sour cream and cherry kirsch muffins: a merry muffin makeover

Making a muffin that’s as sophisticated as it is delicious is no easy task. The problem? It’s easy to make a bad muffin. I’ve done it. With the wrong ingredients or techniques, they turn out dense or dry or flat, or, even worse, sticky.

This weekend, I wanted to make a muffin that stood out from the rest. I wanted the runway model of muffins. I wanted moisture. I wanted golden brown crisp. I wanted sophistication. I wanted it all, bursting from a tin cup.

After reviewing innumerable muffin recipes (and making a few bad ones) I learned the secret ingredient to a great muffin: sour cream. It gives muffins a creamy texture, moistness, and bright flavor that elevates the whole muffin experience. It also browns better, adding a crunch to each bite.

The sour cream-infused batter mixed with dried cherries soaked in Vietnamese cinnamon, sugar, and Kirsch made for a down-home, delicious muffin with all the elegance of a French pastry.

Sour Cream and Cherry Kirsch Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup sugar (plus 1 tablespoon for cherry mixture)
4 tablespoon butter, softened
1-1/4 cup full fat sour cream
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
2 tablespoons Kirsch
1 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12-cup muffin pan with butter.

Mix together flour, salt, and baking powder. In a small bowl, mix together dried cherries, Kirsch, cinnamon, and a tablespoon of sugar and let sit.

Using a KitchenAid equipped with a paddle attachment, mix together the egg, sugar, and butter until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and mix until evenly blended.

Slowly mix in flour mixture until a thick, sticky batter forms. Add in the berry mixture and pecans and mix until combined.

Divide the batter into the muffin cups, and bake until the muffins are light golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 – 30 minutes.

chicken provencal with orange gremolata: tasty chow for the comfort-food seeker

 
Chicken Provencal with orange gremolata is my go-to comfort food. We’re talking chick-flick-and-bottle-of-wine, comfy. Fuzzy-slippers, comfy. Let-the-laundry-pile-up-on-Sunday-afternoon, comfy.

The nicoise olive's delicate, nutty, mellow flavor works nicely with orange zest and tomatoes; and the marjoram, thyme, and parsley give this dish a bright, herby lift.

Join me: Put on your oversized T-shirt, forget the laundry, and dig in.

Chicken Provencal with Orange Gremolata

Inspired by Cook’s Illustrated

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 14.5 can diced tomatoes, drained
½ cup pitted nicoise olives
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 anchovy
1 pinch of cayenne
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 small bunch parsley, minced
Salt
Pepper

Season the chicken with salt and pepper on each side.

In a Dutch oven over medium flame, add the olive oil to the pan and brown the chicken, 5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pot and place onto a plate. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cayenne, and anchovy.


Stir ingredients well and cook for 2 minutes.  

Deglaze the pot with white wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, marjoram, and thyme. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the cover and continue cooking, to reduce the liquid for 10 minutes. Add half of the orange zest and the olives and continue cooking for another 10 minutes until the liquid has thickened around the chicken.

Combine the remaining orange zest with the parsley and sprinkle on top. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve.



chicken and seafood paella with argentinian chorizo: leftovers, por favor

Unlike risotto, which is blah reheated, leftover paella tastes delicious. With all the effort and time required to make chicken and seafood paella - nearly four hours end-to-end - leftovers better be good.

While risotto requires constant stirring until cooked, 'NEVER STIR' is the cardinal rule when cooking paella. The lack of motion preserves the integrity and shape of the rice grain while it quietly and uniformly soaks up all the stock and meat juices.

Adapted from a Guy Fieri recipe, this chicken and seafood paella with Argentinian chorizo served as the centerpiece to our special New Year’s Eve date night, and several date nights after that (with this kind of food, every night can be date night).

Chicken and Seafood Paella with Argentinian Chorizo

4 tablespoons olive oil plus a drizzle for garnish
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 ham hock
2 cups onion, diced and divided into two, 1-cup portions
1 cup celery, diced 
1 cup carrots, diced
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
Pinch of paprika
1 teaspoon minced oregano
1 cup white wine
Seafood stock, about 2 cups
1 tablespoon saffron dissolved in 1 cup warm water for 3 minutes
1 pound Argentinian chorizo or other mildly spiced, fresh chorizo sausage (Guy Fieri calls for spicy Mexican chorizo but I prefer the mildly spiced Argentinian chorizo to avoid overpowering the subtle flavor of the seafood)
1 cup red bell peppers, diced
3 cups Arborio rice
30 mussels
1/2 pound scallops
1/2 pound shrimp
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup scallions, diced, for garnish
1 lemon, cut in wedges for garnish

In a large stock pot over high heat add half the olive oil. Add the chicken thighs and ham hocks and brown on both sides. Remove chicken to a plate, leaving the ham hocks in the pot. Store the browned chicken in the fridge until you’re ready to use the meat. Add half of the onions and the celery, carrots, and garlic to the pot, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.

Deglaze the mix with white wine and reduce the liquid by half. Next add the seafood stock, saffron, and 2 quarts of water and let simmer for two hours or until reduced by half. When the stock is reduced, straining the liquid through a chinois, pressing the liquid out of the vegetables with a spatula. Return the liquid to the pot, and simmer on low heat. 

Remove the chicken thighs from the fridge and place them in the stock for 8 – 10 minutes to cook through.


Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven or paella pan add the remaining olive oil, chorizo, red bell pepper, and onion, and cook until the onions are translucent, but not brown. Add rice, paprika, oregano, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Simmer until all rice grains are coated with oil. Smooth the rice with the back of a soup ladle so it is level around the pan and, using the ladle, scoop about 1 cup of broth at a time into the rice. Do not stir.


When rice is 3/4 of the way from being fully cooked (about 15 - 20 minutes), add the chicken thighs, shrimp, scallops, and mussels.



Bury the seafood in the rice so they cook through. Add a final cup of broth and cover the pan tightly. Let sit off heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until seafood is cooked. Garnish with scallions, lemon wedges, and a drizzle of olive oil. When storing for leftovers, keep the mussels but remove the shells.


candied citrus peels: a holiday treat for anytime of the year

I've never made candy in part because it doesn't seem like cooking (science, magic perhaps?) and in part because I've never had much of a sweet tooth. I prefer bitter-sweet flavors like dark chocolate and citrus. So when I was perusing recipes to make for Christmas and found this candied citrus peel recipe, I was like, 'Heck ya.'

I made a single batch (not nearly enough!) for gifts. I liked them so much that I made a second batch for Paul and me to have with our nightly, after-dinner dose of dark chocolate. The bitter from the citrus combined with the sweetness of the sugar make these candied citrus peels irresistible.

I adapted the techniques of this recipe from Anita Chu's recipe in the October edition of Fine Cooking.

Candied Citrus Peels

3 cups citrus peel (from oranges, grapefruit, and lemons)
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar

Using a sharp knife, cut the top and bottom ½-inch off the fruit so it stands up on its own. Then, starting from the top of the fruit, move the knife down alongside the outer edge of the fruit to the bottom, cutting about a 1-inch wide slice of peel off the fruit. Continue around the fruit until you've sliced off all the orange peel. You should be left with about 6, 1-inch wide pieces of peel.

With a paring knife, fillet the remaining fruit and extra pith off the inside (white) portion of the peel or pull up the layer up with your fingers (the pith should peel off the rind like scotch tape from a cardboard box).

Turn the peel pith side down and slice the peel into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Save the fruit for another use, such as for an orange salad.


Put the sliced peels in a heavy-duty saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and blanch for 5 minutes.


Drain the peels, cover with fresh water, bring to a boil, and blanch again for 5 minutes. Repeat once more for a total of three blanchings.

In the same saucepan, combine 1-1/2 cups of the sugar and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Add the peels and reduce the heat to low. Let the peels simmer very gently until they begin to look translucent, 45 to 60 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure that the peels candy evenly.


Using an Asian spider skimmer or slotted spoon, lift the peels from the liquid and place on metal rack placed over a baking sheet. Though not shown in this picture, it's best to line the baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up. Let the sugar drip off for about 10 minutes. Reserve the leftover syrup for another use, like cocktails.


Once the peels have drained, put the remaining 1 cup of sugar in a bowl. Roll the peels in the sugar, shake them in a sieve to remove any excess, and spread them on the rack. Let dry for 5 to 6 hours.


Once fully dry, store the candied peels in an airtight container, such as a mason jar, in a cool, dry place. Serve with dark chocolate and port or espresso early morning or late night.

kale and barley soup with guanciale: office lunches have never been so good

It’s a dilemma for office workers everywhere: How to warm up your lunchtime soup without turning the microwave into a scene from Hatchet Meets Hellraiser II. There are various, unsavory methods, such as wrapping plastic tightly over the top (and watching the soup explode and drip down the sides of the plastic and then pool at the bottom glass tray), or placing a plate on top of the bowl, which has the same volatile, messy effect.

My company has two microwaves for every 80 – 100 people. In an office of nearly 500, lunchtime is busy. There is no time to make a mess. For months, I skulked out the back alley and plunked down $6 a day for sushi at our local buffet counter but as the winter months set in and our budget got tighter, I wanted a hot meal for less than $3. That meant finding a way to make soups, carry them in, and heat them properly without messy explosions.

Thankfully, with Google championing my cause, I found a solution. Meet the Corningware soup mug with a vented plastic lid on top, which I bought on Amazon for $8.99.


The special lid allows you to cover it for transport and open while heating. I can now enjoy hearty soups at work without the mess.

This delicious, earthy soup draws its flavors from rich, homemade beef broth and guanciale, Italian pork cheek, which you can order online. But pancetta will work well too.

Good cooking is only half of the equation when reheating lunches in the office. Thankfully, with my well-designed soup mug, meals at the office have never been so good.

Kale and Barley Soup with Guanciale

4-5 slices (about 6 – 8 ounces) guanciale or pancetta
1 cup barley
1 medium bunch kale, chopped into small bits
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 head cauliflower, broken into small pieces
1 onion, diced
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 sprigs marjoram, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch red pepper flakes
8 cups homemade or high quality beef broth plus 2 cups extra water*
Salt
Pepper

In a large soup pot over medium heat, saute gaunciale in the olive oil until the fat turns translucent. Add the marjoram, garlic, red pepper flakes and saute about a minute longer. Add the onion and saute for three more minutes. Next add the stock, tomato paste, vegetables, and barley, and simmer over low heat for about an hour. About 10 minutes before the soup has finished cooking, add the chickpeas.

*You can make your own beef broth by roasting about three pounds of pure beef marrow bones (straight portions of leg bones that contain marrow) with one carrot, one onion, and one stalk of celery, roughly chopped, for about 35 - 40 minutes. When the vegetables start to caramelize, remove them from the oven and add the vegetable/bone mixture to 10 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for two hours. Remove the bones and vegetables from the liquid and add the broth to the soup.

gnocchi with chanterelles and sage butter

Making gnocchi, the ever-elusive pillows of potato pasta, can drive a cook mad. The variables stupefy: the type of flour (ranging from all-purpose to fine semolina pasta flour to the prized Italian "00"), the type of potato, egg or no egg, KitchenAid stand mixer or by hand. How much flour to potato? Cooks approximate but can't know for sure until the dough is formed. It's all about the feel. When gnocchi are cooked well, their texture becomes silky and soft. When they are cooked badly, which I have done, they become dense or chewy, or worse, they fall apart.

Gnocchi are best paired with simple sauces that highlight the softness of the pasta. I love gnocchi with a simple tomato and meat ragu, which I learned in Italy, but I also like tossing them in butter with fresh, seasonal ingredients. I spotted these gorgeous chanterelles in the produce aisle and couldn't resist buying them and incorporating them into my gnocchi.


For more than a year, I've been making gnocchi without egg (just potato and flour), the way I learned in Italy, but this time I wanted to try it with the egg. The truth is, I couldn't discern a difference. The gnocchi made with the egg were delicious and tender. The dish was so good, in fact, that the Jennifer Aniston movie we watched during dinner, The Bounty Hunter, brought it down. Of course, that movie would have brought down a tuna sandwich. (I still love you, Jen!)

Don't make our mistake. Sit at the table, sip wine, and give full attention to the simple, earthy flavors of sage and chanterelles tossed with the melt-in-your mouth gnocchi.

Gnocchi with Chanterelles and Sage Butter

Serves 4

For gnocchi
2 large russet potatoes (Yukon gold also work well but I prefer russets)
1 egg
About 2 cups all purpose flour*

For the sauce
6 - 8 tablespoons butter
30 sage leaves
1/2 pound of chanterelles, cleaned and sliced in half
Parmesan shavings for the top
Salt
Pepper
Black truffle oil (optional)

*The trick to making tender gnocchi is adding enough flour to the potato mixture to hold together the dough but not too much or it will be tough. Add enough flour so that the dough doesn’t stick to your board. Also, before preparing your batch, test a single gnocco in boiling water. If it falls apart, your dough needs more flour.

Boil the whole potatoes in their jackets until they are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove them from the water, quarter them and pass them through a potato ricer onto a large plate. Let the potato cool completely.

In the bowl of a KitchenAid fitted with a dough hook, add the potatoes and egg. Stir at the lowest setting until the egg is combined and then slowly add in the flour.  (If you don't have a KitchenAid, you can mix the potato and egg together in a bowl with a wooden spoon and then work in the flour with your hands). Knead the ingredients together until the dough scoots along freely without sticking when pushed across a cutting board.

Cut the dough into quarters.


Roll out each piece into 1-inch thick logs. If your space is limited, grab a smaller chunk of dough and roll it out to a shorter length. Press the dough with back of a fork down the length of the log, creating even tine marks.




Cut each gnocco off the roll in a forward motion, pushing them away from the roll as you go. Keep the pieces well floured so they don’t stick together.

When you are ready to cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add about 4 tablespoons of salt. Lower the gnocchi into the water with a slotted spoon, small colander, or my favorite, an Asian spider skimmer, (to avoid splashes of boiling water) and cook until they float to the surface, about 1 minute.

Over a medium flame, heat the butter in a pan until it sizzles and then add the sage leaves. Sautee for 3 minutes on medium and then add the chanterelles. Continue cooking until the chanterelles are soft.


When the gnocchi float to the top, lift them from the water using a slotted spoon or small colander, shaking the excess water off, and place them in the pan with butter, sage, and mushrooms. Toss them to coat. Season with salt and pepper, a drizzle with black truffle oil, and serve with parmesan shavings on top.