Maple & Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs

I have seriously been trying to eat a bit healthier this year. Not as many treats and indulgences . . . I know it may not seem like it, but it's true!



The lighting was really, really poor today, so I apologize for the quality of these pictures. I try always to photograph in natural light. I like the way food looks in natural light. I just think it looks delicious - er. (Is that a word?? Meh . . . it is now!)



Today I had some bone in chicken thighs that I wanted to cook in the most delicious way possible without adding too much fat, calories or bad things to make them taste delectable. It's not all that hard to take the skin and fat off of chicken . . . but I do like to cook it on the bone as often as I can. The bone adds a lot of flavour to chicken and most meats.



I turned to one of my favourite books by Ellie Kreiger, The Food You Crave. A seriously good book. I find though that I have to really make some serious adaptions to some recipes because the ingredients in some of them are not readily available over here, but for the most part, I can cook most of them.



And they're good. Really good. Tasty. Delicious. Simple. Seriously simple.



And the stick man Todd loved them too. He doesn't even realize he's eating healthy. I think that's a good thing don't you??? If you can eat healthy and not know it? No deprivation there. It's all good.



*Maple & Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs*
Serves 4Printable Recipe

Chicken thighs baked with a delicious maple mustard glaze. Wonderful flavours! Adapted from The Food You Crave by Ellie Kreiger.

8 bone in chicken thighs, skin and any visible fat removed
85g of grainy French mustard (1/3 cup)
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced (about 1 tsp)
3/4 tsp dried marjoram
3 TBS pure Maple Syrup

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Have ready a large baking dish.

Whisk together the mustard, garlic, marjoram and maple syrup. Spread about 1 TBS of the mixture over the top of each chicken thigh, trying to cover as much of the surface as you can. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in the baking dish. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and glazed, about 45 - 50 minutes, basting it several times with the mustard mixture. The juices should run clear when the chicken is pierced in the centre. Serve hot. We had ours with a baked potato and green beans. Delicious!

Note : In the original recipe Ellie says that the mustard/maple mixture will form a crust. Mine didn't, but more like a glaze. My mixture was quite runny and so I just used it to baste the chicken as it cooked. It was utterly fabulously delicious. Todd had three 1/2 pieces!




Over in The Cottage today, Chili-Roni, a delicious one dish family meal that cooks in a skillet.

Next Up: Nacho Cheese …But First, My Saucy Wife!

Many of you know my wife, Michele, is a big part of what happens here on the blog, and a major league food maven in her own right, but what you may not know is that she also worked with me as an associate chef instructor at the California Culinary Academy.

I’m posting a nacho cheese sauce recipe tomorrow, and it reminded me that Michele used to do a very popular “Introduction to Cheese” lecture/tasting at the school, and would always start with the same old “cheesy” joke to loosen up the class.

It was the classic, “What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? …Nacho Cheese!”

Speaking of my lovely and talented wife, the video below is something we just shot for “The Next Big Small Brand” 3rd Annual Contest for Culinary Genius. We’re hoping her amazing SFQ – The Original San Francisco-Style Barbecue Sauce qualifies as a semi-finalist, which will be announced on February 9, 2012. Keep your fingers crossed!

In the meantime, stay tuned for not only a great nacho cheese recipe video, but I’m also going to show you how to do some quick and easy pickled jalapeno rings to top it with. Enjoy!

Oven Hash

Question . . . does this look like stewing beef to you?? I thought not! It doesn't look like stewing beef to me either . . . but apparently it does to Todd. I sent him to the shops this morning to get me a pound of cubed stewing beef and this is what he brought back. I had in mind to make a beef curry in my crock pot as the gas is off again today . . .

Scratch the beef curry.



I tried not to grumble at him too much . . . meh . . . these things happen. Never send a man in to do a woman's job . . . most times they will mess it up, but . . . c'est la vie!



Instead I made a lovely oven hash . . . it occurred to me that whilst my gas burners wouldn't operate with the gas turned off . . . the electric oven still would. Duh . . . it only took me three days to figure that bit out.



I also have a beautiful Morphy Richard's crock pot which browns things, and so I browned my meat, onions and peppers for the hash in that. I stirred in all the other ingredients, poured them into a casserole dish and popped it into my hot oven.



This is a very old recipe. It's called many different things . . . Texas Hash, Macaroni and Meat . . . Oven Hash. It all boils down to the same thing.



Comfort food. Simple food. Family food. Economical and honest ingredients combined to make a delicious meal that your family will love.



All you need on the side is a tossed salad and perhaps some crusty rolls. I'll make the beef curry another day . . . today we feasted on this.



*Oven Hash*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Not a hash with potatoes, but a delicious mixture of spiced minced beef, baked with tomatoes, onions and noodles. Comfort food. Family food. Simple, maybe . . . but never plain.

3 TBS fat (You can use oil, drippings or butter)
3 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large green pepper, trimmed, seeds discarded, and flesh chopped
1 lb. extra lean minced beef
2 (400g) tins of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice (about 3 cups)
180g of uncooked noodles (2 cups) (You may also use 1/2 cup of raw long grain rice)
1 tsp mild chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano flakes
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 2 litre casserole dish. Set aside.

Melt the fat in a dutch oven. Add onions and pepper. cook, stirring, until the onions are softened, but not browned. Add the minced beef. Cook and stir until the mixture falls apart and is no longer pink. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour this mixture into the buttered casserole dish. cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 15 minutes longer. Serve hot.



Cooking in The Cottage today, a delicious Chocolate Bread Pudding with Raspberry Cherry Sauce.

Boil-n-Bake Baby Back Ribs – Crime Against Nature, Or Just Guilty of Being Delicious?

Here’s what I know: I took some baby back ribs, simmered them for an hour in a flavorful liquid, glazed them in sauce, roasted them in the oven for about half an hour, and they looked and tasted really good. I also know these boil-n-bake baby back ribs would be great at any party, preferably a Super Bowl party (during which the Giants win the game).

Here’s what I don’t know: Why so many people will lose their minds over the fact that I boiled these ribs. They’ll say it’s a crime against nature, and that these are just not the same as baby backs slowly roasted over smoky coals for hours and hours. Well, duh.

These aren’t meant to replace, or even compete with, a traditionally barbecued version. This is simply a fast and tasty alternative method for having a nice stack of ribs appear on your snack table. Seriously, what’s the problem?

This is one of those recipes where I don’t want or expect you to use the same stuff I did. This is more about the quick and dirty method than any specific ingredients. I would make sure the simmering liquid is very well salted, and have a decent amount of acid and spice, but other than that, anything goes.

As far as the glaze, I just threw a bunch of stuff in a mixing bowl, in a sort of stream of saucy consciousness, but very much enjoyed the results. Chinese 5-spice is wonderful with pork, and created a beautifully aromatic base for the sweet, sour, and spicy sauce.

By the way, if it looks like I was a little short on sauce, I was, but made a little more while they were roasting, and it was fine. The amounts below will give you plenty for a rack of baby back ribs. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 slab baby back ribs

2 1/2 quarts cold water

1/2 cup rice vinegar

6 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 onion, chopped

2 tbsp kosher salt (less if using fine salt)
1 tbsp Chinese 5-spice

1 tsp red chili flakes

2 bay leaves

For the glaze:

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp ketchup

1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tbsp honey

1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp sambal chili paste, or to taste

1/2 tsp Chinese 5-spice

Lemon and Poppyseed Drop Scones

Can it be possible that we are at the end of January already??? I know! Hasn't the month just flown by! Over in North America kids will be getting ready for Groundhog Day (2nd February) and praying that the groundhog doesn't see his shadow, for if he does . . . there is sure to be at least six more weeks of winter. Crazy but true. I kinda miss Groundhog Day . . . somehow they don't quite get it over here . . . if you greet anyone with the words "Happy Groundhog Day" . . . you are met with either a blank stare . . . or a look which says they are questioning your sanity . . .



You might be asking yourself at this point . . . "What the heck does all this have to do with Lemon and Poppy Seed Drop Scones???" The answer would be absolutely nothing! It's just me babbling on about the first thing that comes into my head . . .



Poppyseed and lemon . . . a quintessential marriage of beautiful proportions . . . they go together oh-so-very -perfectly-well. Kinda like peas and carrots.



In a drop scone? Spread with honey or beautiful lemon curd??? Genius . . . pure genius!! I just love taking something traditional and giving it a unique twist.



Well . . . you just can't get much better than that. (My gas is off again today . . . so once again I can not cook . . . with the stove at any rate. blah . . . )



*Lemon and Poppy Seed Drop Scones*
Family size (must mean at least 4 or five people)

This is another one from my big blue binder. In the amount area it only says family size so I take it to mean that means a lot, because I had a rather large family. Tender and soft with a bit of poppy seed crunch and a hint of lemon, these are fabulous served with honey, or my personal favourite . . . lemon curd.

200g plain flour (2 cups)
¼ tsp salt
2 TBS white sugar
6 tsp baking powder
2 TBS poppy seeds
2 large free range eggs
500ml milk
the grated zest of one unwaxed lemon
2 tsp lemon juice
5 TBS sour cream
4 TBS melted butter
cooking spray for oiling the pan

To serve:
cold butter
Lemon curd (your own homemade or store bought, good quality)
runny honey

Whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, poppyseeds and baking powder in a large bowl. Put the eggs, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, sour cream and melted butter into a large beaker and whisk them together well. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients all at once. Whisk together vigorously until they make a smooth batter.

Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Grease lightly with a little bit of oil, swirling it to lightly coat the bottom of the pan, or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Drop the batter onto the heated pan or griddle in heaping dessertspoonfuls. Cook over medium high heat until the surface is coated with small bubbles and the underside is lightly browned before flipping them over to cook and brown the other side. Remove to a plate and keep warm in the oven while you are cooking the rest, using up all the batter. Serve warm with knobs of ice cold butter on top and dollops of lemon curd or runny honey.

These freeze very well. Just pop them between layers of grease proof paper and pop them into a zip lock baggie. You can then take out as many or as few as you want at any given time, warming them up for a few seconds in the microwave.

PS - You can very easily cut this recipe in two if you don't want to make quite so many. I did.



Cooking in The Cottage today, a delicious Quick Beef, Vegetable and Barley Soup!

Next Up: Boil-n-Bake Baby Back Ribs

Making Kimchi

Kimchi is said to be Korea's national dish. A name that encompasses a wide range of chilli-soaked fermented vegetables, Koreans eat it with most, if not all meals and there is a popular Korean saying - 'a man can live without his wife, but not without kimchi'. They take this stuff seriously.

There are hundreds of different types, characterised by main ingredients but also of which season they were made and which region they come from. For someone with such a love of pickles, it was only natural that I would fall in love with kimchi. Its sour tang, hugely pungent aroma and spiciness was a great draw.

Not content with commercial offerings (though very good they are too), I set about making my own. My first attempt was half arsed (below) and it showed. I lobbed a load of chilli powder in with some cucumber and daikon that I needed to get rid of. This produced a harshly flavoured affair and the lot went in the bin and I forgot about it all for a few weeks.

I wasn't to be deterred though and once the kimchi craving hit me again, I set about getting the ingredients to make it properly. Glutinous rice flour is used to make a paste with Korean chilli flakes - and specifically Korean, as they use a type of chilli that is redder and milder than others, thereby colouring your kimchi well without making it so spicy it'll blow your face off.

Mixed with flavourings and seasonings, the vegetable of choice is smeared with this and packed into jars to ferment.

Left out on the side for a couple of days to get the fermentation going, I arrived home one evening and heard a strange hissing sound. After a few minutes of total bewilderment, I discovered it was coming from the jar. I opened the latch and the kimchi promptly exploded across the kitchen wall and covered me in cabbage juice. Fermentation produces gases and I packed my jar too full, causing all the kimchi to rise to the brim (below) and make a break for freedom. My housemate was aghast.


It was a right pain to clean up.

After a couple of days fermenting the kimchi went in the fridge. It tasted great just after two days but for a stronger, more soured flavour the longer you leave it the better it gets. I've taken to eating a lot of it straight from the jar, but I've also used it as a flavouring for roasting broccoli, and frying rice with it.

Cabbage Kimchi

Makes quite a lot

2 heads of Chinese leaf (Napa cabbage)
Loads of table salt

Chop your vegetable up into even sized pieces. Wash thoroughly and then coat liberally in salt, and place inside a colander. Turn every half hour or so, and leave for 3 hours. This is so that the salt leeches the moisture from the cabbage.

110gr coarse Korean chilli powder (Londoners, you can get this upstairs at New Loon Moon)
60gr glutinous rice flour (plain flour will also work)
250mls water
125ml fish sauce
1 large onion, minced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2" piece of ginger, grated
2 eating apples, peeled and grated
A bunch of spring onions, top and tailed and chopped into three
Many people also add raw oysters or salted shrimp but I'm too much of a wuss. Next time, next time...

Whisk together the water and the glutinous rice flour and bring slowly to the boil, stirring all the time. Cook for a few minutes and take off the heat. Allow to cool.

Stir in the chilli flakes, then add the garlic, onion, ginger and apples. Add the fish sauce and mix well.

Wash the cabbage thoroughly, at least a few times to make sure all the salt has washed off. In a large bowl toss in the spring onions and then add the chilli sludge. Combine well using your hands - if you have any cuts on your hands wear gloves otherwise it'll sting like a bastard.

Pack into a sterilised jar, leaving plenty of room from the top to allow for fermentation gases. Leave out on the side for a day or two (open the lid to this every so often to let the gas escape) and transfer to the fridge. It's good to eat as it is for at least 3 weeks - after that it may become quite strong but still good to use in stews, stir fries and other hot dishes.

Apricot Bread Pudding

I recently had the good fortune to have a whole bunch of brioche bread that didn't get eaten before it went stale . . . you might be asking yourself, why on earth would that be considered fortunate??



I mean, brioche is so rich and moist and delicious, surely one would want to eat it when it was at it's best !!!

And yes . . . we do . . . but . . .



I also happen to know that as scrummy as brioche is when it's fresh . . . . it makes an even scrummier bread pudding!



Especially in this version which has tasty cubes of brioche bread, mixed together with sweet bits of apricot that have been steeped in Lady Grey Tea, with hints of bergamot, orange and lemon . . .



Combine that with a rich custard containing whole milk, cream, eggs and the zest of orange and lemon and you have something really special indeed. We like ours warm with a cold quenelle of creme fraiche sitting atop . . . but it is equally as delicious and scrummy with some creme anglaise, or vanilla pod ice cream, which is really only frozen vanilla custard after all . . .

Enjoy!!



*Apricot Bread Pudding*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

A delicious bread pudding with the added surprise of sweet apricots that have been steeped in Lady Grey Tea.

8 ounces of stale brioche bread, crusts removed and
cut into cubes (a scant 4 cups)
1 Lady Grey Tea bag
250ml cup boiling water (1 cup)
3 ounces of dried apricots, cut into small bits (1/2 cup packed)
2 large free range eggs
1 large free range egg yolk
250ml whole milk (1 cup)
375ml double cream (1 1/2 cups)
150g caster sugar (3/4 cup)
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract

Put the tea bag and the apricots into a heat proof bowl. Add the boiling water and allow to steep for 10 minutes. At the end of that time, remove the tea bag and strain the apricots, discarding any liquid. Set aside.

Whisk the eggs, egg yolk and 2 ounces of the milk together in a bowl. Place the remaining milk into a saucepan along with the cream, sugar, lemon and orange zests and vanilla. Bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Gradually pour this over the egg mixture, whisking constantly until completely combined. Strain this thru a wire mesh sieve into a bowl. Gently stir in the brioche cubes and the drained apricots. Cover and place in the
Inglis Refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

The next day when you are ready to cook it, pre-heat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.. Butter six ramekins well. Divide the pudding mixture evenly amongst them. Place on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown and almost set. Serve warm with some creme anglaise or creme fraiche spooned on top. Delicious!



Cooking in The Cottage today a delicious Cheeseburger Spaghetti Pie!

My Top of the Pop's (Dinner wise that is!)

Source: flickr.com via Kate on Pinterest

Wahhh . . . gas works are still ongoing here at Casa de Rayner, and so once again no cooking going on. Sigh . . . sad but true. We did have a tasty fry up at a cafe this morning . . . but other than that we've only eaten fruit and cereal today. I think it will be toast and jam for tea, but that's always good and something we both like. After the fry up, something simple and non-fattening is in order!

I thought it would be fun to do a round up of my top of the pop's main dish recipes. These are the dishes that I cook again and again. I can see that comfort food plays a very big part . . . hmmm . . . I wonder what that says about me??? Sometimes it's nice to do a review of things . . . I think so at any rate. ☺



Beer Battered Fish & Chips

What can I say. I've always been a big fan of Fish & Chips. I think they taste better in the North West as compared to the ones we used to get in the South, and you can't go to the seaside without having them. Preferably eaten on the pier, looking out to sea and doused in salt and malt vinegar. Of course, making them at home is best of all.



Cottage Pie with Potato Cobbles

Cottage Pie is a real favourite with my meat and potatoes loving husband and he especially loved this version I made using extra lean beef mince . . . lots of onions, leeks and tasty carrots, swede and peas, all in a rich gravy and topped with lovely potato cobbles and cheese.



Sticky Bangers with Buttermilk and Chive Mash

There is nothing tastier or more beautiful than a good Butcher's pork Banger . . . and when you combine them with a sticky fruity glaze and some rich buttermilk and chive mashed spuds you have something that is very special indeed!



Macaroni Shepherd's Pie

Double the pleasure and comfort with your favourite lamb and veg filling topped with luciously rich macaroni and cheese. What more could anyone want! Different, easy and oh so tasty!



Perfectly Cooked Roast Beef

We have some of the best beef in the world here in the UK, and with my foolproof way to cook it, you are guarenteed to have a delicious roast beef dinner every single time. Tasty, tender and succulent. I like a standing rib roast best of all, but this method will work with any roasting cut. I guarantee!



Simple Pot Roasted Chicken

A deliciously moist pot roasted chicken served with plenty of veg and a tasty au jus. Heartily approved by my "Mr Darcy!" It may not look like much but it is really tender and moist. We like it with roasted potatoes, sprouts and mashed carrots and parsnips. Who doesn't love a tasty roast chicken and this, in my humble opinion, is one of the very best recipes ever!



Cod Fish Cakes and Tartar Sauce

Moist fish cakes, crisp on the outside and with no fillers, flavoured with fresh tarragon and served with a delicious homemade horseradish tartar sauce. This is one of our all time favourites, and so much tastier than those frozen fish cakes you buy in the shops.



Lancashire Hot Pot

British Tradition at it's very best. This is the good, old fashioned, stodge which never fails to please. Simple flavours, beautifully put together. This is what the UK is all about.



Not Your Mama's Spag Bol

Spaghetti Bolognese is one of the UK's most beloved dishes and makes weekly appearances in a lot of homes over here. My husband hates pasta . . . he's very old fashioned in that way, having been brought up during the war. Pasta is foreign food to him and he really prefers traditional dishes. He does like this though . . . as long as I spoon it over mash. I think everyone over here has their own "secret" recipe for Spag Bol. This is mine. It's a cross between Spag Bol and Chili, and quite, quite delicious if I don't say so myself!!



Chicken Curry with Rice

You just can't beat a good curry and I do believe that curry has overtaken just about every dish as Britain's favourite dish, even Roast Beef. (Although I do have to say we do love our Roast Dinners with a passion!) I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to curry . . . preferring mine a bit on the milder side, but loving it all the same. Chicken or lamb . . . fish or vegetable. Curry is one of our favourites. This is a lovely low fat one with a beautiful addition of spinach for added colour, texture and flavour. (We like Green Thai Curry as well!




Pssstt!! We also love a really good Lamb Curry as well. This particular recipe is very good indeed.

I just noticed something is glaringly absent here . . . a Tasty Fish Pie. Time to remedy that. Look for one soon!!!

On Monday I'll post my round up of my top ten favourite British Puds! (Am hoping I have gas for the weekend!)



In The Cottage today, Tex Mex Taters . . . cooked in the microwave and with the aid of an electric skillet!