Slow-Cooked Tuscan Chicken

I absolutely love Williams-Sonoma. I read the catalog each month like it's a favorite magazine. The latest issue has some of their new sauces for the Fall so I grabbed this Tuscan Slow Cooking Sauce to try (recommended for beef, pork or chicken). The sauce is made with natural ingredients, including savory beef stock, Chianti wine, California sun-dried tomatoes and Italian herbs. The meat is simmered in the sauce for a few hours to achieve the rich, Tuscan flavor.

It really couldn't be easier. There is a recipe on the side of the jar for country-style short ribs, but I decided to try chicken instead. Since it didn't say how to prepare the chicken, I just cross-checked the instructions for Coq au Vin from the Williams-Sonoma Slow Cooking Cookbook (which I happened to have) figuring it had to be pretty similar, and made it up from there.

Buy about 4 lbs. of chicken thighs (they're the more juicy, but I suppose you can try making it leaner with white meat), brown them skin-side down with some butter in a fry pan for about 5-8 minutes (again, you could try olive oil or canola oil, I bet), then put them in a Crock-pot and pour the sauce right over the chicken (or the oven is also recommended). Cook on high for 4 1/2 hours or so and serve with egg noodles or polenta (I chose polenta.) I do suggest adding some salt either during the cooking process or when you serve. The meat will fall right off the bone (though, be sure to remind everyone to watch for the bones when you serve.) Feeds about 6 hungry people.

Recipes On Deck

I LOVE (let me repeat, LOVE) Fall cooking. The tough part is now living in Los Angeles (when Fall is pretty much still Summer) and still wanting to break out the comforting dishes from my Midwestern roots thinking of the leaves starting to turn back home, the air getting crisp, friends gathering around the TV to root for our favorite football team (Go MSU Spartans!) and apple and pumpkin picking commencing.

As I do each year, I now have a stack of all the September/October issues of my favorite cooking magazines and have lined up a long list of recipes that I'll be cooking for our friends soon regardless of the temperature outside. Let the flavors of roasted meat, cinnamon and cloves, squash and pumpkin pie fill the air!

Here are some recipes you may soon be seeing from me (upon confirmation in my own test kitchen):
1. Candy Apple Pork Tenderloin
2. Roast Stuffed Cornish Hens with Wild Rice Stuffing including Cranberries and Toasted Pecans
3. Coq Au Vin
4. Oven BBQ Spare Ribs
5. Lasagna Bolognese
6. Pasta with Sauteed Mushrooms, Pancetta and Sage
7. Creamed Spinach with Parmesan and and Prosciutto
8. Green Beans with Bacon and Onion
9. Roast Maple Carrots with Browned Butter
10. Cappuccino Semifreddo with Almond Biscotti

Plenty of other tried and true Fall recipes are also on the way. Stay tuned!

Pulled-Pork Tacos

The best time of the year has arrived...Football Season! Recently, I had a large group of friends over and served "pork 2 ways": pulled pork sandwiches in the Crock-Pot and pulled-pork tacos in the oven (this recipe). The tacos, in particular, were a huge success - so easy to do and perfect for football watching at home! Just be sure to plan ahead since the cooking time is about 4 hours.

Ingredients:
2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves
2 jalapeños, sliced into rings and seeded (for those who like their food "wimpy", don't worry, it doesn't make the meat spicy)
1 red onion, roughly chopped
8 small flour or corn tortillas, warmed
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime, cut into wedges

Preparation:
Heat oven to 300° F. Place 2 large sheets of aluminum foil on a work surface, one atop the other. Place the pork in the center of the foil and season on all sides with the salt, pepper, and cumin. Spoon the jam over the pork, turning to coat. Scatter the jalapeños and onion around the pork. Fold the double layer of foil around the pork and crimp the edges to seal tightly. Place in a baking dish. Roast until fork-tender, about 4 hours; let cool.

Unwrap the pork, reserving the juices and discarding the foil. Use a fork to shred the pork. Transfer to a bowl. Pour the cooking juices, onion, and jalapeños over the pork and toss. Serve with the tortillas, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Tip: The best place to warm the tortillas is in the oven: it's quicker than a skillet and less drying than a microwave. As soon as you remove the pork, turn off the heat, wrap the tortillas in foil, and warm them for 10 to 20 minutes.

Strawberry Tiramisu

I usually don't post recipes that I haven't made or tasted, but I'm feeling pretty confident about this Strawberry Tiramisu number, so I'm going to put it out there for all of us to try before berry season passes us by!

Strawberry Tiramisu
Bon Appetit April 2006
Giada De Laurentiis

Prepare this a day ahead so all the elements can meld and the ladyfingers to soften fully.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups strawberry preserves
1/3 cup plus 4 tbsp. Cointreau or other orange liqueur
1/3 cup orange juice
1 lb. mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 1/3 cups chilled whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

52 (about) crisp ladyfingers (boudoirs or Savoiardi)
1 1/2 lbs. strawberries, divided

Directions:
1. Whisk preserves, 1/3 cup Cointreau, and orange juice in 2-cup measuring cup.
2. Place mascarpone cheese and 2 tbsp. Cointreau in large bowl; fold just to blend.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat cream, sugar, vanilla, and remaining 2 tbsp. Cointreau in another large bowl to soft peaks.
4. Stir 1/4 of whipped cream mixture into mascarpone mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whipped cream.
5. Hull and slice half of strawberries.
6. Spread 1/2 cup preserve mixture over bottom of 3-quart oblong serving dish or a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.
7. Arrange enough ladyfingers over strawberry mixture to cover bottom of dish. Spoon 3/4 cup preserve mixture over ladyfingers, then spread 2 1/2 cups mascarpone mixture over. Arrange 2 cups sliced strawberries over mascarpone mixture.
8. Repeat layering with remaining lady fingers, preserve mixture, and mascarpone mixture.
9. Cover with plastic and chill at least 8 hours or overnight.

To serve, slice remaining strawberries. Arrange over tiramisu and serve.

Tiramisu Anacapri

We ate Tiramisu in every city we visited in Italy. There were no survivors.

Luckily, I have a great recipe which I make at home that's even lower in fat and calories and can also send me back to those wonderful meals in every piazza!

Tiramisu Anacapri
Must make ahead. A trifle bowl is the best presentation.

1 cup cold water
1 (14-oz) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 (3.4-oz) package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 (8-oz) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (8-oz) tub Reduced-fat Cool Whip
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup Kahlua
2 tbsp. instant coffee
24 ladyfingers (2, 3-oz. packages) - I have substituted angel food cake in a pinch
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa, divided

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stir well with a whisk. Cover surface with plastic wrap, chill 30 minutes or until firm.
2. Remove plastic wrap and add cream cheese. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended. Gently fold in Cool Whip.
3. Combine hot water, Kahlua, and coffee. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise.
4. Arrange 16 ladyfinger halves, flat side down in a trifle bowl or large glass bowl. Drizzle with 1/2 cup Kahlua mixture. Spread one-third of pudding mixture evenly over ladyfingers, sprinkle with 1 tbsp. cocoa.
5. Repeat layers, ending with cocoa. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.

Yield: 12 servings. 310 calories, 9.1g fat.

My Go-To Wines

There are a few wines we keep in our house at all-times which can please almost any palette...ok, and because I just really like them a lot.

Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay is a buttery, Chardonnay that you can find in about any store for about $12-14. We buy it by the case since it tastes so great in the summertime and seems to please about any crowd (even those Sauvignon Blanc lovers who think they hate Chardonnay.) Everyone who has this at our house has to write down the name so they don't forget!

The Miner Family Vineyards Merlot is one of my absolute favorite reds. This one is a bit harder to find in stores, but easily ships right from the winery in Napa (where we first found it in their tasting room.) It's smooth, "jammy", and good with just about anything. Just because Miles in the movie "Sideways" hated Merlot, doesn't mean you have to!

Pride Mountain Vineyard's Cab Franc is another great wine. Californians love their Cabernet (as do we), but when I see a Cab Franc on the menu, I definitely get it! It just seems a little more approachable than some of the big Cabs and a good item to keep in the wine refrigerator for special evenings. Delicious!

Sauternes

Sauternes [pronounced "saw-turn"] is a French dessert wine from the Bordeaux region that I call "Liquid Gold". This stuff is just heaven to drink. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend getting a glass if you ever see it on the dessert menu in a restaurant. We always keep a small stock in our house for entertaining friends - it's a great way to end a wonderful meal.

I first had Sauternes with some sauteed Foie Gras - a classic match (this was the first time I had foie gras as well) at a restaurant called Chapeau in San Francisco many years ago. It has a smooth honey flavor with some peach and apricot notes. I think it's also great with some intense cheeses (like blue or roquefort) as well for dessert.

It can be pretty pricy, but since you serve just small portions of this, a half-bottle is enough for a table of 4-6. But, don't cheap-out. Good Sauternes is totally worth the investment (I don't recommend buying the half-bottles under $48-50, and look for ones that have a nice deep golden color). Be sure to serve it chilled. Cheers!

Endive, Dried Cherry and Goat Cheese Appetizer

As an alternate to cheese and crackers, I think putting fun toppings on endive is a a quick and easy one-bite appetizer to put out with wine. While I didn't put much effort into the presentation shown here, you can add balsamic glaze or some other dressing to make it a bit fancier.

This last time, I just put slices of pepper-crusted goat cheese on top of the endive leaves, added a dried cherry and some walnut pieces, and voila!

The Search for Good Yogurt

I'm always on the search for good yogurt that's not filled with bad things for you. I picked up a new one last night at Whole Foods called "siggi's" and it was pretty good with a great thick texture similar to Greek yogurt!

It has only 5 ingredients including all natural milk from grass fed cows. No asparatame, no sucralose, no gelatin, no artificial coloings, no preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup, and produced without the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone. It's sweetened just lightly with natural agave nectar - a natural low glycemic sweetener. Winner!

Skinny Greek Chicken

This is a fast, easy and super healthy dinner for two - great for a work-night after a stop at the gym. I call it "Skinny Greek Chicken" but, it's really Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce to be accurate.

Ingredients for skewers:
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. olive oil (I have skipped this before to be extra-lean)
Dash of salt
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
Cooking spray
4-6 wooden skewers - I usually let them soak in water while I'm prepping the food

Ingredients for Tzatziki Sauce:
1/2 cup, peeled, seeded and shredded cucumber (I don't bother to seed to save time)
1/2 cup plain low-fat or non-fat yogurt
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Dash of salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:
1. For skewers, combined the first 5 ingredients in a Ziplock plastic bag; seal and shake to combine.
2. Add chicken pieces to the bag; seal and shake to coat.
3. Marinate chicken in refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning once (or just put in the 'fridge long enough to chop the zucchini and make the sauce).
4. Make the Tzatziki Sauce and refrigerate while you cook the chicken and zucchini.
5. Remove chicken from bag and discard the marinade.
6. Thread the chicken and zucchini, alternately, onto each of the 4-6 skewers.
7. Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add skewers and cook them 8 minutes, or until the chicken is done, turning once.
8. Remove sauce from refrigerator and place on plate with skewers for presentation. Enjoy!