Crispy baked Teriyaki Chicken

When I decide what to make for dinner each week – I try to pick out a mix of new recipes that appeal to me as well as some old favorite staples.  I added this recipe to my list – expecting that we would like it – but I was not expecting to be so overwhelmed by how much I enjoyed it.  I mean – its really just baked chicken with a teriyaki sauce on the side.  But that sauce was so much better than I ever expected.  And when you keep the sauce on the side you are able to keep the chicken crispy and only add as much sauce as you like.  It was perfect.  Enjoy!   

Ingredients

For the sauce:

• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar or sake
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. mirin

For the chicken:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2-3)
• Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1. To make the sauce, combine the soy sauce, orange juice, rice vinegar, sugar and mirin in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 6 minutes, until slightly thickened.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 475˚ F. 

3. In a nonstick frying pan, toast the panko breadcrumbs until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.  Set aside in a shallow dish. 

3. In another shallow dish, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs together.  Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

4. Butterfly the chicken breasts into halves so that you have 4-6 pieces total.  Lightly season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.  Using tongs and working with one piece of chicken at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture to coat both sides.  Shake lightly to remove any excess.  Then dip into the eggs and shake gently to remove any excess.  Finally place in the panko, turning to coat well.  Transfer to the prepared wire rack.  Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. 

5. Once all the chicken pieces are in place, spray lightly with cooking spray.

6. Bake for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden.  Let rest a few minutes before slicing and serving.  Serve with the teriyaki dipping sauce.

Source: seen on Annie’s Eats who slightly adapted from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook by Jaden Hair

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Chocolate Macarons

Macarons are all the rage right now – even being touted as the new ‘in’ dessert replacing cupcakes.  I was always in awe of them – especially since I’ve never even tried them.  So I knew that had to change.  They are also often described as finicky or difficult to make.   That doesn’t scare me though – since I am good at following directions and have no problem weighing my ingredients for accuracy.  In the end – I found them no harder to make than any other semi-complicated dessert that I’ve tried before. 

You know the macaron is successful if they grow ‘feet’ – so I was really excited when I peered in the oven and they had raised up.   You also have to ‘age’ your egg whites – and I did this by keeping them in my refrigerator for about a week after I made the Caramel Espresso Ice cream.   It worked perfectly – and for some reason I felt better doing it this way than leaving them out on the counter to age.

The filling is a chocolate espresso ganache – it was so smooth and creamy and so delicious. 

I cannot wait to try more macaron recipes – they were so much fun to make and very impressive.   Many of the desserts that I make are actually for either clients of my husbands, work or family events – but these were just for us.  (My mom did get lucky and was able to try a few when she stopped over). 

Oh and have a Happy Valentines Day I think my husband fell in love with me all over again after I made these. 

Ingredients

For the macarons:

• 110 grams blanched slivered almonds
• 200 grams minus 2 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 100 grams egg whites (from about 3 eggs), aged (in the refrigerator for 3-7 days or at room temperature for 12-24 hours)
• 50 grams granulated sugar

For the espresso ganache:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 5 Tbsp. bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 tsp. espresso powder

Directions

1. Pulse the almonds in the bowl of a food processor until finely ground.  Add the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder to the bowl and process until blended. 

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy.  Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until a smooth, shiny meringue with stiff peaks forms. 

3. Add the ground almond mixture to the bowl with the meringue and quickly but gently fold together using a wide rubber spatula until no streaks remain.  You want to achieve a thick batter that ribbons or flows from the spatula when lifted. 

4. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain wide round tip.  Pipe into small rounds (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter) on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart.

5. Let sit at room temperature for about an hour to develop a hard shell. 

6. Preheat the oven to 300˚F.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on size.  Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely before moving the cookies. 

7. While the cookies are cooling, make the ganache.  Combine the cream, butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Place the chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.  Bring the cream mixture to a simmer, remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate.  Let stand 2 minutes, then whisk gently in small circular motions until the ganache forms.  Stir in the espresso powder.  Let the mixture cool until it is thick enough to pipe.  (To speed chilling, transfer the bowl to the freezer or refrigerator and let cool, stirring every 10 minutes, until thickened.)

8. Once the cookies are totally cooled, pipe a layer of ganache onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair.  Sandwich together with the remaining cookie, pushing the filling to the edges.  Store in an airtight container.

Source: Annie’s Eats, originally from Tartlette

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Thin Crust Pizza

Even though I live in New York State – I am about as far away from New York City as you can get and still be in the same state.  So the type of pizza that we have here is essentially Buffalo-style pizza and not New York-style (i.e. thin crust) pizza.  Here is a great wikipedia entry on different types of pizza in the United States – and Buffalo-style is even on the list!   You can find a few places locally that make authentic thin crust pizza.  And there is just something about the thin crust with the gooey cheese and crisp topping that I really enjoy.

So when the latest Cook’s Illustrated promised perfect thin-crust pizza, I added it to my menu plan.   My absolute favorite part of this pizza was the crust.  It was so easy to make (entirely in the food processor!) and was super simple to work with.  It was a breeze to shape – and I almost tossed it in the air when I was shaping it – it was that perfect consistency.  Maybe next time I’ll be brave and try it!  

I made two pizzas – one with just pepperoni and one with pepperoni and mushrooms.  It was unbelievably delicious and can’t wait to make this again. 

Ingredients

Dough

• 3 cups (16 1/2 ounces) bread flour, plus extra for work surface
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 1/3 cups ice water
• 1 Tbsp.vegetable oil , plus more for work surface
• 1 1/2 tsp. table salt

Sauce

• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and excess liquid discarded
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

topping

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups (8 ounces) mozzarella cheese, shredded
• other toppings (pepperoni, mushrooms, sausage, veggies, etc. – no more than 4-6 ounces per pie)

Instructions

Dough

1. In food processor fitted with metal blade, process flour, sugar, and yeast until combined, about 2 seconds.  With machine running, slowly add water through feed tube; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds.  Let dough stand 10 minutes in the machine.

2. Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of workbowl, 30 to 60 seconds.

3. Remove dough from bowl and knead briefly on lightly oiled countertop until smooth, about 1 minute.  Shape dough into tight ball and place in large, lightly oiled bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.

Sauce

1. Process all sauce ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to medium bowl or container and refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble pizza

1. One hour before baking pizza, adjust oven rack to second highest position, set pizza stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.

2. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. Shape each half into smooth, tight ball.  Place on lightly oiled baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart; cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with nonstick cooking spray; let stand for 1 hour.

3. Coat 1 ball of dough generously with flour and place on well-floured countertop. Using fingertips, gently flatten into 8-inch disk, leaving 1 inch of outer edge slightly thicker than center. Using hands, gently stretch disk into 12-inch round, working along edges and giving disk quarter turns as you stretch.  Place on pizza peel or parchment paper.

4. Using back of spoon or ladle, spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce in thin layer over surface of dough, leaving 1/4-inch border around edge.

5. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan evenly over sauce, followed by 1 cup mozzarella.  Add additional toppings as desired.  Repeat with remaining pizza.

6.  Slide pizza carefully onto stone and bake until crust is well browned and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pizza halfway through. Remove pizza and place on wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Source: Cook’s Illustrated, Jan 2010

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Caramel Espresso Ice Cream

Reading is one of my favorite hobbies – it is so relaxing to just curl up on the couch or bed with a good book and escape into the story.   I love ‘foodie’ books as well – and the best part of those is that they usually contain a few recipes.  So it’s almost a dual purpose – a great story and some great recipes. 

Well David Lebovitz (ice cream maker extraordinaire) does not disappoint in The Sweet Life in Paris.  The book was a lovely depiction of his life in Paris and the intricacies of living abroad.  I looked forward to each new chapter and was constantly dog-earing recipes at the end of the chapters.  I’ll have to say – it really makes me want to go to Paris – even more so than I already wanted. 

After I finished the book – this was one recipe I could not get out of my mind.  I mean – caramel and espresso ice cream – do I really need to describe this deliciousness any further.  You cannot go wrong with this combo and I’m not really even a coffee drinker. 

I have to admit that I don’t have an espresso maker – so I did just use some of my instant espresso that I have in my cupboard.  The coffee flavor is really balanced well with the caramel and not too overpowering.  But if you like a strong coffee flavor you can always add more.

Now I’m going to sit back with a bowl of this, relax and enjoy my latest book and dream about going to Paris.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• pinch of salt
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup strong brewed espresso

Directions

1. Spread sugar in an even layer in the bottom of a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Heat slowly until the edges begin to melt and liquefy.  Cook stirring with a heatproof spatula, until the sugar turns deep brown and begins to smoke.

2. Continue to cook and then pour in the cream while stirring continuously.  The sugar will seize and harden, so stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. 

3. Add the milk and salt and heat until warm and the hardened dissolves.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks.   Slowly pour in the warm caramel mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly; then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

5. Stir the custard constantly over medium heat, scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir, until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon (and reaches 170 degrees F).

6. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl set over an ice bath.  Cool the custard by stirring frequently. 

7. Once cool, stir in the espresso.  Then chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

8. Churn according to your ice cream maker manufacturers instructions. 

Source: The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz

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Coffeecake Muffins

I am a sucker for a good crumb topping – put it on anything and I’ll enjoy it (well, maybe not everything).  These ingenious muffins – not only have the perfect crumb topping – it is also mixed throughout the batter.  Why did I not think of this myself?   Making these also reminded me that I haven’t made my favorite coffee cake recipe in forever – so I really need to get on that stat! 

The other thing that I loved about these is that they are entirely made in the food processor.  You first make the crumb topping and then the rest of the batter – no dirtying both the food processor and mixer.  And less dirty dishes is definitely a win-win in my book. 

So grab your morning (afternoon or evening) cup of coffee and enjoy these muffins.  I know I sure did.  

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces and softened
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
2. Process nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon in food processor until nuts are the size of sesame seeds, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and set aside.
3. Return bowl and metal blade to food processor, add flour, granulated sugar, and salt and process until combined, about five 1-second pulses.
4. Sprinkle butter evenly over flour mixture and process until butter is oat-sized, about eight 1-second pulses.  Remove 1 cup of the flour-butter mixture and stir with fork into reserved brown sugar mixture until combined to make streusel.
5. Set aside 3/4 cup of streusel for muffin batter and remaining portion for topping muffins.
6. Add baking powder and baking soda to remaining flour mixture in food processor bowl and process until combined, about five 1-second pulses.
7. Whisk together sour cream, egg, and vanilla; add to flour mixture. Process until batter is just moistened, about five 1-second pulses.
8. Add 3/4 cup reserved streusel to flour mixture and process until just distributed throughout batter, about five 1-second pulses.
9. Divide batter among 12 muffin cups and sprinkle with streusel, pressing lightly so that streusel sinks slightly into batter.
10. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out with several crumbs clinging to it, about 18 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffin tin on wire rack for 2 minutes, then remove and cool on wire rack until ready to serve.
Source: Cook’s Illustrated as seen on Amber’s Delectable Delights
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