Christmas Dinner Stars: Spiced Ham and Roasted Cauliflower

I consulted Food Network for something different to try this year. These were hits.

Ham with Toasted Spice & Honey (Maple) Drizzle
~ Michael Chiarello @ Food Network

At first, I was a little worried as I was toasting the spices in the pan. The coriander has a very strong, distinct flavor and scent; I was afraid it would overpower the rub mix. It didn’t. It made the house smell wonderful, and continued on with a very soft and pleasant spicy aftertaste; almost like a puff of spicy. I did change one thing though, and used 1 cup honey and 1 cup maple syrup instead of 2 cups honey. It was delish!

Roasted Cauliflower
~ Dave Lieberman @ Food Network

Another successful and delicious way to prepare cauliflower. This will go in my recipe collection to add to our meals. A few things I might change, however, would be to mince the garlic. Although the roasting reduces the “bite” of the garlic, we prefer not to get the bite from the slices. Mincing would allow for a more blended garlicky flavor. I might also use grated, rather than coarsely shredded, Parmesan cheese. Parmesan does not melt well and tends to get “crispy” if you will. In its finely grated state, it would, like the garlic, blend in much better. Otherwise, another successful and delicious side dish.

With that, we had the rest of the usual holiday dishes: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes cooked in brown sugar and butter, green bean casserole, cornbread stuffing, rolls.

For dessert, we had plenty of Christmas cookies on hand, and I made an apple pie. I tried mixing Fuji apples (you MUST try Fuji apples; they are wonderful) with Granny Smith. I’m not sure which one, the Fuji or the Granny, did not cook down completely, so I had some crunchy apple bites in the pie. The one I made at Thanksgiving was perfect overall…the crust was flaky and tender, and the apples were cooked just right. It’s a different experience every time.

I did finally get my pie crust worked out so results are consistent every time.

Pie Crust:
Makes two 9-inch crusts

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup COLD unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup COLD shortening (I like the butter-flavored Crisco sticks for pie crust)
4 to 6 tablespoons ICE water

Blend flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut cold butter cubes and shortening into flour mixture with a pastry blender or in food processor (best method) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons water into mixture; mix gently with fork. Continue to add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until dough begins to come together.

Divide the dough into two balls, with one slightly larger than the other. Flatten dough into 1/2-inch thick disks and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

To form crusts: Tear off 2 long sheets of waxed paper. Place disk on one sheet of paper and the remaining sheet on top of disk. Roll out dough outward from center of disk with rolling pin, turning dough 1/4 turns as you go. Roll dough until it is 2 inches larger than the pie plate.

Remove top layer of waxed paper. Carefully place dough side down into pie plate and remove waxed paper.

For double crust pie: Roll out dough as before. Carefully place dough on top of filling, removing waxed paper. Trim edge of dough, leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Fold or roll dough together and flute as desired. Cut slits in top crust to vent.

Bake pie as directed in recipe.

Tip:  I prefer waxed paper over plastic wrap for rolling the dough out. When you put the crust in the pie plate and have to remove the paper, you can simply tear the paper and not damage the crust as might happen by pulling off a sheet of plastic wrap.

Chicken with Lemon, Artichoke, and Grape Tomatoes

My sister sent me a recipe she said I had to try:  Chicken with Lemon, Artichoke, and Grape Tomatoes. It's a variation of chicken piccata, and the original can be found at Viking Range. I made it for dinner last night. Other than using some chopped sun-dried tomatoes (hard to find grape tomatoes in mid December in the Midwest), I made no changes to the recipe.

It was good. I think my only complaint was that the capers made it a bit too salty. The saltiness of the capers and sour bite from the lemon made for a different flavor profile. I served it with mashed potatoes & chives, and honey-glazed carrots. The sauce went very well with the potatoes.

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 1 large clove
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lemon, cut into thin rounds
1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 14-ounce can artichoke bottoms, drained and cut into small pieces
1 3-ounce jar capers, drained
2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
Sprigs of fresh thyme, for garnish

Place one of the chicken breast halves on a flat surface and cut into 2 cutlets with a sharp knife. Continue with remaining chicken breast halves. Season cutlets with salt and pepper. Place flour in a pie plate or other rimmed flat dish. Dredge cutlets in flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many chicken cutlets as will fit in the pan without touching. Brown cutlets on both sides, remove to a plate and continue until all cutlets are browned (they will complete cooking later), adding more butter and olive oil to the skillet as needed. Place cutlets on a plate and set aside.

Add thyme and garlic to the skillet and sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add wine, chicken broth, lemon juice and lemon rounds to the pan, scraping up any brown bits in the bottom. Return all of the chicken cutlets to the skillet, along with the artichoke heart and bottoms.

Simmer until sauce is slightly reduced and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in capers and grape tomato halves and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. To serve, place 1 cutlet on each dinner plate, top with the artichoke-tomato sauce and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.

Makes 6 servings.

(I took pictures, but they didn't turn out - seems I've got some lighting issues)

Broccoli Cheese Soup a la Panera Bread

Broccoli Cheese Soup

~ Panera Bread

I have loved this soup from the day I tasted it, about 7 years ago, when a friend took me to Panera for lunch. I ordered ham and swiss on Asiago bread and a cup of this soup. You can’t imagine my pleasure when, several years ago, I found the recipe on their website. I’ve made it several times since. With some crusty French bread, it was the perfect lunch for this cold, blustery, snowy day.

1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound fresh broccoli florets, chopped
1 cup carrot, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Saute onion in butter, set aside.

In large heavy saucepan, mix melted butter and flour (to make a roux) over medium heat, using a whisk to stir, making sure flour and butter are well mixed, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stirring constantly, add in the half-and-half. Stir until mixture is smooth and without lumps.

Add chicken stock and carrots. Simmer 20 minutes.

Add broccoli and onions. Cook over low heat 10 to 15 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add cheese and stir to blend cheese well.

Bagels, Wondrous Bagels: BBA Challenge #3

Admittedly, I wasn’t too excited about making Bagels for the BBA Challenge. I've made bagels before. Nothing exciting there. But I promised myself when I started this challenge that I was going to make everything, whether I liked it or not.

I mixed the sponge, and waited 2 hours. Then mixed the dough in the KitchenAid. Then I hand kneaded. And kneaded, and kneaded. My hands and arms don’t have the strength or stamina they used to have (if they ever did). About halfway through the kneading process, I told my husband I doubt I would be making these again. I’ll finish up and that will be it.

Well, I lied. I WILL be making these again, and again, and again. These are wonderful!!! Just the right amount of chewiness and the just the right density - a little on the softer side, as I like them. As has been the case all the way with what I’ve made from this book, the end results are fantastic … and I am spoiling us.

I didn't take pictures of the sponge or the dough.

But here are the bagels from the fridge the next morning:

Going For A Swim

Ready for the 500-degree oven:

And Fresh From The Oven ~~~

Plain

                                   Poppy Seeds, Sesame Seeds, and Kosher Salt

And My Favorite Way: with Cream Cheese & Fruit Jam