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Chicken Lady Chicken and Raw Vegetable Slaw – David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen

July 18, 2016 by Renee

Chicken Lady Chicken-3384I love a good roast chicken. My favorite recipes for chicken always start a couple of days in advance. Whether it’s brining or marinating them, if you buy your chicken on Friday and cook it Sunday, then you can use the leftovers during the week. That is, if you have any leftovers! I can usually scrape enough off the carcass for a few servings of chicken to toss into a salad or just a midnight snack.

David’s Poulet Crapaudine Facon Catherine has an exceptionally crispy skin and the marinade is incredibly flavorful. We used the last little bit of Sriracha we had in the pantry (need another bottle STAT!) along with the honey, wine and soy sauce to create a deliciously sweet and spicy bath for the bird to hang out in for the weekend. The marinade would also be great to use for boneless/skinless breasts or thighs that you grill too. I can certainly see this being added to our roast chicken repertoire.

The technique of spatchcocking a chicken cuts the cooking time down. It exposes more “flesh to the fire” as they say and the skin crisps up in no time while keeping the bird moist inside.  We use our cast iron pan for roasting chicken, but we always add a little oil to the bottom so that the chicken skin does not stick. No matter how hot the pan is, the skin will stick if a little oil isn’t used. And the skin is one of the best parts, so you don’t want to leave it behind in the pan!

David suggests a side of Raw Vegetable Slaw to go with the chicken, which is really just a mixture of any of your favorites that you may have around, topped with a tangy, garlicky dressing. We had some broccoli and carrots so I tossed them together, but I can see devising several different combinations and adding nuts, and fruits to the mix as well. But for this time, I kept it super simple.

Raw Vegetable Slaw-3412

This week’s recipes can be found on pages 173 and 96. For details on recreating this and other recipes, check out the CookTheBookFridays site and see others who are also cooking the book-

You can also buy the book here:

MyParisKitchenDavidLebovitz-269x337

 

 

 

 

 

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Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links to my Amazon Associate’s account. This means I receive compensation if you make a purchase using these links.

Filed Under: Eat, Kitchen Sink, Cook The Book Fridays- My Paris Kitchen, Cookbooks, Poultry, Sauces, Dressings and Condiments, Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged With: Cookbook, David Lebovitz, My Paris Kitchen, Slaw, Vegetable, chicken, garlic

Maille Mustard Collection: les Jardins Secrets des Chefs, Sunchoke and Potato Salad Recipe and Beet and Burrata Salad Recipe

June 9, 2016 by Renee

Maille Mustards- 2016 SpringA few weeks ago, we attended a cocktail party at the Tasting Table kitchen where Maille, known for their fabulous Dijon mustard, introduced their limited-edition collection of gourmet vegetable-flavored mustards called Les Jardins Secrets des Chefs (French for The Chefs’ Secret Gardens). This trio of mustards is characterized by the herbal and vegetable influences of the season.

The three featured mustards―Mustard with Carrot and a Hint of Shallot, Mustard with Olives and Herbes de Provence, and Mustard with White Wine, Beetroot, and a Hint of Honey―were each unique in terms of flavor and spice level. Guided by Pierette Huttner, the first mustard sommelier in the United States, we tried each one on their own, and you can really taste the distinctive herbs and vegetables in each one.

All of the dishes that Tasting Table prepared that night featured these mustards or other Maille products and everything was incredibly flavorful. But out of all the dishes, I absolutely loved the Sunchoke and Potato Salad and the Beet and Burrata Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette. I kept going back for more (and more). So instead of parking myself by the buffet table where these salads were,  I requested the recipes for both and they happily sent them to me. So I am sharing them here with you.

image2 (1)

Sunchoke and Potato Salad-3348

Sunchoke and Potato Salad
This is the potato salad you are going to want to eat all summer long! Sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, are sweet and nutty when roasted and add such a delicious tone to this potato salad. While this recipe does not feature one of the three mustards above, it does have another excellent blend that you should definitely add to your dishes-the Sun Dried Tomato & Espelette Chili Pepper mustard.

Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen for Maille Mustard
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes, plus cooling time
Total Time: 55 minutes, plus cooling time

INGREDIENTS
For the Roasted Sunchokes:
1 pound sunchokes, scrubbed
¼ cup olive oil
2 thyme sprigs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Fried Shallots:
Canola oil, for frying
6 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced on a mandolin
3 tablespoons AP flour
Kosher salt, to taste

For the Boiled Potatoes and Greens:
1 pound baby new potatoes
Kosher salt, to taste
1 bunch (about 7 ounces) mustard Greens, destemmed

For the Dressing:
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons Maille Sun Dried Tomato & Espelette Chili Pepper mustard
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley
2 tablespoons roughly chopped tarragon

DIRECTIONS
1. Make the roasted sunchokes: Preheat the oven to 350º and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, toss the roasted sunchoke ingredients together and spread out on to the prepared baking sheet. Roast until the sunchokes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Once cooled, slice into ¼ inch rings.

2. Make the fried shallots: In a medium saucepan, heat 2 inches of canola oil over medium heat to 325º and line a plate with paper towels. In a medium bowl, toss the shallots with the AP flour to coat. Working in batches, fry the shallots until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to the prepared plate to drain.Immediately season with salt.

3. Boil the potatoes and greens: Prepare an ice bath and set aside. In a medium pot, add the potatoes. Cover completely with cold water and season liberally with salt. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then lower the temperature to a simmer and allow to cook until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the water with a slotted spoon and place in the prepared ice bath until the potatoes are fully cooled.Remove the potatoes from the ice bath and slice into ¼inch rings.

4. To the same pot, add the mustard greens and cook until vibrant green and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the greens to the ice bath and let cool completely, then ring out with paper towels until dry. Place the greens on a cutting board and roughly chop.

5. Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Add the reserved sunchokes, potatoes and greens and toss until the vegetables are coated well.

6. Transfer the salad to a platter and garnish with fried shallots, then serve.

image3 (1)

 

Beet and Burrata Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

This incredible salad with candied sunflower seeds, roasted beets and creamy burrata is a keeper!

Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen for Maille Mustard
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus cooling time
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes, plus cooling time

INGREDIENTS
For the Roasted Beets:
1½ pounds (4 medium) red beets, whole
1 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons water
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the Candied Sunflower Seeds:
½ cup sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon agave nectar
Flaky sea salt, to taste

For the Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons Maille Beet Mustard with a Touch of Honey
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 garlic clove, grated
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the Assembly:
One 8 ounce ball burrata cheese, roughly torn
1 cup mache
½ cup pomegranate seeds
1 small golden beet, peeled and thinly sliced on a mandolin
1 tablespoon Maille Honey Dijon with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
1 tablespoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Make the roasted beets: Preheat the oven to 350º. In an 8 inch square baking dish combine all the beet ingredients and toss to coat. Cover with tin foil and roast the beets until tender when pierced with a knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Allow the beets to cool completely, then peel, and cut each into 8 pieces.

2. Meanwhile, make the candied sunflower seeds: In a small bowl, toss the candied sunflower seed ingredients until well incorporated. Spread into an even layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast sunflower seeds in the same oven as the beets until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool on the baking sheet. Using your hands, break apart any clumps of sunflower seeds, then set aside.

3. Make the vinaigrette: In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, Maille Beet Mustard with a Touch of Honey, honey, lemon zest and garlic clove until smooth. Slowly start to pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly, until all the oil is emulsified and a vinaigrette is formed. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Assemble the salad: In a medium bowl, toss the roasted beets with half of the vinaigrette. Transfer to a platter and top with pieces of the torn burrata. In the same bowl as the beets, dress the mache with the remaining vinaigrette. Pile the mache over the beets and burrata. Garnish with the reserved candied sunflower seeds, pomegranate seeds and sliced golden beet. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey dijon with the olive oil and drizzle on top of the salad, then serve.

image1 (1)As you know, I am a huge fan of Maille products, so it was fun to learn about all these blends and to taste dishes actually created with them. Of course, with the opening of Maille’s Manhattan boutiques, Maille’s signature “mustard on tap” is now available here in the US. They are served from authentic French ceramic pumps into cute earthenware pots which are then corked. They are reusable and refillable and also make excellent gifts! Plus, each store has their special blends and seasonal collections available. It’s almost like visiting their stores in Paris!

I also just found out that you can even attend a “Create Your Own Mustard” class at Maille’s new flagship boutique in the Flatiron district, as well as at Maille’s Lincoln Square location on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. I think I will be signing up for that soon!

Disclosure: I received a collection of mustards as a parting gift and some were sent to me to make these recipes and while I was under no obligation to post, I did so anyways because I just love Maille products and wanted to share them with you.

Filed Under: Eat, Kitchen Sink, Appetizers, Product Reviews, Sauces, Dressings and Condiments Tagged With: Beets, Burrata, Maille, Potato, Salad, Sunchoke, mustard

A Plethora of Plums! Plum Cake and Spiced Plum Jam

September 20, 2015 by Renee

Plum Torte-3
A plethora of plums! A gift!

A pound or more of the smallest, deepest ruby red skinned plums from a farm upstate came home from Ari’s office last week. I ate some, and they were divine, incredibly sweet and oh, so juicy. The kind you eat standing over the sink.

Sadly, I knew I could not eat all of them fast enough before they went bad, so I pondered what to do with them.

In Italy, we ate frozen plums, the small, bluish-purple variety, as a refreshing and lite dessert after the long lingering meals on the veranda at Palazzo Bacile in Spongano when I was there for classes with the Awaiting Table.  But I resisted the temptation to freeze them as much as I love recollecting those balmy summer evenings there.

A simple cake.

I hesitated because I did not want to use all of those precious picked plums in a cake, so I visited the store and added several more to my mix; sweet greenish-yellow Emerald Beauty plums, some Italian plums, and a few large deep black and ruby red plums that seemingly  had no particular name other than ‘black and red’ plums as handwritten on the sign above their basket.

I really love to bake and after so many months away from my kitchen it’s nice to be back there and cooking again. The familiarity of my large metal mixing bowls and my favorite wooden spoons lends a sense of comfort and joy to my life and I am glad to be reunited with them once again.

I have a copy of the recipe I wanted to use. It is on a handwritten piece of paper that someone gave to me.  But, as with most handed down recipes, it came from somewhere else. Turns out, the recipe for this cake is probably the most popular plum cake ever made.  Maybe you have even made it yourself before!

It’s so simple. I make it all the time. It’s easily adaptable for every season’s fruit. I’ve used the same batter many times before but instead of plums, I have used strawberries or apples or even peaches or blueberries.  Depending on what is ripe and what you have on hand, you can use it for virtually every fruit.  I suspect it would also make a great banana or cherry cake as well.

It’s a cake with a history.  Apparently it’s not called a cake though. It’s called a torte.  I am not sure why. Although, it is dense and moist like I think a torte should be, it is missing the nuts and other ingredients you would normally find in a torte.   I do suppose “torte” sounds as if a lot more effort were put into it. This “torte” is completely uncomplicated and yet it could be served at a holiday dinner party.

The recipe was first published in the New York Times by Marian Burros in 1983. It had been given to her by Lois Levine, co-author of their book Elegant But Easy.  Every year from 1982 until 1995 the recipe was published in the Times and it was the one of most requested recipes each year.

Ms. Burros wrote in 1989:

“It is beyond understanding why fans of the recipe do not just save it from year to year, instead of depending on its appearance in this column. Yet, one of this year’s requests read, ”Isn’t it about time for the plum torte recipe?”

“…laminate this one and, instead of filing it with your other recipes, tack it on the inside of the cupboard where you keep the flour.”

-DE GUSTIBUS; Once More (Sigh), The Plum Torte

Published: September 13, 1989, NY Times

My copy is not laminated, nor is it tacked inside my pantry, but rather, it holds a prominent position in a binder book of mostly hand written recipes I call “All Things Sweet”.

With just eight ingredients, it’s so simple it’s brilliant.

Plum Torte-1-2

5.0 from 1 reviews
Plum Cake aka Plum Torte
 
Print
Adapted from The New York Times and Elegant But Easy By Marian Burros, Lois Levine
Author: Renee
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sugar + 1 teaspoon for the top
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup AP flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt (optional)
  • 2 eggs
  • 15 plums, pitted and cut in half
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Method
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For a single recipe grease a 9 x 9" square pan and set aside. Double recipe for a 9x13" pan.
  2. Cream together the sugar and butter in a large bowl.
  3. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.
  4. Pour the batter into the pan you prepared previously.
  5. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter.
  6. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar.
  7. Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack. Serve directly from pan.
Notes
If you plan on serving this cake at the table, you could also use a spring form pan so you will have a nice presentation.
3.4.3177

I was frugal with the plums in the cake and reserved just enough of the freshly picked gems to make a small batch of jam.  Just a mere two jars and a small bowl, but enough so that I will have plenty for the next few weeks or so to spread on large pieces of challah, for breakfast, with cups of tea. It’s also incredibly good on top of a piece of roasted poultry.

Spiced Plum Jam

Yield: (4-5) 4oz or (2-3) 8oz jars.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds washed and prepared fruit (Peel, pit, chop, then weigh.)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamon
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped

Instructions

  • Prepare jars and lids for standard water bath canning. Keep clean (4-5) 4oz or (2-3) 8oz jars warm in a large pot of simmering water until ready to use. Have new lids and clean bands ready as well as a clean lint-free towel or paper towel  to wipe jars.
  • If you are new to canning, I recommend you read this to get a feel for the basic procedures and precautions you should take to ensure you are creating a safe product.
  • Prepare fruit by peeling and pitting. To peel the fruit, slice a thin X in the bottom of the fruit, dip it in a pot of boiling water for about 20 seconds and quickly transfer to a bowl of ice water. The skin should peel off very easily. If you have a hard time getting it off, repeat the process.
  • Once the fruit has been peeled and pitted, cut into small chunks and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the fruit and toss to coat.
  • Place a small plate in the freezer (you will use this to test the jelling set of the jam).
  • In a large heavy bottom pot, add the fruit, water and sugar and cook, stirring continuously over medium high heat until it boils. You can mash the fruit at this point, but it will continue to break down as it cooks. Add the scraped vanilla and the pod (you will want to fish this out later)
  • Once the fruit boils, reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the mixture has darkened and begun to thicken, about 30-40 minutes. Just before the end of the cooking time, add the cardamom and stir to combine it well.
  • During this time, remove your jars from the pot of water and let them air dry on a clean towel.
  • Remove the plate from the freezer and spoon a small amount of jam onto it.  To test if the jam is done, move the jam gently with your finger; it should wrinkle slightly and feel thick. Tilt the plate. The jam should be thick enough that it moves very slowly; if it is too runny, it’s not quite ready and you should continue to cook the jam for another couple of minutes before retesting.
  • Once you have the consistency you want, remove the pot from the heat. Fish out the vanilla pod and discard it.
  • Ladle the hot jam into the sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe the rims clean if necessary with a clean towel or paper towel, set the lid on the jar and tighten the ring around it.
  • Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and set them upright on a clean kitchen towel. Within a couple of minutes, you should hear the jar lids “suck in” signifying that they have sealed properly.* Let the jars cool to room temperature before storing in a cool, dark place. Safety wise, they will keep for up to a year but after about 6 months or so, the color of the jam will start to darken and it may not taste its best, so try to use them within the first half year.

    * If a jar has failed to seal properly, simply store it in the refrigerator, where it will last for at least 1 month. You can also reboil the jam and recan it, and give it another water bath.

 

Spiced Plum Jam-1

Filed Under: Eat, Desserts, Sauces, Dressings and Condiments Tagged With: Cake, Jam, Plum Cake, Plum jam, Plums

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