Chicken Marsala

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You know those chef competitions that are so popular right now (Top Chef, Master Chef, etc)? At some point or another, they are usually asked to prepare their signature dish. Id’ have to say that chicken marsala would be mine. It’s one of the first recipes that I’d ever tackled back in my newlywed days, it was even the first post I made here on the blog. This was the also the first recipe I’d ever tried from Cook’s Illustrated, which quickly became my go-to recipe source. So many good things I associate with this recipe!

Which is why I figured I’d take a new shot for you guys when I made this last week. I’ve probably made this dinner 100 times, and it still never ceases to “wow” us. It’s perfect for company too – impressive, but much of the prep work can be done beforehand, which is great for dinner parties. When browsing through the ingredients list, the sweet Marsala might throw you a bit. Who wants a sweet wine in their savory sauce, right? But trust me, the sweetness is balanced out with plenty of fresh lemon juice. I’ve tried it with dry Marsala as well, but it’s just not as flavorful – sweet definitely wins out. If you can’t find sweet Marsala, use dry but omit most of the lemon juice. Paired with a pile of fettuccine and a nice green salad, this is truly a perfect meal!

Chicken Marsala

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
kosher salt
ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 slices of bacon, chopped
2 cups white or cremini mushrooms
2 large garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tbsp.)
1 tbsp. minced shallot
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1  cup Marsala wine (sweet)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 lemon, juiced
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place large heatproof dinner plate on oven rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees.  Meanwhile, pound the chicken breasts to a 1/2 inch thickness in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pat chicken breasts dry. Place flour in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Season both sides of chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Working one piece at a time, coat both sides of chicken breasts with flour. Shake to remove excess flour, and set aside.

Heat oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until very hot (you can hold your hand 2 inches above pan surface for 3 to 4 seconds), about 3 minutes.  Place floured cutlets in single layer in skillet and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip cutlets and cook on second side until golden brown and meat feels firm when pressed with finger, about 4 minutes longer.  Transfer chicken to heated plate and return plate to oven to keep warm.

Return skillet to low heat and add bacon; saute, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits until bacon is brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate.

Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high; saute, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until liquid released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and shallot and saute for 1 minute. Add tomato paste, and cook until paste begins to brown, about 1 minute.

Add Marsala and chicken stock, and increase heat to high.  Scrape browned bits from pan bottom, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes.

Off heat, add lemon juice and any accumulated juices from chicken in the oven; whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley. Return chicken breasts to pan and simmer in sauce for a few minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, May 2000

Cantaloupe Salsa

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I love salsas of all kinds. Traditional red salsa, corn salsas, fruit salsas – it would be hard to nail down just one favorite. Last week we had fish tacos, and I went to the store for a few last minute ingredients. The cashier alerted me to the fact that the fresh, local cantaloupes were on sale for $2 BOGO. How could I resist? A true buy one get one too, not that BOGOHO crap!  I’d planned to do my usual mango salsa, but remembered when Shawnda had made a cantaloupe salsa to pair with fish tacos, and thought that would be a fun twist instead.

I pretty much just took my recipe for pico de gallo, and subbed in cantaloupe for tomato. It was fresh and delicious, and perfect with the blackened fish. And of course it wonderful for munching on with tortilla chips too. I know this would be a hit at any potluck or BBQ, as it’s so unique and different. Taking advantage of the last of the summer’s bounty while I still can, I know I’ll be making this a few more times before all the good melons are gone!

Cantaloupe Salsa

2.5 cups cantaloupe, finely diced (about 1/2 large cantaloupe)
1 cup red onion, finely diced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Combine cantaloupe, red onion, jalapenos, cilantro, and lime juice in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: inspired by Confections of a Foodie Bride

Cannoli Cupcakes

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“Leave the gun, take the cannoli” – such time treasured advice. I love cannoli, but they can be a mess to make as well as incredibly time consuming. So, when I saw these cupcakes in Theresa Guidice’s cookbook, I knew I wanted to try them. A fun twist on the classic Italian dessert, these cupcakes are filled with a light cannoli cream, then frosted with a delicious cocoa whipped cream frosting.

I was a little hesitant about the cupcake batter, where I’d not used yogurt in a cupcake recipe before, but they turned out great. A little bit of a denser texture than my usual vanilla cupcake recipe, but that was good, because it needs to hold up to the cannoli filling. These are adorable, and different, and everyone enjoyed them. If you’re missing the crunch from the shell, try garnishing with some broken up sugar cone pieces. Or, take the more traditional route and top with mini chocolate chips.

Cannoli Cupcakes

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup ricotta impastata*
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1-2/3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips for decoration (optional)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Put paper liners in a standard 12-cup muffin pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.

With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the yogurt and vanilla – scraping the sides of bowl as necessary. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.

Divide the batter evenly among the cups. Bake until the cupcakes are golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.

For the cannoli cream: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the ricotta, confectioner’s sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Stir in the 1/4-cup mini chocolate chips. Transfer to a quart-sized resealable plastic bag. Using scissors, snip off 1/2-inch from a closed corner of the bag. You will use the plastic bag as a pastry bag to fill the cupcakes.

Using a small knife, cut a deep, inverted cone out of the center of each cupcake. Set cones aside. Use the plastic bag to fill the cupcakes with the cream. Use a knife to smooth the top of the filling flush with the cupcake.

To make the cocoa whipped cream: In a chilled medium bowl, combine the heavy cream, confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks.

Snip 1/2-inch from a closed corner of a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Insert a large star tip (such as Ateco 825) in the bag and poke it through the snipped end. Transfer the cocoa cream to the bag. Pipe swirls of cocoa whipped cream over each cupcake. Sprinkle each with about a teaspoon of mini chocolate chips. Refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to serve.

* Ricotta impastata is an Italia cheese found in specialty shops. It’s dryer and lighter than traditional ricotta. Of course, I couldn’t find it – so I let a 15 oz container of whole milk ricotta set in a cheesecloth lined strainer overnight to reduce the liquid content. Then, I pureed it in the food processor for about 3 minutes to whip to make it lighter. Worked like a charm!

Souce: adapted from Fabulicious! by Teresa Giudice

Tomato Pie

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Tomatoes, fresh from the vine, are one of summer’s greatest gifts. There’s so many ways to use them, but few are simpler or more delicious than a tomato pie. When I first heard the term “tomato pie” – I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Was it sweet? It was after all pie, right?  But, after one bite I was hooked.

Tomatoes and onions are layered in pre-baked pie shell, then topped with a mixture of cheeses and fresh basil. So, yeah, it’s essentially a crust of cheese. How can you argue with that? My girlfriend made a couple for our book club this past weekend, and I’m afraid I might have eaten an entire pie to myself if they’d have let me! With all the fresh tomatoes I had in a colander on the counter, I knew I had to make one to share with you guys!

I did tweak a few things. First, I sliced the tomatoes, then salted and let sit for a few minutes to strain liquid out.  I like the layers! I sauteed the onions with a bit of garlic before adding them to the pie. Added a drizzle of balsamic before topping with the cheese mixture. Traditionally that mixture is mayonnaise, and then various cheeses. I wanted to lighten it up a bit, so I subbed half the mayo for Greek yogurt – and, as always, I love the slight tang that it lended to the dish!

If your lucky enough to have an abundance of tomatoes right now, do yourself a favor and make this pie! Or, better yet, make two – because they’ll go fast. Apparently they freeze great too. Stick it in the fridge the night before to defrost, then bake as usual. I’m definitely making a couple more to freeze before tomatoes are gone for good. It would be wonderful to enjoy this summery goodness in January!

Tomato Pie

1 9-inch pie shell (click for my favorite pie crust recipe)
1/2 onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tomatoes, sliced in 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 cups grated cheese (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack)
1/3 cup mayonaise
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt, freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Place pie shell in oven and cook for 8-10 minutes or longer until lightly golden. If you are starting with a frozen crust, you’ll need to cook it a little longer. If you are using a homemade crust, freeze the crust first, then line the crust with aluminum foil and pre-bake it for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Place the sliced tomatoes in single layer on a cooling rack placed inside a baking pan, and sprinkle both sides with kosher salt. Let sit 15 minutes to let liquids drain.

Add olive oil to a medium skillet over medium high heat, and saute the onions until starting to brown on the edges. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle the bottom of the pre-cooked pie shell with the onions and garlic. Place the sliced tomatoes in even layers on top of the onions. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.

Bake at 350, uncovered, until brown and bubbly – about 35 minutes. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Source: adapted from my friend Sarah via Simply Recipes