Walnut Crusted Chicken Breast – It’s all About the Nut Glue

I almost never order a nut-crusted entrée in a restaurant, since they usually use a sugary glaze to hold them on, and/or feature a too sweet nut, like pecan, or macadamia. That’s not an issue here; since we’re going with buttery, subtly bitter walnuts, held on with a very savory “nut glue,” made with a garlic and mustard base.

I like this approach so much better, especially since it allows me to do a little bit of a sweet pan sauce, featuring honey, which is a classic pairing with both walnuts and mustard. Above and beyond the ingredients in your nut crust, the protection this layer of deliciousness provides can actually make a boneless, skinless chicken breast seem like it was just carved off a freshly roasted carcass. As long as you don’t overcook it, that is.

I caused a little stir on Twitter yesterday, when I said (in so many words) that you don’t need to cook chicken breast to 165 F. internal temperatures, as the FDA would like you too. I said, accurately I believe, that 150 F. is plenty hot enough, as long as it holds the temperature for at least five minutes. I think it’s so much better that way, but I’ll leave that up to you, and your probe thermometer. Regardless of how long you cook it, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 Servings:

For the “nut glue:”

4-6 cloves finely crushed garlic

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

For the rest:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each)

salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste

1 1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts

For the pan sauce:

all the pan drippings

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons honey

- Roast for 25 minutes at 375 F., or until an internal temp of 150 F.

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5-Minute Fisherman’s Stew – Give or Take

Of course this Fisherman’s Stew takes more than five minutes to make, and I’m actually referring to the approximate cooking time once the seafood hits the pan, but as they say, it’s only false advertising if someone else does it. Besides, one taste and I’m sure you’ll forgive any temporal exaggerations. If, that is, you use really great seafood.

A recipe this simple has many advantages. It’s fast, easy, and doesn’t require a ton of prep, but the downside is, there’s nowhere to hide sub-par ingredients. So, unless you’re going to splurge on the freshest, sweetest, most pristine seafood you can find, you may want to look for another recipe.

Above and beyond that very critical directive, you’ll also want to be sure your brothy base is aggressively seasoned before you toss your seafood in. Since we don’t season the fish and shellfish directly, we need to make sure we have enough salt, and whatever else you’re using, to go around. Other than that, not much can go wrong, and assuming there’s some crusty bread nearby, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 Portions:

For the brothy base:

1 cup crushed San Marzano tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes (if your tomatoes aren't nice and sweet, toss in a teaspoon of sugar)

2 cups fish stock, clam juice, or if time are tough, water

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes, or to taste

For the rest of the stew:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 very thinly sliced fennel bulb

salt to taste

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup chopped parsley

8 ounces firm white fish, like halibut or sea bass, cut into 1.5-inch cubes

8 peeled and deveined raw shrimp

12 mussels, scrubbed clean

12 clams, scrubbed clean

some crusty bread

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Pear Clafoutis – Almost as Good as it Looks

It sounds odd to say that a recipe’s biggest problem is that it looks too good, but that’s sort of the case with this pear clafoutis. Through no fault of its own, this crust-less, custard fruit tart looks a lot sweeter, and richer than it actually is. So, please be sure to adjust yours and your guest’s taste buds accordingly. Of course, you can make this sweeter, with more sugar, or richer, with some cream instead of all milk, but there’s something to be said for those rare recipes that I would describe as, “just sweet enough.”

Which reminds me, be sure to taste whatever fruit you’re using for sweetness, since you may want to adjust the sugar level based on that. Another key, especially if you’re using pears, or apples, is to make sure you slice them thin; otherwise they will not cook through by the time your custard is cooked.

As I mentioned you could cook the fruit first, but I’ll leave that up to you. If you use the traditional cherries, or something like tender juicy berries, this will actually cook faster than the time is given here, so I’d start checking for doneness after about 25 to 30 minutes. Speaking of different fruits, apparently if we don’t use cherries, this is referred to as a “flognarde,” which I’ll never get tired of saying. Hilarious names aside, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions:

(The baking dish I used was 10-inch wide)

2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter, divided (one for pan , one for top)

3 generous cups thinly sliced sweet, ripe pears

1/2 cup lightly toasted sliced almonds

For the batter:

3 large eggs

1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar depending on fruit’s sweetness

1 1/4 cup whole milk

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

- Bake at 350 F. for about 45 minutes, or until fruit is soft, and custard is cooked.

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Bloody Mary Burrata – An Experiment in Liquefying Salads

I don’t think there’s actually a difference between a liquid salad, and a cold vegetable soup, but if there is, I’d like this Bloody Mary Burrata recipe to be considered the former. Especially since I already posted a gazpacho this summer. But regardless of what you call this strange hybrid, it really was delicious, fun to eat, and very refreshing.

I was recently gifted some homemade Bloody Mary mix by a couple of new friends, Clayton and Linda-Marie, which unfortunately I haven’t been able to enjoy yet. However, the combination of seeing that on the counter, along with a tub of burrata cheese in the fridge, led to this rather odd attempt. While the Bloody Mary part of the equation completely dominated the tomato and mozzarella salad element, I still found this thoroughly enjoyable to eat, which at the end of the day, is all that matters.

I’m not exactly sure how best to serve this, but a small portion as a starter would seem to make the most sense. Or, maybe a larger serving, paired with a crusty hunk of bread as a brunch item. Vodka sold separately. So, whether you’re going to take this idea and run with it, or you’re just going to do the first part, and make some real Bloody Marys, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions of Blood Mary Burrata:

2 pounds fresh vine-ripened tomatoes

1/3 cup sliced celery

1/4 cup sliced hot or mild red peppers

1/2 clove garlic

1/2 cup water

juice of one lemon

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, or to taste

2 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste

2 tablespoons hot prepared horseradish, or to taste

2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

For Service:

1 cup Blood Mary Burrata base

2 ounces burrata cheese, or fresh mozzarella

sliced olives, celery, and cherry tomatoes to garnish

freshly grated horseradish root for the top

freshly ground black pepper and olive oil to finish, optional

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