Dijon Drumsticks

Ever wonder what to do with chicken drumsticks, aside from using BBQ or Buffalo sauce? What about a more presentable and *slightly* less messy dinner option? I stumbled upon a recipe and then made some alterations and now we have this...

Using your cast iron skillet, you want to coat the pan with a little olive oil and then place the drumsticks in, seasoned with just a little salt and pepper. Cook them over medium heat for at least 10 minutes, turning frequently so the skin all starts to brown. Then you want to add in 1/3 cup chopped shallots (onion will work too, but I prefer the shallots here) and 3 cloves of minced/chopped garlic. Let the shallots and garlic start to soften around the chicken and continue to rotate the drumsticks.

Separately, whisk/stir together 3 tbsp of dijon mustard (Grey Poupon is preferable), 2 tbsp of sour cream and some tarragon. The measurements for this can vary on taste, for instance, I added at least another spoonful of mustard and at least 2 tsp of tarragon.

Now you want to add 1 cup of chicken broth to the pan and then stir in 1 tsp of crushed coriander (whether jarred or fresh - the fresh seeds you can crush with a mortar and pestle). Let this all continue to simmer and then slowly mix in the whisked mustard mixture and reduce the heat to low so it can all thicken, which should take another 5 minutes.

Is your mouth watering yet? It should be, these were delicious.

Once the chicken legs are cooked thoroughly (I recommend slicing into at least one since legs and dark meat can be tricky, not to mention there's almost not enough damn meat to use the thermometer), you are ready to serve! Spread the stew/sauce/what-have-you around, I even topped the rice with it. 

Served with a side of brown wild rice and a salad.

- Melissa 

Oven Baked Pork Chops with Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes and a Homemade Raspberry-Jalapeno Reduction

So, despite having a Microbiology Lab final tomorrow morning, I am sacrificing for the greater good and posting something simple and delicious for our loyal followers.  This is so easy and so good you will wonder where the h#@^ your food went because you cleared your plate so fast!  It goes as follows.

Here is what you will need.

2-4 Boneless Pork Chops (Seeing as how this was an experiment, I used ones from Omaha Steak Co. because I did not want to risk the pork chops I got from the butcher.)
1-2 Lbs. of Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes (Use 1 pound if you are cooking for two and two if you are cooking for four.)
6-8 Oz. of Becky Crocker's Homemade Raspberry-Jalapeno Jelly. (My dear friend Becky sent me her homemade jelly and unless she sends you some, you have to stick to plain raspberry.  I would suggest going to a farmer's market and see if you can find some!) 
Salt, Pepper, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Here's what you do.

Reduce the Raspberry-Jalapeno Jelly for about 20-30 minutes in a saucepan over low heat.  You will need to stir this rather frequently to avoid burning the jelly.  This process does two things.  1.  Intensifies both the raspberry and jalapeno flavors.  2.  The sugar in the jelly actually candies the jalapenos and makes them amazing! 

Quarter the potatoes, place them on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet and drizzle them with extra-virgin olive oil.  When you are done drizzling, sprinkle salt and pepper on the potatoes.  (I used a fresh four peppercorn blend with pink Himalayan sea salt but regular salt & pepper is fine.  Snobby, I know, but it's delicious.)  Bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until fork tender.  

*****NOTE:  PINK HIMALAYAN SEA SALT MAKES EVERYTHING TASTE BETTER!!*****   

Take the pork chops and pat the excess liquid off of them.  Rub them with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  (Again, I used a fresh four peppercorn blend with pink Himalayan sea salt but regular salt & pepper is fine.)  Bake at 425 degrees for about 6-8 minutes on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet, flipping them twice.  (The pork chops I had were kind of small so adjust your time accordingly.) 

When you are done, you will have a plate that looks like this.  Enjoy!

- Chris

Cornish Game Hens or that's perverse!

Sorry for the brief absence...the holidays do have a way of clogging up your schedule...though I am cooking a lot. Anyway, today's blog really stems from my deep and abiding love of Seinfeld. If you are unfamiliar with the episode, turn your television on any night of the week and you'll come across the exact one soon enough.

Unlike Frank Constanza, I was aware of what Cornish Game Hens were...and I'd even had one once...but I had never attempted them myself. So when I saw a huge display of them at the store (overflowing I might add, meaning no one was else was trying to make them either) I figured it was time.

First things first, you need to clean and 'empty' the little chickens just like you would with any whole piece of poultry. Then preheat the oven to bake at 450 degrees.  Next you want to season the birds' skin with just a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Next you place a fresh lemon wedge, two sprigs of rosemary and one of thyme inside the cavity of the birds. Jarred spices are ok a lot of the time, but here I'd opt for the real deal simply because you really want that flavor to permeate while the hens are roasting. Place your new little friends in the roasting pan and put them in the oven for about 20 minutes.

While that is happening you can mix together some white wine (dry people, always DRY) at your discretion, 1/3 cup chicken broth and about 1/4 cup olive oil.  After the 20 minutes have passed, you want to reduce the oven temp to 350/375 degrees and pour the mixture over the hens and into the pan. Next, place some cloves of garlic into the juices around the birds and return it all to the oven. *see below*

You want to them roast them for about another 30 minutes, though that can differ so have the thermometer nearby. When they are close to your preferred temp, pull them out and cover them with foil. Drain the juices from the pan, garlic included, and throw that into a small saucepan and boil them for a few minutes to thicken it into a sauce you can serve with the chicken. Presentation can either be friendly - a chicken on a plate, the end - or formal - cut each one in half before serving.

So next time you see them at the store, don't be afraid. They are affordable and seem decadent, so impress your guests with their own individual bird! Served with couscous and green beans.

- Melissa

Grilled Ono fish....OMG

Chances are, unless you've been to Hawaii, you are unfamiliar with the Ono fish. It is also known as Wahoo on the island, and aside from there you can sometimes find it along the West Coast. I happened across in the frozen fish area at my local Trader Joe's and it was remarkably affordable AND very recently caught and packed. Anyway it is a dense, white fish and is similar enough to both Halibut and Mahimahi - so you can substitute those two fishes if Ono is just out of reach.


Anyway, the only way to prepare this is on the grill, which means that a marinade is in order. I used a simple marinade that just included 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup white wine, two teaspoons of sesame oil, 1 minced clove of garlic (more if you like garlic...we used close to two cloves) and about 1 tbsp of chopped, fresh ginger. I let it soak, covered in the fridge for close to two hours (you can let it sit for more but I wouldn't exactly do it a day ahead of time or anything as if it was beef) then took it to the grill.


As it is a lean fish (no fat to trim!) you want to avoid overcooking, so do it over a medium flame. For timing figure something like six to eight minutes per inch of thickness of the filet - ours worked out to be closer to eight minutes a side but we kept a close watch!!!

To accompany the fish, I sautéed fresh spinach (stems and all) with a little olive oil, a few splashes of dry white wine and ground white pepper. Then I topped that with the garlic cloves I had roasted in the oven in more olive oil, savory and pink Himalayan salt (about 10-15 minutes, small ramekin, on 350 degrees).


Also served with a sticky brown jasmine rice.


- Melissa

Just a little inspiration for feeding guests....

Cheese plate extraordinaire intended to serve as a great and easy appetizer...perhaps for upcoming holiday gatherings? Clockwise from left: mixed olives, cracked pepper Toscano, fresh basil leaves, Dubliner cheddar, lemon spicy almonds and pistachios, sliced aged hard salami, aged provolone (never smoked!) and  rosemary olive oil triscuits.

So served with wine. Heh.

- Melissa

Some things enjoyed in wine country...

I wish I could say that this post offered recipes, but it is truly just an excuse for me to, ahem, brag about a few things we ate on vacation as well as make a couple recommendations should you in the Mendocino, CA or Portland, OR areas. 

At Cafe Beajulois (www.cafebeaujolais.com) in Mendocino we weren't expecting to be impressed. We'd eaten at a place the night before (MacCallum House Inn - it is also a B&B - http://maccallumhouse.com) and found it to be ok, but certainly not up to the hype that preceded it. So when we arrived at the Cafe, which is a small house converted into a quaint eatery, we were hungry but hadn't been banking on what T is still calling "the best meal of my recent life."

Delicious 2009 Esterlina Vineyards Pinot Noir. Amazing.
Especially considering we'd had lunch at that very winery.

T's claim of the best thing he ever ate...as copied from the menu itself:

Petaluma Duck Two Ways (Crispy Skin Breast and Leg de Confit),

Caramelized Onion Buttermilk Spätezle, Wilted Kale & Balsamic Jus Lié. 

No mere filet mignon...more like a truffle-topped step into heaven. 
Again, as per the menu: Niman Ranch Filet Mignon, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, 
Sautéed Broccolini, Truffle Butter,  Sauce Au Poivre. 

We concluded that meal by not only finishing our wine, but with a cheese platter that did not disappoint either.

On our way back we also stopped in Portland and ate a shockingly GREAT lunch at 50 Plates (http://50plates.com/) which is located in the historic and hip Pearl District of the city. The place has great service, a menu that is both mind-blowing while remaining fairly healthy and is affordable (at least for lunch, though I cannot imagine dinner would break the bank). 

Seafood Chowder, courtesy of 50 Plates in Portland, OR. Chock full of
seafood including mussels, clams and giants chunks of a white fish. Not to
mention the peppery, tomato-based broth and large cuts of new potatoes. 

More from 50 Plates...this is the BLT&T. So the amazing BLT,
on a crispy tortilla, coated with garlic aioli mayo and rare Ahi tuna.
What's not to love? Oh, and ps, the bacon was more of a chopped bacon
jelly, so while there were pieces of actual bacon, it was all over the sandwich!

So that's that. Now, assuming you have all enjoyed a little food porn, I will return to normal food posts with recipes next.....perhaps some grilled Hawaiian Ono and garlic clove & spinach salad? Stay tuned....

Chicken with a Dijon Radish Sauce

So, uh, you have some radishes? Not sure what do with them outside of a salad? Better yet, do you see them in the store and wonder what in the hell people are doing with them at home? Well aside from my penchant for pairing them with sharp cheeses (believe me, it totally works), I was in that same boat. So with a little research and tweaking, I came up with this....

First things first - you'll need radishes. Just rinse them thoroughly (they tend to be fairly grimy), trim all the greenery off and set them aside. Next up is the chicken - I used boneless cutlets that I cut down further and pounded out a little, making more of a scallopini cut. Take the chicken and cook it over medium heat in a large sauté pan with a little olive oil, salt and pepper until it is browned on both sides, but not completely cooked. Now take the chicken out and place it onto a covered plate, but do not empty the sauté pan. Toss in some chopped shallots (1/4 cup, maybe a smidgen more) and let them cook for about a minute. Then stir in 1/3 cup of white wine and 3/4 cup chicken broth and let it all simmer to a slow boil.

Once it is boiling, turn the heat down a little and then stir in 2-3 tbsp of dijon mustard (seriously grey poupon is a must have) and 2-3 tsp of tarragon. Now return the chicken to the pan and let it simmer away in the sauce, while adding in some butter (margarine is my stand-by), say 2 tbsp and let it continue to cook. Halve the radishes (remove the roots too, by the way) and place them in the sauce and replace the pan's cover. Let the entire dish simmer over LOW heat for another 5 minutes and then serve. More tarragon can be added once it is plated.

Served with potatoes, sautéed with onions, and a salad.

- Melissa