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

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

Noodle Bowl

Most of you know by now that I love Asian food. I also love noodles, so the combination of the two makes me really happy. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it out. It is delicious! It was a great balance between the vegetables and the noodles with great Asian flavors of ginger, soy sauce, garlic and vinegar-  This meal is full of umami, which is the best descriptor for this meal.

Don't skim on the Soba noodles; they really cannot be replaced by pasta. I found them at Whole Foods (No, they weren't at Trader Joes). I hope y'all enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Ingredients

The wok

I love vegetables

Steaming veggies

Adding in the noodles

Stirred up so the kale is on top!

Soba Noodle Bowl with Kale and Mushrooms

Ingredients

6 ounces of Soba (buckwheat) noodles
1 tbsp of olive oil
1tbsp of sesame oil (or 2 tbsp of olive oil)
1 package of brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 cups of white button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
2 cups of kale, stemmed and chopped
2 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tsp agave syrup
2 tsp sesame seeds

Feel free to add other vegetables, too- I added broccoli and cabbage

Directions

1. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Add the sprouts and cabbage and 1 tbsp of water, stir fry 3-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, kale, zucchini (and any other vegetables you add in) and another tbsp of water, stir fry 5-7 minutes.

2. Cook the noodles in boiling water, according to the instructions on the package, being careful not to overcook.

3. Stir in the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vinegar and agave to the vegetable mix. Add the noodles to the pan as well. Cook, tossing for 2 minutes. Top with sesame seeds and serve.

Enjoy!
                           


                     




Adapted from: Self Magazine

Bourbon Pecan Pie

My in-laws came in from Asia for Christmas, so Will and I were in charge of Christmas dinner! This has been a year of firsts as far as hosting goes for major holidays. Whew- its a lot of work, but always worth it! We made a delicious meal and of course a dessert was completely necessary! In my CSA bag I got pecans, so of course! A pecan pie! 

I decided to go with a bourbon pecan pie and who else to turn to, but Paula Deen?! I ended up adding more bourbon than she did (which I was happy about) but it turned out perfectly and was very easy to make. Perfect for the season on any night. Enjoy!

Local Pecans

Ingredients

The unbaked pie

Finished product

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Ingredients

1 (9-inch) deep dish pie shell, unbaked

1 cup of sugar

3 tablespoons of butter, melted

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

3 large eggs, beaten

2 cups of pecan halves

3 tablespoons of good quality bourbon (I used Bulleit Bourbon)

Trader Joes French Vanilla ice cream :)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, eggs, pecans and bourbon and stir until all ingredients are combined. 

3. Pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell and place on a tinfoil covered cookie sheet 

4. Bake for ten minutes. Then lower the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for an additional 30-35 minutes (until the pie has set)

5. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire wrack. Serve with ice cream and enjoy!

A la mode of course! 

Side note: It will still be a little "soupy" in the center when you take it out of the oven....don't worry, it will harden as it cools!




















Recipe adapted from Paula Deen's version