Sunday, August 28, 2011

Oreo and Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

 

I came across this idea somewhere on the web but never got a chance to try it out until now. It's simply a very sweet and fudgey, brownie with a chocolate chip cookie base and oreo cookies in the center. I must say that this must be the sweetest dessert that i have every made, so sweet that I decided to cut it into small morsels, something like fudge cubes. I made these morsels for a farewell, campfire party for my best-est friend, who is moving to another province. I'm glad she and her guests enoughed this insanely sweet treat.

 

 

  

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Curried Leg of Lamb Pot Roast



Made this for dinner today: boneless leg of lamb dry-rubbed with curry spice, salt, pepper, then browned in a little bit of grape seed oil and popped in the oven to roast with 1 1/2 cup of beef broth and a splash of red wine; onions, garlic, leeks, carrots and chayotes. I roasted mine for around 1 hour at 420 F but follow the packaging on your leg to see what it suggests for cooking time. Served simply over hot rice with generous scoops of the au jus and veggies. It would be great with rustic mashed potatoes as well! My dad loved it (he had three huge slices of the lamb, yikes!).
If you do not have time to wait an hour and want to eat it as soon as you're off work/school/whatever you do, then just pop everything in a slow cooker before you leave (cut things up and season the night before). The meat will be extra tender and you could serve it in anyway you see fit (as a sandwich, on rice, on potatoes, with quinoa etc.)!
Happy eating!!


Friday, August 12, 2011

Steelhead Trout: Baked in Exotic Herbed-Butter


Quick dinner today featuring steel-head trout baked in an aromatic butter spiked with Thai basil, coriander and mint. The fish takes 20-25 minutes to cook in a 375 C oven. Served with rice and a drizzle of coriander-lime brown butter. As for me, I had some fresh goat-cheese ravioli with fresh pasta sauce with lotssss of garlic and lotsss of basil.

Coriander-Lime Brown Butter

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tbsp fresh or dried coriander seeds
1 tsp lime zest
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Place the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until the butter turns a golden brown color, and takes on a nutty aroma. Reduce heat and keep warm until ready to serve. When ready to serve, turn the butter up to medium heat and whisk in the lime juice. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, add the coriander seeds and zest, turn off the heat and spoon on fish and rice.


  



Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Raspberry Chipotle Flat Chicken


Hello all! I have been away to Montana since the last time I posted and I haven't had time to cook or bake since I got back. My dwelling is undergoing major renovations and that also includes a re-installment of cabinets and the counter top in our kitchen including refinishing and repainting walls and tiles. Before completely demolishing our kitchen, I made this dish using a sauce I bought in Helena, Montana. It's a "Roasted Raspberry and Chipotle Sauce," and though the idea of a fruit and spices usually does not mix well for me, this sauce had me go head-over-heels. I found this beauty at the local Costco Warehouse, sampled on a thin whole grain cracker with brie cheese. I basically melted along with the soft cheese as soon as the morsel was in my mouth. Tangy-sweet with a bit of savoriness from the cheese and cracker, it was a divine bite. What was even more incredible was the little kick of spiciness that rocked all the flavors together. It was f****ing delicious. Back at home with my prized bottle of the sauce, I couldn't wait to try it on the suggested meats (poultry, pork, salmon) and appetizer suggestions.
This chicken dish is the first time I have used the sauce since I bought it and I loved the color it gave the roasted chicken (as my family gobbled up almost all the bird). I decided to flatten (butterfly) the chicken so that it would be seasoned better, cooked faster and carved better.  To flatten a chicken, all you do is remove the spine and the breast bone (keel bone) so that you can flatten the bird out and have less bones to worry with when carving. When you season, the spices you use will be better penetrated into the meat so that your bird will be seasoned all over rather than just on the skin. Here's a great instructional video with how to butterfly a chicken.

I dry rubbed my chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (around 1-2 tsp of each) and roasted it at 200-250 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes in my glass conventional oven* until the skin was semi-golden brown. I then brushed the bird with 2 tbsp of the Raspberry Chipotle and let it roasted for another 5 minutes until the sauce melted right into the chicken and the skin was glossy and golden. I let the bird rest for 15 minutes before carving so that the meat would retain heat and not dry out. I served the chicken with brown rice, pea tips sauteed in garlic and baked zucchini rounds. Our "last supper" before our kitchen's doomsday.

*butterfly chicken is awesome on the BBQ too so go ahead and preheat your grill to medium-high heat and grill the bird to your liking!