Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Indonesian Ginger Chicken

Todd of A Cooking Dad has chosen Indonesian Ginger Chicken, which can be found in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on page 125, for our first recipe of January 2010. 

When I was putting the marinade ingredients together my husband was like "that is an awful lot of soy sauce.  It's going to be salty."  I told him I would hope a cook/chef wouldn't have you cook with that much if it was going to make your food taste salty.  Remember they are trained professionals, dear heart.  I realized I only bought one cut up chicken instead two, oops. Next time I will have to make two since my oldest son had three pieces of chicken. 

I thought the recipe was very good.  It had a light fresh taste. I served the chicken with a ginger rice.

Indonesian Ginger Chicken
Ina Garten

Ingredients

1 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed

Directions

Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Again I didn't make both recipes for the month of December 2009.  I actually had two sick kids and I was sick for over a week.

Michelle of Welcome to the Club picked the second recipe for the Barefoot Bloggers challenge group.

I thought this was a tasty and savory snack.  I also thought were a little heavy on my stomache but that could be from not being 100% well.

I would make these for an appetizer by using the smaller mushrooms.

Sorry I forgot to photograph them.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients


16 extra-large white mushrooms
5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine or medium sherry
3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings
6 scallions, white and green parts, minced
2 garlic cloves minced
2/3 cup panko crumbs
5 ounces mascarpone cheese, preferably from Italy
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala. Set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it's completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste, Cool slightly.

Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer. Bake until the stuffing for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Company Pot Roast

I feel I haven't blogged or participated in any of the challenges lately.  It has been crazy around here for the past couple of months and I failed to complete both recipes for November & December.

One of November 2009's recipe was Company Pot Roast by Ina Garten.  This recipe was brought to us by Lisa of Lime in the Coconut.

We really enjoyed this flavorful dish.  I will definitely be making again soon.

Company Pot Roast

Ingredients

1 (4 to 5-pound) prime boneless beef chuck roast, tied

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour
Good olive oil
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 to 4 leeks)
5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 cups good red wine, such as Burgundy
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes in puree
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 branches fresh thyme
2 branches fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Season the roast all over with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Dredge the whole roast in flour, including the ends. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends. This should take 4 to 5 minutes for each side. Remove the roast to a large plate.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add the wine and Cognac and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bouillon cube, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Put the roast back into the pot, bring to a boil, and cover. Place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender or about 160 degrees F internally. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees F after about an hour to keep the sauce at a simmer.

Remove the roast to a cutting board. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce. Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stovetop over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer. Place 2 tablespoons flour and the butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened. Taste for seasonings. Remove the strings from the roast, and slice the meat. Serve warm with the sauce spooned over it.

Blue Cheese Souffle

Wow I totally forgot to post for this recipe.

Summer of Sexy Apartment had chosen Blue Cheese Souffle as the second recipe for October. It can be found in the Barefoot in Paris Cookbook on Page 50.

I had never eaten souffle in my entire life. So this was a test for myself and my guys. For some reason my souffle did not puff up and crack like I have seen in other photos. Not sure why, maybe someone can help me.

I thought it tasted pretty good. The boys weren't so keen on it. My husband usually tells me if they are recipes that we could make over and over, but this just wasn't one of them. Sorry Summer. I hope I don't offend you...

Homemade Fresh Pasta

This past summer I was given a great birthday gift from my good friend Melissa. She gave me the pasta roller attachments to my Kitchenaid. I was intimidated by them. When I was at William Sonoma I signed up for their pasta class. I am so glad I went to that class. The instructor made it seem so easy to make the pasta. She also showed us the new pasta attachment that I so want for Christmas. I could write up a whole blog entry about that gadget.

Anyway, back to the pasta. I came home that afternoon after the class and made the pasta dough. I went through the process of letting it rest. Then I started to work on rolling it through the pasta roller.

Next thing my youngest son Nicholas wanted to help. Sure okay you can. He thought it was the coolest gadget/toy mom has ever had. The little bugger took over making the pasta. I stood there like "hey when do I get to play with my birthday gift???" All was good. I atleast had some help.

I continued onto making a fresh Alfredo Sauce. Oh yumm...

I was so excited to see the first recipe of October posted. We love chowdah here in New England. I usually make a different recipe but I will be using this one from now on. It is tastier. I thought it should have been a little thicker.

This recipe was chosen by Jill of My Next Life. The recipe for Cheddar Corn Chowder
can be found in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on page 74

Ingredients

8 ounces bacon, chopped
1/4 cup good olive oil
6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
12 cups chicken stock
6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
2 cups half-and-half
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Beatty's Chocolate Cake

The last recipe of the month was picked by Mary of Passionate Perseverance. Mary has chosen Beatty’s Chocolate Cake.

I just made this recipe with my youngest son. We did cupcakes instead of a cake. We are taking some of the cupcakes over to my sister-in-laws house for a dessert.

I will post my picture and write tomorrow.

Edit October 17, 2009.

I will have to say I liked the moistness of this cake, however I thought it was too moist. I loved the coffee flavor. Some people could have done without the coffee (not big coffee drinkers).

If I had to make a cake for a special occassion it would be the Birthday Sheet cake. I thought the cake had a richer taste to it and I loved the frosting.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.