Recipe Wednesday: Pan-Roasted Chicken Breast With Red Wine Vinegar, Mustard and Tarragon

We are still five months away from Valentines Day, but this recipe comes from the My Valentine's class led by Chef Joshua Simpson in February of 2009. And there's no reason you have to save a great recipe like this for Valentine's Day. Serve it this week to make your whole family feel special!

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breast
 With Red Wine Vinegar, Mustard and Tarragon

4 skin on chicken breast
Salt and pepper

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2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup chicken stock 6 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp butter softened
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp chopped tarragon
2 tsp chopped fresh chives
3 cups wild rice

Preheat oven to 325

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, and when it’s almost smoking, add the chicken breasts, skin side down. Lower the temp. Cook 6-7 minutes and turn them continue to cook until done.

When chicken is fully cooked remove and put on a platter and keep warm in the oven. Remove excess grease from the pan and add the chicken stock, add the vinegar, whisking to scrape the bottom of the pan. Let the liquid bubble briskly in the pan, whisking, until it’s reduced to about ½ cup, then whisk the butter, tarragon and mustard.

Recipe Wednesday: Cheese Soup

The first cool days of fall and we just couldn't resist offering a great soup recipe this week. Thanks to 

Twana Crenshaw for the great recipe.

Cheese Soup



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4 small carrots cut into 1” matchsticks

3 celery stalks, cut into 1” matchsticks

1 ½ c. chicken stock – Swanson’s regular

2 T. unsalted butter

2 T. finely chopped onion

¼ c. flour

3 c. hot chicken stock

1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 can (8 ¾ oz.)Whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped

10 drops Tabasco

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Salt to taste

¼ c. dry white wine (optional)

1 ½ c. whipping cream

Add celery and carrots to 1 ½ c. chicken stock in 2 qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes. Set aside. Melt butter in 4-5 qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until transparent. Add flour, blend well and cook

5-7 minutes, stirring continuously. Slowly stir 3 c. hot stock into flour mixture. Cook over low heat, whisking until sauce thickens. Blend in cheese and stir until cheese melts.

Add celery and carrot mixture and undrained tomatoes. Season with Tabasco, nutmeg, salt, and wine. Just before serving, stir in hot cream.

Recipe Wednesday: Straw & Hay Alfredo with Roasted Asparagus

Today's recipe comes from a Cooking Light class Jody Lehman led in March 2009.

Straw & Hay Alfredo with Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

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2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/3 cup 1/3 less fat cream cheese
2 T. All-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2” pieces
Cooking Spray
8 oz uncooked whole wheat spaghetti
8 oz uncooked spaghetti
2 T. Truffle oil
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine the first four ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add milk mixture to pan; cook 3 minutes or until mixture simmers, stirring constantly. Cook 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Cover.

Place asparagus on jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until browned, stirring once. Cook both pastas according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.

Place pastas and asparagus in a large bowl. Add cheese mixture, tossing well. Add truffle oil and pepper; toss gently. Serve immediately.

Recipe Wednesday: Caprese Whole-Wheat Pizza

Caprese Whole-Wheat Pizza

Whole wheat crust
Makes 6 - 12" crusts
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp dry active yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp dried herbs, chopped (optional)
4 cups white whole-wheat flour (King Arthur)

In a large bowl, dissolve the honey in warm water. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand for about 10 minutes until foamy.

Stir the olive oil, herbs and salt into the yeast mixture and mix in the flour until dough comes together.

Transfer the dough to a floured countertop and knead until it becomes smooth, about 4-5 minutes. If any of the dough sticks to your hands, just rub them with a little extra flour. The finished dough will be springy, elastic and sticky, not just tacky. Place dough back in an oiled bowl, cover loosely with a towel, and put in a warm place until doubled in size.

Transfer the dough to a floured countertop and cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and mold each into a ball. Cover loosely with a towel and allow the balls of dough to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Gently press the dough ball into a dish and pull the dough out to a 12-inches or so. Place the dough on a peel or the back of a sheet pan dusted with cornmeal. Add your toppings (less is more!) and slide the topped pizza onto the baking stone or baking pan. Bake until the crust is crisp and nicely colored. (12-15 minutes)

Tip--Partially bake the crust by cutting the cooking time in half. Allow the crust to cool, place a piece of wax paper between each and place in a freezer bag. As you need a crust, pull one from the freezer, allow them to thaw overnight in teh refrigerator. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and apply your favorite toppings. Place in the oven and bake until the crust is crisp and cheese is melted. Frozen crust will keep for up to 3 months.

Fresh vs Dried Herbs and Spices

Adjustable measuring spoons
make measuring spices easy.

We all know fresh is best. But what happens when your recipe calls for fresh spices and all you have on hand is dried? In most instances, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of a dried herb or spice for 1 Tablespoon of the fresh. Some recipes just aren't the same without fresh ingredients like fresh basil in a Caprese salad. But in most cases, you can easily substitute the dried version of a spice in place of the fresh. Keep in mind that dried spices tend to loose some flavor over time, so if that container has been in the cabinet for a while you might add a slight about more than the day after you bought it.

Have fresh herbs left over? Add it to a mild oil or vinegar to use as infusions for later cooking.

Cooking Tip: Avacados

Avacados provide some amazing nutritional benefits and can be used in anything from dips and soups to main dishes and even dessert.

When you are shopping for avacados, pay attention to both the color and firmness of the fruit. Avacados soften and ripen after they are picked, so a firm green avacado is the freshest but will ripen in 3-4 days. A softer, more mottled avacado may be used in 2-3 days. If you need an avacado to use right away, look for one with a dark green skin.

If the avacado has mushy spots, appears to be pulling away from the skin or has a rattling pit, put it back.

When you are ready to prepare your avacado, check out our slicer/peeler tool as a quick and easy way to get the most of your fruit without damaging it.

Recipe Wednesday: Tuscan Roasted Vegetables

Tuscan Roasted Vegetables
(Taken from our Culinary Journey: Florence class.)
 The vegetables can be prepared in advance and reheated.

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Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 large garlic cloves, crushed and minced

1 medium eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges, each wedge cut into 3 pieces

1 large red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 large fennel bulb, cut into 8 wedges, layers separated

2 small to medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into quarters, and then each quarter cut into 3 pieces

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Put all the vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Add thyme leaves in and drizzle olive oil over the mixture. Mix completely.

3. Arrange the mixture on two baking sheets, spreading them in an even layer. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the vegetables and place in the oven.

4. Roast vegetables for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender when pricked with a knife.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately, or let them cool for later use.

To serve these vegetables as a salad: Cool vegetable to room temperature. Arrange some lettuce leaves on a serving dish, top with the vegetables and make a dressing by whisking together the following:

1 1/2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, scallion or chives.

Use spoon to drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and serve at once.

Recipe Wednesday: Smoked Salmon and Asparagus with Cream Cheese

Thought we'd try a little sushi recipe today taken from our Simply Sushi class led by Joshua Simpson.

Smoked Salmon and Asparagus with Cream Cheese

1 nori sheet
1 cup sushi rice
1 tsp Wasabi paste
2 tbsp cream cheese
4 slices smoked salmon
4 asparagus spears blanched and chilled
Fresh dill minced

Spread sushi rice over nori sheet, flip the roll over so the nori faces up, and with your index finger smear Wasabi and cream cheese over the rice. Arrange 2 salmon slices with two asparagus spears back about 1-1/2” from the end nearest you, allowing asparagus to poke out at each end. Roll until you reach the end, press tight to make sour the roll is tight as possible.

Recipe Wednesday: In The Bag Barbeque

With Father's Day on Sunday, I thought we'd give you a recipe perfect for dad! It comes from our From Smokin’ with Steve Cooking Class in 2007. (And don't forget, you can find Steve's sauce at A Cook's Place.)

IN THE BAG BARBEQUE

3-4 lb pork loin
¼ cup Steve’s Magnificent Grilling Sauce
½ can beer (but don’t let the other half go to waste)
2 T. Steve’s Magnificent Grilling Spice
1 tsp. Liquid smoke (heaping)
1 cup your favorite Steve’s barbeque sauce

Pre-cooking prep:
Rub 1 tablespoon of the grilling spice into pork loin and put in zip lock bag. Pour in grilling sauce and put into refrigerator to marinate overnight or at least 1 hour.

When cooking time arrives:
Take pork loin out of zip lock and rub in other tablespoon of grilling spice. Transfer to cooking bag and pour in juices from zip lock and add beer and liquid smoke. Put into preheated oven at 300 degrees. You will cook this till internal temp reaches 150 degrees – about 1½ hours. When temp is at 150 take roast out of oven and split open bag, leaving it in cooking pan - pour you barbeque sauce over top and return to oven. Cook for another 15-20 minutes until sauce has formed a nice glaze. Remove from oven and let stand 20-30 minutes before carving.

Your meat can now be served by slicing or pulling. A nice way to serve is to take a loaf of French bread and slice down middle and then into 3” sections. Serve open face with grilled vegetables and plenty of extra sauce.

Recipe Wednesday: Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction

Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction


The Caprese salad is one of Italy’s most classic summer salads. Traditionally tomatoes are paired with fresh basil and mozzarella cheese. A drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, reduced down to a syrup, finishes off the refreshing starter. Some chef’s will pair the tomatoes with a variety of cheeses such as goat or feta. The choice is yours but to make it a true Caprese salad, be sure to use fresh mozzarella from the gourmet cheese stand in your local grocery store.

Serves 4

3 Ripe Tomatoes

1 Container of Fresh Mozzarella rounds or logs
12 Fresh Basil Leaves
Bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Slice the tomatoes into ¼-½ thick rounds. Slice your mozzarella the same way. De-stem your basil leaves.

Pour the balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and place on a medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-medium low. The idea is to create a syrup by evaporating the amount of water in the vinegar. This should take just a few minutes. There are sugars in the balsamic vinegar so be careful not to overcook the reduction or it will burn.

Begin plating up your salads by placing a slice of tomato on the plate and then layer with mozzarella, basil. Continue layering until there are three of everything on the plate. Finish the plate with a drizzle of Olive Oil, Balsamic Reduction, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Enjoy!

2010 Tupelo Country Club Invitational

Cooking Demonstration

Chef James Allen

Lasagna Recipe Wednesday: Lasagna Roll topped with Pepper Vodka Shrimp with Trinity Sauce over Sautéed Spinach

Today's recipe comes from a 2010 Tupelo Country Club Invitational class by Chef James Allen.

Lasagna Roll topped with Pepper Vodka Shrimp

with Trinity Sauce over Sautéed Spinach

The versatility of the lasagna roll is endless with the topping being your choice. Marinara, Alfredo, Pesto, or anything you create pairs great with this easy yet appealing entrée. By changing the herbs and seasonings you can easily make this dish your own. These rolls can be made in a larger quantity and frozen for later use.

For the Lasagna Roll:

8 Sheets of Lasagna Pasta, curled edges


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 1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup large cottage cheese
1 package Boursin Cheese
1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
1 TB Basil
¼ cup Chopped Scallions
1 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups Shredded Mozzarella

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and submerge your lasagna sheets for seven minutes. Drain the lasagna sheets and rinse under cold water. Set aside to drain.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, except the mozzarella, and mix well. Lay one sheet of pasta on a clean surface and spread about 2/3 cup on the pasta leaving about an inch and half of the top and bottom of the pasta with no cheese mixture. Gently roll the sheet on top of itself to form a lasagna roll. It should be about the size of a tennis ball. Continue making the rest of the rolls placing them into a greased baking dish, glass preferably. Place in a 350F oven and bake for 30 minutes. After twenty minutes remove the dish and top the rolls with shredded mozzarella, place them back into the oven and continue cooking the last ten minutes.

For the Pepper Vodka Shrimp:

2 # Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Red Pepper, fine dice
1 Green Pepper, small dice
½ Vidalia Onion, small dice
2 Stalks Celery, small dice
1 Jalapeno, fine diced
1 Tomato, medium to large dice
1 TB Garlic
1 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1 TB Fresh Basil, chopped
½ cup Scallions, chopped
½ cup Vodka
Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, sauté peppers, onions, celery and jalapeno, in olive oil, until soft then add the garlic, the spices, and the herbs. After a minute add the shrimp and stir. Once the shrimp is almost done, (completely pink) pour in the vodka and cook for a few more minutes. If the vodka flames up, stay calm and slowly move the skillet off the heat. If you are comfortable playing with flames in a pan, give your guests a show and move the pan back and forth to create a bigger flame. I will however, not be held responsible for burned ceilings. Proceed at your own risk!!!!!

Once the flames die down, add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper then spoon the mixture onto the plated lasagna rolls. Enjoy!
 
For the Sautéed Spinach:


1 bag clipped spinach
½ tsp. garlic
½ tsp. nutmeg
Salt and Pepper – to taste
In a large skillet, preheat the olive oil and butter until it is just turning brown. Add the garlic and the spinach, continuing to move the spinach and garlic in the pan so it doesn’t burn. Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper and enjoy!

Recipe Wednesday: Spicy Cashew Salad & Citrus Vinaigrette

Here's a little lighter recipe than the last couple of weeks taken from a Valentine Dinner class led by Chef Joshua Simpson, Executive Chef at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Spicy Cashew Salad & Citrus Vinaigrette

 Spicy Cashew Salad




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¼ cup cashews

Cayenne pepper

Black pepper

Salt

Granulated sugar

Butter



Place cashews in medium skillet on medium high. Toss until they are golden brown. Remove them from the skillet. (If you don’t they will burn very quickly)

Put butter and sugar in the pan and melt. Let this heat on medium heat until it turns a light amber color. Add the salt, pepper, and the cayenne pepper and combine.

Toss the sugar mixture with the cashews and spread out even on a sill pad.



Citrus Vinaigrette

Red grape fruit

Olive oil

Sugar

Salt & Pepper



Red wine vinegar

In a mixing bowl combine the olive oil and the vinegar with the salt and pepper.

Segment the grape fruit and squeeze the juice from the remaining membranes.

Whisk vigorously until the vinaigrette becomes thick.

Recipe Wednesday: Roasted Pork on a Sweet Potato Bun with Apple Slaw and Molasses Mayo

We promised this recipe to a class a couple of weeks ago. It's taken from our Girls Night: Spring Cocktail class with David Leathers.

Roasted Pork on a Sweet Potato Bun
with Apple Slaw and Molasses Mayo


Sweet Potato Bun



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 1 Tbsp honey2 Tbsp dry active yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp sea salt
3/4 cup sweet potatoes
1 tsp cinnamon
5 cups bread flour (King Arthur)

In a large bowl, dissolve the honey in warm water. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

Stir the olive oil, salt and sweet potatoes into the yeast mixture and mix in the flour until dough comes together.

Transfer the dough to a floured countertop and knead until it becomes smooth, about 4-5 minutes. If any of the dough sticks to your hands, just rub them together with a little extra flour. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky. Place dough back into the bowl, cover loosely with a towel, and put in a warm place until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Transfer the dough to a floured countertop and cut the dough into ping pong ball size pieces and mold each into a ball.

Place the dough balls on a corn meal dusted pan. Cover them with a towel and allow them to double in size. Brush the buns with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden browned.


Pork Tenderloin Dry Rub

2 Tbsp brown sugar
Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp kosher or sea salt
1 Tbsp granulated garlic
1 Tbsp cumin

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

Pork Tenderloin

2 ea pork tenderloins (1-1 1/4 lbs.)
1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a oven safe saute pan over high heat. Season the pork with the dry rub. Sear well on all sides until golden brown. Place pan in the oven and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing on bias.

Apple Slaw

3ea apples, cored and cut into matchstick pieces3 cups cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon
1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
To taste salt and pepper

In a bowl, combine the vinegar, Dijon, and sugar. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Combine the cabbage and apples in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the slaw with the salt and pepper. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Molasses Mayo

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Dijon
2 Tbsp molasses
To Taste black pepper

Whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon, molasses and black pepper until combined.

Cooking Tip: Cooking with Onions (Plus a special recipe)

When you are prepping onions are you crying like you're watching a Hallmark commercial? Tony Tantillo (The Fresh Grocer) swears by his method of storing onions in the refrigerator to keep you from crying over your onions. It's the unstable sulfur compounds that causes this reaction and colder onions seem to help with this problem. Most people will tell you not to store them in the refrigerator because of the moisture, but if you are like me (and, I love to cook with onions) then you won't encounter this problem.

As a special bonus with today's tip, here's a great salad so you can put this new onion chopping method to work!

Amy’s Summer Salad

2-4 tomatoes, sliced and then quartered

1 small onion sliced thin

1 package of mozzarella

1 avocado

1 jalapeno

Arrange sliced tomatoes, onion slices mozzarella and avocado on a medium sized platter.

Seed and dice your jalapeno and sprinkle evenly over top. Drizzle with lime vinaigrette below.

For Lime Vinaigrette:

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

In a jar with a lid, shake together remaining ingredients. Pour desired amount of vinaigrette over salad just before serving. There will be leftover dressing.