Improved Chicken & Dumplings

This is a classic Southern recipe. The version I learned from my grandmother in North Carolina was stripped down simple: just a whole chicken, boiled in "stock" made from water and Campbell's condensed chicken broth, and dumplings made from flour and Crisco. It was my go-to comfort food as a child, but these days I find myself wanting more out of this dish. I decided to amp it up by treating the first half of the recipe - boiling the chicken - like making chicken stock, and the second half - boiling the dumplings - like making chicken soup.

First, I picked up the classic chicken soup veggies: onions, celery, and carrots. Then I took the leftover bits from the vegetable mis en place and added them to the boiling stockpot while the chicken cooked - waste not, want not! I also added in the spices typically found in stock recipes: whole black peppercorns, thyme, and a bay leaf. Finally, I switched out Campbell's condensed chicken stock for Better Than Bouillon. For the second half, I updated the dumplings to include leavening and swapped the water for milk, then added the chopped veggies in with the dumplings to cook side by side.

Bring to a boil in a large stock pot:
12 cups of water
4 tbsp. "Better Than Bouillon" chicken base, reduced sodium

Add:
1 bay leaf
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 large spring of fresh thyme, whole
1 whole head of garlic, sliced in half horizontally
celery: about 1 stick worth of tops and bottoms
top and bottom of 1 onion
tops, bottoms, and peels of 4 medium carrots
4-5 lb chicken
* Remove the giblets from the chicken's cavity and toss them in as well.  Include the heart, gizzard, and neck if you have them, but discard the liver - it will add off flavors to the broth.

Boil covered for 45-60 minutes, rotating the chicken once about half way through. When finished, set the whole chicken aside to cool in a large bowl.

Strain the stock to remove solids, then pour it back into the pot and return to a boil. Meanwhile, make the dumplings.

Dumplings
Mix in a food processor:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder

1.5 tsp. salt
0.5 cups cold Crisco solid vegetable shortening

Add and process just to combine:
~1 cup milk (or cold water), as needed (just enough to bring the dough together)

Roll out dumplings about 1/8” thick on a floured counter top. Cut into ~2" squares (a pizza wheel is excellent for this).

Add to boiling stock for 20 min:
dumpling squares

Simmer covered over medium low heat, about 20 minutes until pastry is mostly cooked. Leave the lid slightly ajar to avoid boil over. Stir once or twice to redistribute the dumplings floating on top. 

Add and boil a further 20 min:

1 white onion, diced
4 medium carrots, diced
3 sticks celery, chopped
4 springs of fresh thyme, tied together

To finish, pick all the meat off of the chicken carcass and return it to the pot.  Squeeze one half lemon into the pot. Adjust salt & pepper to taste. 

Shopping list
4-5 lb. whole chicken
fresh thyme
whole head of garlic
1 white onion
4 medium carrots
celery (3 stalks)

lemon

Check the pantry
Better than Bouillon chicken stock base, 4 tbsp.
Crisco vegetable shortening, 1/2 cup
all purpose flour, 3 cups
bay leaves
whole black peppercorns

Boursin Mashed Potatoes

This recipe is unbelievably easy, and incredibly flavorful. It harnesses the power of a premade cheese blend to avoid most of the hassle normally associated with good mashed potatoes. Via Budget Bytes.

For the salt, I keep adding it and tasting until I feel subconsciously compelled to keep reaching back for another bite.

Boursin mashed potatoes
serves 6-8

Cut into one-inch cubes:
2.5 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes

Place the diced potatoes in a large pot and fill with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by one inch. Place a lid on top and bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Boil for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender.

Once the potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork, drain them in a colander. Return them to the warm pot (with the burner turned off).

Add and mash the potatoes to a rough consistency:
1/4 cup milk
1 5-oz. package Boursin "basil and chive" cheese

Add a further 1/4 cup milk, and mash/stir until mostly smooth.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice to finish.

Shopping list
2.5 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes
5-oz. package Boursin "basil and chive" cheese

lemon

Check the pantry
1/2 cup milk

Sesame chicken

Via Budget Bytes.

Sesame Chicken
serves 4

Combine in a small bowl: 
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. water
1.5 tsp. (0.5 tbsp) sesame oil
4.5 tsp. (1.5 tbsp) brown sugar
4.5 tsp. (1.5 tbsp) rice vinegar
1 inch fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. sesame seeds

In a large bowl, whisk together: 
1 egg
2 tbsp cornstarch
a pinch of salt and pepper

Take 1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Trim any excess fat, then cut them into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture (a technique called "velveting").

Heat a large skillet with ~2 tbsp. of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and all of the egg mixture. Cook the chicken for 7-10 minutes, until it's golden brown and cooked through. Stir occasionally to break up the chicken chunks (and avoid making an omelet).

Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat it. Thanks to the cornstarch, the sauce will begin to thicken as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Once the chicken is coated and the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat.

Serve over rice.

Pancakes for 2

Alton Brown makes a mean pancake recipe. However, his is designed to feed a family of four, three times over if you count the volume of dry ingredients (which he says to split into 3 and freeze). Even a single batch makes about 18 4-inch pancakes, which is far too much for just me and my husband on a Sunday morning. Since doing mental math before noon on a weekend should be illegal, I've cut down the recipe and recorded it here.

Pancakes for 2
makes 8-10 pancakes

Dry ingredients
Combine in a large bowl:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Wet ingredients
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, combine 1 cup milk and 1 tbsp. lemon juice. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Pour into a medium bowl:
1 cup buttermilk

Melt in the microwave:
2 tbsp. butter

Separate 1 egg, adding the yolk to the melted butter and the white to the buttermilk.

Whisk each mixture together. Then pour the yolks/butter into the buttermilk/whites, and whisk thoroughly to combine.

Pour the combined wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk until just combined (some lumps will remain). If you would like to add blueberries, chocolate chips, etc., stir in about 1/2 cup at this point.

Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle until a drop of water will dance across the surface. Lightly butter the surface, then wipe it thoroughly with a paper towel until no butter is visible.

Using a 1/4 cup measure, ladle the pancake batter onto the hot skillet. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake, flip the pancakes. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the middle of the pancake is set.

Hold the finished pancakes on a plate in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Tiki drinks

We've started experimenting with making classic tiki drinks, so I'm making a standing post that will be updated with our successful experiments and favorite versions.

Rum recommendations:
Jamaican, dark Jamaican: Appleton Estate
dark: Koloa dark
Demerara: El Dorado 5 year
white, light: Mount Gay


Demerara Dry Float
Discovered at the bar Smuggler's Cove. This recipe was found on TikiRoom.com. The original calls for Luxardo, but I find that Cherry Heering, which is sweeter, better balances the citrus in the drink and adds a nice depth of flavor.

2 oz El Dorado 80 proof Demerara rum
0.5 oz Lemon Hart 151 Demerara rum (float)
0.5 oz Cherry Heering or Luxardo maraschino liqueur
2 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz Small Hand passion fruit syrup
0.5 oz simple syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice except the 151. Strain into an empty glass and float the 151.

Mai Tai
The original recipe, as determined by Beachbum Berry. Use quality rum.

2 oz. rum, pref. Appleton Estate (options: gold, spiced, or 50/50 light/dark rum)
0.5 oz Grand Marnier orange curacao
1 oz. fresh lime juice
0.25 oz Small Hand orgeat syrup
0.25 oz simple syrup

Sidewinder's Fang
http://www.killingtime.com/Pegu/2012/02/02/tiki-drink-sidewinders-fang/

1 oz. dark Jamaican rum
1 oz. demerara rum
1.5 oz. fresh lime juice
1.5 oz. orange juice
1.5 oz. Small Hand passion fruit syrup
2 oz. soda water

Painkiller
http://tikiloungetalk.com/2011/11/25/painkiller-cocktail-recipe-your-weekend-tiki-drink/

2 oz. dark rum
1 oz. cream of coconut
4 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. orange juice

Puka Punch
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Puka-Punch

2 oz. white rum
0.75 oz. dark Jamaican rum
0.25 oz. 151-proof rum (optional)
0.25 oz. falernum
1 oz. fresh lime juice
0.75 oz. fresh orange juice
0.75 oz. pineapple juice
0.75 oz. Small Hand passion fruit syrup
2 tsp. honey mixed with 2 tsp. hot water, chilled
1 dash Angostura bitters

Garnish with pineapple slice, orange wedge, and maraschino cherry.

Gazpacho from scratch

Food processors aren't designed to hold large volumes of liquid! If the liquid level rises above the spindle in the center, your gazpacho will start to leak out all over your countertop. So make sure to blend the vegetables in smaller batches and transfer them to a secondary container.

Gazpacho
serves 4-6

Working in batches, blend until smooth in a food processor:
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
tops of one bunch of green onions

1 large cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
4-5 medium ripe tomatoes, quartered

Transfer each batch of blended vegetables into one large container. Stir to combine.

Add and process until combined:
1-2 cups of blended vegetables

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp salt

5 dashes hot sauce

Return contents of blender to the larger container and stir until evenly mixed. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Refrigerate until cool. Garnish with croutons and small diced vegetables for texture (e.g. bell pepper, onion, cucumber) just before serving.

Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is a delicious Southern staple, and often makes an appearance at Thanksgiving.  However, most recipes for it are cloyingly, tooth-achingly sweet. This recipe actually has the proper ratio of pecan flavor to sugar! It comes to me via my friend Kathleen, who modified it slightly from the Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Herrmann Loomis.

If you want to create a decorative pie, leave the pecans whole and arrange them in the pie shell in whatever pattern you desire. However, a pie made with whole pecans is harder to eat.  If you don't possess a food processor, you can easily buy crushed pecans and mix the pie filling by hand with a whisk.

Not-So-Sweet Pecan Pie

Ingredients
1.25 cups whole pecans
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup (e.g. Karo brand)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pre-baked pie shell

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Briefly pulse 1.25 cups of whole pecans in a food processor to break them down slightly. Set aside.

Blend in a food processor until thoroughly combined: 
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup

And and blend until smooth:
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Pour the pecans in an even layer in the pre-baked pie shell. Carefully pour the blended egg mixture over them, transfer the pie to a baking sheet, and place it in the bottom third of the oven. Bake the pie at 350 for ~35 minutes until the filling is set. Remove it from the oven and let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack before serving.