It’s inexcusable. It’s just plain ole’ food-blogging malpractice. I came across this recipe for Moroccan Brick Chicken about fours years ago. I have cooked it countless times. And while I don’t like to play favorites among my favorite recipes, between you and me, this is my mostest favoritest dish to come out of my kitchen. So, it’s indefensible that it’s just making it onto this site.

As the cover photo implies, this chicken is full of deep, bold flavors: spicy cayenne, smoky paprika and cumin and, earthy and sweet cinnamon. And while the spices combine to create a beautiful, warm and fragrant rub, it’s the lemon that gives the chicken that little something extra by adding a touch of tang and brightness – bringing the dish to life. It’s a very juicy and succulent dish. I always serve it with the Mint Yogurt Dressing to add a little sweetness, coolness and cream to the plate.

NOTES: For best results, you should butterfly, and remove breast plate of chicken. Here’s an “How To” video). Also, I made a few tweaks to the original recipe: increasing the lemon juice to better round out the spices and using ground spices instead of toasting whole spices (the amounts were adjusted to reflect the change).

MOROCCAN BRICK CHICKEN  

Adapted from Chef Tyler Florence

2 TBL ground cumin
2 TBL ground coriander
1.5 TBL cinnamon
1 TSP sweet paprika
1 TSP cayenne

3 TSP kosher salt

¼ cup olive oil, plus more for sautéing

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, (about 2-3 lemons)
1 whole free-range chicken, split and butterflied (video on butterflying chicken)

Mix cumin, coriander, cinnamon, paprika, cayenne and kosher salt in bowl. Stir in the olive oil and lemon juice. Place chicken in a large plastic “Zip-loc” bag. Pour in cumin marinade and “squish” around until the chicken is thoroughly coated. Marinate chicken for 4 hours or overnight.

Place foil-wrapped brick in oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add a 2 count of extra-virgin olive oil and cook chicken skin side down. Carefully, remove bricks from the oven and immediately cover with foil-wrapped brick (alternatively, you can use a heavy skillet). Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until chicken is golden brown. Finish cooking in the oven for a further 20 to 25 minutes. If the chicken hasn’t cook through, removed brick(s) to allow the top side to roast faster. Internal temperature between the leg and thigh should register 165 degrees F. Serve with Mint Yogurt Dressing.

MINT YOGURT DRESSING

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
½ bunch chopped fresh cilantro leaves
½ bunch fresh mint leaves
2 green onions, green parts only

2 TBL honey
1 lemon, juiced
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Combine yogurt, cilantro, mint, green onions, honey, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a blender. Blend to smooth consistency and chill.

Can caviar taste and Ramen Noodle budget exist together? This was the question that brought me to this recipe.

More specifically, can you put a budget friendly twist on the classic dish, Duck Confit? Duck Confit has a special place in my heart: succulent, tender meat and crispy flavorful skin. But there’s a down side. Besides being cooked in vats of cholesterol packed animal fat, it’s cook in very expensive vats of cholesterol packed animal fat. And since duck fat doesn’t grow on trees, I was committed to finding a more cost efficient alternative. There are two stages to a traditional confit recipe. The first is curing the meat with salt. The second, is slow poaching the meat in fat. As for the curing, for years I’ve used an herb-salt recipe from Thomas Keller’s cookbook, Bouchon. The recipe has always worked for me and I felt no need to change it. Finding an alternative to using duck fat would be the true hurdle.

No duck fat pretty much meant that I’d have to go with a plant-base cooking oil. Which then begs the question of whether or not I could even call it “confit.” The short answer is, “maybe, maybe not.” It depends on how much of a purist you are. Some are adamant that you must, under penalty of being publicly flogged, cook and preserve the meat in it’s own fat…let’s call them, ummm, I don’t know…French. But there are many who use the word more liberally, referring to slow poaching meat in any oil as being a confit. Let’s call these people, “non-French.” (Just joking)

More importantly, the real question in my head was, “Would it even work?” Meaning, if I used olive oil, would it overpower the flavor of the meant?; What happens to the flavor of olive oil after its cooked for hours?; Should I use canola oil? or; Would canola oil be too bland?

While doing a little internet detective work, I discovered that famed chef, Michael Ruhlman, had already tackled this question on his website with a recipe for Olive Oil Poached Duck Confit. I immediately came to the conclusion that if it’s good enough for Ruhlman, it’s good enough for me.

So, an olive oil blend it would be.

And since the objective of the experiment was to make it as budget friendly as possible, I decided to use dark meat chicken quarters in place of duck.  Since chicken has a more delicate flavor than duck, I also decided to blend the olive oil with canola oil – which is more neutral.

While nothing compares to actual Duck Confit (cooked in it’s own fat), I have to say, I really liked this dish. The crispy skin. The succulent meat (obviously, less gamey than duck). I recommend serving it with something sweet to help balance out the fat and salt in the chicken.

In this case, I paired the Chicken Confit with a Beluga Lentil Salad (I’m still tinkering with the recipe). It was a good match. The salad (tart, cold, tangy and filled with crunchy veggies) did a great job balancing out the flavors of the chicken.

NOTE: After marinating the chicken with the herd salt rub, don’t for get to thoroughly rinse the chicken to remove as much of the salt as you can before starting the poaching.

Enjoy!

OLIVE OIL POACHED-CHICKEN “CONFIT”

Adapted from Bouchon by Thomas Keller

½ cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped

¼ cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped

1 1” wide piece of lemon zest, pith removed

2 teaspoons of black peppercorn

4 Chicken Dark Meat Quarters (leg/thigh) pieces

Extra-virgin olive oil (alternatively, use one part olive oil to one part neutral oil – such as peanut or canola)

Place salt, rosemary, lemon zest, peppercorns, in the bowl of a small food processor (or coffee grinder). Processor ingredients until well combined and the salt is a vibrant green. Set aside.

Rinse chicken legs under cold water and pat dry. Rub the green salt over the legs making sure to rub a little extra around the thick parts and the joints. Place the legs flesh side up in a baking dish, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

After the legs have marinated, preheat oven to 180°F.

Meanwhile, thoroughly rinse legs to remove all of the salt. Pat each dry and set aside.

Place the legs in an ovenproof pan no more than two layers deep. Pour enough of the oil blend (roughly, 2-parts olive oil to 1-part canola) in the pan to completely cover the chicken legs.

Over a medium high flame, heat chicken legs until the oil is warm and bubbles began to rise. Place chicken legs, uncovered, in oven, and cook for 6 hours – until meat is tender and fat is clear.

Remove legs from the oven and allow to completely cool. Refrigerate (still completely submerged) and store covered for up to a few weeks.

Before use, remove legs from heat and sauté skin side down to achieve crisp brown skin and then turn them over once to heat through – about 3-4 minutes total.

Drain legs on rack or paper towels.

It happens every year like clockwork. I call it my Three Stages of Autumnal Culinary Acceptance.

You saw Stage One last week: The Denial. I stubbornly refuse to even entertain the notion that summer is over. So, in the middle of October I start making a variety of frozen, pool party worthy treats. I present Exhibits #1-3: This Fall’s Blackberry-Red Wine Ice Cream; Fall 2010’s Frozen Strawberry Margarita Pie; Fall 2009’s Mango & Raspberry Sorbets. See? I have problem. And then comes Stage Two: The Acceptance. I go all in – throwing myself into as many new seasonal recipes that I can get my hands on. During this phase, I usually find at least one or two stand out recipes that earn a permanent place in my cooking repertoire (fancy word, right). Which brings me to this recipe for Roasted Curried-Cauliflower. Amazing.

I stumbled across this recipe online. I’d never cooked a curried vegetable dish before but I was drawn to its use of spices: the coriander, cumin and, of course, the curry. I felt it would be a comforting dish. Attached to the recipe were 100 reader reviews that were overwhelmingly glowing: “This was the best way I’ve ever had cauliflower, I couldn’t stop eating it.” and “Fabulous! We all loved it and I am telling all my friends about it.” These were reviews for a cauliflower dish. Cauliflower! When have you ever heard anyone talk about cauliflower with such passion and excitement? I had to try this dish.

Plus, the recipe called for Hungarian Paprika – which I just happen to have. This was meant to be. (No Hungarian Paprika? No biggie. Use the standard-everyday variety.)

I made a few slight changes (largely based off of the online reviews). I adjusted the vinegar down and changed the amount of cumin and coriander to reflect that I was using ground spices and not the seeds called for in the original recipe. I added toasted black and yellow mustard seeds.

Since I was cooking a whole head of cauliflower, I invited a few friends over to help test it out – a good friend of mine cooked a fabulous cinnamon-braised brisket.

The Roasted Curried-Cauliflower did not disappoint. The subtle earthiness of the cauliflower, smoky quality of the spices and fresh heat of the cilantro, played well with the occasional touch of sweetness from the caramelized onions. Next time I’ll use less vinegar (this is reflected in the below recipe). While you want a bit of acidity and brightness to cut through the deep spices, we all agreed that the original proportions slightly overpowered the dish.

For a complete dish, you could toss in some strips of grilled chicken breast.

Oh, I almost forgot…my Third Stage of Autumnal Culinary Acceptance…Indulgence.  This usually happens on Thanksgiving.

Enjoy!

ROASTED CURRIED-CAULIFLOWER

Adapted from Epicurious.com

1 head of cauliflower cut into florets (2lb cauliflower, roughly)

1 large onion, peeled, cut into eights

¼ TSP yellow mustard seeds, whole

¼ TSP black mustard seeds, whole

½ TSP ground coriander

½ TSP ground cumin

1/3 cup olive oil

3 TBL red wine vinegar

2 TSP curry powder

1 ½ TSP Hungarian hot paprika

2 TSP Kosher salt

chopped fresh cilantro, as garnish

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Place cauliflower florets in large roasting pan. Pull apart onion eights into separate layers; add to cauliflower. Stirring occasionally, add black and yellow mustard seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until the yellow seeds darken slightly, about 4-5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, add cumin and coriander to skillet and stir constantly (ground spices will burn quickly) for 1 minute. Crush coarsely in mortar with pestle.

Place toasted spices in medium bowl. Whisk in oil, vinegar, curry powder, paprika, and salt. Pour dressing over vegetables; toss to coat. Spread vegetables in single layer.

Roast vegetables until tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 450°F oven 10 minutes, if desired.)

Mound vegetables in large bowl. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4

This is a ‘Money Back Guarantee’ recipe! A bold claim? Yes. But I say this without a hint of doubt. Chiefly because: 1) it truly is the best Fried Chicken recipe that I have ever cooked (and I was raised in Alabama)! and; 2) I’m giving it to you for free. It’s been awhile sine the last post and I’ve missed sharing some of my favorites eats with you. This has been a busy summer of settling in: new client, new home, new city and thus, a bunch of new local restaurants to discover! Which leads me back to this Brined Fried Chicken recipe.

I’m not much of a pact rat – not a fan of clutter. But there is an exception. My DVR. It’s filled with shows that I have watched and can’t bring myself to erase and unwatched shows/movies that I keep meaning to get around to. I’m a regular ole “DVR hoarder.”

Just the thought of ‘cleaning out’ my recorded list can turn into epic internal battle on what to delete. Do I erase the At Home with Giada episode with the citrus, herb tilapia? Or the Bobby Flay grilled chocolate dessert episode? Or Eric Ripert’s Avec Eric show on wild boar? Impossible decisions. So, the episodes sit, gathering virtual dust, waiting for me to watch and cook.

Recently, I’ve decided to tackle this electronic mountain. First up was a comfort food focused Martha Stewart show featuring cooking demonstrations for crème filled doughnuts, flakey biscuits and brined fried chicken. There was little question as to where I would start. Fried Chicken.

As someone raised in Alabama, I’m no stranger to fried chicken recipes. But there was something about this recipe that stuck out. Developed by the creative force behind the Brooklyn restaurant, Pies n’ Thighs, I was intrigued by the simplicity fo the seasoning and frying following a 24-hour brine. Also, it didn’t hurt that Martha gushed about how great the chicken was when she ordered it during a recent date night at the restaurant. Watching the show, I thought to myself, “Hmmm, we’ll see about that.”

So, I invited a few friends over to help me test drive the recipe. (Unfortunately, I had forgotten that one friend is a vegetarian. Awkward.) But vegetarian aside, it was a runaway hit. Unlike many fried chicken recipes, it’s not heavy and overwhelming. The chicken was crispy on the outside, insanely moist on the inside, full of flavor and had a hint of peppery spice. You taste a bit of the paprika and cayenne – not enough to turn off people who are sensitive to spicy foods. The spice just hangs around in the background giving the chicken a little something extra.

A word on brining. For those not familiar with the process it may seem that soaking the chicken in water with so much salt is just asking for trouble. But brining actually makes the chicken moist and well-seasoned. Why? Through science. Osmosis actually – the theory of molecules moving from an area of high density to an area of relative lower concentration. Meaning, that the water molecules seek to move from the higher density of the salted water to the relatively lower saline density of the meat. As the water moves into the meat, it brings some of its flavoring with it. Thus, a more flavorful and moist piece of meat on your plate. (Ok, enough with the science.)

A must try recipe!

Wanna try another flavor impact fried chicken? Try our Spiced Lime Fried Chicken recipe. Our most read recipe (with about 300k hits) and it was named by Saveur magazine as being a “Best of the Web.”

TASTIEST FRIED CHICKEN, EVER!

Recipe adapted from the Brooklyn restaurant, Pies n’ Thighs

Brined Fried Chicken

2 tablespoon paprika

4 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

¾ cup kosher salt

½ cup sugar

1½ cups all-purpose flour

Canola Oil for frying

Mix paprika, cayenne and black pepper in a bowl and set aside. Meanwhile break whole chicken apart into eight pieces (if the breasts are large you may want to further divide each in half).  Rub chicken piece with the paprika mix – each piece should have a generous coating.  Set aside.

Bring 3 cups of water to a bowl in medium saucepan.  Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in kosher salt and sugar into hot water until both dissolve.  Pour brine into a large mixing bowl. Add enough ice (about 3 cups) or iced water into bowl until water is complete cooled.

Place chicken pieces into cold brine. Make sure that all of the pieces are completely submerged in the brine. If needed, place a small plate on top of the chicken to keep it submerged.  Place chicken in the refrigerator and let marinate for 24 hours.

Pour oil into a large skillet – about 2’ inches deep.  Over a medium high flame, heat oil to a temperature of 350°F.

Spread flour across a large plate. Set aside.

Remove chicken pieces from brine and gently rinse off excess brine solution with fresh water.  While chicken is still wet from the rinse, immediately dredge it in the flour – it should have a complete coating of flour – and place the chicken piece in the hot oil for frying. Repeat with as many pieces that can fit in pan without overcrowding.

Cook for 5 minutes, then turn the chicken over and cook for an additional 10 minutes for white meat and 12 minutes for dark meat or until chicken is done.

Drain pieces of a paper towel.

Health effects. Smelth effects. I loved MSG. OK, well, that’s an exaggeration. I don’t actually LOVE MSG.

Growing up in the South, MSG (better known by a consumer product brand, Accent) was practically a kitchen staple. You used it in everything: soups, marinades, sprinkled on ‘garden fresh’ tomatoes (yeah, I know how ridiculous fresh anything with MSG sounds), fried chicken, stewed veggies…the list goes on. It wasn’t until well into adulthood that I realized that MSG came attached with some serious health problems – headaches, digestion issues and shortness of breathe to name a few.

As my appreciation for food and cooking has grown and matured over the years, I have tried my best to be more responsible about what I put on the table and in my body. Although, I’ve been known to still use a dash of Accent while making my mother’s ‘best in the South’ fried chicken recipe.

Besides ditching MSG, I’ve made other efforts towards improving my diet. It’s been 3 months since I’ve walked through the doors of a McDonald’s and said, “I’ll have a Number 6 with no ketchup or mustard, one slice of cheese and hold the tomato. With Sweet Tea and Medium Fries.” For those of you who are not McDonald’s connoisseurs, a #6 is a Double Bacon Angus Beef Burger. It’s the same in any McDonald’s in the United States. I’m not proud that I know this.

It is through this renewed embrace of better eating that makes me so excited about many of the recipes in the cookbook, Super Natural Every Day. Written by Heidi Swanson author of the fabulous website 101Cookbooks.com, this book reads like a food romance novel (read the full review at our sister-site TatteredCookbook.com). Her love of food, flavors, exotic ingredients is down right infectious.

One of the many recipes to land at the top of my ‘must cook’ list is the Wild Rice Casserole. The photograph of the dish looked so comforting and so filling that it stopped me dead in my tracks. Made with a blend of wild black rice and red rice, this dish promised to be as filling as any of the heavy meat-laden casserole varieties that many of us are accustomed to.

With excitement I got down to cooking.

As suspected, the black rice gave the dish heft. and served as a perfect compliment to the creamy and slightly tangy baked custard of sour cream, Dijon mustard and cottage cheese.

And making the casserole with two varieties of rices gave it more balance.

Since, I was only cooking dinner for a date and myself, I halved the recipe and baked it off as individual servings. I paired it with a shaved Brussels Sprout & Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad – the cool light and sweet flavor of the salad was a perfect counter to the filling casserole.

Cheers!

WILD RICE CASSEROLE

From Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

2 large eggs

1 cup cottage cheese

½ cup sour cream

1 TSP Dijon-style mustard

Kosher salt

1 TBL extra-virgin olive oil

8 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 cups cooked wild rice and/or brown rice

1/3 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese

1 TSP chopped fresh tarragon or thyme

Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Rub a medium-large baking dish with a bit of butter or olive oil (ideally 9×13” or individual baking dishes).

In a large bowl, whish together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, mustard and a scant ½ teaspoon salt.

In a large skillet over high heat, combine the olive oil with a couple pinches of salt. Stir in the mushrooms. After the initial stirring, leave the mushrooms alone until they release their water and the water evaporates, about 5 minutes.  Continue to cook and stir every couple of minutes until the mushrooms are browned. Ad the onion and cook until the onions are translucent, another 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cook for another minute, and remove from the heat. Add the rice to the skillet and stir until combined.

Add the rice mixture to the cottage cheese mixture, stir until well combined, and turn into the prepared backing dish. Sprinkle with two-thirds of the grated cheese and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the casserole takes on a lot of color. If you are in a rush, you can finish it under a broiler for a couple of minutes, but watch carefully so the top of your casserole doesn’t burn’ it can happen quickly. The finished casserole should be hot throughout and golden along the edges. Serve sprinkled with the chopped tarragon and the remaining grated cheese.

Serves 6

It’s been some time since I’ve added anything to these pages but I’m back. After all, you didn’t think you’d be lucky enough to get through the entire summer without my virtual smiling face on your computer screens, did you?

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far. It’s been a busy one on this side of the internet with lots of things happening all at once. (On that note, thank you for the emails checking in during my absence. It was great to hear from everyone and I sincerely appreciate the sentiments and concern. Thank you.)

Not only has it been a busy summer but it’s been a very hot one too! So, I can’t wait to tell you about the salad in today’s post – it’s cool and refreshing, the perfect foil to steamy summer days – but first a little detour…

As I mentioned, there is a lot going on. Chief among them is that I am now a gypsy. A number of months ago, I moved out of my home and started the process of purchasing a new home. Sounds great? Well, hold off on any congratulations, cause there’s a wrinkle (why are there always wrinkles?).

Although I went into contract on the seemingly complete place in December of last year, it is still not ready to be occupied. Evidently, we’re waiting on final approval from the NYC Building Department. It’s been a long, grueling process. Frankly, the whole things makes me long for the days when a strategically placed envelope stuffed with cash could magically open the doors to passing a city inspection. Evidently, New York City government and inspectors are now corruption-free (just my luck).

So, now I’m a nomad – roaming from one short-term place to another, waiting for the day that I can move into my new home (and get back to keeping these pages regularly updated). So, if you are walking around NYC and you see a visibly lost man wandering around with suitcases, a white Kitchen Aide mixer and a cooler filled with homemade smoked meats, don’t be afraid stop and say hi.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the Green Bean-Citrus Salad with Dill Pesto. This dish was kind of an accidental discovery. It was Sunday. It was a hot hot New York summer day. No one wanted to leave the comfort (and AC) of home. So, Robert (my talented, best BF in the world, BF) cobbled together this dish from remnants that were in the kitchen.

There was dill and parsley in the fridge and cashews in the pantry…the idea of a pesto was born. There were green beans from the previous night’s dinner. There was ricotta salata for creaminess and salt. There were oranges– which is all we needed to add a little brightness and acid to the dish.

And shock beyond shock, we absolutely loved it! It’s a great balance of flavors. And especially delish when served ice cold. Refreshing, light and bright.

NOTE: Since first making this dish, we’ve tested out a variation using diced roasted beets. It was even better. The beets added a layer of yummy sweetness that helped to round out the sharpness of the oranges. And it was pretty!

GREEN BEAN-CITRUS SALAD & DILL PESTO

1 TSP salt

½ pound fresh green beans, washed with stem ends removed

½ cup fresh dill, roughly chopped

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

2 TBL fresh chives, roughly chopped

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup walnut halves

1 clove garlic

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 large oranges

½ cup (or more) ricotta salata, crumbled with your fingers

Cook beans in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, 7-8 minutes. Drain well; cool immediately in iced water to stop the cooking process. Once, beans are chilled drain well, pat dry with a paper towel and set aside in a large bowl.

In the bowl of a food processor, add dill, parsley, chives, cheese, walnut halves and garlic and process until all ingredients are finely chopped. With motor running, add oil and blend until incorporated. Set aside.

Cut peel and white pith from oranges. Carefully, remove individual orange segments with a knife. Cut each segment in half. Before discarding the orange membranes, squeeze them over the bowl of green beans to extract their juice.

In large bowl containing green beans, add half of the dill pesto, orange segments and ricotta salata. Toss to incorporate. To suit your taste, add more dill pesto and/or crumbled ricotta salata.

Chill salad to allow the flavors to meld together.

Serves 4 (as a side).

If it wasn’t for that fact that I will have my own personal chauffer and someone to dress me up, I’d be late to my own funeral.

Whether it’s meeting friends for a movie or a movie, I am almost always running a tad bit behind scheduled plans. This “Tardy for the Party” mentality (if you get that joke, you, like me, watch way too much reality TV) extends to all reaches of my life. For instance, take asparagus season.

Asparagus season has been in full swing for quite some time now and somehow I am just now getting around to making a dish with what is my favorite veggie. I am not sure what took me so long to get around to it but let me tell you, this recipe for Ribbon Asparagus Tart is a great place to begin.

The other day I was watching the Martha Stewart Show (I actually watch that show more than I care to admit.) and I was knocked off of my seat and spurred into asparagus action. They were promoting the recently released book, Dinner at Home by Martha Stewart, by demonstrating a recipe for an asparagus tart.

It was a simple recipe pretty much only using puff pastry, asparagus and cheese. It was super simple. But what made the tart stand out to me was the presentation. The asparagus was made using a vegetable peeler to form a layer of asparagus ribbons. It gave the effect of a nest of interlocking green ribbons.

I was intrigued but guarded by the recipe. Last year I had attempted to use asparagus shavings for a salad. It was not very photogenic. To be honest it looked like a big mess.

With last year’s disaster still haunting me, I tried putting Martha’s asparagus tart on the back burner. But as much as I tried it just would not go away. I started thinking of how I would adapt it for my taste. I could pump up the creamy factor by adding a layer of ricotta cheese as the base. Then I thought torn pieces of prosciutto could add a bit of smokiness.

Then I thought about adding a bit of truffle oil (I mean everything tastes better with a little truffle oil, right?). And instead of shaving the entire asparagus, I would shave the stalks into ribbons but leave the tips whole for a visual pop.

As you can see, I couldn’t get this tart off of my mind. So I dove in and gave it a try. And I am so glad that I did. If you love asparagus, I think this tart will be an instant hit.

It’s a nice balance of flavor. The asparagus is not overcooked so they retain their true flavor. And the ricotta, truffle oil, prosciutto give the tart dimension and layers of flavor without over power the true star of this dish…the asparagus.

I hope you enjoy.

Cheers!

RIBBON ASPARAGUS TART

Adapted from Dinner at Home by Martha Stewart

12 medium asparagus spears

1 sheet (14 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1 large egg, well beaten

2 TSP truffle oil (I use truffle flavored extra-virgin olive oil)

1 cup ricotta cheese, room temperature and light whipped with a fork

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

3 slices of prosciutto

1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut off and discard tough ends off of the bottom of asparagus. Cut off asparagus tips and reserve. Shave the remaining asparagus stalks into thin strips using a vegetable peeler.

In a medium saucepan, bring about 2 cups of water to a boil. Blanch asparagus tips in boiling water for two to three minutes. Remove asparagus tips and immediately submerge them in ice cold water to stop the cooking process.

Meanwhile, roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface, just until creases are smooth. Trim dough to a 10-inch square. Lightly score a 1/2-inch border around dough (be careful not to cut through the dough). Brush off excess flour and transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet (or a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking oil spray). Freeze 15 minutes.

Brush border of dough with the beaten egg. Bake until puffed and starting to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, toss asparagus shavings and drained tips with the oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove tart shell from oven and press down on the center with a spatula.

Spread an even layer of ricotta cheese on the tart shell. Than arrange asparagus on top.

Bake until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese and prosciutto evenly on top. Bake until cheese is melted, about 4 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack 5 minutes before slicing into squares.

Everyone has one. For some it’s a no fuss baked chicken. For others it may be a satisfying tray of hearty lasagna.

It’s their ‘go to’ recipe. A dish that you’ve made so many times that you can cook it on autopilot – an easy dish that always seems to hit the spot.

I have several ‘got to’ dishes (a few of them from McDonald’s). This recipe for Spaghetti all Carbonara is one of my favorites. It’s delicious, filling and very pantry friendly – between the fridge and the cupboards, I tend to always have the ingredients on hand.

It’s an awesome marriage of flavors: smoky bacon, spice of freshly cracked pepper, salty-sweetness of the Parmigiano-Reggiano/pecorino romano cheese blend, and richness of the egg yolk fat all finished off with a fresh lift from the sweet peas. You can’t go wrong.

As easy of a dish it is to make, there is a tiny bit of technique required. And that is in making the sauce. Working fast, you have to stir the eggs into the hot spaghetti until they are no longer liquid but have not yet formed curds (between me and you, even if you go a bit too long and ‘overcook’ the eggs it’s still an amazing dish…the sauce won’t be as creamy). Ideally, you’ll end up with a beautiful, velvety sauce.

A note about the cookbook, Essentials of Italian: Normally, I am not a fan of ‘corporate cookbooks’ – books that are not produce by a chef or individual but rather a corporate committee (some Martha Stewart Living books are the rare exceptions). These books tend to be impersonal and filled with generic recipes and uninspiring photography.

This book, produced by Williams-Sonoma, is an exception. The recipes and photos make me want to get in the kitchen and start cooking my way through the book. Several of the recipes have already become staples in my kitchen (including one for Braised Balsamic Chicken). All in all it’s an approachable, comprehensive and tasty guide through a modern take on Italian cooking.

Have a ‘go to’ recipe that makes your stomach sing? Share and tell us about it.

Cheers!

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA

Adapted from Essentials of Italian from Williams-Sonoma

6 oz precut bacon or slab bacon cut into ¼” thick batons

1 TBL extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lb spaghetti

1 cup frozen peas

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or a mix of Parm-Reg or pecorino romano)

2 large whole eggs, plus

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, combine the pancetta and olive oil and slowly heat slowly until much of the fat is rendered and the meat has browned a little, 10-15 minutes depending on the type of bacon or pancetta that you are using. Leave the meat and fat in the pan and cover to keep warm.

Bring a large pot three-forths full of water to the rolling boil and add about 2 tablespoons salt. Add the spaghetti, stir well, and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the cheeses. In another bowl, whisk together the whole eggs and egg yolk until well blended. Stir the cheese mixture and several grinds of pepper into the eggs.

From this point on, timing and temperature are crucial. Put a large serving bowl in the sink and set a fine-meshed strainer or colander in the serving bowl. Place frozen peas in the bottom of the strainer. When the spaghetti is done, pour it into the strainer, so that its hot cooking water thaws the frozen peas and warms the serving bowl.

Toss the drained spaghetti into the pan with the bacon/pancetta and stir a couple of times to coat the pasta with the fat. Being careful not to burn your fingers, empty the hot water from the serving bowl, reserving about 2 ladlefuls. Transfer the pasta to the warmed bowl, add the egg mixture and stir and toss vigorously with wooden spoon to coat the pasta evenly. Adjust the consistency of the sauce with some of the cooking water if needed. Divide among warmed plates and serve at once.

Serves 4-6.

No doubt that many of you reading this entry will be very disappointed with the content. It’s all about cocottes. Evidently, the French word cocotte has two meanings. There’s the culinary definition – an individual serving sized dish of baked eggs and cream. And then there’s the other meaning referring to – well, you know – ladies of the evening.

So, if you’ve landed here via a Google search with hopes of photos and info on the red light district cocottes, sorry, this post is all about eggs. But if you’re here for the edible cocotte (I’ll restrain myself and not make an off-color joke here) then boy-oh-boy, do I have a dish for you.

The nuts and bolts of this dish are simple (and delicious): eggs, heavy cream, bacon, sautéed potatoes and butter. How can you go wrong, right? You can’t.

The other unique element of this dish is the presentation. It has the beauty of a sunny side up egg (bright, intense yellow yolk center) but with the ease of making a frittata – just mix and pop it in the oven. Again, how can you go wrong?

I was indirectly inspired to make this dish. Walking through a local home store, I found these cool tiny 6-ounce ramekins that were designed to look like a full sized Le Creuset enameled Dutch ovens. I saw them. I was intrigued. Resistance was futile. I bought them. (Did I mention that they were only $2.50 each?)

It wasn’t until I got home that I thought, “Sure they were cheap but what can I use them for?” Individual Mac & Cheeses? That could work. Or maybe soup dishes? Too awkward and forced.

At some point I thought of cocottes. I also remembered this Gourmet magazine recipe that I bookmarked a while back. At this point I should mention that the original Gourmet recipe has almost no resemblance to the recipe that I ended up making. It has been tweaked (ingredients & technique) almost beyond recognition. Not because I possess any advanced skills at culinary improvisation. I just didn’t want to go to the market and buy the ingredients. I used what I had on hand. As I have mentioned before on this site, I can be quite lazy.

More important than the presentation is the flavor. It’s delicious, filling and satisfying. The sautéed potatoes and leeks. The bacon. The lightly cook egg with the rich runny yolk. The cream.

I think this would make a great brunch dish. Or better yet, make them, serve them on a tray with the Sunday paper, orange marmalade buttered toast, a glass of OJ and/or coffee and it becomes the perfect breakfast-in-bed treat for your main squeeze.

NOTE: If you’re making this dish for a group. I would suggest that you cook the bacon and potatoes-leek mixture ahead of time (even the day before). And a bit before you’re ready to serve, assemble the ramekin components and pop them in the oven.

NOTE 2: The eggs in this recipe will not be fully cooked, which may be of concern if salmonella is a problem in your area.

NOTE 3: I recommend that you use a nonstick pan for sautéing the potatoes. I didn’t. A good deal of my potatoes burned and stuck to the pan. Using a nonstick pan also allows you to use less of the rendered bacon fat when cooking the potatoes. Which is good since it’s a bacon, heavy cream and yolk dish.

Cheers!

EGGS EN COCOTTE BAKED WITH CREAM & BACON

¾ cup slab bacon cut into lardons (1/4” wide batons)

2/3 cup potato, ½” diced cubes

1/3 cup leeks, diced

dash of dried thyme

2 large eggs

3 TBL heavy cream

1 TBL butter

Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Chives, diced (for garnish)

Equipment: 2 (6-ounce) ramekins

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

In a medium sized nonstick sauté pan, cook bacon lardons over moderate heat until it they are crisped and cooked through.

Let bacon drain on a paper towel.

Meanwhile pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat. To the sauté pan, add potatoes, leeks and thyme and cook until the potatoes are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Divide and layer the potato/leek mixture among the two ramekins. Add a layer of bacon lardons to each serving (reserving a few of the lardons to garnish the cooked dish). Spoon 1 tablespoon of heavy cream into each serving. Crack an egg into each ramekin and season lightly with salt and pepper. Spoon 1 teaspoon (2 teaspoons, if you dare) of cream over each egg. Cut the tablespoon of butter into 4-6 small pieces and dot the top of each ramekin with butter.

Put ramekins in a shallow baking pan and bake, rotating pan halfway through baking, until whites are just set but yolks are still runny, 15 to 20 minutes, removing from oven as cooked.

Serves 2

Wait!!! Don’t hit the “X” button on your screen.

You might be thinking, “A soup made out of nuts? No thanks. I’ll pass.”

But it’s actually a very delicious dish. Let me explain.

I was flipping through a back issue of the magazine, Metropolitan Home, when I came across a recipe for chestnut soup. Hmmmmmm. I was intrigued. I’d never heard of a soup made out of nuts before (keep in mind that I’m originally from Alabama, so, anything not deep fried is pretty exotic to me).

What would it taste like? Being a pureed nut soup, would the final product be grainy or smooth? I went through this deliberation process, but honestly because I love trying new dishes, I had pretty much already made up my mind to give this soup a try.

In addition to being unique, the recipe is also seasonal. With the exception of this delish Cranberry-Lemon Chocolate Tart from last week, I have been trying my best to cook with seasonal (and regional when possible) produce. And what can be more seasonal than roasted chestnuts in January?

I’ve only made a few tweaks to the original recipe.

First, the original recipe called for frozen chestnuts. To me the beauty of cooking is in using all my senses. I wanted to feel the soft but hard shells. I wanted to perfume the house with the smell of the sweet chestnuts roasting away in the oven. I wanted to hear the cracking and feel the anticipation as I work to release the chestnuts from their shells. So there would be no frozen chestnuts in this soup. I wanted the whole experience…I would roast them.

The second change was in how the fat and diary was incorporated into the recipe. The original recipe used only heavy cream which is added in the soup towards the beginning of the cooking process. I am not a big fan of boiling cream in creamed soup. I prefer to cook the vegetables with stock and milk (I use low-fat) and finish the soup off with a bit of heavy cream. It’s a technique from James Peterson’s book ‘Vegetables’ – which to me is the bible of vegetable cooking. The book’s cover proclaims it as “the most authoritative guide to buying, preparing and cooking” vegetable. I agree. It is.

In the end, I really enjoyed the soup and its complex flavor profile. The sweet ‘meatiness’ of the chestnuts paired with the tang of the cream fraiche is a great marriage. It’s also a great ‘soup & sandwich’ soup. It lends itself to being matched with a nice hearty, earthy sandwich.

No sandwich? It works well with a nice glass of dry white wine. Which is what I did.

Note: For a vegetarian version replace chicken stock with veggie stock.

Cheers!

ROASTED CHESTNUT SOUP WITH CRÈME FRAICHE

2 cups fresh chestnuts

½ cup yellow onion, diced

½ TBL dried thyme

1 TSP Kosher salt

2 TBL extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups milk (I prefer low-fat)

4 cups chicken stock (low sodium, reduced fat, if using canned) or veggie stock

1 cup heavy cream

Crème fraiche, for garnish

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425⁰F.

Placing the chestnuts flat side down on a dish towel (to prevent slipping), carefully score each with an “X” mark across the shell with a sharp serrated knife. Place chestnut in a baking pan with the “X” side pointing upwards. Roast chestnuts for 20-25 minutes. Remove chestnuts from oven. When they are just cool enough to handle peel them of their shell and inner skin. Note: Peel the chestnuts before they become cold.

Over medium heat, sauté the onions and thyme with a pinch of salt in the olive oil in a heavy bottom sauté pan until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add ½ cup water and simmer gently until the onions are soft and sweet and the water has almost evaporated. Add the milk and chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer.

Add chestnuts and simmer until chestnuts are falling apart, about 25 minutes.

Remove soup from heat and stir in the heavy cream.

Using a hand held blender, puree soup until it is well blended and smooth. If the soup is too thick for your taste, feel free to add more milk to thin it out (or more heavy cream, if you dare). Salt to taste.

Note: For an extra smooth finish pass soup through a fine strainer after pureeing it).

Serve soup hot with a dollop of crème fraiche and lots of freshly ground black pepper over the top.

Serves 8 to 10