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Yosemite Campfire Cooking – Southern Delaware BBQ Chicken

Published August 25, 2008 Chicken , Recipe 5 Comments
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Southern Delaware BBQ Chicken cooking over a campfireThis past weekend we went camping at Yosemite National Park. We took my cousin’s daughters, Ivy and Makayla, with us. Differing from the majority of visitors, we stayed in the high country at Tuolomne Meadow.

Cathedral DomeAngela and I enjoy Yosemite a lot and visit at least once a year (depending on how often we can get reservations). Over the course of our visits, we’ve found that while we enjoy the valley, the real draw for us is the high country where the crowds (and the air) are thinner. The valley seems like a tourist attraction while the high country is more like a national park. We even noticed this as far as campers go: there are far fewer motor homes at Tuolomne Meadow than at the campgrounds in the valley. And, frankly, that’s the way we like it.

When we go to Yosemite, we plan on hiking. This trip, we may have overdone it (please remember that we both live in the city and work in offices before passing judgment on our athleticism). When we first arrived, we set up camp, and then hiked to the top of Lembert Dome. This isn’t a hard hike (Angela and I had actually done it the previous year) but everything’s a bit harder at 8500 ft (and that’s just the starting elevation).

The second day we decided to hike to Cathedral Lake. It was listed as moderately difficult and it was only 7 miles round trip. Plus, the topographical map made it look like it only had a few steep parts and they wouldn’t be too long.

How wrong we were. Perhaps we were out of shape. Perhaps it was the elevation. Perhaps it was because we were sore from the previous day’s hike or from sleeping on the hard ground. It doesn’t matter why but we had a rather difficult time hiking their and back. The guidebook listed it as a 4 to 6 hour hike (depending on whether you just visit Lower Cathedral Lake or head on to Upper Cathedral Lake); it toot us 6 hours just to go to Lower Cathedral Lake and return.

Now, I probably come across as hating the hike. But I didn’t. Cathedral Lake is beautiful. The hike was beautiful. I just didn’t enjoy walking uphill for that long. I may not hike it again but I’m glad I did it the first time.

View from Atop Lembert Dome

But this is a food blog, not a hiking blog. We did eat and we did eat well. The major difficulty of the trip wasn’t the hiking, it was the starting of a camp fire where there’s little oxygen. It may be that I’m incompetent when it comes to campfires (not unlikely really), but I could barely get one going Friday night and Saturday it took half a bottle of lighter fluid and a couple of Coleman fire starting things. It only got going Saturday night when I sent Angela to the camp store to buy charcoal (which went unused and we left for the next campers).

El CapitanOnce the fire finally got started, I got to make something that I can rarely make properly because we have no grill (because we have no place to grill). This marinade is designed for grilling and for anything else it really doesn’t work well.

I call this Southern Delaware BBQ Chicken but it doesn’t have a formal name per se. It’s a family recipe. It’s something that my grandfather, who lives in southern Delaware, used to make and now has passed on to his grandchildren. He even made custom grates for holding and turning the chicken. Part of my childhood was eating barbecued chicken with corn on the cob and potato salad on hot summer days. We always had watermelon for dessert. A few years ago, my grandfather made sure to teach some of his grandchildren (myself included) how to properly cook the chicken.

Given I had a chance to finally grill something, I decided that I needed to make the chicken. To be honest, this isn’t my grandfather’s rendition as I had didn’t have the hours (or the equipment) to grill it to his standards. But, it’s still good. I hope you can enjoy this as my family has. And my apologies to my cousins if I’m letting out any family secrets.

Southern Delaware BBQ Chicken cooking over a campfire

Southern Delaware BBQ Chicken

4 chicken quarters

Marinade:
5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp paprika
1 cup cider vinegar
1 egg, well-beaten
1 cup vegetable oil

  1. Trim the chicken of excess fat.
  2. To make the marinade: Mix together the dry ingredients. Add the vinegar and the egg and whisk to combine. Whisk in the cooking oil.
  3. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for 1 day.
  4. Grill the chicken, turning regularly and basting with the excess marinade regularly, until cooked through.
  5. Serve immediately

Serves 2 to 4.

Sablés

Published August 20, 2008 Cookies , Dessert , French , Recipe 8 Comments
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Sables

These are the most addictive cookies I’ve ever eaten.  Even more so than Thin Mints.  It took a significant amount of will-power to not eat just one more.

Well, that was until we ate them all.  They only lasted two days.  There was a slight bit of miscommunication in our household involving the cookies (“Matthew ate them all!”). Angela still isn’t amused by that.

Sablés are lightly sweet with a predominant butter flavor.  In many ways, they are very French.  They’re basically the cookie form of a sweet tart dough but they also manage to be just a bit better than straight tart dough would be.  It may just be the shape (or the added sugar coating).

The problem I always have with recipes that need to be refrigerated is that when I want to make cookies, I want to make the cookies right now.  I don’t want to have to wait several hours to have the sweet ambrosia; I want it now.

It was my good fortune to actually wait and make these cookies.  The wait was definitely worth it.  We were nearly fighting over the cookies; they were that good.

Sables Before Baking

Sablés
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
coarse sugar

  1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter at medium speed.
  2. Add the sugars and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute.
  3. Reduce the speed to low and beat in 2 of the egg yolks.
  4. Turn off the mixer and add the flour.  Pulse the mixer at low speed 5 times to begin to combine the flour.  Mix at low speed for about 30 seconds or until the flour is well incorporated.
  5. Remove the dough from the mixer bowl and place on a work surface.  Divide the dough in half.  Shape each half into an approximately 9-inch long smooth log and wrap it with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
  7. Working with one log at a time, brush it on all sides with beaten egg yolk.  Sprinkle all over with the coarse sugar.
  8. Slice the log into 1/3 inch thick cookies.  Place the cookies on a baking sheet, separated by 1 inch.
  9. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top.

Makes about 50 cookies.

Pot-Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Published August 17, 2008 Chicken , Recipe Leave a Comment
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Pot-Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Despite the fact that Angela may claim that I’m always looking for a harder way to do something in the kitchen, I do really appreciate simple and easy food as long as it’s also good.  This manages to be all three.

Simply, this is pot-roasted chicken with vegetables.  There aren’t any complicated ingredients.  There aren’t any complicated instructions.  You put everything in a pot and you cook it.   Like the best simple things, it also manages to taste good.

Vegetables for Pot-Roast Chicken

This would be a near perfect meal to prepare when having guests: simply pile everything into a pot and place it in the oven.  Remove it when the guests arrive and serve.

But what really appeals to me about this recipe is that it almost literally calls for elaboration.  Substituting different vegetables would almost be a no-brainer.  Tarragon could replace the thyme.  The chicken could first be browned in the pot and the vermouth be used to deglaze.  The sauce could be reduced at the end or enriched with butter.

If you look closely, you’ll notice that the ingredient amounts listed below do not match the pictures.  It’s simply that there are only two of us and it’s easier for me to find a way to use the leftover chicken (it ended up in ravioli with spinach and parmesan cheese) then it is for me to find a way to use the leftover chicken as well as leftover vegetables (we still ended up with leftover vegetables; according to the cookbook, pureeing leftover vegetables with leftover sauce makes a good soup).

While simple, this was really quite good.  What really struck me was the fact that very little work led to quite a good dinner.

Pot-Roast Chicken Ready to Cook

Pot-Roast Chicken and Vegetables
Adapted from The River Cottage Cookbook

1 four to six lbs. chicken
2 onions
3 carrots
3 leeks
3 potatoes
2 bay leaves
2 to 3 sprigs of thyme
1 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup dry vermouth
1 cup water
salt and pepper

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
  2. Peeled the onions, carrots, and potatoes.  Cut the carrots and potatoes into large chunks.  Slice the onions.  Cut the white portion of the leeks into large chunks and discard the rest.
  3. Place the chicken in a large dutch oven.  Surround the chicken with the vegetables and herbs.  Rub the butter onto the exposed portion of the chicken.  Season the chicken and vegetables with the salt and pepper liberally.  Pour the vermouth and water into the dutch oven.
  4. Cook the chicken, covered, in the oven for 50 minutes.
  5. Uncover and cook for 25 to 35 minutes more.
  6. Remove from the oven.  Carve the chicken into large pieces.
  7. Serve the chicken and vegetables with the sauce.

Serves 4 to 5.

Spicy Beef with Vegetables

Published August 10, 2008 Beef , Chinese , Recipe 4 Comments
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Spicy Beef with Vegetables Cooking

Just in time for the Beijing Olympics (I’m actually watching the women’s gymnastics competition while writing this), here is a Chinese beef recipe.  Of course, I made this with no regards to the Olympics whatsoever last week.  I did, however, wonder how many people ordered Chinese takeout to watch the opening ceremonies on Friday.

Part of the reason I decided to make this recipe was that I had finally tracked down mo-er mushrooms at 99 Ranch Market the last time I was there. I wasn’t entirely sure I had purchased the correct thing until I compared the glossary in the cookbook to the mushroom packaging and could match up two of the three Chinese characters (there were two listed in the cookbook, there were three on the packaging). I took a picture of them to help you find them.

Mo-er Mushrooms

This is prepared in a very similar fashion to Chili-Pepper Beef but the flavor is quite a bit different. The Spicy Beef, oddly enough, isn’t as spicy as the Chili-Pepper Beef. However, the vegetables work much better in the Spicy Beef. In some ways, I prefer the Chili-Pepper Beef but this is also good, in a different way.

Spicy Beef with Vegetables

Spicy Beef with Vegetables
Adapted from The Key to Chinese Cooking

1/2 lbs. flank steak, shredded
1 tbsp dried mo-er mushrooms
1 1/2 cups shredded celery
1 cup shredded carrots
1 garlic clove, minced
2 quarter-sized slices peeled ginger, minced
1/2 tsp salt

Marinade:
1 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water
1 tsp oil

Sauce:
1 tbsp black bean paste
1 tsp chili sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 1/2 tsp Chenkong vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp water
2 tsp seasame oil

  1. Combine the marinade ingredients and toss with the steak.  Allow the meat to sit, refrigerated, for 30 minutes or more.
  2. Soak the mo-er mushrooms for 30 minutes in warm water.  Rinse and discard the hard “eyes.”  Then, shred them.
  3. Heat a wok over high heat until very hot.  Add 1 cup of oil.  When the oil is 375ºF, add the beef and toss rapidly for 10 seconds.  Remove from the heat and pour the meat and oil into a strainer over a bowl.  Allow the oil to drain off the meat.
  4. Return 3 tbsp oil to the pan and heat over high heat until hot.  Add the garlic and ginger, stir a few times, then immediately add the celery, carrots, and mushrooms.  Cook, stirring regularly, until the vegetables are softened, several minutes.
  5. Add the beef and cook for 1 minute more, stirring regularly.
  6. Add the sauce, stirring to combine, and cook for 5 to 10 seconds.
  7. Serve immediately with white rice.

Serves 2.

Bucatini with Sausage and Peas

Published August 8, 2008 Italian , Pasta , Recipe 4 Comments
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Bucattini with Sausage and Peas

If you haven’t been paying attention, I tend to post a lot of pasta recipes. Here’s one more to enhance my collection.

This recipe actually comes from Sting’s personal chef (or so it was stated in Food & Wine).  Appropriately, when I started to make this and turned on the radio, a Police song came on.  I considered that a good omen.

There’s nothing complicated or special about this recipe.  It is simple but in its simplicity there is taste and quality.  It is a pasta should be.

The dominant flavor in the pasta is the sausage; the sausage ends up providing most of the seasoning to the sauce.  The tomato sauce and the peas merely compliment the sausage.  There’s no need to use actual bucatini; any spagheti-like pasta will do.

When I made this, Angela was out of town.  I made a full recipe any way and ate it for the next two days for lunch. It reheated well and made a good lunch (as long as I remember to bring along some cookies for dessert).

Parcooking Tomatoes

Bucatini with Sausage and Peas
Adapted from Food and Wine September 2007

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lbs. Italian sausage, casings removed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small shallot, minced
2 1/2 cups tomato purée
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup frozen baby peas
salt
1 lbs. bucatini or spaghetti
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

  1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. When the olive oil is hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, until the sausage is well browned, about 8 minutes.
  2. Pour out the excess oil and discard. Add the garlic and shallots and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
  3. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, at a low simmer for 30 minutes.
  4. Stir in the peas and heavy cream and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add half the parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt.
  5. While the sauce is cooking, cook the bucattini in boiling salted water for 1 minute less than the manufacturer recommends.
  6. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook at a simmer for 1 minute more.
  7. Serve immediately topped with the remaining parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 to 6.

Watermelon Sorbetto

Published August 5, 2008 Dessert , Ice Cream , Italian , Recipe 4 Comments
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Watermelon Sorbetto

With the coming of summer, I’ve been tempted by all the various melons at the farmer’s market. It’s hard for me to resist those juicy orbs.

Unfortunately, I have the distinct tendency to bring a newly purchased melon home, put it in the refrigerator, and then promptly forget to eat it. Normally, discovering that I had some form of melon that I didn’t know I had (well, not too long after I bought it), isn’t a bad thing but I still have to figure out what to do with it.

I usually intend to chop it up and take it with me to work for breakfast. My problem is that at night, I’ll tell myself I’ll cut it up in the morning. And in the morning, I don’t feel like cutting it up in my half-awake state and that I’ll cut it up that night for the next day. Rinse, repeat, ad nauseum, and I wind up with the forgotten melon.

I finally had enough of the watermelon accusingly staring me in the face every time I opened the refrigerator and decided to do something about it. Hence, watermelon sorbetto.

This isn’t actually the first time I made a watermelon sorbet. I tried one sometime last year (I don’t remember what recipe I used) but I don’t remember being impressed by it. I think it might have been a texture issue. I find that texture is very important in frozen desserts so I made sure to strain the watermelon purée which made for a very smooth sorbet.

The sorbet ended up tasting more like watermelon than eating the watermelon straight did (which was good as I realized the watermelon was much closer to tasteless than I like). The mini-chocolate chips add a nice contrast to the sorbet as well as looking like seeds. Be aware that the sorbet freezes very hard and needs to be allowed to soften for several minutes before eating (or you may break your spoon).

Watermelon

Watermelon Sorbetto
Adapted from Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments

3 lbs. watermelon, seeded and cubed
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp vodka
2 tbsp mini chocolate chips

  1. Purée the watermelon in a food processor or blender. Run the watermelon purée through a fine mesh strainer. Measure out 3 cups of watermelon juice.
  2. In a small saucepan, heat approximately 1/2 cup of the watermelon juice along with the sugar and salt until the sugar has thoroughly dissolved. Remove from the heat.
  3. Combine the watermelon juice in the saucepan with the other watermelon juice and place in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the lime juice and vodka.
  4. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.
  5. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. During the last minute of freezing, pour in the chocolate chips.
  6. Remove from the ice cream maker’s bowl and place in a container. Place the container in the freezer to finish freezing.
  7. Several minutes before eating, remove from the freezer.

Makes about 1 quart

Tacos de Camarones al Mojo de Ajo (Shrimp Tacos)

Published July 31, 2008 Mexican , Recipe , Seafood , Shrimp 7 Comments
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Shrimp Tacos

This recipe comes as a bit of a request. I felt a bit strange making it as we have a good and cheap taqueria nearby but at least they don’t serve shrimp tacos.  I did have some mediocre shrimp tacos the other day so I really wasn’t expecting much from this recipe.

And how wrong I was.  This may have been the best shrimp I’ve ever had (I’m debating whether or not it’s better than Gamberi alla Cannavota).  The shrimp were well browned and took on the flavorings of the aromatics perfectly.

Cooking Shrimp for Tacos

I’m going to segue here a bit and do a product anti-endorsement: whatever you do, don’t buy Whole Food’s Organic Corn Tortillas.  We tried to use them to make tacos and they were nearly inedible.  They were some of the worst corn tortillas I’ve ever eaten.

On the plus side, the shrimp were good enough to eat without a tortilla wrapper.  In fact, the shrimp in this recipe would be good enough served over rice of some sort.

The only modification to the recipe I made was to add a step to brine the shrimp.  It means that it takes slightly longer for the whole recipe (which is already very short) but it really helps with the flavor and texture of the shrimp.

This has to be one of the best bang-for-your effort recipes I’ve seen in awhile.  The shrimp are excellent and there’s very little work needed to make this.  It’s also rather fast.  It does create a bit of smoke however.

Ingedients for Shrimp Tacos

Tacos de Camarones al Mojo de Ajo (Shrimp Tacos)
Adapted from Dona Tomas: Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking

1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups water
4 cups ice
1 1/2 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and split lengthwise
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
1 jalapeño, sliced thinly
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
16 corn tortillas
1 lime (for serving)

  1. Bring the water, salt, and sugar to a boil over high heat.  Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl.   Add the ice.
  2. When the ice has melted, add the shrimp and brine for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, remove the shrimp from the bowl and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
  3. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat.  When the pan is hot, add the oil and the onions.  Stir the onions several times, then add the shrimp.
  4. Cook the shrimp for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until they start to turn red.
  5. Add the butter, jalapeño, and garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  6. Remove from the heat.  Adjust the seasoning to taste and stir in the parsley.
  7. Place the tortillas in stacks of two on plates.  Divide the shrimp among the tortillas.
  8. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Caramel Ice Cream

Published July 29, 2008 Dessert , Ice Cream , Recipe 3 Comments
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Caramel Ice Cream

As long as I’ve known her, Angela has appreciated anything and everything caramel. Given I’ve found it’s in my best interest to keep her happy, I decided to make her some caramel ice cream.

I almost didn’t post this recipe because it didn’t work for me as written.  The original recipe had you add the heavy cream to the caramel and that was it.  Unfortunately, when I was making this, the caramel solidified in the presence of the heavy cream.  Luckily, I realized it would melt again if the heavy cream was heated but I did have to blaze my own trail through the recipe.

Sugar Ready to be Caramelized

I have to admit, however, that it may have been might fault. Given Angela’s preferences, I didn’t caramelize the sugar heavily. I think that the sugar simply wasn’t hot enough in comparison to the heavy cream. So, you may not have my issues and the caramel may stay liquid after you add the heavy cream.

Despite my difficulties, this was definitely worth it.  Homemade ice cream always has a taste premium over store bought but I think that caramel emphasizes that difference.  It was very rich but very good.

Caramelizing Sugar for Ice Cream

Caramel Ice Cream
Adapted from Room For Dessert : 110 Recipes for Cakes, Custards, Souffles, Tarts, Pies, Cobblers, Sorbets, Sherbets, Ice Creams, Cookies, Candies, and Cordials

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/4 tsp salt
6 egg yolks

  1. Sprinkle the sugar evenly on the bottom of a heavy sauce pan (perferably non-stick).  Add the vanilla bean.  Place over medium heat and cook until the sugar caramelizes and begins to smoke, stirring occassionally.
  2. Carefully add the heavy cream (it may boil violently).  If the caramel is not dissolved in the heavy cream, heat the heavy cream over medium heat stirring regularly, until the caramel has dissolved.
  3. Whisk in the half-and-half and the salt.
  4. Place the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk together.  Slowly whisk in 1/4 of the heavy cream mixture into the egg yolks.  Return the egg yolks and heavy cream to the pan.
  5. Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Remove from the heat.
  6. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl.  Allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator until cold.
  7. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions then place in the freezer to complete the freezing process.

Makes about 1 quart.

Le Gratin de Pommes de Terre Estival de Mireille (Mireille’s Summer Potato Gratin)

Published July 21, 2008 French , Potatoes , Recipe 6 Comments
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Summer Potato Gratin

I’m constantly looking for new ways to cook potatoes.  We eat a lot of potatoes (in reality, we just eat a lot of starch; we’re on an inverse Atkins diet).  My standbys are mashed potatoes or Gratin Dauphinois but I’m always on the look out for something to complement them.

Or, more simply, there are times when I don’t want something as heavy as either of those; where it’s too hot out for something that rich or just too heavy.

The only similarity this gratin shares with other gratins is that it’s cooked in a gratin dish.  It has no milk or cream.  It has no cheese.

Bacon, Onions, and Garlic Cooking for Summer Potato Gratin

It does have onions, garlic, and bacon which happen to be three of my favorite things (I won’t channel Julie Andrews for everyone’s sake).  To an extent, it vaguely reminds me of an Alsatian Tarte Flambée but with garlic and without cream.

While it’s not particular hot here in Southern California, my kitchen manages to get that way.  As does our whole apartment in the afternoon (I blame our west facing windows).  So heavy and creamy are out and light and garlicky are in.

We had this with Poulet Mistral Le Preiuré (Mistral’s Chicken with Garlic) which, ignoring the statement on that page, goes perfectly with this gratin. The garlic in both dishes compliments each other quite well.

Just make sure your date eats as much of it as you do.

Summer Potato Gratin Before Baking

Le Gratin de Pommes de Terre Estival de Mireille (Mireille’s Summer Potato Gratin)
Adapted from The Provence Cookbook

2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
4 oz. of bacon, cut into lardons
20 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
salt
2 lbs. potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup chicken stock reduced to a syrup
black pepper

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
  2. Combine the onions, olive oil, bacon, and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat.  Season to taste with salt.  Cook until the bacon and onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  3. Layer the potatoes in a gratin dish, seasoning each layer with salt.  Top with the onion and bacon mixture.  Drizzle the reduced stock over the gratin.  Season with black pepper.
  4. Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 11/2 hours, or until the potatoes are cooked through.  Regulate the heat so the onions don’t burn.
  5. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Lemon-Herb Chicken

Published July 18, 2008 Chicken , Recipe 4 Comments
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Lemon-Herb Chicken

Given that humans are visual creatures, the first thing you may notice is that there’s only one photo.  I forgot to take any pictures until the very end.  So much for montages of lemons and herbs.  But at least I remember to take at least one photo (it was actually closer to 4 but the others are very similar to the one above).

And that has almost nothing to do with this recipe.  This is part of my own desire to figure out what to do with boneless, skinless chicken breasts (a.k.a. the wonder bread of the protein world).  I make chicken marsala with it and that’s about it.  But I’m always willing to try something new.

Lemon and chicken are a classic combination and adding herbs can only make it better.  And, for a chicken breast, this is a good application.

This will not cause a transcendental experience.  It won’t remind you of your childhood or a long lost love.  But it is a good way to turn a meal that could be reminiscent of cardboard into something that’s actually tasty.  To claim that it was excellent would be a lie, it merely qualifies for the label good.  But that’s not a bad thing.  In fact, for a weeknight dinner, it’s exactly what I want.

It went well with garlic mashed potatoes and peas with prosciutto. The 2004 La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru Grande Cuvée (available at Costco of all places) complimented it nicely.

Lemon-Herb Chicken
Adapted from The Cuisine of California

Marinade:
zest of 1 lemon, minced
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs (any combination of rosemary, thyme, parsley, and basil)
2 tbsp dry vermouth
1/4 tsp honey
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup cream
salt and pepper

  1. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.  Pour over the chicken breast in a non-reactive container.  Allow to marinate for 4 hours.
  2. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, reserving the marinade.
  3. Heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan.  Cook the chicken in the pan, about 5-7 minutes per side (be careful as the marinade will allow the chicken to brown very quickly).  Remove the chicken to a side dish.
  4. Add the reserved marinade to the pan and boil until it is reduced to 2 tbsp.  Add the cream and simmer until the cream has thickened slightly.
  5. Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce, making sure the chicken is warm.
  6. Serve the chicken immediately with the sauce on top.

Serves 2.

Flickr Photos

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