Chicken with Cornmeal Dumplings, or, Melissa Cooks the Last Chicken Recipe!

Now, don't get overly excited. Notice I didn't say I had cooked the last Poultry recipe, which includes such as-yet-uncooked adventures like "Fragrant Crispy Duck" which asks you to 1. Marinate the Duck 2. Steam the Duck 3. Air-Dry the Duck 4. Fry the Duck and then (presumably) 5. Eat the Duck.

But still, the bulk of the poultry chapter is dedicated to chicken and there are no less than 30 recipes, all of which I have now cooked, Yay Me!!!!!

I've been waiting for the cooler weather to make Chicken with Cornmeal Dumplings, and the seasons have finally conspired to help me out. Chilly, blustery days with fall leaves skittering around? Perfect for this meal.

Although I can count on one hand (or maybe two) the number of times I've made dumplings, I always love them when I eat them. Surely they must be on a list somewhere of Comfort Food. Topped with a nice pan gravy--mmmmm.

This is a pretty easy recipe--I would say do-able for a weeknight if you're not in a super-hurry. Brown chicken pieces in a pan, deglaze with wine and shallots, then cook chicken til done. Take out the chicken (keep warm!) and use the cooking liquid as the base for a gravy, adding stock, flour and cream. Cook the dumplings in this for 15-20 mins--and the dumplings are just the usual suspects in the baking dept plus cornmeal and herbs. I didn't even bother with buying buttermilk--just soured my own milk with vinegar.

Good stuff, people!

So I'm looking back over these chicken recipes trying to pick a favorite...I remember being astonished that I didn't need toothpicks for Chicken Kiev...amazed at the complex richness of Chicken in Pumpkin Seed Sauce...expanded (in a horizons way, not a saddlebag way) by the flavors of Individual B'stillas (Moroccan Chicken and Almond Pie) and appreciative of the lean tastiness of Asian Chicken and Water Chestnut Patties. And also I'm remembering how very very very cross I was making two of these recipes, Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic, and Hunan-Style Tea-Smoked Chicken.

So, what do I have left in the Poultry Department? Here's what you can look forward to in the days, months, no doubt years to come:

Roast Turkey with Herbed Bread Stuffing and Giblet Gravy

Oyster Stuffing

Sausage Fennel Stuffing

Chestnut Stuffing

Grilled Turkey with Cranberry Gravy

Pistachio Turkey Ballottine with Madeira Sauce

Turkey Breast Stock

Bacon-Wrapped Cornish Hens with Raspberry Balsamic Glaze

Morrocan-Style Roast Cornish Hens with Vegetables

Fragrant Crispy Duck

Glazed Duck with Clementine Sauce

Spiced Roast Goose with Dried Fruit

Roast Capon with Chile Cilantro Rub and Roasted Carrots

Roasted Poussins with Cumin and Lemon

Roasted Guinea Hens with Whole-Grain Mustard and Herbs

Braised Pheasant with Red Cabbage and Wild Rice

Roasted Squab

Squab Salmi

Minced Squab and Pork with Rice Stick Noodles

Rabbit with Mustard Sauce

This should be interesting because I don't even know what half of those things are. And I should say it's what I have to look forward to because after all I'm the one eating them! Although please note that some of these feed many people so local folks you may be called upon to help us eat these delicious meals. Yay more dinner parties!

Creamy Slaw

Hey, doesn't that coleslaw look nice? I didn't make it! Somebody at Worldwide Gourmet did! Thank you Worldwide Gourmet for letting me use this picture without asking!

Why do I not have a picture of my own coleslaw? Because if you read the prior post you will see that I was in a big freakin' hurry to put this dinner together and so had no time for the niceties of photography, but don't we all love the internet where you can find all kinds of imagery, even imagery you're really not expecting. For example, I entered Creamy Slaw into the Google, and on the first page there were a few pictures of coleslaw on its own, and the rest were pictures of coleslaw on HOT DOGS. What is the deal with that? Everybody knows the only proper topping for hot dogs is sauerkraut because it's the best at masking the flavor of the hot dogs, especially if there is some really spicy mustard to go along with it.

Although it must be said that in Salem last weekend (home of Halloween wackiness this time of year) I had a pretty good hot dog--I was upsold to some kind of all beef hot dog which was truly the most hugely massive hot dog I've ever seen (I couldn't finish it--O'Malley did) and it was actually juicy, which is an experience I've never had with a hot dog. And now this whole post is making me uncomfortable because of the whole imagery thing and Jeez you people have dirty minds!!! Stop it!!

But back to the Creamy Slaw, believe it or not I still had some cabbage kicking around from earlier in the summer (hooray for veggies that have holding power!) and figured a) perfect opportunity to use it up b) because it's perfect with fried fish.

If you've made coleslaw before this will probably be familiar to you--this is the creamy slaw we all know and love from our childhoods. which is to say that it's pretty much equal parts mayo and sour cream w/ a little cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Best for me, NO SUGAR. I hatehatehate coleslaw that is sweet, which is why I usually eschew the coleslaw option from restaurants and supermarkets. What is wrong with people that they have to ruin a perfectly good salad with sugar?

I was also happy about this recipe because I got to use some late-appearing green peppers from some containers on our deck. Local cabbage AND peppers! How awesome is that?

Cheddar Pecan Crackers

Really, these were more like Cheddar Pecan Cookies. Why? Because as per usual when I'm throwing a dinner party I'm in a screaming hurry, working at top speed, and when I spotted the directions to flatten each ball into a 1 1/2 inch disc I said Feh and threw them in the oven instead.

Oh but let's back up...why the dinner party and wherefore?

So you'll remember I'm in this fish co-op, right? Like a farm share thingy but with fish? I was in it over the summer (you may recall me complaining about icky fish guts) and decided that all that fish every week was too much so I split my half share with my friend Elizabeth for the fall. But still, every two weeks, we get A LOT OF FREAKIN FISH...so, survey says, time for a dinner party!

This past week it was a gigantic pollack. You don't find out what the fish is until about two hours before you go pick it up, but I've pretty much decided that the best way to handle most forms of fish is to dredge them in a batter of cormmeal + potato starch, hot hungarian paprika + salt, mixed with either beer or lime seltzer water and then deep fry it. So by the way when I say I'm working at top speed it means besides all these recipe type things I am chopping up a gigantic whole fish. Well, not chopping it up. That sounds so inelegant. I mean I am (as they say in the business) breaking it down. And I have a fish rack (complete with head) cuddled up next to the ice cream in the freezer, even now.

OK, cheddar pecan crackers. People who eat at my house on a regular basis (you know who you are) know that I rarely bother with apps, and very often not dessert either. It's like--booze, and then dinner. With more booze.

BUT. In my quest to get people to help me eat this fish I happened to be communicating with somebody from work who helps me out A LOT and I said, hey, why don't you come help us eat this fish and bring your girlfriend too?

And then I thought, shit. There was much to-do when I first came on to my job about me being a chef, and these folks are going to be expecting something more than fried fish and coleslaw. I mean, I guess I have a reputation to maintain!

So I made a little game plan, which was roasted pepitas (which I had in the freezer), cheddar pecan crackers, a veg dish which Elizabeth was going to bring, creamy coleslaw, fried fish, cherry tomatoes and lemon semolina cake with raspberries. That's do-able, right? In 2.5 hrs?

Anyway, this is where you came in. Me in a screaming hurry, throwing un-flattened cheddar pecan crackers into the oven.

So let's talk about the actual recipe here. Epicurious has it, and you can see that it's got a nice short ingredient list with nothing too weird. You beat the butter and cheddar together until they're smooth (hooray, btw, for cabot x-sharp shredded cheddar)--this placed considereable strain on my mixer and I had to fiddle around a lot with speed and so forth. Finally I threw the egg yolk in there to loosen it up and that helped. I blanched a little bit at the 1/2 tsp. of cayenne but what the hey--throw that in with salt, flour and chopped pecans and mix it all up. If I were doing this again I would definitely use my Kitchen Aid with the paddle attachment.

Then they say "roll rounded teaspoons of dough into balls" Hahahahahaha--how about a little mini-scoop with a release bar instead? Sounds about right for the chef on the autobahn of food prep. In a calmer moment I might chill the dough and try the rolling/flattening thing--the warm dough is super-sticky.

And, these were really really good, even in their cookie-not-cracker state! Taste--awesome--sharp and spicy, and full of pecan. Classic taste combo--perfect for a party. Keep it in mind for the holidays, folks! And stay tuned for Creamy Coleslaw and Lemon Semolina Cake with Raspberries.

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Fran, I have not forgotten you! Busy composing a dirty limerick about cooking and blogging. Keep your eyes on the mailbox!

Jessica, send me your mailing address!!!

Mexican Hot Chocolate and....Contest Winners!!!!

OK, the exciting stuff first! Not that Mexican Hot Chocolate isn't exciting--it certainly IS, especially on a cold blustery day.

But who doesn't like a winner?!? And here we have not one, but two!

The Grand Prize Winner is Fran of Frantastic Food, who will be receiving a copy of the new Gourmet Today, and the first runner up is Jessica of The Joy of The Joy of Cooking, who will be receiving the mini-Gourmet Today that I got way back in the wintertime!

Congratulations, you two! If you send me your mailing addresses, I'll write dirty limericks in them and pop them in the mail post-haste.

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One of the most exciting things about Mexican Hot Chocolate (aside from drinking it) was the excuse to go out and buy an exotic form of chocolate.

I'd been hearing about Mexican chocolate for years, usually in the types of venues that also say things like "you can use regular oregano instead of Mexican oregano, but it won't be the same". So yes, this recipe suggests that you find some Mexican chocolate like Ibarra...and since I happen to have the spiffy food store Lula's Pantry right down the street from me, I trotted down there and bought some.

Of course I could hardly wait to open up this mysterious chocolate--with hints of cinnamon, it says!--and try it.

This is not your ordinary chocolate! For one thing, it comes in round tablets, and for another thing, it's completely mixed up with granulated sugar! See that whiteness on the edge of the break? That's cut sugar.

So here's the thing about all this sugar mixed in with the chocolate--it makes for kind of a chalky eating experience if you're just nom-ing it right out of the wrapper. BUT--all of that sugar, evenly spaced throughout all of that chocolate goodness makes for brilliant MELTING capabilities--super fast! Swiss Miss, who needs you when we've got Ibarra for our hot chocolate needs???

Here's the rundown for making Mexican Hot Chocolate, and I'm doing this from memory because it's not online and also my neighbor Don borrowed Gourmet Today to make an Indian dinner for our book group last week (OH MY LORD THE LAMB BIRYANI) so bear with me if I screw up.

First thing--whip some heavy cream with a dash of almond extract and a little powdered sugar. Then bring equal parts whole milk and half and half to an almost-boil (I think it was about 4 cups altogether) and add 5 or 6 oz of chopped Ibarra chocolate. Also add a pinch of cayenne. Whisk until smooth, pour in cups, top with whipped cream and chopped macademia nuts.

There, that sounds about right! Where is the sugar, you ask? In the chocolate. I'm telling you, Ibarra should be right next to all those crappy powdered hot chocolate mixes in the beverage aisles.

This drink was creamy and really satisfying, although for my tastes I would have added about twice the cayenne and also some cinnamon since the "hint" of cinnamon in the Ibarra was pretty much nonexistant for me.

And...I still have some of this in my fridge. I've been adding it to my coffee and THAT is another really amazing beverage experience. In fact I'm going to go get some right now.

(blogger's note--I went just now to find an image of a "satisfied woman" and aside from the expected and distracting and not-at-all what I was looking for pictures of naked women (though much could be said about sex and chocolate I guess), I found this one:

Hahaha--it has nothing to with hot chocolate but how could I not put this up?

Shock--Condé Nast to close Gourmet Magazine

You know, I heard this rumor sometime last year, but I never ever thought it could possibly come true. Axing Gourmet over Bon Appetit? And on the heels of not just one but two amazing cookbook releases? I can see how it could be considered in a devestated economy, but come on--the tide is rising again, slowly but surely.

But--this in the NYT today.

There is much to say here about corporate overlords, shareholders and profit margins vs. cooking, writing, art and love. But right now I'm thinking only about the hard-working staff of Gourmet and their families, and of course our Ruth, who is the front man for this band and is absorbing a lot of praise and criticism in the media right now.

Ruth. Our director? I'm thinking Tarantino.

Bellinis, and Shellfish Watermelon Ceviche, Take One

Oh, you were perhaps looking forward to Bluefish with Green Tomato and Watermelon Salsa? Well, so was I until I looked at the recipe again and saw that it called for sea bass, not bluefish. They don't taste anything like the same, so I cooked the bluefish with the Lemon Caper Brown-Butter Sauce from the Gourmet Cookbook. Mighty fine! But these green tomatoes aren't really going away very quickly so stay tuned--seriously.

So--I effed up the Shellfish Watermelon Ceviche. How, you may be wondering? Argh--really through my own arrogance, which is just so aggravating sometimes.

Here's what happened. Actually first let me tell you how it is that I first found out about ceviche--many many many moons ago at a friend's wedding I had ceviche for the first time. I was amazed when the technique was explained to me--the shellfish wasn't cooked with heat, it was "cooked" with the acidity from limes and lemons. I could go into a long explanation about denatured protiens but it's really kind of boring--the end result is something that has the same basic mouthfeel of fish that's been cooked with heat.

So, that's what I always thought--that ceviche was in essence, raw seafood cured with citrus juice, with some other stuff thrown in. And when I took a look at this recipe, I saw that it called for some poaching of shellfish--the scallops and the shrimp--and the lobster you've bought already cooked. The reason? It "eliminates any food safety concerns", according to the head notes.

Feh! I live in one of the most amazing seafood locations in the world, and I should have food safety concerns? I think not!

So I merrily chopped up my raw scallops and shrimp and mixed them in with the lobster and other ceviche ingredients, and waited for the magic to begin.

And waited.

And waited.

And stirred the ceviche.

And waited.

And 24 hours later came to the conclusion that perhaps there might have been a reason why poaching is called for.

And did a little research.

And discovered (thank you o font of information, Wikipedia) that in every country where ceviche is served (think places with hot weather), the fish is put in raw, but the shellfish is poached.

Also, for those daring enough to drink the ceviche "juice", it's considered an excellent cure for a hangover.

Good to know! But that didn't really help me with my quandry, which is that I had a bowl of mostly raw shellfish, cooked lobster, and ceviche stuff.

Hmm. So I picked out the lobster, and put the bowl in the microwave...and zapped it for one minute, four times in a row, stirring each time and finally coming to the sad conclusion that perhaps it was time to admit defeat and start afresh at a later date.

So I did.

Here's a picture of what it will maybe look like, at this aforementioned later date--and thanks to Anna Williams, who took this picture that's on Epicurious:

Doesn't that look good? We'll get there, promise.

OK, on to happier subjects! Bellinis!!

So this is yet another tasty entry in the Drinks chapter of Gourmet Today, and it only has two ingredients--peach puree and Prosecco. Of course, you have to make the peach puree, and the recipe calls for white peaches but I had some super ripe local peaches that needed doing something with so non-white peaches it was.

Here's what you do--put three quartered peaches in a food processor with a crushed vitamin C tablet (seems weird but prevents browning, and if you think that's odd believe it or not I have a bread recipe that calls for vitamin C too) and some sugar and lemon juice.

You might not be surprised to hear that I didn't read the directions super-carefully and put everything in my blender instead...

...which, I know, does essentially the same thing but with chunky stuff the food processor doesn't mess around and with the blender there is much stopping and stirring and pushing down and trying again before you get enough liquid to really get the party going in there.

But finally I had a puree going...

If you're serving six you're supposed to put this (strained) puree in a pitcher and then the Prosecco (oh and by the way if you're wondering what Prosecco is, it's sparkling white wine from Italy), pouring gently to avoid volcanic foam action.

But if you're making individual portions, it's 1/4 cup per glass, and then the Prosecco. It sure does foam up!

When she was getting a refill, my friend Moira combined them backwards--Prosecco first and then a splash of peach puree--and...no foam. So if you try this at home, try it both ways, just for the sake of experimentation. Why not?

The taste! Well, what do you expect? If you like Mimosas, you'll surely like this--it would be a brilliant drink for a Sunday brunch.

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Hey, don't forget about my Win a Double Signed Copy of Gourmet Today contest! Right now Fran has it locked up because she's the only one who's entered. You're not going to let her get away with that now, are you? Give her a run for her money! Contest ends in two weeks so get your entries in!

Cantaloupe Cooler (Agua de Melon)

One of the things I love about both of the Gourmet cookbooks are the recipes that use ingredients or a technique that I've never heard of and never could have imagined. THAT'S when I feel my mind expanding and I get so excited I just can't keep my mouth shut.

As a result, a LOT of people now know about Cantaloupe Coolers. Why? Because the main ingredient isn't cantaloupe, as you might suspect, it's this:

Yep--cantaloupe seeds!

This is what you do: take the seeds of one cantaloupe, 1/3 cup sugar and two cups of water and whiz them up in a blender, like so:

Strain into something (I used a jar) and add a third cup of water:

And you're done! Well, not quite done. You want it to be cold, so put it in the fridge. The recipe says to use very cold water, but I just made it several hours before I knew I'd want it so it would be nice and chilled.

Ah, over ice, so refreshing! But being me I'm always thinking about how to make things even better, so I thought I'd add a little:

...but the Rose's overwhelmed the delicate flavor of the cantaloupe. So when my writing group came over, I suggested a squeeze of:

...and that was truly delicious! But THEN Ruth said, boy, I bet this would be good with rum. And I thought, aha. I bet it would be perfect with:

...which I just happened to have kicking around in a cupboard somewhere. A little teensy splash in each glass, and Let the Writing Group Begin!! Yes, I love my writing group, and not just because they are all perfectly fine with the idea of drinking Malibu rum in the middle of the afternoon!

This recipe can be found in the new beautiful Gourmet Today, and for those of you despairing that I'll never swim out of the Drinks chapter and into something else--fear not! I've got the ingredients for the bluefish recipe with the green tomato and watermelon salsa. So stay tuned!