What's for Dinner?

[lashbear]

Recipe please, he asked nicely.

[Betty]

Originally Posted by lashbear

Recipe please, he asked nicely.

I use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs which I found rather stringy - but I don't usually care for thighs so YMMV. As a result, I add more butter to make up for the lack of chicken fat from the skin. I put the veggies in the food processor and whir them around (except for the peas) as my family is veggie-phobic and picked them all out the first time around. This makes a great sauce though and I've used more veggies at times I've made it - if I had more on hand or just wanted to "hide" more in it. I like to kind of caramelize them a bit to begin with - not just get them soft. As chef Anne always says "brown is flavor". Makes up for not browning the chicken I think. I start with the veggies and add the raw chicken with the broth - or in my case I used water and "Better Than Bouillon". When the chicken in nice and tender, I use 2 forks to break it up right in the pot. I use a small ice cream scoop (golf ball size) and get them all in the pot pretty quick that way. The stew part is pretty a pretty forgiving recipe - I rarely measure for it. But the dumplings are like baking and I always measure for those.



CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Serve 6 to 8. Published February 15, 2005.

Don't use low-fat or fat-free milk in this recipe. Start the dumpling dough only when you're ready to top the stew with the dumplings.


INGREDIENTS
Stew
5pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
4teaspoons vegetable oil
4tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
4 carrots , peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2ribs celery , sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 large onion , minced
6tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4cup dry sherry
4 1/2cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4cup whole milk
1teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1cup frozen green peas
3tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Dumplings
2cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1tablespoon baking powder
1teaspoon table salt
1cup whole milk
3tablespoons reserved chicken fat (or unsalted butter)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. For the Stew: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove the browned skin. Pour off the chicken fat and reserve. Return the pot to medium-high heat and repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the remaining chicken. Pour off and reserve any chicken fat.

2. Add the butter to the Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the flour. Whisk in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the broth, milk, thyme, and bay leaves. Nestle the chicken, with any accumulated juices, into the pot. Cover and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked and tender, about 1 hour.

3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Discard the bay leaves. Allow the sauce to settle for a few minutes, then skim the fat from the surface using a wide spoon. Shred the chicken, discarding the bones, then return it to the stew.

4. For the Dumplings: Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Microwave the milk and fat in a microwave-safe bowl on high until just warm (do not over-heat), about 1 minute. Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth.

5. Return the stew to a simmer, stir in the peas and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Following the photos below, drop golf-ball-sized dumplings over the top of the stew, about 1/4 inch apart (you should have about 18 dumplings). Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the dumplings have doubled in size, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve.

TECHNIQUE
Getting it Right: Adding the Dumplings


1. Gather a golf-ball-sized portion of the dumpling batter onto a soup spoon, then push the dumpling onto the stew using a second spoon.


2. Cover the stew with the dumplings, leaving about 1/4 inch between each.


3. When fully cooked, the dumplings will have doubled in size.

[alphabassettgrrl]

That sounds fantastic!

[lashbear]

It's loaded into my cooking database.

BTW: Does anyone else use a recipe database? The one I use is called Home Cookin' and it's GREAT. (not a paid advertisement )

[cirquelover]

I use something called One Note, it is great to be able to add my own or copy off a website and it keeps track of where I got it from.

[Morrigoon]

We don't have a dessert thread, so I'm putting this here. Tonight I adapted a Paula Deen recipe for peach cobbler into a mixed berry cobbler. By "adapted" I mean it was a loose jumping off point In case anyone wants to try it:

I put about 2 cups worth of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries in saucepan with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water (in retrospect, could have gotten away with less, especially the water), and a little fresh squeezed lemon, brought to boil then simmered for like 10 minutes.

Melted 3/4 stick of butter in a large casserole dish in the oven at 350

Stirred 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt together in a bowl, then SLOWLY (to prevent lumps) stirred in 1 cup of milk. Added some lemon zest as well.

Poured batter on top of butter in casserole (no stirring! Ever again! EVER!) then spooned the fruit in, followed by gently pouring in the liquid from the fruit. 40 minutes in the oven

[Betty]

That sounds so yummy! I will try it. I love berries.

Since we're doing desserts - here's one for you. It's dessert. Not health food.

Strawberry Cream Cake - adapted from Cook's Illustrated. Here is the original recipe followed by my changes:

Cake

1 1/4cups cake flour (5 ounces)
1 1/2teaspoons baking powder
1/4teaspoon table salt
1cup sugar (7 ounces)
5 large eggs (2 whole and 3 separated), room temperature
6tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2tablespoons water
2teaspoons vanilla extract


Strawberry Filling

2pounds fresh strawberries (medium or large, about 2 quarts), washed, dried, and stemmed
4 - 6tablespoons sugar
2tablespoons Kirsch
pinch table salt


Whipped Cream

8ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2cup sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8teaspoon table salt
2cups heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS
1. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour round 9 by 2-inch cake pan or 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and all but 3 tablespoons sugar in mixing bowl. Whisk in 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks (reserving whites), butter, water, and vanilla; whisk until smooth.
2. In clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat remaining 3 egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. With machine running, gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form, 60 to 90 seconds. Stir one-third of whites into batter to lighten; add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert cake onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard parchment. Invert cake again; cool completely, about 2 hours.
3. FOR THE STRAWBERRY FILLING: Halve 24 of best-looking berries and reserve. Quarter remaining berries; toss with 4 to 6 tablespoons sugar (depending on sweetness of berries) in medium bowl and let sit 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Strain juices from berries and reserve (you should have about 1/2 cup). In workbowl of food processor fitted with metal blade, give macerated berries five 1-second pulses (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). In small saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer reserved juices and Kirsch until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour reduced syrup over macerated berries, add pinch of salt, and toss to combine. Set aside until cake is cooled.
4. FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: When cake has cooled, place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in slow, steady stream; when almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more, scraping bowl as needed (you should have about 4 1/2 cups).
5. TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Using large serrated knife, slice cake into three even layers. Place bottom layer on cardboard round or cake plate and arrange ring of 20 strawberry halves, cut sides down and stem ends facing out, around perimeter of cake layer. Pour one half of pureed berry mixture (about 3/4 cup) in center, then spread to cover any exposed cake. Gently spread about one-third of whipped cream (about 1 1/2 cups) over berry layer, leaving 1/2-inch border from edge. Place middle cake layer on top and press down gently (whipped cream layer should become flush with cake edge). Repeat with 20 additional strawberry halves, remaining berry mixture, and half of remaining whipped cream; gently press last cake layer on top. Spread remaining whipped cream over top; decorate with remaining cut strawberries. Serve, or chill for up to 4 hours.


I used a sheet pan for the cake, using flour dusted parchment paper. I cut this into fourths (up/down, side to side) and stacked it four smaller layers tall, in a rectangle shape. I baked it until it was done... you'll have to use your own judgement as I set the time for 10 minutes and then set it a few minutes more, I think.

I didn't use kirsch in the filling - didn't have any and didn't want to buy it for 2 tablespoons. I also didn't line the sides with whole strawberries. I whirred them all in the food processor until it was smallish chunks. Still drained and reduced the syrup part which seemed important. It intensified the strawberry flavor and didn't cook the strawberries.

The whipped cream frosting stuff is to die for. The first time I made this, someone had used a few tablespoons of the cream cheese for bagels, so I subbed in an equal amount of butter figuring you use butter in frosting recipes anyway. I think I will use this as a standard frosting for other things from now on. So good.

I've also made this recipe using Black Magic Cake (chocolate cake with coffee in it) and without the strawberries. Sort of a ding dong type of theme - but on a more gourmet level.

The family has been trying to get me to make this into a rolled up cake - where I originally go the idea from before finding the above recipe and deciding to stack it.

It's a really pretty cake though - and impressive for guests - while being pretty easy to make. Sweet but not too sweet.

[Snowflake]

chicken chili with black beans. It may be mid-May, but we're having a cool spring, so far!

[lashbear]

Tonight (because we're living in a scooped-out unit with barely any cooking utensils in it) we're going to the Hornsby Seafood Restaurant and having Peking Duck.

...didn't you know that Duck was seafood?

[3894]

Our wonderful butcher does a burger of the week. Recently, it was Greek burgers (feta cheese and olives), for example.

This week, it's kangaroo. Two of us are game to try the hoppy burger. The rest of us will just have the regular kind.