Braised Chicken Thighs with Green Figs and Balsamic Vinegar

This is one of my favorite winter braised dishes though it is light enough to enjoy any time of the year.  I made it this weekend for a potluck and wine tasting to a great response.  It's chicken thighs braised in balsamic vinegar, port, mushrooms, green figs, onions and bacon.

I went over to a friend's house to pick some plums off their tree and they had a smaller green fig tree.  I was there to grab fruit for yellow plum jam, but this offering put this dish into the forefront of my mind.

You're going to need:

5 or 6 Chicken Thighs
3 or 4 slices of bacon
1 Small Red Onion
2-3 Garlic Cloves
6 Fresh Figs, Stemmed and Quartered
10 Cremini Mushrooms
2 1/14 c Chicken Broth
5T Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 c Port Wine (cooking or whatever you have on hand)
1/2 c Polenta
2T Unsalted Butter
Parsley, Chopped

There is plenty of room to modify this recipe or to add whatever you think would work well.

-  Slice the bacon into 1/4 inch pieces. Saute on medium heat in a medium saucepan until crispy and remove.

- Mince the onion and slice the mushrooms into 1/4 slices.  Cook the onions until translucent and then add the mushrooms.  Sprinkle in a bit of salt and pepper.

- Mince the garlic and when the onions start to caramelize, add it.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.

- Pour in the balsamic and port.  Deglaze the pan by scraping with a wooden spoon.

- Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add the thighs to the pan and pour in 1/2 cups of the chicken broth and add the figs.

- Simmer for about 20 minutes.

- Pull the thighs out of the pan and remove the meat from the bone.  you can discard or add a bit of the skin to the pan.  You can skip this step by using boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

- Smash or stir the mixture a bit to break down the figs and onions into the sauce.

-In another pan add 1 3/4 c chicken stock and bring to a boil with 1/2 t salt.  Whisk in the polenta and cook for 5-10 minutes until the mixture thickens and the grains soften.  You can also add a splash of milk or half and half to add to the richness.  When the polenta is cooked, whisk in 1 T butter and check the salt and pepper for seasoning.  If the polenta seems to thick, you can always add additional stock or dairy.

- Scoop the polenta into 2-3 bowls.  Top with the chicken mixture, bacon and chopped parsley.

- Serve warm and pair with Chardonnay or Pinot Noir as your taste dictates.

Celebrating the Fourth of July with a Sazerac Cocktail with Twisted Manzanita Rye Whiskey

The Sazerac Cocktail has its roots all the way back in 1850 and may even be the root of the English word cocktail (the measuring cup that Antoine Peychaud used in New Orleans was called a coquetier).  The original Sazerac was made with Cognac (Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand), but the phylloxera epidemic in the 1870's in France made Cognac less available and in 1873, the Sazerac cocktail was altered to include the use of American Rye Whiskey.


You are going to need a few ingredients for a good Sazerac cocktail.

3 oz Rye Whiskey (I used Twisted Manzanita Rebellious Rye from Santee CA)
1/2 t (a rinse) of Absinthe (I used Wild Card Absinthe from Bend OR)
2-3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
1/2 oz Simple Syrup (traditionally a sugar cube is used and doused with the bitters)
2-3 Luxardo Cherries (not traditional, but they are great cherries)
Meyer Lemon Rind for garnish

-Take a chilled coup or rocks glass and rinse with the absinthe.  Just run it around the inside of the glass and either leave the excess in, or shake it gently off.   My first Sazerac had too much black licorice or fennel character because of how much absinthe I used, so experiment.

-In a shaker with ice, combine the rye whiskey, Peychaud's bitters, simple syrup and shake until chilled.

-Strain into the chilled glass, add a few cherries (if you feel like it) and twist your lemon rind over the cocktail to release the essential oils and create a brighter, more fresh tasting cocktail.


This cocktail is generally more dry than a manhattan, but has a more herbal edge than and old fashioned.  You will find many recipes for the Sazerac Cocktail in books and online.  There will be some subtle, and not so subtle variations.  Give it a try your way and just enjoy a refreshing cocktail with a hint of history.

Breakfast Sausage and Pancake Corn Dogs

I had a little extra time to make breakfast this morning and instead of making sausage and pancakes, I decided to make sausage pancake dogs with warm maple syrup.  With the added bonus that I was able to make funnel cakes for dessert.  I used Farmer John maple breakfast sausages, but you could use your favorite brand of breakfast links.

You're going to need:

1 package Farmer John regular of maple breakfast sausages (8 links)


1 1/2 - 2 cups all purpose flour
2 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract (optional, but I like it)
2 T vegetable oil

powdered sugar
maple syrup
corn starch
8 6" bamboo skewers
vegetable oil (for frying)

-if using farmer john sausages, because of the high fat content, you are going to want to par cook or render some of the fat.  I cooked the sausages at 300 degrees in the oven for 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally.

- Heat oil in a small saucepan or frying pan (a couple inches deep) to medium high heat.  Make sure the sausages with the attached skewers will fit.

- Let the sausages cook slightly, place skewers into them, and then dredge in corn starch.  Shake off the excess.

- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt)

- Add the milk and mix until mostly incorporated.

- Add the eggs, vanilla extract (if using) and vegetable oil.  Whisk until combined.  If the batter seems too runny, add flour in small amounts until it thickens a bit.

- Place the batter in a cup ( I used a pint mason jar) and dip the sausages.

- Gently place into the hot oil allowing them to cook until golden brown.  Remove and set on paper towels to dry slightly.

- Dust with powdered sugar and serve with warm maple syrup.


To make funnel cakes.

-Take a small zip lock bag and fill with pancake batter.  Cut the corner off and pipe a spiral and convoluted pattern into the hot oil.  Flip once until golden brown on both sides and set aside to drain on paper towels.  Dust with powdered sugar and serve with more warm maple syrup.  Tastes like a summertime fair!

Lemon Zest and Ricotta Pancakes

The weather one weekend was gorgeous so it seemed like the right thing to do would be to rub a bunch of ribs, pork shoulder and pork belly with spices, let them sit overnight and then smoke them low and slow all day.  I woke up early Sunday morning, got the smoker set up, drank some coffee, and then proceeded to enjoy delicious whiskey and cocktails for the next six to eight hours while the meat sizzled and developed a delicious crust and pink smoke ring.

This may seem like a weird story for a post about pancakes.  My goal after smoking all this meat was to find a way to enjoy it in a reasonable amount of time.  I made a big batch of bechamel and red sauce and bought a five pound tub of ricotta cheese.  There it is.  That next weekend I had to find a way to use all the leftover ricotta.  Enter our delicious Lemon Zest and Ricotta Pancakes.


This recipe makes 10-12 medium sized pancakes.

For the pancakes:

5 T butter
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1/2 t vanilla extract
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 lemon
1 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
2 T granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

For the Syrup:

1 lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Mint


- Combine the butter and milk in a small saucepan and scald it.  Basically bring it just to under a boil and turn the heat off and set it aside.

- In a medium bowl combine the 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 t baking powder and 1/2 t salt.

- In a large bowl, gently mix together 3 egg yolks (save the whites), 1 T granulated sugar, 1 T lemon zest and 1/2 t vanilla.  When cooled a bit, slowly add the butter/milk mixture and whisk to combine.

- Add the flour mixture to this large bowl and mix lightly with a spatula.

- In another medium bowl, whisk together the 3 egg whites, 1 T granulated sugar and 1/2 t salt.  When fluffy and medium peaks are formed, fold it gently into the batter.

- Gently fold 3/4 cup ricotta cheese into the batter.

-For the syrup, slice the lemon finely into 1/8 inch rounds.  Place into a small pan and cover with the 1/2 cup granulated sugar.  Cook over low heat until the lemon rounds are candied and a light syrup is formed.  You can always add additional lemon juice, sugar or water to this pan depending on the consistency of the syrup.

- Heat a griddle or pan on medium heat.  Add butter or apply cooking spray.   Add batter in quarter cup amounts and cook until golden brown on both sides.  Top with candied lemon, finely sliced mint and maple syrup. Enjoy!