Caramel Chicken

Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. It can get very boring, overdone and bland. I never order chicken when I go out to eat because it is my weekly staple, so I try to find new recipes and ways to cook it at home. Oh man, this recipe is a WINNER. I saw it on my Instagram feed and initially kept scrolling because of the name- Caramel Chicken. Do not let the name put you off from trying this recipe. You will miss out. This is a new favorite and of course, has Asian flare!

Will and I were both pleasantly surprised once we sat down to eat it. I was not expecting it to turn out as good as it did. This will be made again and again and will probably be my next supper club meal! 

I was worried it was going to be a sweet chicken, but as the recipe states, the sweetness is perfectly balanced by the vinegar and soy sauce. The sauce that is created to go with the chicken is Heavenly. I couldn't get enough and will probably make extra next time! 

I didn't make an adjustments to the recipe. It was perfect.

First batch

Second batch

The sauce bubbles and caramelizes when you add in the vinegar, just keep stirring

Those chucks are the ginger!

Caramel Chicken

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable oil
~3 lbs skin-on bone-in chicken legs and thighs (I bought an entire broken down chicken)
Salt
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 (1/4 inch thick) slices peeled ginger
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Cooked white rice (to serve with the chicken)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large wide heavy pot over medium-high heat.

2. Season the chicken with salt and working in batches, cook it in the oil until golden brown and crisp (about 6-8 minutes/side). Transfer to a plate.

3. Add garlic to the pot and cook until golden (about two minutes). Stir frequently to prevent it from burning. Transfer to the plate with the chicken and pour the fat off from the pot.

4. Return the pot to the medium high heat and add 1/2 cup of water, scraping up the browned bits.

5. Add the brown sugar, stirring over the heat to dissolve. The mixture will thicken and turn a deep amber color after about 5-7 minutes of cooking.

6. Carefully add vinegar- the mixture will bubble up and the sugar will crystallize- stir to dissolve the sugar. Then add the ginger, broth and soy sauce.

7. Add the chicken to the sauce (skin side up) and the garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (about 20-25 minutes). Transfer the chicken to a plate.

8. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until thick enough to coat a spoon (about 10 minutes).

9. Return the chicken to the pot and turn to coat.

Top with the scallions and serve with rice.

The recipe can be found here at Bon Appetit

Wild Olive

Wild Olive has been on my radar for years. I've always heard such good things about it but haven't ever committed to going. Once Will and I went to the Commune dinner where Jacques Larson was one of the guest Chefs, I knew we had to make it over to Wild Olive. Most of you who read my blog and those of you who know me on a personal level know about my love for pasta. If I had to choose one food to eat for the rest of my life, it would be pasta. Needless to say, I was excited to try out Wild Olive's pasta dishes. 

My little sister came into town from Atlanta and wanted to try somewhere new. She has become quite the foodie these days. Will and I were wracking our brains with all the new places and the many options we had. Then Lindsay said she was craving Italian. Our first thought was Obstinate Daughter (Larson's other restaurant new to Sullivans Island) but we had just gone with my in laws and knew it would be impossible to get a table so last minute. Although Wild Olive was not new, it was new to all three of us and Lindsay was on board to give it a try. 

We started with the mushroom bruschetta and a salad. The bruschetta was made with mushrooms, parsnips, cheese, arugula, pecans and a truffle oil. It was as good as it sounds. The bread was the perfect texture so when you took a bite it all didn't completely fall apart. The flavors were earthy and it had a lot of depth, but the salad takes the cake. The salad was a special that night and didn't sound like anything I haven't had before but the waiter was raving about it so we decided to give it a try. It was your typical apple with gorgonzola pairing of flavors but the dressing brought it home. Instead of gorgonzola crumbles on top, the dressing was made with the cheese and it was so good. To this day, I cannot pinpoint what was so good about it but all three of us couldn't get enough.

Lindsay and I split two pastas and Will ordered his own. When the pastas arrived to the table, Lindsay noticed that we received a pasta that wasn't ordered. There was a mix up with the order, so long story short, we ended up splitting three pastas! Yes, we paid for all three, but it was worth it. For once, we left with leftovers!

Above is the pappardelle (my most favorite type of noodle!) with guanciale, mushrooms, arugula and parmesan. It was melt in your mouth good. The pasta was perfectly al dente. The mushrooms selected were meaty and held their own against the guanciale which added a nice salty flavor along with the parmesan. The arugula added some greens with a peppery note. Aside from wanting more arugula, this was the perfect pasta dish. I would order this again in a heart beat. 

Below is the traditional gnocchi, which we didn't oder but received happily. I was glad that I was able to try out their marinara which tasted similarly to what I would make. No sugar, just the basics. It was exactly what I expected which was refreshing. The gnocchi itself was pillowy and light. It was perfectly texturally as well.

Below is the short rib special gnocchi that we did order. It swiftly took the first place trophy, just by passing the mushroom tagliatelle by a hair. This is a perfect dish for a cold night. You could tell that the short ribs had been cooking for a long time with a lot of love. The gnocchi was just as I previously described but I loved it even more in this dish as it perfectly juxtaposed the short ribs. It was such a well rounded, perfectly flavored dish. I would love to TRY and replicate this dish one day. If you are at Wild Olive and are so lucky that the short rib gnocchi is a special that night, order it.

Will ordered the traditional bolognese which was made with tagliatelle (also one of my favorite types of pasta). The bolognese was made with ground pork and veal. The restaurant chose to note on the menu that the bolognese, as traditional bolognese does, contains white wine and milk which I thought was odd/interesting. I would love to know why they chose to list it that way. Anyway, The dish was delicious and Will ate every last bite feeling satisfied.

Do you think we ordered enough food??

The star of the night

 My sister, Lindsay and I - fat and happy! 

It was a delicious meal that I still think about. I can't get back soon enough. Saving money for future trips is really cramping my style because I could really go for some of that pasta right now! Anyway, if you're in the area, or even if you're not- go to Wild Olive. I can promise you that you will leave a happy customer. Ciao!

Standing Rib Roast and Horseradish Sauce with Roasted Fennel, Carrots, Potatoes and Artichoke hearts

My mom makes this meal for Christmas every year. My sisters and I are obsessed with it. She can never make enough vegetables. Every year she makes more and more and there are never leftovers. This year my in laws were with us for Christmas, so Will and I decided to cook this meal ourselves. Of course, he handled the rib roast and I did the rest!

This is a great meal to have for a special occasion but it would be good on a weekend night in with a big glass of red wine. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients for the horseradish sauce

I didn't whip it enough, it's supposed to be like whipped cream- fluffy. Mine was more like a liquid, but the taste was spot on....next time I'll get it right! :)

THE MEAT

Raw Vegetables

Dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper

Roasted and Ready!

Standing Rib Roast and Horseradish Sauce with Roasted Fennel, Carrots, Potatoes and Artichoke hearts


Ingredients:

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 bunch rosemary, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic
Salt + Pepper
EVOO
1 4 lb bone in standing rib roast

2 beaten egg yolks
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs prepared mustard (dijon)
2 tbs white vinegar
1 tbs water
1 tbs horseradish
1 tbs butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup of whipping cream

2 bulbs of fennel, chopped (using mainly the bulb and a small portion of the stalks- no leaves)
1 bag of baby carrots
2 cans of artichoke hearts, quartered
5 red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes, partially peel

Directions:

For the rib roast:

1. Combine cayenne pepper, rosemary and garlic. Add enough olive oil until it becomes a loose paste.
2. Smear the roast with the paste and massage it into the meat. Season generously with salt and pepper.
3. Smoke at 250 degrees for about 3 hours until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 125 degrees (this will provide a rare rib roast)
4. Allow the meat to rest for about 5 minutes and then slice.

For the horseradish sauce:

1. Combine egg yolks, sugar, mustard, vinegar, butter and salt
2. Cook by stirring over low heat
3. Stir until mixed and thickened (about ten minutes)
4. Whip cream thoroughly (I did not do this enough) and fold into the mustard sauce, chill.

For the vegetables:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine all of the chopped vegetables in a roasting pan
3. Cover with olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir to make sure all vegetables are dressed.
4. Roast the vegetables until golden and crisp, about 45 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Make your plate and dig in!!

This will serve about 4 people

Adapted from: My Mom's recipes

Commune Dinner- December

This was our second dinner with the Commune of Charleston. If you aren't familiar with the Commune, check out my other post first! The chefs for this dinner at Palmetto Brewery were Kevin Johnson of The Grocery and Jason Stanhope of FIG. With that line up, we knew this was a Commune dinner not to be missed!

The night started with a drink, (of course!) and a tour of the Palmetto Brewery. You could get one of Palmetto's draft beers or the specialty cocktail done by Cathead Vodka. It was called Fall'ing Down: Rayun Syrah Mulled Cider Sangria Spike with Cathead Vodka. It was a tad sweet but delicious and packed a mean punch! Two of these and you were feeling good and didn't notice how cold it was outside (maybe that was the goal). 

                       

                       

First Course:

A duck liver mezzelune, which is a semi-circular stuffed pasta- similar to ravioli, with a duck consommé with autumn vegetable and mushrooms.

It was a great way to start out the meal, because it was a seated dinner outside the brewery and it was a cold night. The soup warmed me right up.

It was paired with a glass of Roc du Manoir Cotes de Castillon (2011)

Second Course:

Pancetta wrapped Amberjack (a local fish), with Pilsner scented seafood chowder

Charred broccoli in a green olive vinaigrette and anchovy bread crumbs

Ragout of field peas and farro

This was paired with the Palmetto Pilsner

The second course's highlight was the ragout of field peas and farro. It was perfectly seasoned and was nice and hearty. The Amberjack was also perfectly cooked and the seafood chowder was unique and created a more interested dish than just being served the fish. It was creative and beautiful. 

Third Course:

Righteous Ranch Mulefoot Whole        Hog Bo Ssam 

Raw Oysters

Paired with Palmetto Ghost Rider

Bo Ssam is a Korean dish of slow cooked pork, highlight being the pork belly, that is served with many sides including garlic, onion,  ssamjang (wrap sauce), saeujeot (pickled, fermented shrimp) and kimchi (spicy/sour fermented cabbage). You eat the meat and sides in the leaves of lettuce, in our case bibb lettuce. Bossam literally means  "wrapped". 

This was my absolute favorite. For those of you who follow my blog, this probably doesn't surprise you, as you know I love Asian cuisine. The flavors that were created when making these deliciously packaged lettuce wraps from Heaven cannot be justly described. Will and I couldn't stop eating them.

          Fourth Course:

Kitchen sink sundaes with Espresso Porter Ice Cream

Paired with Palmetto Espresso Porter

This dessert was good and the ice cream was very well made and tasty, but I felt it was little bit of a "cop out" dessert. I understand they made the ice cream and that is a process in and of itself, but the rest was "the kitchen sink". It was good, but nothing that left me inspired.  

Unique to our first experience, there was a band performing throughout the event which was so fun. They were great and amped up the atmosphere of the dinner.

It was yet another great night hosted by the Commune. It was a little cold to be in an outdoor venue but that did not take away from the deliciousness that was served. At times it was hard to see what you were eating due to the venue being dimly lit, but that goes along with the creative venues that these dinners take place in. I am waiting with great anticipation to see the 2015 schedule for the Commune dinners and hope they don't wait too long before hosting the next dinner.