Best Delicious and Easy Dinner goes to . . .

Flat roasted chicken with tiny potatoes!!!! From "The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook" by Deb Perelman

This one looked so simple I didn't try it for a while thinking it would be just like any other roasted chicken and potatoes.  Boy was I wrong.  This was just delicious, tender, flavorful chicken that I kept dipping into the drippings in the pan.  The roasted potatoes were a little run-of-the-mill but accompanied the chicken okay.  Maybe it was because I couldn't find the tiny potatoes Deb talked about and had to settle for the only yellow potatoes I could find.  Maybe you can find some . . . so you can make
FLAT ROASTED CHICKEN WITH TINY POTATOES modified only slightly

One 3-3 1/2 pound chicken (mine was slightly bigger)

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 pounds tiny yellow potatoes

Olive oil

1 lemon

1 T minced fresh thyme leaves

(PS this recipe is not for the squeamish, you actually have to cut a chicken).  Preheat your oven to 450.  Using kitchen shears or a sharp kitchen knife, remove the backbone from the chicken and discard it.  Season the cavity (underside) of the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  The recipe uses table salt, but I much prefer kosher.  Lay, breast side up, in a roasting pan or cast iron skillet (I, like Ms. Perelman, like the cast iron skillet, it was the perfect pan).  Gently pat skin dry with paper towel and season top of chicken with more salt and pepper.  Peel potatoes and nestle them around chicken.  Drizzle olive oil over chicken and potatoes and sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper.

Roast 30-45 minutes until thermometer in thigh registers 165.  Toss potatoes about 20 minutes into cooking so they cook evenly.  

When finished, transfer potatoes to serving bowl or platter, then cut apart chicken with sharp knife: remove legs, thighs, wings, and breasts (I also cut breasts in 2 pieces each).  Squeeze lemon over dish, then sprinkle with thyme.  Eat at once.

*Note: can actually make this dish ahead a day, wrap tightly in foil, and the next day remove the foil and place the dish directly in the preheated oven.  Add about 10-15 minutes to cooking time.

This is a delicious, very easy classic dish for a fancy dinner or a just a really delicious week night meal.

Blintzes--guess that meal . . .

 Finally a cookbook from my favorite blog author--Deb Perelman of smittenkitchen.com.

I have to say my first look at the cookbook was disappointed in terms of main dishes.  There are a lot of things that I probably won't try.  On the other hand, maybe it will broaden my horizon a little.

This recipe falls under the category of Vegetarian Main Dishes.  But we couldn't decide if it was more appropriate for dinner, brunch, lunch . . . we did decide it was a bit heavy for breakfast.  

Blintzes are a bit like crepes, so the picture above is the filling.  It's a sweet potato and farmer's cheese filling with cinnamon and sugar, so it's not a really savory dish.

 The wrappers are cooked similarly to crepes but they are a bit more robust in texture.

I did enjoy the finished blintzes topped with raspberry jam and sour cream, but again felt a little like they weren't quite "dinner food".

Try them yourself and tell me what meal you think they work best as!

SWEET POTATO BLINTZES WITH FARMERS CHEESE from "The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook" by Deb Perelman.  Modified only slightly.

Wrappers:

1 1/2 milk, whole preferred but others fine

6 large eggs

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 tsp salt

Non-stick spray for the pan

Make wrapper batter by combining all ingredients in a blender.  Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate at least an hour or up to 2 days.

Filling:

3-4 medium sweet potatoes (really depending on size, sometimes it's hard to find a "medium sweet potato")

2 c farmer's cheese (available in specialty cheeses, probably could be substituted by queso fresco if you can't find it )

2 large egg yolks

1/4 c sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

dash of nutmeg (or a few fresh gratings if you have it fresh)

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400, bake sweet potatoes on a tray for about 40 minutes, until soft.  Peel and mash or rice them.  The recipe indicated to wait until they were cooled, but I did them when they were warm and it was fine.  Stir in farmers cheese, yolks, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Cook the wrappers as you would crepes: preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, spray with nonstick spray, then pour 1/4 c batter into pan and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.  Cook until the bottom of the wrapper is brown, about 2 min (less as your pan becomes heated), remove from heat (no need to flip, top will be set).  Remove from pan and stack on a paper-towel lined plate.

To fill: put about 1/4 c filling into wrapper, tuck sides in to touch each other, then roll carefully, keeping sides in, to make an egg-roll shaped packet.  Repeat with all wrappers.  Reheat your skillet, or, like me, a large electric fry pan and spray with nonstick spray, then cook all blintzes till browned on both sides and crisp.  If you need to do multiple batches, place the finished blintzes in a 200 degree oven.

If making the cranberry syrup, simmer all ingredients over medium heat until berries burst, about 7-10 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes more, then strain out berries and discard.

Serve with syrup or jam and sour cream (or yogurt) on each blintz.

Possible topping--Cranberry syrup

2 c fresh or frozen cranberries

1/4 c orange juice

1/2 c sugar

 

or other toppings if you can't find cranberries, which I couldn't: raspberry jam (freezer jam was great), I have heard Smuckers all fruit is good and would work well on this or even a ligonberry syrup if you can find it.

Sour cream or plain yogurt

Swai

I know, it never rains but pours, and 3 blogs in a day is probably something of a record.

But I've just remembered we discovered a new fish.  They were sampling at Wegmans and I went ahead and bought some Swai, in the frozen section near the Salmon and Halibut.

It's a farm-raised fish originally from Vietnam.  It's a white fish similar to tilapia, but in my opinion more mildly flavored than tilapia.

We cooked some up for dinner last night and even my kids loved it.  I just sprinkled the pieces of fish with kosher salt and ground pepper, then a little regular flour.  Then I heated some butter and olive oil (probably equal portions) in the skillet, and cooked the fish gently to make sure I didn't overcook it and dry it out.

It was really nice, and went well with baked potatoes and a big salad.

So, Swai.

Yummy Apple Pancakes

Sorry my photography leaves much to be desired on this one, but trust me the recipe makes up for it.

This is another recipe from "Jamie's America" by Jamie Oliver.  Again I've modified it very slightly.

AWESOME APPLE PANCAKES by Jamie Oliver, slightly modified

1 apple, coarsely grated, core and all

1 large egg

1 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 c milk 

pinch of sea or kosher salt

1 T honey (I think I added 1 1/2 T)

pinch of ground cinnamon

butter for cooking

plain yogurt, optional

honey, optional

cinnamon, optional

syrup, optional

Mix all batter ingredients together and whisk until well mixed.  Cook at about 375.  I prefer my electric frying pan because I can get and keep a constant temperature, but if you prefer, these can be cooked in a frying pan over medium-high heat, but you will have to watch the pancakes and adjust the temperature as needed.  Put a little butter in the pan and start cooking.

Cook the pancakes (about 3 at a time in the electric pan, or one at a time in the skillet).  Watch to see when the underside is golden, flip, and cook until other side is golden.

Move to plate and serve as desired: Jamie recommends a dollop of yogurt, honey, and a pinch of cinnamon.  But on a lazy Saturday when I haven't been to the store and we've run out of honey or yogurt (or both!), plain syrup is delicious, too. 

**A note about salt**

I read (I should know where but I don't!) that up to a teaspoon, it doesn't matter whether you use table salt or kosher salt.  I have experimented with that and think it's accurate.  And I like the superior flavor of kosher salt, I think it adds more flavor and zing.  So, if you like kosher salt like I do, pull it out and use it for baking too, not just sprinkling. 

I'm back with Waldorf Salad

Sorry for the long break.  It's a long story.  Maybe later.

Anyway, I'm back with several new cookbooks and lots of new recipe trials.  This one is a Waldorf Salad from "Jamie's America" by Jamie Oliver.  I don't know if this book got very many props, I got it on clearance at B&N for about $7, and I feel like I got a steal, it's got some great recipes.  I modified this one very slightly.  Enjoy.

WALDORF SALAD MY WAY slightly modified from Jamie Oliver

4 large handfuls mixed greens

2 large handfuls seedless red grapes, halved

3 medium celery stalks, trimmed

2 large handfuls walnuts, roughly crumbled

small bunch of Italian parsley

1 red (crunchy sweet) apple

6 oz blue cheese, like Buttermilk Blue (just a mild blue is best on a salad I think)

Dressing:

1 heaping tsp Dijon mustard

2 T white wine vinegar

good quality extra virgin olive oil

1 heaped T plain or plain Greek yogurt

sea or kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, toss greens and grapes.  Use a peeler to remove stringy bits of the outside of the celery.  Finely slice celery at an angle and toss it in.  Toast the walnuts carefully in a dry pan over medium heat, don't let them color too much. Chop parsley leaves and add them.  

Make dressing by combining mustard, vinegar, then 3 times as much extra virgin olive oil.  Add the yogurt and a good pinch of salt and pepper, then shake well.  If desired, taste dressing and adjust yogurt, vinegar, or oil amounts.

Drizzle enough dressing just to cover leaves.  Finely slice apple into matchsticks and toss over the top.  Sprinkle with walnuts and toss everything with fingers or tongs.  Place on serving platter, then crumble blue cheese over.  

If, like me, you are just serving this for a weeknight dinner, toss the apples, walnuts, and blue cheese in with the salad and pass the dressing separately.

Summer Dinner

 So we had a bit of a lazy Saturday yesterday.  I couldn't get myself moving to accomplish anything too significant.  We had to go to a friend's baptism about mid-day, and afterwards my husband was thinking about dinner.  Specifically steak.  So we headed to the store and got some nice strip steaks from the butcher.  But we were debating on the side dishes.  Until I remembered this great recipe for onion rings that I haven't made in a really long time.  They are from the Barefoot Contessa book called "Barefoot Contessa at Home".  I really enjoy her books, and most of her recipes are spot on.  This one is great served with steak.

CORNMEAL-FRIED ONION RINGS

by Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa)

2 large Spanish onions (or 3 yellow onions)

2 cups buttermilk

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 c flour

1/4 c yellow cornmeal

Oil for frying

Heat oven to 200 F and place wire rack over cookie sheet, then place cookie sheet in oven. Cut the onions into about 1/2" slices.  In a large bowl, separate the layers of onions into individual rings.  I usually take out the inside and the very small couple of inner rings, put them in a bag, and throw them in the fridge to use for something else.  Pour buttermilk over the onion rings and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Toss the onion rings in the buttermilk and seasonings and let marinate at least 15 minutes.  Heat the frying oil to 350 F.  Dredge the onion rings, about 1/4 of them at a time.  Fry rings until golden brown, remove to paper-towel lined plate to drain. Then, place rings on wire rack in oven to stay warm while the remaining rings are finished.  Remove from oven just before serving, they cool quickly.  Serve with or over steak.

Along with our delicious dinner, we needed a yummy dessert. We haven't made homemade ice cream yet this summer, so that seemed like a good option.  Except I wanted it to be a little fancy.  I've been reading about a lot of gourmet ice creams lately in non-traditional flavors so I really wanted something a little different from the basic fruit or chocolate. So I found a great recipe on one of my favorite cooking sites.  Dulce de Leche ice cream with toasted pecans.  Wow.  It was so great.  Enough "off the beaten track" but not too strange.  My childrens' one complaint was too many nuts.  Sorry kiddos.  Nuts are a must!  

You can buy the dulce de leche flavoring itself at a store, if you have one with a good international section (this was right down the Hispanic aisle), or you can make your own with a can of sweetened condensed milk.  It just takes a little time.  You vent the top of the can just a little, with a pop-top can just pop a tiny bit open, with a regular can, just break the seal with a can opener.  Then place in a saucepan with water going up about 1/3 of the can.  Let simmer for about 3 hours, replenishing water as needed.  If you don't want to take the time though, which was my case, this canned dulce de leche was great and only a dollar more than a can of sweetened condensed milk.  Worth it in my opinion!  So, here is the link to the recipe for the ice cream:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/05/dulce-de-leche-ice-cream/ 

Enjoy these great summer nights!

Avocado Cheesecake

I can hear you thinking, Avocado Cheesecake? Is this a chip dip or a dessert?

Well, I saw this recipe as an advertisement in Bon Appetit.  I was immediately intrigued.  I LOVE avocadoes.  I could eat a ripe, creamy avocado absolutely plain right out of the skin.  Weird?  Maybe.

But, if you're adventurous at all, you definitely want to give this cheesecake a chance.  It's definitely unusual.  The crust has walnuts, crushed anise seeds (which give a really nice subtle spice but don't come over too strong), and doesn't use butter to bind the ingredients, just water.

The cheesecake itself is practically just avocado, cream cheese, and a little sugar.  And you don't bake it.  But it is creamy, flavorful, and very good because it's not too sweet but is packed with flavor.

So hey, go out on a limb.  Give it a try.  

PS--I made a raspberry sauce to garnish it with, but I ate every bite of mine just plain.  I didn't want anything getting in the way of all that delicious avocado flavor!!

AVOCADO CHEESECAKE

slightly modified from theamazingavocado.com

3/4 c shelled walnuts 

1 c graham cracker crumbs (about 1 individual package in the box of 3, plus 1 or 2 crackers)

1/2 c + 1 T sugar, divided

1/2 tsp crushed anise seeds (I used a mortar and pestle)

1/4 tsp salt

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1 lemon

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 fully ripened Haas avocadoes, halved, pitted, peeled and diced

8 oz cream cheese (I used regular, full fat), softened and cut into pieces

Heat oven to 350.  In food processor, pulse walnuts until finely ground.  Add graham cracker crumbs, 1 T sugar, anise, and 1/4 tsp salt.  Pulse until ingredients are well mixed and fine.  Add 2 T water and pulse until ingredients are combined and look like wet sand.  Press into bottom of  8 1/2" springform pan.  Bake 20 minutes, then cool completely.

In small bowl, combine gelatin with 2 T water and let stand 5 minutes.  With a sharp vegetable peeler, peel lemon to obtain zest (just yellow portion) of lemon in strips.  In saucepan, combine milk, zest, vanilla, and 1/2 c sugar.  Bring to a boil, then add gelatin.  Stir until gelatin dissolves, then remove from heat.  Strain out lemon zest and discard.

In food processor, combine avocado and cream cheese until blended.  Add milk mixture and process until very smooth.  Pour into baked crust, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set.  Run knife carefully around sides, then remove outer ring of springform pan. Serve with raspberry sauce if desired.  Cheesecake is best if served the same day.