Oui, Chef

Zingy Wings

Arthas and I tossed these wings together a few weeks back as a treat to bring to a neighborhood barbeque.....they were fabulous!  The recipe is a rif on my friend Winnie's "Sweet and Spicy Rubbed Wings", which she submitted some time ago for a Food52 contest for your best chicken wings.

According to Winnie, she had developed this spicy coffee-cocoa rub to use on ribs and loved it so much that she then tried it on some homemade roasted nuts, and then finally these wings.  It sounds like she was tossing it on anything that didn't move!  Don't you love a condiment that can be put to use in so many different ways?  

Ad Hoc Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Many of you may recall that when I posted David Chang's "Momofuku's Fried Chicken" a while back I said I'd be back soon with an honest to goodness buttermilk fried chicken recipe.  Well here it is, thought it comes to us not from America's deep south, but rather by way of one of my favorite chefs, Thomas Keller, and the gang at his Ad Hoc Restaurant in the Napa Valley.

While I have been a fan of traditional, batter coated fried chicken for years, I never endeavored to make it myself until now.  

Why?  

Momofuku's Fried Chicken

What came first the chicken or the egg?  Well, in this instance I can definitively say the egg came first.  

Yes, it was Chef David Chang's slow poached egg that first made its way into the Oui, Chef kitchen to much acclaim from the whole gang here (and many of you out there that tried it).  We had so much fun with his egg that I've been curious to try one of his other recipes, and what could make more sense after trying his egg, then to give his chicken a whirl.  This recipe comes from his tremendous cookbook Momofuku , which is not just a fab collection of recipes, but a real glimpse behind the scenes to give the reader a sense of what makes Chang tick.

Soy Braised Chicken with Star Anise and Orange

Remember a few days ago when I said that I didn't believe in food rules and that if I feel like cooking a braise in warm weather then I'm going to, rules be damned.

Well, here I am walking the walk, because while this dish would seem a natural today (it is about 55 degrees and raining as I write this post), when we made it a week ago it was in the upper 70s and the sun was shining brightly, not exactly the kind of weather that makes you think of a braise.  I'm here to tell you though that this dish felt spot-on as we dined al fresco, watching the sun set over the beach, enjoying the chicken's Asian flavors along with a crisp green salad, some freshly baked bread and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.  Ain't no rules that can corral a dish as good as this, eat it when you want, with what you want, and with whomever you want.

Tortilla and Chicken Lasagna

Every now and again, even the best laid menu plans go awry, and we’re left with an abundance of certain ingredients in our pantry of fridge that are crying out for some creative use.  Such was the case a few days ago when my wife noticed a few unopened packages of corn tortillas languishing in the back of the fridge, castaways from a planned fish taco feast that never materialized.  Further inspection turned up a few half-eaten jars of tomato salsa, some shredded cheese, and a huge bag of baby spinach. 

Whatever shall we do?

Sautéed Chicken Thighs with Orange-Soy Sauce

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I hope your holidays were filled with delicious food, and lots of love and laughter.  After weeks of elaborate, and some might say rather decadent holiday feasts, we're back today with a perfect, easy weeknight meal that is not just healthy, but is loaded with great flavors.

If you use a quick cooking rice, this entire dish can be on the table in under 1/2 hour, if you cook brown rice as we do, it'll take you about 40 minutes.  BTW - If you are someone who has always struggled with brown rice, finding it a rather unappealing gelatinous mass in the bottom of your pan when finished cooking, try this method the next time you make it.  It is foolproof and yields delicious results.  

Cook the rice as though you would pasta.  Pour however much rice you want into a large pot of boiling water, give it a quick stir and let it gently boil for 30 minutes.  At the 30 minute mark, pour the rice into a strainer and count to ten.  When you're done counting, pour the rice back into the now empty pan, cover with a tight fitting lid and set it aside for 10 minutes (untouched) to finish cooking in its residual steam-heat.  After 10 minutes, fluff it with a fork, season with salt and pepper and add any ingredients you wish to toss in, in the picture above you'll see we've added some sauteed pistachios and fresh thyme.

Arthas, our resident saucier joined me in the kitchen a few nights back to work his magic with the orange-soy sauce, and could be found over the ensuing days pouring the left-over sauce on just about anything that wasn't moving....it's that good.  The sauce is made quickly as the chicken cooks on the stove-top, simply steam some veggies at the last minute, and you've got a well balance meal that the whole family will love.

Cheers - Steve

 

Recipe:

Sautéed Chicken Thighs with Orange-Soy Sauce

adapted from a recipe by Dawn Yanagihara-Mitchell - Fine Cooking Magazine

(Print Friendly Recipe)

 

Ingredients:

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
• Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbs. mirin
• 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
• 2 Tbs. fresh orange juice
• 1-1/4 tsp. cornstarch
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

 

Method:

1. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper.  Pre-heat the canola oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over a medium flame.  When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the chicken, skin side down into the pan.  Work in batches if you need to, you don't want to overcrowd the pan here.  If the chicken pieces are too close together, the chicken will stew rather than sauté and the skin won't crisp the way you want.  
2. Cook until the skin is a beautiful golden brown, then flip and lower the heat slightly.  Continue to cook the chicken until an instant read thermometer inserted in a thick part of the biggest thigh registers 165°F, about 15-20 minutes total depending on the size of the thighs (the chicken's, not yours!). Remove the chicken to a platter or cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm.
3. While the chicken is cooking, combine the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and orange zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  

In a small bowl, stir the orange juice and cornstarch; add this mixture to the saucepan. Return to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and glossy, about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm until ready to use.
4. To serve, transfer the chicken to individual plates, spoon some sauce over and around each thigh (again, the chicken's, not yours!), and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds.  Serve with rice and your favorite Asian inspired veggie side.  

 Serves 4

Chicken with Tarragon and Sherry Vinegar

Long before I ever had the pleasure of meeting Patricia Wells (I had the very good fortune to cook with her for a week while I lived in Paris), I was a HUGE fan.  There is just something about her approach to food that really resonates with me. Perhaps it's her focus on delicious "approachable" regional French cooking, stripped of its Michelin starred pretense, that really feels right and authentic.  That's not to say that she can't saddle up with the best of them and cook haute cuisine meals, because she can.  Her work with the famed Chef Joel Robuchon should put any question of that to rest.  It's just that she seems most comfortable sharing everyday (yet extraordinary) French cooking with those of us looking to inject a little joie de vivre into our kitchens.

Garlic, Black Pepper and Blue Cheese Chicken Wings

While I am a HUGE fan of Buffalo Wings, I’ve found that over time my taste for wings has evolved to favor sauces a little more multi-dimensional (and not scorchingly hot) in nature. The base for this sauce is a slight twist on Ming Tsai’s Black Pepper-Garlic Sauce (Simply Ming: Easy Techniques for East-Meets-West Meals) , which he serves with a fabulous lobster dish at his restaurant “Blue Ginger”. Ever since I tried that amazing meal, I’ve been twisting his sauce to and fro to satisfy the requirements of a number of different culinary whims.

Chicken Paillards with Orange, Cilantro and Basil Salsa

This is a quick, down and dirty dish that Grid and I threw together the other night to rave reviews.  It is light, fresh, packed with flavor, and best of all, can be on the table in under 30 minutes.  The (slightly modified) recipe comes from Bon Appétit magazine’s December 2009 issue.

Grid, a senior in high school, is our oldest and busiest child.  Between after school Cross-Country training, college application work, and normal home-work, it's hard to negotiate more than 1/2 hour of his time for helping in the kitchen these days.  That said, I try to save quick dishes like this for when I have a chance to work with him.  He set off chopping and mixing the vibrant salsa, while I got all “Ramsey” smashing the chicken breasts with a mallet to a nice even thickness. 

Shish Taouk with Toum

 

This is yet another dish that was inspired by a Food52 recipe contest.  When I mentioned the site's recent "best use of a grill, lemon and thyme" contest to my wife, she looked at me flatly and said "there is no more perfect dish on the planet to enter into this contest than Shish Taouk", and you know what..... she was right. This is a dish that she ate ravenously as a child in Lebanon, and its no surprise why. The freshness of the lemon/thyme marinated chicken, the addictive qualities of the toum (garlic sauce), the salty chew of the grilled halloumi, and the spice and sweetness of the papadews and grilled lemon, make every bite a celebration. We love this served on syrian bread, but it would also be great alongside some rice or couscous.