Chicken Cordon Bleu

We sell this great deli ham seasoned with rosemary that I've been looking for reasons to write about. I decided to try cooking something I've never made before, and I found this dish here...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-cordon-bleu-ii/detail.aspx

I only needed 4 servings, so I cut the chicken, ham, and cheese quantities to 4. The rest of the ingredients stayed the same. I used our 6 oz. boneless skinless breasts, but I wished I would have used 4 oz. You need them to be flattened as much as possible. This is a service that we offer to our customers at work if requested. I also got the cheese and ham sliced a little thicker than usual, thinking more is better. This was unnecessary.

I broke the slices of ham and cheese in half and arranged to the pieces to fit on the breast better. And I'm not a wine enthusiast, but I happened to have an unopened bottle of white zinfandel in the house. I drank what was left after fulfilling the recipe requirements, which made the evening much more interesting.

Other than the modifications I mentioned, I followed the steps of the recipe as listed. The end result was fantastic. I don't have a lot of experience making sauces, but this part of the recipe was the best. It tasted wonderful. Maybe this is the wine talking, but I had a lot of fun making this recipe, and it was very easy to do once I had tracked down all the ingredients.

Everyone in our house agreed this is one of our new favorite dishes, even the finicky kids.

More and more, I am convinced that anybody can cook delicious new and exciting meals with just a little planning and a willingness to try.

stuffed pork chops

I started making stuffed pork chops at the Market this week. We're currently offering three choices...

1. stuffed with fresh chorizo and chopped yellow and orange peppers, and seasoned with kosher salt, New Mexico Chile, and cilantro
2. stuffed with Mild Italian sausage and diced dried tart cherries, and seasoned with kosher salt and green Italian seasonings
3. stuffed with Country Sausage and diced dried apples, and seasoned with kosher salt and sage

Seeing that this is the first time we're offering them, I took some home to test. I cooked them in the oven on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees uncovered. I stuck a 155 degree meat thermometer in the middle of the sausage. The thermometer popped right around 45 minutes, and the chops were cooked perfectly, and they taste fantastic. I think my favorite is the Italian.

Brined Roast Chicken

Cooking trends come and go. Something will be featured on t.v. or in a magazine. Suddenly many of our customers are asking about this trend. A few years ago, brining turkeys was the hot idea at Thanksgiving. Out of nowhere, seemed like everybody wanted to brine their turkey. The next year, it was gone.

A customer of ours turned me on to the benefits of brining. He gave me this recipe to use.

1 gallon water

1 cup kosher salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbspn. peppercorns

1 orange or lemon, sliced (skin-on)

In a large pot on the stovetop, pour in the water and mix in the other ingredients. No need to cook this for a long time, you're just trying to get a good mix. When the salt and sugar have dissolved, put the mixture into your fridge and get it cold. Soak the bird in the mixture: overnight is ideal, but six hours minimum. When you're ready to roast, remove the bird from the brine, rinse, and pat dry. Season and roast the bird the way you would normally without the brine.

I've had a lot of success with this recipe. The salt causes the meat to absorb the liquid, which is then released while in the oven. The balance of sugar and salt is important so the meat doesn't end up too far in either direction (sweet or salty). The acidity of the citrus helps tenderize the meat.

Tonight we had a 5 pound roasting chicken. I made the brine as described, with the addition of a shot of molasses and one shot each of lemon juice and lime juice. I soaked the bird for most of the day and then rubbed it under the skin with poultry seasoning. I put a couple cloves of smashed garlic and some orange slices from the brine in the cavity. I tied the feet together and put the bird on an open roasting rack. At 325, I assumed the roasting time would be about 2 hours. The thermometer popped right around 1 hour and 50 minutes, and I let the bird rest while I finished the sides.

End result: delicious! I love how the brine affects the dark meat, which I normally pass over. The entire chicken is super moist, tender, and flavorful. All in all, I would say our five pound bird will end up producing 6-8 moderate servings (our kids are young).

I've also used this brine on pork loins with the same great result. Next time, I think I'll try this technique with a fresh ham.

fresh andouille

At work, we had a few andouille sausages left that needed to be cooked. This was a perfect opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone. I don't care much for neither spicy dishes nor seafood. So Cajun cooking doesn't happen too much at my house. However, I'm working hard to try new things, and I've been wanting to get the hang of cooking with beans.

After a little web searching, this is the recipe that appealed to me...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/richard-and-suzannes-famous-red-beans-and-sausage/detail.aspx

Andouille is a sausage that is available both fresh and smoked. The smoked version is usually fully cooked. You have to be mindful of this fact, in case the recipe is assuming you'll be using smoked.

Since the andouille I was using was fresh, I browned them in oil first, and set them aside. I substituted a yellow pepper for green (I don't like green peppers), used 1/2 black beans and 1/2 red beans, creole seasoning instead of crushed red pepper, and a little extra bacon (hoping to add more smoky flavor).

Otherwise, I followed the directions very closely. From start to finish, I was working in the kitchen for a little more than an hour. The end result was very good! I served over white rice with fresh cornbread on the side. Now I've got a sink full of dirty dishes, but it was so worth it. There's enough here to feed us for at least a couple days.

Next time I make this dish, I will also add some smoked andouille to enhance the overall smokiness. The dish has got a little kick, but it's not too hot for a wimp like me to enjoy.

Laisser les bons temps rouler!!

"Good food is not cheap. Cheap food is not good." ~~ Joe DeCaro

http://www.cleveland.com/west-side-market/index.ssf/2011/12/post.html

New Year's Dinner, complete with awesome bone booties my three kids made.