Roman - Style Chicken

I was too excited to eat with my cousin, Alexa, to take a picture. haha This dish turned out really great. I found the original recipe on food network and after making some tweaks I will definitely make this dish again. The chicken was super tender and the sauce was simple but flavorful. I served it over mashed potatoes which were creamy and soaked up all of the sauce. This is a great make ahead dish!

Ingredients

6 skinless chicken thighs, with bones
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh terragon leaves
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Direction:

1. Season the chicken with 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2. Keeping the same pan over low heat, add the onions and cook until the onions have turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.

4. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

5. If serving immediately, add the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the parsley and serve.

Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Tomato Confit

This dish is great because you can make most of it ahead! You can make the tomato confit up to 3 days in advance and you can rub the beef with the mix of herbs and aromatics the day before, wrap tightly, and cook the day of.  It's great for parties because the dish uses basic flavors but turns them up a notch. I also like to serve this dish with the mushroom bread pudding but it would also be great with simple mashed potatoes or other easy sides. 


For beef

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 (4- to 4 1/2-pound) trimmed beef tenderloin roast, tied

For tomato madeira confit

• 8 large garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
• 1/2 California or 1 Turkish bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup Madeira (preferably Verdelho), divided
• 1/4 cup water

Preparation

Marinate beef:
1. Stir together garlic, shallot, herbs, oil, kosher salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper, then rub all over beef. Marinate in a sealed large bag, chilled, 1 day.

Make confit:
1. Cook garlic in oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. 

2. Add tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon table salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup Madeira and briskly simmer, stirring frequently and crushing tomatoes with a heatproof rubber spatula, until tomatoes start to break down and oil separates slightly, about 1 hour. Mash garlic into tomatoes with a potato masher, then stir in 1/4 cup Madeira. Discard bay leaf. 

Roast beef:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before roasting.

2. Roast beef in a 17- by 11-inch shallow heavy baking pan until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of thickest part of meat registers 120°F, 35 to 45 minutes. 

3. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 15 to 20 minutes (temperature of meat will rise to about 130°F, for medium-rare). 

4. Meanwhile, add water and remaining 1/4 cup Madeira to baking pan and deglaze over medium-low heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Stir into tomato confit. 

5. Cut off and discard string from beef, then cut meat into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve with confit. 

Cooks' note: Confit, without pan juices, can be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat and stir in pan juices from beef.

Cheesecake Bars

I made these cookies for Thanksgiving. It was a hit with everyone. They basically taste like cheesecake with a nutty cookie crust. They don't take too long to make so give these a shot today!

A tip for cutting the bars: fill a tall glass with hot water. Stand up your cutting knife in the water to heat the blade. Make one cute carefully in the bar. Return knife to water between cuts to clean the blade. I like my bars to be about 2 inches wide and 3-4 inches long.

Ingredients
Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans and walnuts
1 stick butter, melted

Filling:

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fresh berries and mint leaves, for garnishif desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine butter and brown sugar in a bowl. Add flour and nuts until mix is combined, do not over mix. Press dough into an ungreased 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan. You want the dough thickness to be between 1/4 - 1/2 inch. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow crust to cool for 20 - 40 minutes before pouring filling in.

3. For filling, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar together in a bowl until smooth, using a handheld electric mixer. Add eggs and extract; beat well. Pour over crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely in the fridge for 4 hours. Cut into squares before serving. Decorate tops with berries and mint leaves, if desired. 

Dine, Center and Song Menu Nov. 2, 2013

Dine, Center and Song is an event from my work where we auction off a dinner and entertainment. My boss does the singing and my other boss and I do the cooking with help from staff and volunteers to do the serving. It's a ton of work but always ends up being a fun night. The pressure to get out 12 plates at one time is pretty crazy but exhilarating. 

Most of these recipes can be found on epicurious if desired but I posted my favorite dishes from the night here on Klein and Dine!!

Appetizers:

Caribbean Meatballs with Apricot Dipping Sauce
Mushroom Tacos with Ancho Cheese Mix, Cotija Cheese, and Lime Crema
Shrimp with Basil Ponzu Sauce
Apricots with Goat Cheese Mix, Marcona Almond, and Honey

Crab Bisque with Snow Crab Claw

Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

Beef Tenderloin with Tomato Confit, Mushroom Bread Pudding, and Spinach

Tangarine Bavarian, Tangarine Caramel Sauce, and Candied Tangerine Peel

Mushroom Bread Pudding

This dish reminded me of a yorkshire pudding while I was eating it with the beef except it was a lot easier! If your crowd can handle mushrooms, I highly suggest this side dish. It would go great with roast chicken or turkey as well.  

Make ahead: toast bread cubes the day before and store in an air tight plastic bag, do all of your chopping before hand - mushrooms, shallots, garlic, etc. On the day of, start on step 3.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups (1/2-inch) fresh bread cubes (preferably brioche or challah; about 5 ounces)
• 1 1/2 pounds mixed fresh wild mushrooms such as chanterelle, cremini, and oyster, trimmed and sliced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

• Equipment: 8 (6-ounce) ramekins or use a muffin tin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

2. Bake bread cubes in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan until golden-brown, about 10 minutes.

Tear or cut mushrooms lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. 

3. Cook shallot in butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until liquid mushrooms give off has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add parsley and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Remove from heat. 

4. Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Stir in mushrooms and bread cubes until coated well and let stand 10 minutes for bread to absorb some of egg mixture. 

5. Meanwhile, butter ramekins, then put a round of parchment in bottom of each and butter parchment. 

6. Spoon mixture into ramekins and bake on a baking sheet until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes. 

7. Unmold puddings and discard parchment. 

Cooks' notes: · Mushroom bread pudding can be baked in a buttered 2-quart shallow baking dish (not lined with parchment; do not unmold pudding from baking dish). Pudding can be assembled (but not baked) 2 hours ahead and chilled, covered. If making the fillet of beef, bake puddings while beef stands (meat can stand a little longer).

Crab Bisque

I love this soup but hate the fact that as a bisque, it has no cream! Who does that?!?! I highly doubted that it would be tasty but after making it for the event, I know I will be making this again. It's a great make ahead soup, you can make the stock a few days early but only make the entire bisque day ahead so the crab stays fresh.

As a fancy garnish, we purchased whole crab claws and placed them into the finished soup.

Ingredients:

Stock

• 1/4 cup(s) carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup(s) onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 stalk(s) celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon(s) fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 peppercorns
• 1 can(s) (48-ounce) reduced-sodium chicken broth, (6 cups)
• 2 bottle(s) (8-ounce) clam juice
• 1/2 cup(s) dry white wine

Bisque

• 1/4 cup(s) (4 tablespoons) butter
• 1 cup(s) onion, diced
• 1/2 cup(s) carrots, diced
• 3/4 cup(s) celery, diced
• 1 clove(s) garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon(s) parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoon(s) tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
• 8 ounce(s) fresh crabmeat, picked over and shell pieces discarded
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) ground red pepper
• 1/4 cup(s) brandy
• 8 shelled crab claws for garnish
• 1/2 cup(s) parsley leaves for garnish

  Directions

1. Prepare stock: In a 4-quart stockpot, add all stock ingredients and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain through a one-meshed sieve into a large bowl and discard the solids. Cover the liquid and set aside.
2. Prepare bisque: In a stockpot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened — about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the parsley, flour, thyme, tomato paste, salt, and black pepper. Cook and continue to stir for 1 minute. Stir in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow mixture to simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the crabmeat and red pepper and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add brandy.
3. Keep warm. When ready to serve, transfer to a tureen or rimmed soup bowls. Garnish with crab claws and parsley leaves.