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By mlb, on March 4th, 2013%
Does cinnamon and chicken sound weird? Well, maybe just a little at first (although, probably not as weird as tuna meatballs with cinnamon), but, honestly this chicken dish is so amazing. The chili flakes keep the cinnamon-sugar marinade from becoming too sweet and it all just really seems to work with the juicy, roasted chicken thighs. Plus, when you think about it, just because cinnamon seems to be typically used (at least in the U.S.) in sweeter recipes, the spice itself isn’t sweet at all. It’s paired with lamb all the time. See, not that weird at all.
Also, I seriously love chicken thighs. Even the skinless, boneless ones aren’t bad but the bone-in thighs are just the best, so you can probably imagine how much I enjoyed this meal. This harissa, while I’m not sure how authentic it is, pairs excellently with the chicken. The caraway adds a very unexpected flavor and the roasted bell peppers are all smokey and rich — a flavorful partner for the spicy, cinnamon-y, crispy skin.
On the side we had some cumin roasted carrots (carrots, sliced and tossed with cumin, salt, pepper and olive oil, roasted . . . → Read More: Cinnamon-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Harissa Sauce
By mlb, on January 17th, 2013%
This week’s French Fridays with Dorie is all “knock knock.” And I’m all, “who’s there?” And it’s all, “Chicken liver.” “Chicken liver who?” I ask. And it’s all, “No, really. Chicken liver. Go buy some chicken liver and let’s do this.”
So, I bought chicken liver. I blended it up in my food processor with some egg yolk, half and half, garlic and herbs, etc…and I baked it. And it was pretty damn good.
Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten so used to ordering charcuterie (the dream of the 1890′s) when we go out and there’s always a delicious terrine or a pâté or what-not on the plate. Or maybe I was just feeling extra adventurous, but I did it. And I would do it again, too.
I loved the pickled onions (I also had some store-bought pickled peppers on the side) and we had it with a simple salad, some red wine and a long skinny baguette from Little T’s. A very delightful and very French meal. As always, the recipe is in the cookbook, Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.
Notes:
I made a third of a recipe (1 egg, 1 egg . . . → Read More: FFwD: Chicken Liver Gâteau with Pickled Onions
By mlb, on December 13th, 2012%
I have actually made something like this week’s French Fridays with Dorie Chicken, Apples and Cream a la Normande before, so I knew I would probably like it. And I did. I used regular brandy, as I didn’t have any Calvados. I also halved the amount of cream. Just because it’s the holidays and who needs more cream than necessary, right? Even with only 1/3 cup, it was very rich and delicious.
Oh and I also think I added garlic. Everything must have garlic. Here’s a link to everyone’s posts and my photos below.
Sauteing the chicken, lightly dusted with flour first.
Apples, onions and mushrooms added to the pan. A couple of cloves of garlic too.
After adding the brandy, reducing a bit.
Now the 1/3 (instead of 2/3′s) cup of cream.
Plated and ready for eating. Leftovers made great lunches the next day.
 . . . → Read More: FFwD: Chicken, Apples and Cream a la Normande
By mlb, on October 25th, 2012%
French Fridays this week features a tagine, which is a dish that I love. This one has chicken and sweet potatoes, along with prunes or…hmmm, let’s maybe just say figs. That’s what I had already, so that’s what I used for the dish (and these Around my French Table recipes do seem to be fairly forgiving ingredient substitution).
I do look forward to making tagines on account of my super-awesome Emile Henry tagine (the result of a gift card to Sur la Table), so this FFwD was an extra special treat for me.
Notes:
1. I replaced the 1/2 cup water with wine because, why not?
2. I deglazed the pan that I browned the chicken in with the stock and then added the saffron to that, before adding it to the tagine (for some reason, I think I’ve heard to add saffron to liquids first). Plus, I really didn’t want to waste any flavor from the chicken-browning pan.
3. There was garlic added (duh).
4. We had this with whole wheat couscous.
5. I liked the flavor a lot, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the French are just not . . . → Read More: FFwD: Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes and Prunes (Figs)
By mlb, on October 24th, 2012%
Last August, I attended the International Food Bloggers Conference* in Portland, OR (a short 20 block trip) and had a really wonderful time. Lots of interesting and useful sessions (some with wine!), met some new food people, reconnected with some food bloggers I mainly knew from the online world and….got a free Ninja Cooking System!
The Ninja Cooking System is sort of like a crockpot that also sears, steams and oven roasts food. You can set it for slow cooking or stove top cooking and I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical at first. But, I’ve tried it twice now and both times, it worked really well. The first experiment was for a traditional crock pot-like meal — African Peanut Stew and it performed exactly like a slow cooker would. So, good job, Ninja!
The second experiment was a bit more challenging — I tried a recipe that came in the accompanying recipe booklet for Lemon Chicken with Rosemary, which they categorize as steam-infused roasting. Now, in a traditional slow cooker, I would expect this to come out like a pale, . . . → Read More: Ninja Cooking System: Lemon Chicken with Rosemary
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