Coq Au Reisling

Coq Au Reisling 

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 

1/2 cup pancetta, diced

1 lb mushrooms, small hole, large cut in half 

1 red onion, cut in wedges 

1/2 lemon, sliced 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper 

1 cup Reisling

1 cup 35% cream 

2 tbsp Dijon mustard 

2 large cloves garlic, minced 

8 sprigs fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken skin side up in a roasting pan. Arrange pancetta,  mushrooms, red onion and lemon around the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until pancetta is crisp approximately 30 minutes. 

Whisk together wine, cream, mustard and garlic. 

Remove pan from oven, pour wine mixture around chicken, avoiding skin. Gently stir in thyme and roast until sauce is thickened and chicken is browned, 30 - 40 minutes. 

Discard thyme and serve chicken over rice. 

Sweet Potato Cornmeal Biscuits

Sweet Potato Cornmeal Biscuits 

Nonstick Spray

2 eggs 

3/4 cup sour cream 

1/2 cup grated sweet potato, about 1 small 

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 

1/4 cup sugar 

2 tsp baking powder 

2 tsp dry mustard 

1 tsp salt 

1/4 cup chopped cilantro 

1 cup grated cheddar cheese 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray muffin pan with nonstick spray 

Combine eggs, sour cream, sweet potato and oil in a bowl. 

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, dry mustard and salt in a separate bowl. Mix the dry ingrediants into the wet ingrediants. Stir in the cilantro and cheese until just combined. 

Evenly distribute mixture between 12 muffin cups. Place muffin pan on a baking sheet.  

Bake 17 to 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from muffin pan and serve warm. 

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole 

3 large or 4 medium sweet potatoes 

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs, lightly beaten 

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted & divided 

Pecan Topping 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1 cup chopped pecans 

1/3 cup flour 

1/4 cup butter, melted 

Marshmallow Topping 

4 cups mini marshmallows 

Pecan & Marshmallow Topping 

1/2 pecan topping ingrediants 

2 cups mini marshmallows 

Coconut Pecan Topping 

1 cup pecans, chopped 

1 cup flaked coconut 

1 cup brown sugar 

1/2 cup flour 

1/4 cup melted butter 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 3 litre casserole dish. 

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1" pieces. Place in saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat to medium low and cook for approximately 15 minutes until the potatoes are very tender. Drain, mash and let them cool slightly. 

In a large bowl combine the mashed sweet potato with brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk and melted butter. Blend thoroughly and spoon mixture into the prepared baking dish. 

Pecan topping:  mix all ingrediants, sprinkle over sweet potato mixture and bake 35 - 40 minutes until filling is hot and topping has browned. 

Marshmallow topping:  bake for 30 minutes and then cover with marshmallows and bake an additional 10 minutes ou till the marshmallows are browned.  

Pecan and Marshmallow topping:  reduce the pecan topping ingrediants by half, sprinkle around the edge of the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Fill the centre with the marshmallows and bake an additional 10 minutes until the marshmallows are browned. 

Coconut Pecan Topping:  mix all ingrediants until crumbly, sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture and bake 35 - 40 minutes. 

Seafood Boil

Seafood Boil 

20 cups water 

1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning 

1 tbsp kosher salt 

4 tsp minced garlic 

2 lbs baby potatoes 

4 corn cobs, cut in thirds 

2 lbs crab legs 

2 lbs 16 - 20 size shrimp peeled 

4 chorizo sausages 

Place first four ingrediants in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. 

At the same time preheat grill to high. Place sausages on the grill and grill 6 - 8 minutes turning occasionally until cooked through OR preheat oven to 400 degrees and cook sausages on a raised rack over a baking sheet for approximately 20 minutes, turning several times until cooked through. 

Once stock pot is boiling, add potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add corn and cook for 5 minutes. Add crab and cook 2 minutes. Add shrimp and cook an additional 4 minutes. 

Scoop seafood, potatoes and corn into a large bowl. Add sliced grilled chorizo and serve. 

Basil Pesto

Basil Pesto 

3 cups fresh basil, freshly packed 

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded 

1 cup pine nuts, toasted 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp pepper 

Pinch red pepper flakes 

Add basil, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to a blender. Blend continuously or use the pulse setting until the ingrediants start to break down. 

Stream in the olive oil and allow ingrediants to emulsify. Continue processing until the oil is combined with all ingrediants. Add more seasoning to taste. 

Store in fridge for a week or freeze for use later. 

Garlic Aioli

Garlic Aioli

3/4 cup mayonnaise 

3 cloves garlic, minced 

2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

Mix all ingrediants in a bowl, cover and refridgerate at a minumim of 30 minutes. 

Greek Salad Dressing

Greek Salad Dressing 

1 1/2 cup olive oil 

1/2 cup red wine vinegar 

1 tbsp Dijon mustard 

4 tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded 

1 tbsp sugar 

2 tbsp garlic, minced 

2 tbsp shallots, finely diced 

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

Place all ingrediants in a blender and process until smooth. Drizzle dressing over salad as needed and toss to coat. Refridgerate unused dressing. 

Barbeque Spice Rub

Barbeque Spice Rub

3 tbsp kosher salt 

3 tbsp brown sugar 

1 tbsp sweet paprika

1 tbsp garlic powder 

Makes enough rub for 2 whole chickens. Can be made and stored until needed 

Chicken with a Mushroom Cream Sauce

Chicken with a Mushroom Cream Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 envelopes Italian dressing mix 

2 tbsp vegetable oil 

2 tbsp butter 

1 lb white mushrooms, sliced 

Kosher salt

2 tsp minced garlic 

1 can mushroom soup 

1 8 oz package cream cheese , softened 

3/4 cup dry white wine

2 tbsp parsley 

Heat oil in a large skiillet over medium high heat. Coat chicken breasts with Italian dressing mix, add to skillet and cook for approximately 4 minutes until well browned. Turn the chicken, add the butter and cook until chicken is just golden approximately 3 minutes. Transfer to a baking dish. 

Add mushrooms and kosher salt to skillet, cook stirring occasionally until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes. Add garlic and sautée 1 additional minute. Spoon mushrooms & garlic over chicken. 

Add the wine to the skillet, bring to a boil and simmer until the wine has slightly reduced. Add the cream cheese and soup. Stir until well blended and heated through. Pour sauce over the chicken and mushrooms. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven uncovered until cooked through, approximately 1 hour.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve. 

Chicken Tourtière

Chicken Tourtière 

2 lbs ground chicken

1 cup onion, finely chopped 

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper 

1/2 tsp garlic 

1/2 tsp sage 

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves 

1/2 cup water 

4 medium potatoes 

Pastry for 2 crust pie 

Put first nine ingrediants into a large skillet over medium/high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until no pink remains in meat. This will take 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove from heat. 

Peel and quarter potatoes. Cook in salted boiling water until tender. Drain, add butter and milk & mash. Add to chicken mixture, mix and cool. 

Line 9" pie plate with pastry. Fill with chicken mixture. Dampen edges and cover with top crust. Crimp and trim edges. Cut slits in top. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes until browned. 

Chicken Mushroom Pot Pie

Chicken Mushroom Pot Pie

6 bacon slices, diced 

1 large onion, diced

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, diced 

1 tbsp garlic, diced 

3 cups cooked chicken, diced 

1 tbsp parsley 

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

1 cup hot water 

1 tbsp chicken bouillon 

1/2 package frozen puff pastry, thawed 

1 egg 

1 tsp water 

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, scramble fry bacon and onion until onion is soft. Add mushrooms and garlic and stir-fry until softened, approximately 10 minutes. Remove to a large bowl. 

Add next 5 ingrediants and stir together.  

Mix water and bouillon together and mix into contents in bowl. Turn into a 3 quart casserole. 

Roll pastry out 1 inch wider than casserole dish. Fit over top of food allowing to come up sides. Cut slits in top. Whisk egg and water and brush pastry. 

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes until browned.