Tag: version

Chicken Cordon Bleu-wich – An Old Classic Gets Open Faced

If you love chicken cordon bleu because it’s “fancy,” and
you serve it primarily to impress dinner guests with your culinary skills, then
this video is really not for you. However, if you love chicken cordon bleu
because of its winning flavor combination of chicken, ham, and Gruyere cheese, then
stick around.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the classic preparation, and will
do my version one of these days, but for all that pounding, stuffing, rolling, pinning, breading, frying, and baking…I can
deliver the same basic flavor and texture profile with significantly less time
and effort.

By the way, while most consider this a French recipe, the
word on the street is that this actually originated in Switzerland. That
doesn’t really have any bearing on the recipe, but since I can’t remember ever
giving the Swiss a hard time here, I thought I’d take this opportunity to ask,
what’s up with those pocketknives? You really need one tool that can both kill
a squirrel and puck nose hairs? Seems a little much.

Anyway, it’s been a while since I posted a sandwich video,
and this, as the name would indicate, was certainly a blue ribbon winner. It
made for a perfect lunch, but throw a poached egg on top, and you’ve got a
stellar brunch item; or cut these up into quarters, and serve as finger food
for the next big game. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:
*Note: topping can be made days ahead and baked whenever.

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup diced smoked ham

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 tsp dried thyme

2 tbsp flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp milk

3 oz shredded gruyere cheese, divided (save a little for the
top)

1 rounded tsp Dijon mustard

pinch of nutmeg

1 cup diced cooked chicken

1/4 cup diced dill pickle

1/2 cup diced ham

cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp bread crumbs mixed with 1 tsp melted butter for the
top

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Duck Leg Adobo – A Real Family Meal

If you’ve worked in restaurants before, you know that every
night before service the staff sits down to what’s called the “family meal.”
One of the younger cooks is usually charged with scraping together something
filling and, more importantly, not expensive. It was during one of these
meals that I first had adobo.

When I worked at the Carnelian Room in the late 80’s, much
of the kitchen crew was Filipino, so chicken and pork adobo was a very
common dinner. One of the dishwashers made a particularly great version, and I fell in
love with the bold, simple flavors. I also remember being pretty annoyed that
the dishwashers there were better cooks than I was at the time,
but that’s another story.

Anyway, I happened to have some duck legs around last week, and all it
took was a well-timed email wishing for adobo to inspire this video. I
understand that most of you will not use duck for this, but if you do, be sure
to save the fat.

Duck fat is prized by chefs, and more heart-healthy than
people realize. It can be used for just about anything you’d normally fry
in butter or vegetable oil. I roasted some Brussels spouts with mine, but it
also will make just about the best homefries you’ve ever tasted.

Like I said in the video, no duck, no problem. If you can simmer it
in a sauce, it will work in this recipe. Because of the high soy sauce content,
be careful about over reducing, but other than that, not much can go wrong.
This is cheap, easy, and very flavorful, which is why it makes for such a
great “family meal.” Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 duck legs:

6 duck legs (or about same amount of chicken or pork)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp reserved duck fat

1 large onion, sliced

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup seasoned rice vinegar (if not seasoned, use a little
sugar to taste)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 tsp samal chili sauce, or other hot pepper sauce to taste

2-4 bay leaves

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Ginger Pear Cranberry Sauce – Making Your Holidays More Difficult, One Condiment at a Time

You would think the vast majority of the visitors to this
blog would be fine with me posting a new holiday cranberry sauce every
year, but apparently that’s not the case.

After posting the tease picture for
this lovely ginger, pear, cranberry sauce, I received a bunch of comments and
emails with the same basic message, “please don’t, you’re confusing us.”

Evidently, some people like our past cranberry sauce recipes
so much, that they don’t know if they should stick with them, or try a new
version. It’s causing quite the dilemma. Do you go with the one you know you love, and
that garnered so many compliments, or do you try something new and risk it all?

Sorry, I really can’t help you decide, but at least let me make an
already tough call, even tougher. This gingery, pear-studded cranberry sauce
was simply amazing. I’ve been wanting to try pear in a cranberry sauce forever,
and this was so fantastic that I’m a little upset I waited this long.

Anyway, I hope your Thanksgiving menu is shaping up nicely,
and that tomorrow will bring a table full of fabulous food. Whether you use
this cranberry sauce, or an older version, or heaven help us, one from another
blog, I hope you and your family have a great holiday. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 cups:
12 oz fresh whole
cranberries

1 large bosc pear, peeled,
diced

2 oz candied ginger,
minced

zest of 1 large orange

1 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 whole star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp garam masala (an Indian-style
curry spice blend)

1/4 tsp salt