No fail Breakfast!

I LOVE French Toast! Seriously, it is one of my most favorite breakfast meals.  I have played with variations of French Toast from time to time but I must say its nothing like the real thing baby. It is so simple yet such a treat for snowed in days like this one. So enough talkter out of me here's what to do!

RANDI'S CLASSIC FRENCH TOAST

Ingredients

• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
• 1/8 teaspoon orange zest OR 1 tbsp OJ (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah (my choice) bread
• 4 tablespoons butter

Directions

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, vanilla, zest/juice(optional) and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

Chicken Classic

Tired of boring chicken. Fried chicken, baked chicken, grilled chicken, chicken wings, chicken soup OK I'll stop here.  To be honest I was inspired to make this dish from watching one of my favorite shows: Food Networks Worst Cooks of America.  Chef Anne Burell who is BOSS, taught a group of the worst cooks I've ever had the twisted pleasure to watch how to make this amazing looking dish: Chicken Cacciatore.  I figured if these people could break down an entire chicken and make this masterpiece so could I.  So I began by feeding my intellect a little. If you are like me you enjoy a little history when it comes to cooking classics like this one. So read a little and follow my foodie exploration!

There are many different variations of this dish based upon ingredients available in specific regions. For example, in southern Italy, cacciatore often includes red wine while northern Italian chefs might use white wine.

A basic cacciatore recipe usually begins with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil heated in a large frying pan. Chicken parts, dusted with salt and pepper, are seared in the oil for three to four minutes on each side. The chicken is removed from the pan, and most of the fat poured off. The remaining fat is used to fry the onions, mushrooms, peppers or other vegetables for several minutes. A small can of peeled tomatoes (drained of liquid and coarsely chopped) is added to the pan along with some oregano and a half cup of dry red wine. The seared chicken parts are returned to the pan which is then covered. The dish is done after about an hour at a very low simmer. Cacciatore is often served with a rustic bread or some pasta on the side.

*Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacciatore

That being said, here is the recipe that turned out to be one of the most delicious, beautifully complex in flavorings and tender chicken meals I've ever made.  I served mine over a bed of al dente egg noodles along with crusty garlic bread.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE 

INGREDIENTS 

• Olive oil, as needed         
• 1 (4 to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 8 to 10 pieces
• Kosher salt
• 2 large onions, sliced
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 2 (28-ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes, passed through the food mill or pureed
• 1 bundle thyme
• 3 bay leaves

Directions

Coat a large, wide pot with olive oil and put over high heat. Season the chicken with salt. To taste, and brown in the hot oil, working in batches, if needed. Once all the chicken is brown, remove it to a plate and discard most of the excess fat.

If needed to coat the bottom of the pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions and crushed red pepper, season with salt, to taste, and sweat over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook until they are soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt, to taste, and cook until they are soft. Add the white wine and reduce by half.

Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes; taste for seasoning. Add the thyme bundle and the bay leaves. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Check the level of the sauce periodically during the cooking process and replenish it with water as needed; the level of liquid should be about even with the chicken.

Remove the chicken from the pot and arrange it on a pretty serving platter. Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust if needed. Skim the surface of the sauce if excessively greasy. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve. Tastes like chicken!

*Chef Randi's note:  I found that adding 30 minutes to the cooking time increased the flavors perfectly. This is a low and slow cooking recipe so make this on a day when you have the time!

Sunday Bliss!

Feeling ambitious? Want to impress your dinner guests? Need to make that special someone feel even more special? Well here is a simply decadent, elegant and of course mouth watering idea: Roast Duck!  I tried this recipe from the Food Network and it turned out perfect!

ROAST DUCK

Ingredients

• 1 Pekin duckling (Long Island), about 5 pounds
• Six 1 by 3-inch strips orange zest
• 1 small onion, halved
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed
• 8 whole black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

Directions

A day before roasting, remove the giblets and neck from the cavity of the bird and discard. If necessary pluck any stray pinfeathers off the duck with tweezers. Trim the neck flap and excess fat from around the cavity. Rinse and dry the bird well. Set the duck on a rack on a baking sheet, and refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 hours.

Heat the oven to 300 degrees F. Pierce the duck's skin all over (including the back), every 1/2-inch, with a skewer or small knife. Season the cavity with salt and pepper and stuff with 3 strips of the orange zest and the onion. Set the duck on a rack in a roasting pan, and pour a cup of water in the pan. Roast the bird for 3 hours, removing the duck from the oven every hour to prick the skin again.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: Combine the remaining orange zest, molasses, honey, coriander, pepper, orange juice, vinegar, and garlic in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring, over medium-high heat until warm. Remove glaze from the heat and set it aside at room temperature while the duck cooks.

Remove the duck from the oven and carefully, pour off the excess fat from the pan. (If desired reserve this fat for frying potatoes or wilting greens.) Raise the oven temperature to 450 degree F. Return the duck to the oven and roast until crisp and brown, about 30 minutes more.

Let the duck rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before carving. Brush the duck's skin with glaze 4 to 5 five times during the resting period. Carve the duck and transfer pieces to warm serving platter. Serve the remaining glaze at the table to drizzle over the duck, if desired.