Tarragon Chicken Salad

TARRAGON CHICKEN SALAD from The Silver Palate Cookbook

After making this salad fresh every day for four years and never tiring of the taste, we think it’s safe to say that this one really wears well. It is dressy enough to serve as a main course; delicious enough to have in a sandwich; and so simple to assemble that you will make it often. For a different taste, substitute black walnuts.

boneless whole chicken breasts, about 3 pounds
1 cup crème fraiche or heavy cream
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch-long pencil strips
1/2 cup shelled walnuts
1 tablespoon crumbled dried tarragon
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in a large jelly-roll pan. Spread evenly with crème fraiche and bake in a
preheated 350F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until done to your taste. Remove from oven and cool.

2. Shred meat into bite-size pieces and transfer to a bowl.

3. Whisk sour cream and mayonnaise together in a small bowl and pour over chicken mixture.

4. Add. celery, walnuts, tarragon, salt and pepper to taste, and toss well.

5. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 hours. Taste and correct seasoning before serving.

4 to 6 portions

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Last summer I must have tested 7 different techniques for slow roasting tomatoes using a variety of tomatoes from my very first garden. The results were all very good, but this version from Local Flavors, by Deborah Madison was my favorite. You may serve them as is or use them as I do as a base for homemade sauce. Either way, the concentrated tomato flavor is insatiable and you will find it hard not to puree and freeze buckets of this stuff to last you through the winter. Feel free to get as creative as you like with the herbs, these tomatoes are exceptional in salsa as well.

1 1/2 pounds Ripe Tomatoes preferably from your garden or a local farm stand
2 to 3 TBS of Olive Oil
Sea Salt and Pepper
1 Tsp. Fresh chopped Oregano and Thyme
1 Garlic Clove, minced

Preheat the oven to 300 Degrees. Lightly oil a shallow baking dish. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Set them cut side up in the dish, then brush the tops with the oil, using about a tablespoon in all. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the herb and garlic.

Bake, uncovered, for 2 hours. Check after an hour and drizzle a little more oil over the surfaces if they look dry. Larger tomatoes might take a little longer.

Enjoy!

Loren

Blue's Key Lime Pie

If I had a dollar for overtime Blue has made this, I could afford to get at least half way down to the FL. Keys right now. Living in Fl, we have had many slices of Key Lime Pie, but none has even come close to how fabulous this one is. Juice your own key limes, which are in the markets right now... or buy a bottle of Nellie & Joe's Famous Key Lime Juice Either way, make this pie... and enjoy some of the good things winter brings.


KEY LIME PIE WITH ALMOND CRUMB CRUST

For the crust
1 cup zweiback crumbs or graham cracker crumbs
2/3 cup blanched almonds, toasted lightly, cooled completely, and
ground fine in a food processor
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs, separated, the whites at room temperature
a 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Key lime juice (available bottled at specialty food shops) or
fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
1/3 cup sugar

Make the crust:
In a bowl combine well the crumbs, the almonds, the butter, and the sugar, press the mixture onto the bottom and side of a 10-inch pie plate, and bake the shell in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 10 minutes, or until it is browned lightly. Let the shell cool on a rack.

In a large bowl beat the yolks with the condensed milk and stir in the lime juice, a little at a time, stirring to combine the filling well. Spoon the filling into the shell and chill the pie for 1 hour. In a bowl beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks, add the sugar, beating, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat the meringue until it holds stiff peaks. Spread the meringue over the filling and bake the pie in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 15 minutes, or until the meringue is just golden. Chill the pie for 2 hours.

Gourmet
April 1990

The link to this recipe may be found here:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/r...ews/views/10368

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Blueberry Baby (Coffee Cake)

Blueberry Baby (Coffee Cake)

Blue and I made this with fresh local blueberries while camping in South Haven, MI. It was to die for!!!!!

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I use ONLK Saigon Cinnamon)
1 (12-ounce) can buttermilk biscuits (not low-fat or fat free PLEASE)
3/4 cup (1 stick) REAL butter, melted
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (IF you want to use old-fashioned oats you can but will be a bit less cooked)
1 T. ground flax seed (flaxmeal)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries (if using frozen berries thaw in fridge and let drain)
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Generously grease a 9-inch square baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well with a fork. Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters, and dip each piece thoroughly in melted butter and coat with brown sugar mixture. Arrange in a single layer in baking dish. Mix your oats and your flaxmeal, then sprinkle biscuits 1/2 of this mixture.

Combine berries, vanilla and sugar in a bowl and toss to coat. Spoon over oats and biscuits and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup oat and flaxmeal mixture. Drizzle remaining melted butter on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake is golden brown and center is done. Cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Loren, you can do this over the coals in a dutch oven. GREASE YOUR DUTCH OVEN WELL if it is not pre-seasoned. Put your coals on bottom and raise pan about 10 inches from heat, then cover your lid well with coals as well and bake for at least 20 minutes.

Rosemary Shortbread

A friend of ours hosts an annual Kentucky Derby Party in an old southern antebellum plantation, that has been in her family since before the civil war.
One year I brought some warm Rosemary Shortbread with me to the party. It was such a hit, that some of the guys teased my husband about hiring a hit man to take him out, so maybe they could get a chance at his life.




ROSEMARY SHORTBREAD

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 hr

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons mild honey
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Garnish: small rosemary sprigs
Special equipment: parchment paper

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and rosemary in a bowl.

Mix together butter, honey, and confectioners sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at low speed, then add flour mixture and mix until dough resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Gather dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until it just comes together, about 8 times. Halve dough and form each half into a 5-inch disk.

Roll out 1 disk (keep remaining dough at room temperature) between 2 sheets of parchment into a 9-inch round (trim as necessary). Remove top sheet of parchment and transfer dough on bottom sheet of parchment to a baking sheet. Score dough into 8 wedges by pricking dotted lines with a fork, then mark edges decoratively. Arrange rosemary sprigs (if using) decoratively on top of dough, pressing lightly to help adhere, and sprinkle dough with 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar.

Bake shortbread in middle of oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Slide shortbread on parchment to a rack and cool 5 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a cutting board and cut along score marks with a large heavy knife.

Make another shortbread with remaining dough.

Cooks' note:
• Shortbread keeps in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.

Makes 16 cookies.

Gourmet
December 2002

This shortbread is also fabulous made with other herbs such as Lavender.

7/8/06 I replaced the rosemary with Lemon-Thyme and served the shortbread with a Black Raspberry Sherbet that I made with some local raspberries I had picked on a friend's farm. The combination was to die for!

Barley and Corn salad with Basil Chive Dressing

This recipe was inspired by one I found in Gourmet Magazine. There version was good, but I will admit, my version is so much better. :angelgrin This is best in the summer, but sometimes I will cheat during the winter and use frozen corn, no complaints here, it disappears every time!

BARLEY AND CORN SALAD WITH BASIL CHIVE DRESSING

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking barley
2 cups corn (from about 4 ears)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 Clove of Garlic, crushed
1/2 a red onion, diced
1 Pint of Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half or some (reconstituted) Sun-dried Tomatoes
3 Belgian endives (about 1 lb total), trimmed and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick

Bring 2 cups water with 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a 1 1/2-quart saucepan. Stir in barley, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until barley is tender, about 10 minutes.

While barley simmers, blanch corn in a 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-quart saucepan of boiling water 1 minute, then drain in a large sieve and rinse under cold running water to stop cooking. Drain again and pat dry, then transfer to a large bowl.

Remove barley from heat (when tender) and let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

While barley stands, pulse oil, basil, chives, vinegar, sugar, pepper, remaining tablespoon water, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender until herbs are finely chopped.

Drain barley well in large sieve and add to corn in bowl, then add endives, the dressing, the garlic, corn, and tomatoes, tossing to combine.

Makes 4 to 6 side-dish servings.

Raspberry Chicken

This is one of my favorite recipes from The Silver Palate Cookbook. I have made it countless times and it is always a hit. I love to serve it with a wild rice pilaf and steamed green beans.

Enjoy!

RASPBERRY CHICKEN

2 whole boneless skinless chicken beasts, about 2 pounds
2 tablespoons salted butter
¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion
4 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
¼ cup chicken stock
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon canned crushed tomatoes
20 fresh raspberries

1.
Cut each chicken breast in half. Pressing your hand on the breast cut in from the top to the bottom in half.
2.
Melt butter in large skillet. Raise the heat and add the chicken breasts, and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until lightly colored. Remove from skillet and reserve.
3.
Add onion to the pan and cook, covered until tender or golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vinegar is reduced to a syrupy spoonful. Whisk in the chicken stock, heavy cream and crushed tomatoes and simmer for one minute.
4.
Return chicken to the pan and simmer gently in sauce, basting often, until they are just done and the sauce has been reduced and thickened slightly, about 4 minutes (do not overcook).
5.
Remove breasts to a serving platter. Add raspberries to sauce and cook for one minute. DO NOT STIR. Swirl berries in sauce by shaking the sauce in the skillet. Pour sauce over breast and serve immediately.

Brandied Irish Oatmeal with Blueberries and Cream

This Oatmeal is just downright decadent! I made it for the first time this summer when Blue and I were camping in South Haven, MI. I prepped the brandy sauce before our trip and pre-measured most of my ingredients. We made this with fresh Blueberries we picked while camping and served it with thick slab-cut bacon cooked in a cast iron skillet over an open fire. D-E-C-A-D-E-N-T!!! Need I say more?

Brandied Irish Oatmeal with Blueberries and Cream
4 servings

2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup brandy
8 tablespoons cream
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 cup fresh fruit (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)

1. In a saucepan, heat corn syrup and brandy over medium heat; bring to a simmer.
2. Add raisins and simmer 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Set aside to cool (I prepare the brandy sauce ahead of time.
4. In a saucepan, add water and salt; bring to a boil.
5. Add butter and oats.
6. Lower heat and simmer until oats are tender, about 6 to 10 minutes.
7. Place 2 tablespoons of cream and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon of drained raisins in 4 bowls.
8. Add steaming cooked oats and top with fresh berries.
9. Each person stirs their bowl to enjoy the hidden surprise waiting underneath.