End of Summer: Ultimate BBQ Chicken

This here is another one of those meals that screams summer to me. I had a mini potluck with some lady friends of mine at me new apartment. The theme was "indoor bbq". I made the bbq chicken, cornbread and peach cobbler (up next!). The girls brought salad, baked beans and potato salad. It was nice to catch up with the friends I haven't seen as much as I'm used to since graduating college over good food and wine. I'm hoping to be able to host these little potlucks more often. Come this thursday some of my girlfriends are coming to my place to watch Greys Anatomy and Jersey Shore (guilty pleasure, I know, I'm insane) and enjoy some pumpkin bread. Can't wait!

This bbq chicken has gotten RAVE reviews on the food network and I wanted to try it because I had never made bbq sauce from scratch. Big BIG fan of this recipe. Making sauces from scratch is so worth the extra effort.

Ultimate BBQ Chicken
From foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

Brine:
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
4 sprigs fresh thyme
6 chicken legs and thighs, still connected, bone in, skin on, about 10 ounces each

The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:
1 slice bacon
1 bunch fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

For the brine, in a mixing bowl combine the water, salt, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Transfer the brine to a 2-gallon sized re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, close the bag and refrigerate 2 hours (if you've only got 15 minutes, that's fine) to allow the salt and seasonings to penetrate the chicken.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve for serving along side the chicken at the table. The rest of the barbecue sauce will be used for basing the legs.

Preheat oven 375 degrees F.

Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue to a medium heat. Take a few paper towels and fold them several times to make a thick square. Blot a small amount of oil on the paper towel and carefully and quickly wipe the hot grates of the grill to make a nonstick surface. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat it dry on paper towels. Arrange the chicken pieces on the preheated grill and cook, turn once mid-way, and cook for a total of 10 minutes. Transfer the grill marked chicken to a cookie sheet and then place in the oven. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and then brush liberally, coating every inch of the legs with the barbecue sauce and then return to the oven for 25 to 30 more minutes, basting the chicken for a second time half way through remaining cooking time. Serve with extra sauce.

Angel Food Cake with a Honey Lemon Yogurt Sauce

I've always loved angel food cake. Growing up I remember my great grandma made it every year and its was the best angel food cake I've ever had. I've always been reluctant to try it from scratch because let's admit, its intimidating to try to make something with such a specific texture. As it turns out, I messed this up...but I quickly figured out what I did wrong and made it again and it turned out beautifully.

 It just so happens that I didn't whip it up enough. I was so afraid of overwhipping it that it just fell flat. But if you whip it to medium peaks it will be perfect. In my experience medium peaks are when you pull the beater out and turn it upside down, the batter peaks a little and then falls slightly at the end. You don't want  it to peak straight up or it will be dry. Another thing that helps is cracking your egg white to a small glass dish and then into another dish so that if you end up with any yolk at all you can discard it. Just one drop of yolk will screw up the whole cake because that is where the fat is and any fat will compromise your cakes airy, light fluffyness and thats what angel food cakes all about. There's really nothing to be afraid of if you keep these things in mind.

I loved this sauce, it makes a great fruit dip as well. I origionally made this for Shawn because he had been requesting it but the cake was for him and the sauce was for me. For his birthday last week I made a strawberry cream angel food cake that was just divine, so keep your eyes peeled for that post.

PS: the cake featured in the photos is the one that fell flat, when I remade it for Shawns birthday it was lovely...so photos of that to come soon :)

Angel Food Cake with a Honey Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Cake from foodnetwork.com
Sauce from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 cup cake flour
1 cup sugar
12 large egg whites (egg whites from large eggs, no yolks in the whites!)
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested
1 orange, zested

For the sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Sift the flour together with 1/2 cup of the sugar and set aside.

Put the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Be sure that the bowl is clean and dry, any fat in the bowl can prevent the egg whites from whipping up fluffy. Add the salt and the cream of tartar to the egg whites. Beat the egg whites on a medium-high speed until they reach soft peaks, about 5 minutes.

While the mixer is running, gradually add the remaining sugar. Dont plop the sugar in all at once or it will push the air out of the whites that we are trying to beat in. Add in the vanilla and zests and then stop the mixer. Add 1/3 of the flour/sugar mixture and fold gently fold, do this quickly but gently. Repeat the process 2 more times until all of the flour/sugar mixture is incorporated.

Transfer the cake batter into an ungreased tube pan.

Bake the cake on a sheet tray in the preheated oven until it is light and springy, about 1 1/4 hours. Cool the cake for at least 1 hour before unmolding.

For the sauce:

In a small bowl whisk together the yogurt, honey, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour into a serving pitcher.

Using a spatula, loosen the cake around the sides and middle. Release the cake and place on a serving plate. Cut into slices and drizzle with the sauce. Garnish with lemon zest.

A "Congrats" Dinner: Fresh Lemon Mousse, Parmesan Popovers, Arugula Salad with Fried Gorgonzola and Spicy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

As I've said before I had a "bad girlfriend slip" and tried to make up for it by making Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies. Well I have more of a sweet tooth than my boyfriend. Shawn is more of a steak and potatoes kinda guy. He's also a fan of Giada De Laurentiis (hmm I wonder why) as am I so I decided in order to Congratulate him on his promotion I would pick out a few things from her cookbook "Everyday Pasta" that my dad sent me. I made 4 courses, all but one were from the cookbook. For dessert I made this amazing fresh lemon mousse that was to die for! Its an Ina Garten recipe I found on the foodnetwork.com and I could eat the WHOLE thing! I literally melt with every bite I took.

Fresh Lemon Mousse

I had never made mousse before this. For some reason I was intimidated, but it's easy and fun! I have always loved lemon anything. I love lemon yogurt in the morning with my peanut butter toast and peaches and cream oatmeal. My mom always told me when she was pregnant with me she always craved sour stuff and that when I was younger I would just suck on lemons. I guess it should come as no surprise that I am head over heels in love with this dessert.

Ingredients:

3 extra-large whole eggs
3 extra-large eggs, separated
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
Kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup good bottled lemon curd, at room temperature
Sweetened Whipped Cream, recipe follows
Sliced lemon, for garnish

Directions:

In a large heat-proof bowl, whisk together the 3 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 10 to 12 minutes until the mixture is thick like pudding. (I change to a whisk when the mixture starts to get thick.) Take off the heat and set aside for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, until completely chilled.

Place half the egg whites and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until the whites are stiff and shiny. Carefully fold the beaten whites into the cold lemon mixture with a rubber spatula. Place the cream in the same bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (no need to clean the bowl) and beat on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the lemon mixture. Fold in the lemon curd, and pour into a 7-inch-diameter, 3-inch-deep souffle dish. Decorate with sweetened whipped cream and lemon slices that have been cut into quarters. Chill and serve cold.

Sweetened Whipped Cream:

1 cup cold heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the cream, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium and then high speed until the cream just forms still peaks. Spoon the whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.

Parmesan Popovers

Okay I had problems with these but I am posting the recipe because it had great flavor and I realize that I caused the problems after looking over the reviews on foodnetwork.com. Mine turned out eggy, kind of like quiche and they did not pop up like popvers are supposed to. As it turns out, you should know what you're doing before making these and be really careful with popovers. I think I messed up on a few things...1.) I didn't use whole milk like the recipe called for. 2.) I peaked...yep I'm a guilty peaker. Apparently with popovers you DO NOT open the oven until they are done because they will deflate. And finally 3.) I read that the oven should be VERY hot, completely pre-heated. It is recommended to use a thermometer (of which I need) to make sure it is the proper temperature. I was also intrigued by something else I read, it is recommended that you preheat the muffin pan for a couple minutes before pouring in the batter. Hopefully when I try this recipe again (which I will) these adjustments will give me light, fluffy and delicious popovers!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence
4 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 cups whole milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan (about 5 ounces)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a blender, combine eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and herbs, milk, and cheese. Blend on medium speed.

Spray a mini-muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove popovers from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack. Save in a storage container to take to the picnic.

Arugula Salad with Fried Gorgonzola

I really like the peppery flavor of arugula and had never worked with gorgonzola before. It tastes very similar to blue cheese and I LOVE blue cheese. I mean how bad can fried cheese in a salad be? I did make a couple minor changes. Since gorgonzola is such a strong cheese I reduced the size of the balls. I also tossed in a couple crumbles of fresh gorgonzola for more color.

Ingredients:

7 ounces Gorgonzola
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for deep-frying
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 cups coarsely torn arugula (about 10 ounces)

Directions:

Blend the Gorgonzola in a food processor until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the work bowl occasionally. Using 1 rounded teaspoon of cheese for each, form the cheese into 18 (1-inch) balls. Working in batches, coat the balls with the egg then with the bread crumbs. Repeat coating the balls in the egg and bread crumbs. Arrange the balls on a small baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Whisk the lemon juice, garlic, and lemon peel in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in 1/3 cup oil. Season the dressing, to taste, with salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside.

Add enough oil to a heavy small saucepan to come 2 inches up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat. At this point, remove the refrigerated Gorgonzola balls from the refrigerator. Working in batches, add the cold balls to the hot oil and fry just until golden brown, about 20 seconds. (It is essential that the Gorgonzola balls be cold when they go into the oil, otherwise they will fall apart in the oil. If they start to warm up at any point, return them to the refrigerator to firm back up.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried balls to paper towels to drain.

Toss the arugula in a large bowl with enough dressing to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mound the salad on plates. Top the salads with the hot fried Gorgonzola balls and serve immediately.

Spicy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

The name of this dish immediately caught my eye. I love spicy anything and macaroni and cheese is such a heart-warming comfort food. And nothing says "congrats" better than something made from the heart. The only thing is that this is a vegetarian dish and my man loves meat...as do I. So I tossed in some italian sausage that I browned before mixing it in the pasta. I also love red onions, especially when there's spiciness involved so I used that. Also, the more cheese the better if you ask me, I practically doubled the cheese :) Turned out wonderful!

Ingredients:

Salt
1 pound elbow macaroni pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound assorted mushrooms, quartered
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained of excess liquid
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup
1/4 cup Romano, plus 1/3 cup
2 tablespoons butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons
12 ounces mozzarella cubed (about 2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and the onion is golden, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spinach, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup Romano. Spread the softened butter in a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish and sprinkle half of the bread crumb mixture inside the dish to coat.

In a large bowl combine the vegetable mixture with the cooked macaroni, cubed mozzarella, the remaining Parmesan and Romano cheeses, and the nutmeg. Spoon into the prepared baking dish, top with the remaining bread crumb mixture, and dot the top with the remaining butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.