, they changed to pecans.
There are many recipes for this confection and the Creoles take great pains to find perfection. The recipes are well kept secrets and are handed down generation to generation.
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup milk
- 6 tbsp. butter
- 1 1/2 cups roasted pecans (pronounced pee-cons)*
- 1 tsp. good quality vanilla
Combine all the ingredients and bring to the softball stage (238-240 degrees) stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
Continue stirring until the mixture thickens (again – constantly stirring), becomes creamy and cloudy and the pecans stay suspended in the mixture. Spoon out on buttered waxed paper or parchment paper. When using waxed paper, be sure to have a newspaper underneath as the hot wax will transfer to whatever is underneath.
If you wish to make a praline sauce, simply add 1/2 cup of corn syrup to the mixture. You can change the flavour to chocolate, brandy, coffee, etc.)
This recipe will make 1-50 pralines, depending on size.
Just ask me…..they are quite the treat!
* our instructor said that pee-cans were something you needed in the middle of the night, so pronounce it correctly….please! too funny.
Vodka Infusions
These are easy to make and can be used so many different ways to suit your tastes.
These are based on using 1 1/2 cups vodka for each flavour. This saves you money from going out and buying it at the liquor store. I know, I have done this. Besides, it’s fun to do.
- 1/2 cups vodka
- 1 star anise
- 1 dried red chile
- 2 cardamom pods
Place in a jar with airtight seal and store in a dark, cool place for 1 day. Strain into chilled glasses and enjoy. This is a little fiery. Just add a touch of gingerale and crushed ice.
Store in a sealable jar. Store in a cool, dark place for 2 days. Strain into chilled glasses and enjoy. To raise the bar, add a touch of tonic and a wedge of lime and some crushed ice. So refreshing.
- 1 1/2 cups vodka
- 4 coffee beans
- 2 tbsp. toasted hazelnuts
Store in a airtight sealable jar in a cool dark place for 3 days. Strain and pour into chilled glasses.
To up the ante on this one, add a splash of heavy cream, a little simple syrup and some crushed ice. Wow!
Remember, you made it and now you can let your imagination take over. Come up with some that you might like. Enjoy!
Easy Potato Stacks
This makes a great, yet really easy, addition to a dinner on…say Christmas Eve.
Adjust the amounts to suit your crowd, this one serves 8.
- 16 fingerling potatoes (Yukon Gold), washed and cut in half, lengthwise
- 16 pearl onions, blanched, peeled (about 1 minute)
- 2 tbsp. minced fresh sage
- 12 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- Olive oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- 8 bacon slices, cooked crisp and crumbled
Tear off 8 x 12 inch long pieces of tin foil. In each piece of tin foil, place 2 fingerling potatoes (halved), 1 garlic clove, 1 pearl onion and a pinch of the fresh sage. Drizzle a tbsp. of olive oil over these packges, and roll up to seal.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Remove one and poke the potatoes to see if cooked through.
When ready to serve, open up each package and put on individual plates. Add a generous dollop of sour cream and a crumbled slice of bacon on top. This can complement any roast beef or even lamb dinner. Add a crisp salad, glass of wine and, once again, damn you did it!
Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes
This would be a real cool way to suprise those at the breakfast table. This recipe comes from Tutti’s off Main Street in California. It will serve 4.
Adjust accordingly if more are seated at the table.
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup stone ground cornmeal – not coarse
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- vegetable oil for brushing griddle
Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and butter until well blended, then whisk into the flour mixture just until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the blueberries. Batter should be lumpy and will thicken if left sitting.
Lightly coat the griddle with the oil and heat over moderate heat until really hot, but not smoking. Pour 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake and cook until bubbles appear on surface and lightly browned on the botton. Flip over and cook for 1-2 minutes longer.
Repeat until all pancakes have been made. Serve with butter and blueberry sauce and/or maple syrup.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah! Yummy.
Red Pear Bisque With Celery
For the next while, I will be posting, hopefully, some new ideas for your traditional Christmas celebration. It is nice to stick to the ‘same old-same old’ dishes of our past, but sometimes it is nice to upgrade to add a new one. There is nothing wrong with deleting one as well. In our house, for sure, it would be Brussel Sprouts. You?
- 5 tbsp. butter
- 5 cups thinly sliced, but peeled, celery including leaves. Finely chop some of the leaves for garnish and set aside.
- 3 – 3 1/2 cups red skinned (Red Bartlett or Red Williams) pears, unpeeled and sliced thin. Save a few slices and chop fine for garnish. Sprinkle with lime juice to avoid browning.
- 1 cup chopped leeks, dark green tops only
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 tbsp. flour
- 3 cups chicken broth
- whipping cream, optional (really worthwhile)
Melt butter in a large pot on medium heat, Add the celery, pears, leek tops, bay leaves and thyme. Cover and cook for about 7-8 minutes, until the celery softens. Be sure to stir occasionally so as not to burn anything.
Add the broth and reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Check to see that the celery is cooked.
Remove the bay leaves, and puree in a blender or use the hand held emulsifier until smooth. Return to the pot, season to taste, and if you wish to make it a nice thicker bisque, add enough whipping cream to make it wonderful.
Serve in your prettiest bowls, putting a sprinkling of the finely chopped leavesand pear on top.
Stand back and wait for the applause to cease. Enjoy! Absolutely wonderful.