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Chicken Liver Gâteaux with Pickled Onions- French Fridays with Dorie

January 17, 2013 by Renee

It’s time for French Fridays with Dorie!

I’m not going to lie. I was really apprehensive about this recipe. Like, horrified and a bit disgusted actually. Don’t get me wrong, I love pâté, rillettes and foie gras.  But usually,  someone else has prepared it before I enjoyed it. I feel as though some things should be left to the professionals (or less queasy cooks!)- and strange parts with gooey, slimy consistencies fit that bill. I am more than happy to savor pâté with a great bottle of wine after it’s been prepared- pre-packaged, bought at the market, removed from it’s container and plated. Voilà! That, I can handle!

Some things I just don’t want to know how they transformed into something edible.

But, because I never (well almost never) turn down a challenge, I dove into the world of offal- well, not really dove, but rather, waded into the shallow end.  Yes, liver is considered an offal, right along with sweetbreads and calves brain. (shudder!)

Dorie’s chicken liver gateaux with pickled onions only seems intimidating. It is actually really simple to make.

The thinly sliced pickled onions can be used with the pâté or to garnish a salad separately.

Chicken Liver Gateaux with Pickled Onions

 

I thought that the spices that were needed for the pickling liquid were on the meek side so I added more cloves and black pepper. This seemed to do the trick. The pickled onions are quite tangy yet flavorful.

While the onions simmered, the liver was prepared. I could not muster enough strength and courage vigor to do the cleaning, so Ari graciously de-veined and de-greened them for me. He remarked as his hands were covered in goo, “I can do this, but I can’t watch Grey’s Anatomy”.  Go figure.

Chicken Liver Gateaux with Pickled Onions

 

This recipe could not have been easier. Whiz everything up in the food processor and transfer to ramekins for baking in a nice, hot water bath.

Chicken Liver Gateaux with Pickled Onions

 

After three quarters of an hour, they are done. Just plate and serve.

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Despite my initial hesitation at making this, I took a bite and it was… DELICIOUS!  Wow! I was so surprised! Happy that it worked out so well! I would gladly make this again for a dinner party or special occasion. The best part is, it’s a very inexpensive dish that looks and tastes expensive. I was able to purchase almost 2lbs of fresh livers for just over $2! A bargain!

So, I made the offal and it wasn’t awful! (lol) I may foray into the deep end soon.

Unfortunately, I cannot share the recipe- but you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! The January recipes are posted on the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

greenspan

frenchfridayswithdorie16

Filed Under: Eat, Cookbooks, French Fridays with Dorie, Poultry Tagged With: Chicken Livers, Cookbook, Dorie Greenspan, French Fridays with Dorie, Pickled Onions, chicken, onions

Food Literacy Month and A Waldorf Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe

September 13, 2012 by Renee

We interrupt the Camino Posts to bring you this important message:

Did you know that September is Food Literacy Month?  Well it is!

Food literacy is defined as “the understanding of how our food choices impact our health, the environment, and our community.”

Unfortunately, too many people have been food illiterate for far too long and the consequences are devastating. It negatively impacts all of those areas but worse yet, our poor habits have affected our nation’s children. We have created an environment and an attitude where our food choices have literally been toxic and we’ve cut any form of exercise nearly out of the picture altogether.

Childhood obesity is a leading public health concern. Across America, more than 23 million children and ages 2 to 19 are considered to be obese or overweight.1 In California alone, 38% of children are obese! 2 

Children who are obese in their preschool years are more likely to be obese into adulthood. They are more likely to have risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.  They’re also at a greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and a host of social and psychological problems such as bullying and poor self-esteem.

With the rising cost of health care, to which obesity and obesity-related conditions are costing billions of dollars each year to the strain on available and accessible health services already, this epidemic has reached crisis levels and is in desperate need of eradication.

However, this crisis won’t be solved with promises of personal responsibility or by the food industry putting people before profits. It will take government, public and private partnerships to educate, mandate and essentially work to change the attitudes of how we consume. Not only how, but what, too.

That’s where fellow blogger, Amber Stott comes in. A year ago, she founded the nonprofit organization, California Food Literacy Center.

Their mission statement is

‘To inspire change today for a healthy, sustainable tomorrow through enduring community food education.’

Through food literacy education they teach children about healthy eating habits and encourage them to change their attitudes towards fruits and vegetables. Reaching children early and instilling good eating habits and healthy living standards is key to abolishing obesity once and for all.

They have developed a curriculum called Your Sandwich can Save the World!  that reaches children through local nonprofits and schools.

They test kids on their food knowledge and then work with them to modify their attitudes and behavior with informative lessons, fun activities, and by actual tastings of various fruits and vegetables.  Each child is also taught how to make healthy sandwiches using locally sourced, whole grain bread and healthy fillings. The results of their pilot program have been astounding! See for yourself here.

Even though they are in California, we could learn a few things here in NY from them. Check out their toolkit of ideas for the month.  It’s a great place to start.

So to honor Amber’s hard work and dedication to the California Food Literacy Center and in celebration of Food Literacy Awareness Month, I am making my own version of a healthy sandwich that uses leftover chicken in a way that stretches a family’s food budget even a bit further.

When I make a roast chicken, there are usually some pieces left over. After everyone has eaten chicken for a day or two it’s time to transform it into something else. I grew up believing that you never throw food away- there were starving children somewhere who would love the peas that I refused to eat. I have carried that mantra well into adulthood and now, nothing goes to “waste” if it doesn’t have to. So the leftover chicken this week became a healthier version of a Waldorf Chicken Salad on a whole grain roll.

Waldorf Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe
 
Print
Author: Renee
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Cooked Chicken (diced into small cubes)
  • ½ cup Red seedless grapes (halved)
  • ¼ cup Walnuts (chopped)
  • 1 stalk Celery (diced)
  • ½ cup Non-fat Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup Non-fat mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 handful Spinach lettuce leaves (or other lettuce)
  • 2 Large Whole Grain Rolls (I like whole wheat Portuguese Rolls)
  • ½ head Green Cabbage (shredded (small head))
  • ½ head Purple Cabbage (shredded (small head))
  • 2 Carrots (peeled and shredded)
  • 1 cup Non-fat mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons Vinegar (I prefer red wine, but white is fine to use as well)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Salt & pepper (To taste)
Method
  1. In a large bowl, combine the chicken with the celery, walnuts, yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Divide the two rolls into four pieces. Add the chicken salad and a few spinach leaves. Plate each half of sandwich. Serve with a side of fresh cole slaw.
  3. To make the coleslaw: Combine the cabbages, carrots, vinegar, mayonnaise, sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the refrigerator for a half hour or more so the flavors meld and the cabbage softens.
Notes
You can make the coleslaw ahead of time- to save time. Or just serve with sliced cucumbers or other freshly cut vegetables
3.2.2802

 

This sandwich was created to help the nonprofit California Food Literacy Center celebrate Food Literacy Month. The ingredients are good for you, good for the planet.  www.californiafoodliteracy.org

Please take the time to watch this video, learn more about the program and donate. All of the money raised will help educate kids about where their food comes from and how to make healthy food choices.

California Food Literacy Center from California Food Literacy Center on Vimeo.

 

Sources:  (Because I am geeky like that.)

  1. http://www.healthierkidsbrighterfutures.org/  COAM & National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
  2. http://californiafoodliteracy.org California Food Literacy

Filed Under: Eat, Featured Posts, Bread, Poultry Tagged With: California Food Literacy Center, Recipe, Waldorf Chicken Salad, chicken salad, coleslaw, sandwich

Crispy, Sriracha Spiced Chicken Bites Recipe

March 18, 2012 by Renee

20120223-photo-1I’m not gonna lie. I am addicted to Sriracha lately. Addicted! The spicy, sharp flavor combined with a bright, zesty lime and a hint of sweetness from either sugar or honey is one of my favorite taste combinations. My current favorite “snack” comes from Food 52- the Sriracha Fried Brussels Sprouts. I usually can eat the whole pint of sprouts by myself when made with this recipe. It’s that good. (Albeit, a bit of a mess to make- frying Brussels sprouts is dangerous and they splatter hot oil everywhere!!!! Use a very, very deep pot-like a stock pot with a screen on top! Just a warning!)

And since it’s a flavor I love,  I have been experimenting a lot with it to make the perfect sauce for dipping my crispy fried chicken bites into.

Here’s what I came up with and it’s now my ‘go to’ recipe. It makes more sauce than you need, but I like to use it on other things- like broccoli or cauliflower or even over fish.

 

 

Crispy, Sriracha Spiced Chicken Bites

For the Sauce:

Ingredients

½ cup rice wine vinegar

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/3 cup Mirin

¼ cup Sake

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried crushed chili flakes

5 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce

1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons water

Juice of 1 lime

Method

In a large saucepan, over medium high heat, add the rice wine vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, Mirin, Sake, garlic, chili flakes and Sriracha in a sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your likening. (I love the hot, but sometimes, it’s too hot- so I’ll add a dash more Mirin, Sake and Fish Sauce to balance.)

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-6 minutes.

Add the cornstarch-water mixture to the pan and stir until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let cool. Squeeze in the lime juice and mix to incorporate. Set aside until ready to use.

For the Chicken:

Ingredients

2lbs boneless chicken breasts, sliced into cubes

½ cup rice flour

½ cup Panko bread crumbs

½ cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup milk

Method

Create your breading station by adding the dry ingredients into one bowl and the eggs and milk into another bowl.

Dip the cubed chicken into the egg and milk bowl then into the dry ingredients. Coat to cover.

Return the chicken to the egg mixture and then again to the dry ingredients to recoat.

Set all the coated pieces of chicken on a large plate and let stand in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees in a deep pot or fryer.

Add a few pieces of the chicken at a time to the hot oil being careful not to splatter yourself! Don’t overcrowd the oil. Cook the chicken bites until golden brown. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.

In a large bowl add the cooked chicken and drizzle some sauce over the top to coat. You may not have to use all of the sauce, so coat with as much as you would like. Give the chicken in the bowl a quick toss around in the sauce and serve.

The remaining sauce will keep up to a week in the fridge tightly sealed.

Serve over your favorite rice with a side of steamed broccoli and you’ll have your own ‘take out’ for the night!

The bites also make a great appetizer or snack!

 

Filed Under: Eat, Featured Posts, Appetizers, Poultry, Sauces, Dressings and Condiments Tagged With: Fried Chicken, Lime, Recipe, Sriracha, chicken

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