Chicken Au Champagne and Bulgur Risotto with Peas and Asparagus

I recently picked up a copy of Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat (I know, I know, I'm like four years late on this) and came across a recipe that looked like a good one to try for chicken cooked in Champagne. I was pleased with the result and will definitely make this again. Her recipe made enough for four people, so I halved it since I was only cooking for two. Recipe below...

Chicken Au Champagne

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts with skin and bone (I went for the organic breasts at Whole Foods; you can usually get them in a pack of two)
Salt and pepper (kosher salt and freshly ground pepper if you have them)
Chervil, tarragon, or thyme, optional (just choose one... I used a little fresh thyme, but you could also use dried)
1 small shallot, quartered
3/4 cup Champagne (Mireille recommends Veuve Clicquot, but of her own admission is biased since she works there; I felt Veuve was a little extravagant for a weeknight meal, so I got a bottle in the $20 - $25 range... a nice Brut of some kind will work fine for this -- just stay away from the sweet stuff since you're going for a savory dish)

1. Place the chicken breasts in a roasting pan (I just used an 8x8 glass Pyrex since that's what I had), and season them with salt and pepper (if using a dried spice, sprinkle a small amount over each breast). Pour 1/2 cup of the Champagne over breasts. Insert a piece (or two) of shallot under the skin of each breast (Note: you don't want to detach the skin from the breast; just gently run your index and middle finger under the skin to create a pocket big enough to get the shallot underneath). Since I used fresh thyme, I put a sprig under the skin of each breast as well.
2. Place the pan under the broiler, skin-side down, for 3 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned. Turn and broil the other side for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken from the broiler, baste with the pan juices, and add the remaining 1/4 cup of Champagne. Adjust the oven temperature to 475 degrees and bake the chicken for 30 minutes, basting once or twice.
4. Pour the cooking juices from the chicken over the meat and enjoy.

You could serve this meal with something as simple brown rice and a fresh steamed veggie of your choosing. I wanted to pair the chicken with something a little more fun while still trying to keep things fairly healthy. So, I dug around on epicurious.com and found the following recipe for a bulgur wheat risotto, which turned out delicious. This dish worked great as a side, but could have easily stood as a meal by itself. I tweaked their recipe a little after comparing it to a traditional risotto, but not by much... I added 1/2 cup of wine to the list of ingredients (a traditional ingredient for a risotto, which adds a nice depth of flavor) before adding the broth and adjusted some of the cooking times. I also heated the broth in a separate pan before ladling it into the bulgur. If you've never made a risotto before, try it. They're easier and quicker to make than you think -- just requires a little patience at the stove.

Bulgur Risotto with Peas and Asparagus
serves six as a first course

Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter (you could probably get away with 3 tablespoons here... two at the outset and one at the end)
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups bulgur (I found this in the bulk section of my grocer)
4 cups (about) chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup of dry white wine (I used Champagne since that's what I had open)
1 pound asparagus, trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (unthawed)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup whipping cream (if you're freaking out about whipping cream, I suppose you could substitute half-and-half instead, but keep in mind that this is a pretty small amount when you consider the distribution among six servings)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (I used a little less than a teaspoon of dried since that's what I had. You could omit altogether if you're not a fan of the taste -- remember that a little goes a long way with dried spices, ESPECIALLY tarragon!)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper
Additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over a low heat. In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
2. Add onion; sauté until tender but not brown, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add the bulgur and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine/champagne and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 cup (give or take; I usually use a ladle for this part) of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the bulgur, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to be absorbed before adding the next, until the bulgur is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total.
4. When you are down to your last ladle of broth, add the asparagus to the mixture. (Note: the original recipe said to add the asparagus after the third ladling of broth, but I ignored this because asparagus cooks in a just a few minutes and I'm not a fan of mushy asparagus. Who is?) When the last of the stock has been absorbed, add the peas and cook 3 minutes longer. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan, cream, tarragon, salt, pepper, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Serve immediately (with additional grated Parmesan, if desired).

Final Notes:
If you wanted to make the Chicken Au Champagne dish for four people (or have leftovers), use 1 cup Champagne instead of 3/4 (i.e., 1/2 c. at the outset and another 1/2 c. on the second request for it).

If you're looking to make less of the bulgur, I would use the following recipe as a guide for measuring things out: Giada DeLaurentiis's Champagne Risotto. This serves 2 (as a main portion I think; it basically cuts the measurements of the above recipe in half).

This meal would be great for a date night...

Starting fresh in 2009

So, I've been terrible about keeping up with this blog. I took pictures here and there of dishes I made last year, but failed to post anything since last February. (Pretty lame blogging if you ask me.) I have excuses, of course, but I won't bore you with them. Instead, I'll post a dish (and recipe) that I made last month that I think you'll enjoy. Cheers and happy eating.

Classic Fondue

It is a known fact that I love cheese, and if I had to choose between it and chocolate, I'd give up chocolate. Seriously. No contest. Anyway, I've been meaning to post on fondue for a few weeks, but been sick, been busy with school, work and misc... (Excuses, excuses, I know, but this blog business is harder to keep up with than it would seem!) In late January, I came across an article in the New York Times that had me salivating for a pot of bubbling cheese and crusty french bread (what could be better in this dreary weather?). Naturally, I sent the link to a fellow cheese lover who was equally tempted by the article and invited him and his wife over for dinner.

There are like a gabillion ways that you can do fondue. Check the link to the article for a few ideas. The writer consulted with the chef at Artisanal in NYC (highly recommend this place btw) and has like three or four different versions in the article to try. I am sort of a purist when it comes to fondue. My favorite by far is the classic, which uses a combo of Emmenthaler and Gruyere cheeses. Here is the recipe I used (pulled from article). It was a home run. We paired our dinner with a nice bottle of champagne.

Recipe: Classic Fondue
Time: 15 minutes

1 small garlic clove, halved

1 cup dry white wine

3/4 pound Gruyère cheese, grated

3/4 pound Emmenthaler, raclette or Appenzeller cheese, grated

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 to 2 tablespoons kirsch (optional)

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste (optional)

Crusty bread cubes; steamed broccoli or cauliflower; carrot, celery or fennel sticks; cubed apple; seedless grapes; clementine sections; cubed salami, soppressata or kielbasa; roasted chestnuts and/or dried apricots, for serving.

1. Rub cut side of garlic on inside of large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan, preferably cast iron, rubbing the bottom and halfway up the sides. Add wine and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. (I just used my little electric fondue pot and it worked great.)

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss cheeses with cornstarch. Add a handful at a time to simmering wine, stirring until first handful melts before adding next. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until cheese is completely melted. Add kirsch, if using, and heat until bubbling, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if desired. Serve with crusty bread and other accompaniments.

Yield: 6 main course servings or 10 appetizer servings.

Dinner at Acadiana

Last week was Restaurant Week in D.C., so a couple of friends of mine decided to try out Acadiana on New York Avenue over by the Convention Center. Acadiana is a part of the restaurant group that owns Ceiba, DC Coast, and Ten Penh. I have not eaten at DC Coast (I know, I know, I need to), but so far, this one might be my favorite. The cuisine of Acadiana has a New Orleans-style influence, which I love.

Overall, we had a great experience, minus my drink at the bar. Speaking of which, Acadiana has a nice big bar and if I was to go back, I wouldn't mind just eating right there as the restaurant feels a little vacuous -- they've done their best to make the space inviting, but it's tricky with such tall ceilings (if you go, ask to be seated in a booth).

Our evening started with cocktails and I ordered a Mint Julep that was just okay (Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, fresh mint, simple syrup and a splash of soda water). With the Wild Turkey 101, I was expecting a kick in the butt, but the soda water diluted the cocktail a bit too much -- even the mint, though there was quite a bit of it crushed in the drink, was muted. My friends had better luck with their spirits. I'm blanking on one of the cocktails, but the one I remember was the Sazerac (dash of Absente, equal parts Angostura and Peychaud’s Bitters, simple syrup and Old Overholt Rye Whiskey) and my friend loved it.

For my appetizer, I ordered the trio of deviled eggs. Each was topped with something different: crabmeat ravigote, shrimp remoulade, and louisiana choupique caviar. I enjoyed the different flavors on top of the eggs and thought they paired nicely with the taste of the salty deviled yolks.

For my entree, I ordered the grilled gulf redfish with a seafood jambalaya risotto and smoked red pepper sauce. Loved this. The fish was grilled perfectly and practically melted in my mouth. The risotto was a nice spin on jambalaya (though I would have liked it a tad spicier) and the red pepper sauce was a lovely complement to the dish. My server suggested a Sauvingnon Blanc to pair with my meal (Sancerre, Chateau de Sancerre, Loire Valley, France, 2005), which was a good choice.

Friends' entrees included the red snapper amandine (second photo below) with a brown butter meuniere and sweet corn pudding (v. tasty, I had a bite!), and the New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp (first photo) with garlic butter, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and warm French bread. I'm not sure which dish I liked better -- mine or the bbq. shrimp -- both were fantastic. (I actually have a bbq. shrimp recipe from K Paul's cookbook that tastes very similar to this dish though a little spicier.)

For dessert, we tried the warm raisin bread pudding with a butterscotch sauce and Tahitian vanilla ice cream. Quite good, but by then we were all so stuffed, no one could finish it!

In short, these were damn good eats. I left with a happy, full tummy (no portion control on this evening!), and look forward to a return to this place.

Attempting Something New: Shrimp Pad Thai

I love stir-fry and eat it almost once a week because it's a quick and easy meal, but chicken and broccoli gets boring after a while. So last night I made my first foray into Thai cuisine with a Shrimp Pad Thai recipe from Joy of Cooking. I don't have the recipe in front of me right now as I type this, so I'll post it later. It turned out pretty good despite the fact that I used the skinniest rice noodles on the planet. I think I just misunderstood what the recipe called for -- next time I will use flatter noodles like you would be served if you ordered this at a restaurant. Rice stick noodles come in differing widths and thicknesses -- I bought the ones that looked like the noodles at the very top of the page when I should have bought the kind that is in the second picture just below.

I'm not sure why I get these wild hairs to cook on nights when I have no food in my kitchen, but again I found myself going to the grocery store at 7 o'clock. I ended up having to make two stops -- first at Whole Foods and then to Safeway. For some reason Whole Foods had every sprout except for bean sprouts (annoying) and their green onions left something to be desired. This was disappointing considering the main reason I choose Whole Foods over other grocery stores is because of the produce, but whatever. I will keep going because a trip to that grocery store makes me happy. Plus there is always wine and cheese to be tasted if you go at the dinner hour.

While I enjoyed what I made and was definitely pleased with myself for trying something new, this recipe was a little heavy on noodles and bordered on being too spicy. I will adjust accordingly next time. My poor little fingers were burning all evening from chopping two red chilis even after washing my hands several times. (I won't even talk about what happened when I went to take my contacts out later that evening.) It was also a lot of work for a weeknight meal -- I don't think I ate until almost 10! Making Pad Thai is not complicated, but there is a lot of prep involved, which basically all needs to be done prior to putting anything in your wok.

So for next time, I will probably just use one red chili since the recipe also calls for dried crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper on top of it. I will also get the flatter rice noodles, but use slightly less and add more sprouts. One thing I did do right: I paired my spicy din with beer. A little Stella Artois hit the spot! Did you know that Stella was a originally brewed as a Christmas beer in Belgium? It was named Stella from the star of Christmas. Random trivia for you to store away.

Readers of this blog (all three of you), has anyone ever tried making Pad Thai before? I'm interested to know about other recipes.

Penne with Vodka Sauce

This is a favorite of mine and I go by the recipe from my Joy of Cooking cookbook. It's a good date meal or perfect for one. You can make this dish any number of ways -- some like to add things like pancetta or grilled chicken to add more flavor. I personally like the pasta by itself, so that's how I make it. I usually serve this with some kind of arugula or mixed green salad and garlic bread. And, of course, no good pasta dish is complete without a bottle of red -- I like a zin with this, but what do I know? Gnarly Head is one that I sometimes pick up from Whole Foods.

Sorry, no photo. I was too hungry to take a picture the other week when I made this! Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying good eats over their holidays.

What you need:
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 onion, finely chopped (I usually just go with a regular, old yellow)
-2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-1 28 oz. can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
-1/4 vodka (I used Grey Goose b/c that's what I had on hand, but whatever you have lying around should work just fine)
-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
-1/2 cup heavy cream (I have used half-and-half for this dish, too, but I'm partial to what the recipe calls for)
-1/2 - 1 box penne (depending on how many you are making this for, you can do a full box of pasta or half; if it's just me I usually just do half and enjoy the leftovers during the week)
-12 basil leaves chiffonaded
-freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
-salt and pepper to taste

So...heat your olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and saute your onion until it softens (say like 6 or 7 minutes). Toss your garlic in for another minute. Then, add to this your can of crushed tomatoes, the red pepper flakes and vodka. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, in another part of Gotham (what?), bring a pot of water to boil for your penne. Remember to salt your water before adding the pasta (I usually dump a small palmful in). Cook to whatever the instructions on the box are for al dente pasta -- around 11 minutes I think. Before draining, reserve a 1/4 cup of the pasta water to mix into your sauce. (No, you don't have to do this, but everything I've learned from watching too many cooking shows says that adding a little pasta water to your sauce helps the liquid to stick to the pasta when you add it in, so like a good little lemming, I follow this rule of thumb).

After your sauce has simmered, stir in the heavy cream and heat through. (This is a good time to add in your pasta water if you're gonna.) Add salt and pepper to taste and then your chopped basil leaves. Stir in the pasta. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmegiano-Reggiano. (Evidently, it is not traditional to grate cheese over this, but I love the flavor that it adds. What can I say, I love cheese!)

Quick Turkey Chili

The other night I had a hankering for chili. But I had just gotten home from work and had no groceries. Bust. Those who have made chili before know that a pot of this usually takes a couple hours before all the juices have worked their magic on the meat, but I was determined (and procrastinating schoolwork). The taste of chili was already on my tongue and I HAD to have it.

So, I did a quick perusal of Food Network's website looking for a quicky chili. Who better to turn to than good ol' (slightly obnoxious) Rachel Ray. I admit that I have never tried any of her recipes before -- ever since I watched the episode where she made a hot dog salad I have been slightly turned off -- but I decided to give her a shot. I printed out a copy of Indian Summer Turkey Chili and drove up the street to Whole Foods. (It was a little after 7:30 I think.)

The only thing worth mentioning about the grocery trip was that an old Phil Collins song came on and I think that every person in Whole Foods knew the words (even if they wouldn't admit to this among friends) because on more than one aisle I walked down, random people were singing the lyrics under their breath (including myself) -- one of the clerks was happily stocking an aisle while whistling (in a warbly whistle like your grandmother would do) right along to the tune!

ANYWAY, I got home with my bag of groceries and whipped up a pot of chili in about 40 mins., and I was pleasantly surprised with how good it tasted. I think the way Rachel Ray got around having the meat simmer so long was the addition of a little barbecue sauce. I was skeptical of this since I figured for sure that the taste of bbq would overwhelm the chili, but it didn't at all. I enjoyed my chili so much that I ate the majority of the leftovers for lunch during the week.

Groceries for this meal:
6-pack Brooklyn Lager, $7.99 (Multipurpose item -- cooking AND drinking!)
1 red pepper, $2.69 (Does anyone else think this is an absurd price for ONE pepper?)
1 bag blue corn chips, $1.99 (I don't eat chili without tortilla chips.)
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce, $0.69
1 medium-sized yellow onion, $1.09
1 package frozen corn, $1.99
Cabot Extra Sharp cheddar cheese, $2.45 (another thing I do not eat chili without)
1.5 lbs. ground turkey, $10.28
1 jar of King Street Blues barbecue sauce, $5.39
1 jar of chili powder (I was out), $2.49

Total: $37.05 + tax (I could be willing to bet you could cut this price in half if you didn't shop at Whole Foods.)

Items I needed, but already had:
Worcestershire sauce
Cumin
Red chili flakes
Tabasco sauce
Grill seasoning (I used Paul Prudomme's, but any will do)
Olive oil
Light Sour Cream (a third thing I like to have in my chili)

I cut Rachel's recipe in half, which gives you four hefty bowls of chili, but as many as six.

Measurements of ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 - 1.5 lbs ground turkey
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon dark chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of hot sauce (you could do more here, but since I'm not a huge fan of hot sauce taste, I added a couple shakes of dried red chili flakes to give heat to the dish)
1 onion, chopped (set aside a quarter of it for topping the chili)
1 large pepper (any color you like - I used red), chopped
1/2 bottle of beer (this was actually what the full recipe called for, so you could go a little less, but not by much -- I just dumped a portion of what I was drinking into the pot!)
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup of smoky barbecue sauce
1 cup of frozen corn kernels

Heat a pot over medium to medium high heat. Add olive oil and the turkey meat. Season the meat with: chili powder, grill seasoning, cumin, Worcestershire and hot sauce (or chili flakes). Break up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon into small crumbles.

Chop the onion, reserving 1/4 of it for topping the chili. Brown meat 5 minutes, then add onions and chopped bell peppers and cook 10 minutes more. Add beer and deglaze the pan, scraping up the drippings and cooking off the alcohol. Add tomato sauce and barbecue sauce and bring to a bubble. If using corn kernels add them now. Let chili simmer 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings and heat level to your taste. Remove from heat and serve. Top with your favorite toppings -- for me that includes sharp cheddar, sour cream and a little bit of onions with crumbled tortilla chips over the top!