Sauteed chicken breasts with mushroom sauce--Choose your own adventure CHOICE 2

(Note: This post will make a lot more sense if you read THIS post first)

You decide that plain sauteed chicken breasts aren't going to hit the spot tonight and you really want something fancy but still easy enough for a weekday night. You leaf through TJOC and notice Sauteed chicken breasts with mushroom sauce. "That sounds delicious" you think.

You saute shallots in a pan, adding thinly sliced mushroom when the shallots are wilted:



"What a great smell" you think. You grab your bottle of sherry and add some to the mushroom mixture, boiling until almost evaporated:



"I feel like a real chef you think", becoming proud of your culinary prowess. You add heavy cream and homemade chicken stock and boil until the sauce in slightly thickened, adding parsley a bit of nutmeg, salt and pepper, and a splash of lemon juice to finish the dish:



You pour the mixture over your chicken breasts. Although it has started to slightly separate, which disgusts you, you find the sherry and mushroom sauce absolutely delicious. The rich taste of the sauce compliments the slightly bland chicken and you feel impressed that you made such a fancy-seeming sauce. You pat yourself on the back, vowing to remember this recipe the next time you have company.

The End.

Sauteed boneless chicken breasts (p. 436)--Choose your own adventure CHOICE 1

I've always wanted to write a "Choose-your-own adventure" novel. I assume everyone read those as a kid. If you weren't exposed to the awesomeness of the CYOA novel, the hero (you) would get to a point where a choice would have to be made. If you made one choice, you turned to one page. If you made a different choice, you turned to a different page. I always marked the choice points and read down each path, although I think that was probably an uncommon choice.

The books always went something like this (and were always written in second person):

"You are running down a path and fall down a well. You:
1. Whistle for your faithful dog. She is sure to come and rescue you (turn to page 221).
2. Try to climb out (turn to page 225).
3. Sit down to read the book you have in your bag. You have a book, a Snickers bar, and a bottle of soda, what more can you want (turn to page 551)?"

You can think of this blog post as the cooking version of the CYOA novel.

I decided to start with a great base, Sauteed boneless chicken breasts (p. 436).

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts always seem so expensive and I hate buying them. I usually just buy chicken thighs or buy whole chicken breasts and skin and debone them myself. I stumbled upon a great sale in the frozen food section on a bag frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts--I will buy them that way from now on! I totally forgot that chicken was sold in the freezer section, I tend to only shop for meat in the "meat section". I only wish we had a deep freeze so I could really utilize frozen food sales.

I heated a butter and olive oil mixture until it was hot:



The chicken fat oozed out in a very artistic way:



I dredged the chicken breasts in flour (just flour) and popped them into the hot pan. TJOC recommends that you cook the chicken for exactly four minutes on the first side and then 4-6 minutes on the other side--which was NOT long enough. So if you use this recipe, make sure to get out your handy meat thermometer and check if the chicken is actually done.



The finished product looked like this:



Now on to the Choose-your-own Adventure:
1. You are starving hungry and eat the chicken as-is (refer to the bottom of this post).
2. You want to eat something more fancy so you make Sauteed chicken breasts with mushroom sauce (follow this link).
3. If you are in the mood for something piquant decide to make Chicken piccata (follow THIS link).


Choice 1:
You bite into the chicken. It has a nice crust from the flour and the chicken is tender and moist but you feel as if something is missing. You go to bed full but unsatisfied, wondering if there was something else out there. You sigh. At least dinner was fast.

Sauteed cabbage (p. 263)

I like cabbage and it certainly is a cheap vegetable. I had a head of cabbage that had been sitting in my refrigerator for a while and thought Sauteed cabbage (p. 263) sounded pretty tasty.

First step--always a promising step--was to crisp bacon:



Yum! I love bacon.

It's amazing how much shredded cabbage is produced from one two-pound cabbage. I mixed my shredded cabbage with chopped onion, salt, and paprika and cooked it in the bacon grease until the cabbage was "crisp-tender".




I don't what "crisp-tender" means so I just cooked it for a while and called it good enough.

This is what "crisp-tender" means to me:



I added the cabbage to a greased baking dish, spread sour cream on the top, sprinkled bacon on the sour cream, and popped it in the oven. When it was finished cooking, it looked like this:



Josh came home, took one look at the cabbage, and announced he wasn't going to eat it. I don't know why! It was strange but good. The sour cream added creaminess, the bacon added a great smoked flavor, and the cabbage itself was light and crispy. This was a great side dish and would be great with pork (especially if you added caraway seeds).

The best part of this dish? It was fast and required almost no active time, which is perfect when I really want to finish dinner quickly so I can watch tv. I love television! Anyone watching anything good this season?

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A few questions for my non-US readers

I have a question for my non-American readers :)

1. Do you actually have a copy of TJOC? Is it readily available in your country?

2. Do I ever mention ingredients that you are confused by or don't have in your country? I think there are a lot of foods that we take for granted in the US that aren't necissarly sold everywhere. A coworker of my dad told me once that his daughter, who lived in Europe, always wanted them to send barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, and marshmallows.

3. If I have made any ethnic food from that your country is known for, did the TJOC version bear any resemblance to what you are used to? Please answer, I'm very interested.

Banana bread cockaigne (p. 628)

I'm by no stretch of the imagination a "banana bread person". I don't really like bananas (I'm allergic to raw bananas, although not nearly as allergic to bananas as I am to other fruits) and if I'm going to eat a quick bread, I would rather it was carrot or zucchini (both of which have a much better flavor in my opinion, are far more moist, and are vegetables to which I'm not allergic, all pluses). So, honestly, I don't think I'm a very good judge of Banana bread cockaigne (p. 628). Why did I even bother making it? 1. I had to make it eventually and 2. I had black bananas that either needed to be used or thrown away.

To start, I whisked flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl (I didn't feel like a picture of white powder was necessary). In another bowl, I beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest until creamy. I have to put in the obligatory plug for the Microplane--I used to avoid adding zest to foods because I hated the zesting process so much but it is SO easy with the Microplane. If you don't have one, consider buying one.



I mashed some ripe bananas to add to the sugar mixture:



The banana and egg mixture was added to the sugar bowl. I then added the flour mix to banana mixture in three parts, folding in chopped nuts at the very end (which meant Josh would not be eating this banana bread, since he hates nuts). The whole thing was poured into a buttered loaf pan:



Which was baked for about an hour:



The bread was pleasant enough. It had a mild banana flavor and the nuts were a good addition but I must have overcooked it because it was a little dry (it's also possible that the altitude worked against me--I didn't modify the recipe in any way). It's very difficult for me to get excited about banana bread--honestly, I would rather have a slice of regular bread most of the time.

So what do you guys think? Do you love banana bread? I still have another banana bread to go and it requires wheat germ, which does not excite me at all.

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Spinach, broccoli, or cauliflower timbales (p. 206), Broiled teriyaki chicken (p. 426), and Teriyaki marinade (p. 586)

When I saw that timbales were on my randomly selected list, I sighed. There is just something about a type of savory mousse that nobody has heard of since approximately 1950 that turns me off. I asked tons of people about timbales to get an idea of what I was in for--not only had nobody I asked ever tasted one, most people had never even heard of timbales.

I decided to set myself up for success and start with the Spinach, broccoli, or cauliflower timbales (p. 206), using broccoli. I figured I had a high chance of liking the this particular type because I love broccoli and cheese.

The recipe wasn't very difficult. I whisked heavy cream, eggs, salt, paprika, nutmeg, and a couple of drops of lemon juice together:



I added cooked broccoli and some grated cheese and poured it all into a buttered dish.



It seemed to bake forever:



Unfortunately it broke when I tried to unmold it:



It was really good! It had the texture and flavor exactly like the inside of a quiche. I wonder if timbales went out of style as quiches rose in popularity. Does anyone know the answer to that? This particular version reminded me of broccoli cheese soup that has somehow solidified (but in a good way). Has anyone even had a timbale?

Every now and then the randomly selected list throws me a metaphorical bone and gives me items that actually go together, such as Broiled teriyaki chicken (p. 426) and Teriyaki marinade (p. 586).

The sauce was easy enough. I combined soy sauce, vegetable oil, brown sugar, garlic cloves, fresh ginger, and a bit of sherry in a pot:



I boiled it down:



And it was ready to be used on the chicken.

I broke down my own chicken--I'm too cheap to buy the chicken pieces and an 8-piece chicken isn't very difficult, I can even post pictures of how to do it if anyone is interested. An 8-piece chicken is two thighs, two legs, two wings, and two breasts (although I almost always split the breasts to make similar sized pieces, so I suppose I'm actually making a ten-piece chicken).




I painted the marinade over the chicken pieces. It slid right off. I poured marinade on the chicken. It still slid off. I think there was too much vegetable oil in the recipe and it made the sauce too slippery.



I managed not to take a picture of the finished product, so you will have to use your imagination. The chicken was really moist but took forever to cook (make sure to use your meat thermometer if you don't want to eat raw chicken). They teriyaki marinade was pretty heavy on the soy sauce and I thought it was a bit strong and oily. I would give the teriyaki marinade another chance but I would use pork rather than chicken.

Berries cockaigne (p. 219)

Occasionally the randomly selected list throws me a suggestion that I have actually selected against at some point for a multitude of reasons. Berries cockaigne (p. 219) was one of those recipes. I've read through the recipe a number of times and it always seemed so bizarre it seemed like I was misreading it.

I arranged raspberries around a mound of brown sugar and added some whipped cream.



That's it. That is the entire recipe.

It was good, I guess. It seemed particularly strange to be dipping berries in pure sugar and then whipped cream. Since it was such a short recipe, it seemed like I should write my views in haiku.

Berries, brown sugar
No other ingredients?
Very strange indeed

Golden sauteed plantain slices (p. 294)

I really like plantains. For those of you who have never had one, they look like this:



The blackish ones are plantains, the yellow ones are bananas (and the green one is a jalapeno). The thing to keep in mind about plantains is that the more black they get, the more sweet and banana-like they are, so don't throw them out when they blacken.

I decided to make Golden sauteed plantain slices (p. 294). I used to pan-fry plantains often as an undergraduate but I haven't made them in years. I'm allergic to almost all fruit so I'm always hoping to find something I can actually eat--my allergy makes eating fruit a game of Russian Roulette. Of course, TJOC puts the plantains in the vegetable section, which may be why I've never found the recipe before (bananas are in the fruit section).

I melted butter and vegetable oil in a skillet and added sliced plantains:




I fried the plantains until they were golden on both sides:



And sprinkled them with salt and pepper.

Delicious! I can't recommend these enough. The plantains hit the perfect combination of sweet and savory (if you sprinkle salt and pepper on them). They are fast, easy, and the perfect comfort food to add to your cooking repertoire. Once you make them you will never need to look at a recipe again, which I see as a real win. Who else loves fried plantains?

Butterscotch nut cookies (p. 771)

I've been on a real kick of making recipes from the Randomly Selected List (mostly because I like creating the lists and need to finish this one before making a new one). I decided to make Butterscotch nut cookies (p. 771).

I've never liked butterscotch. I especially don't like those hard butterscotch disks. My father has always tried to convince me that caramel and butterscotch were the same thing so if I liked one, I should like the other (and I like caramel, so I should like butterscotch). That is not accurate in any way but is what I always think of when I see butterscotch. When I told that story on Facebook while making these cookies, my father replied that my brothers never bought that explanation either.

The cookies are essentially butterscotch blondies with a tiny bit more flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Before starting this recipe I couldn't figure out what would make them butterscotch--wouldn't they really just be vanilla brownies made in to cookies?

No, it turns out.

I melted butter in a small saucepan and cooked it until it was a light golden brown (that must be the butterscotch part!):



In a bowl I mixed together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt (I didn't take a picture of that step, it was a bunch of white powder, you can use your imagination).

I added brown sugar and white sugar to the butter:




I let it cool until barely warm and added in an egg, and extra egg yolk, a little corn syrup, and some vanilla:



I mixed in chocolate chips and flour mixture. I decided to do the whole thing in the saucepan so I could make less dishes.



I didn't add the nuts. This actually hurt me--I love nuts in sweets but Josh doesn't and I knew I would have to eat all the cookies myself if I added them. It was a mistake because Josh didn't like the cookies and I ended up eating them all myself any way.

I mounded the cookies:



And cooked them:




These cookies started out with the deck stacked against them--I don't like crispy cookies, I like cakey cookies, and these were flat and very crispy. I have to say, they were actually good. They were very butterscotch-y in a pleasing, butter-y sort of way. I actually recommend adding the chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts (all the optional ingredients) because I think they would really round out the flavor.

I'm not a huge cookie person but I would make these again.

Ground meat patties (p. 511) and Pea puree (p. 290)

I have been making such great progress on the Randomly Selected List that I didn't want slow down. Page 511 only had one recipe I hadn't already made--Ground meat patties (p. 511)--so that was a simple choice. It's pretty exciting to have pages that are either entirely finished or only have one recipe left!

The recipe calls for either chicken, veal, or lamb. I'm not going to waste expensive lamb or veal on burgers and I don't like ground chicken. I decided that if ground chicken was okay, than ground turkey should be fine (right?).

I mixed together the bread crumbs, an egg, a little lemon zest, salt, coriander, nutmeg, curry powder, and black pepper:



You can tell from the picture how strongly spiced these patty recipe was.

I added the meat and worked it with my hands until it was mixed (I always find this strangely enjoyable, smashing the meat with my hands--just make sure to wash your hands thoroughly). I formed the mixture into patties. I only got about half the quantity the recipe mentioned, so my patties must have been too big.



I cooked the patties about ten minutes per side:



And done! These had a very strong and very specific flavor, which, unfortunately, I couldn't put my finger on. I can even recall it--one day I will be eating whatever food these patties are reminiscent of, jump up, and yell "Eureka!".

Josh expected not to like the ground meat patties (he insists he doesn't like ground turkey) at all but was won over--these aren't your average hamburgers but they were very good. I honestly think these would be good with any of the meats suggested, although each one would give you a unique flavor. This is a REALLY good choice for people who don't eat beef for religious reasons.

As many of you know, I love Top Chef. On the current season, it seems like every week somebody is making (or stealing!) pea puree. 'What is so special about pea puree', I wondered. So I decided to make Pea puree (p. 290).

This is an incredibly simple recipe. I thawed a package of frozen peas, drained it, and pureed it with heavy cream.



I seasoned it with a little salt and pepper:




And it was finished. First of all, it was beautiful. An incredibly vibrant Spring green, absolutely perfect for Spring (I realize it isn't Spring but it would be perfect for Spring). I can see why chefs like to use it on a plate, it's very eye-catching. And it was tasty! I always thought I didn't like peas but I think I just don't like canned peas. These peas were very fresh tasting and smooth. Plus they heated up very well the next day. If you do any of that fancy plating, I think this would make a great base.