Chicken Caesar Club

Besides grilled cheese, my favorite sandwich is a BLT. So, when I discovered this recipe, which I have deemed a "BLT On Steroids," I had to have it...and soon!

* Because this recipe had familiar ingredients and I knew what to expect in terms of flavor, I made lots of changes. See note by each ingredient.

Chicken Caesar Club (Serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts; bone in, skin on (Although I originally planned on making the chicken breasts, I opted for Sara Lee's Roasted Chicken Breast in the deli section. About 1/2 pound was perfect.)

4 oz thinly sliced pancetta (My grocery store did not carry pancetta, so I opted for 3 slices of thick peppercorn bacon, which I crumbled)

Homemade Caesar dressing (The hassle isn't worth it, but if you want the recipe, leave a comment. I really like Ken's Steakhouse Lite Caesar)

1 large ciabatta loaf

2 oz baby arugala, washed and spun dry (Again, not available at my store, so I substituted romaine lettuce)

12 sun-dried tomatoes in oil (Since we had lots of tomatoes on hand, I went with fresh)

2 to 3 oz Parmesan, shaved

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes until cooked through. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the pancetta on another sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10-15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.

Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Toast the bread in the oven, cut side up, for 5-7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the arugala on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy pancetta, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of arugala. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in thirds (or fourths) crosswise. Serve at room temperature.

Observations/Suggestions: Besides my ingredient swaps noted above, my main recommendation would be to not toast the ciabatta loaf. By nature, the crust is already very hard and by toasting it, it made the bread very difficult to chew, not to mention noisy. Also, I think you could easily substitute a focaccia loaf and it would be delicious. Lastly, I only did one layer of all the ingredients to make the sandwich thinner, which I appreciated.

Recommended? A definite yes. This sandwich was delicious, simple, and light. My ingredient switches also made it a lot less expensive. A great summer lunch/dinner!

Fresh Mozzarella Pizza (Fast & Low-Fat)

I am an "I Love Pizza" kind of gal. Honestly, it's so insanely good! I have a deep dish recipe that I am known for, so I was very skeptical (and nervous) to try a new pizza recipe, especially a thin crust. But, I must admit, this was more delicious than I was imagining.

Fresh Mozzarella Pizza (Makes 2 pizzas; 8 slices each)

Crust:
2 1/2 to 3 cups all purpose (or bread) flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 package regular yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup very warm water (120-130 degrees F)

My Choice of Toppings:
Homemade Pizza Sauce (Top Secret Recipe)
Pepperoni
Tomatoes
Green Pepper

Basil Leaves

Fresh Mozzarella

In large bowl, mix 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast. Add olive oil and warm water. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour to make sure dough is soft and leaves sides of bowl. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 2 cookie sheets or 12-inch pizza pans with oil (olive or canola). Divide dough in half. Pat each half into 12-inch circles. Partially bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until crust just begins to brown. Add toppings and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.

Observations/Suggestions: I actually used less flour than anticipated. For me, when I added 2 1/2 cups, it was too much. Therefore, I was able to use the loose flour in the bowl to flour my board and continue flouring while I kneaded the bread. So, less is more. By the way, nothing makes me feel more like Betty Crocker than kneading dough -- I love it!! Okay, back to the recipe. In the dough, I always secretly add a few shakes of garlic powder and oregano leaves before I start kneading. It adds a little something extra to the dough. (And it smells heavenly!) For toppings, feel free to use whatever you would like. I know they recommend tomato slices instead of sauce, but at my house, we're sauce people and we love my recipe. So, I could not make that sacrifice. Go with your favorites --

Recommended? Most definitely yes! The crust had a wonderful texture. It kept its shape when you picked it up, but it was soft and chewy on the inside. A perfect consistency for crust in my mind and I am not a thin crust person. This pizza was the perfect light, bistro pizza. It didn't feel heavy and it's low in calories, so it's guilt-free. Then again, I think every piece of pizza should be eaten guilt-free!

Garlic & Herb Tomatoes

There is a fabulous restaurant in the Twin Cities called Crave. While there, I ordered a delicious chicken breast with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. What made the garlic mashed potatoes so amazing was instead of a gravy or butter, they topped the potatoes with garlic herb tomatoes. (Yum!!) So, I was desperately hoping this recipe would give a similar flavor and it did not disappoint.

Garlic & Herb Tomatoes (Serves 6)

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 pints cherry (or grape) tomatoes
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan large enough to hold all the tomatoes in a single layer. Add the garlic to the oil and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to lose their firm round shape. Sprinkle with additional chopped basil and parsley and serve hot or at room temperature.

Observations/Suggestions: The cooking time took much longer for me and I only made half the recipe. Due to time constraints, we actually ate them before they were completely softened. I probably gave it 10 minutes total, so be patient. Also, I would add more herbs. Perhaps the tomatoes would soak up more flavor as they softened, but I still feel that they could have used something else. Maybe add some balsamic vinegar? Just a thought.

Recommended? Yes. I will try them on top of garlic mashed potatoes next time and see if I can recreate my favorite side dish. Also, I think they would be delicious as a substitute for normal tomatoes in any recipe that could use a kick of flavor.

Gorilla Bread

I already love monkey bread, so when I saw this recipe, I thought, "What? Monkey bread can get better?" And yes, it is much better!! Yummy.

Gorilla Bread (Serves 8)

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup packed light brown sugar

8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter
2-12 oz tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough
3 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
2 bananas, sliced 1/4" thick (48 slices)
4 oz (about 2/3 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. In small saucepan, melt the brown sugar with the butter over low heat.

Break open the crescent roll packages and separate the triangles of dough. Brush each triangle with the sweetened condensed milk and top with two banana slices and 1 tsp chocolate chips; gather the edges of the triangle together and seal the sides. (Forms a little packet) Sprinkle each with 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon sugar.

Place half of the walnuts in the pan and top with half of the dough packets. Pour half of the brown sugar-butter mixture over the dough and sprinkle with 2 tsp of the cinnamon sugar mix. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Bake for 1 hour, until puffed, golden brown, and firm to the touch. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes. Place a platter on top of the pan and invert. Serve warm.

Observations/Suggestions: Make sure you spray the pan well because these do tend to stick. Also, I could not find the 12 oz packages of crescent roll dough, so I used 8 oz packages. This worked fine, but I only used half the butter/brown sugar mixture and it was done 10 minutes early when I had a smaller batch. Also, instead of sprinkling cinnamon sugar over each packet, I rolled them in it, which worked fabulously.

Recommended? A HUGE YES! Delicious. Easy to make, tasty, and something out of the ordinary. I will definitely make it again and I'm dying to have another piece right now.

FYI: My picture isn't very good because I was in too big of a hurry to eat it!

Panzanella

Another recipe that has been sitting in my "must make" folder! Pretty much a cold pasta salad with bread instead of pasta. Interesting, right?

Panzanella (Serves 6)

4 cups 1-inch pieces day-old Italian or other firm bread
2 medium tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces (2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium green pepper, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

In a large bowl, mix bread, tomatoes, garlic, green pepper, basil, and parsley. In tightly covered container, shake olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour over bread mixture; toss until bread is evenly coated.

Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour until bread is softened and flavors are blended. (No more than 8 hours) Toss before serving.

Observations/Suggestions: I used half a loaf of short french bread. It was fairly soft, so I cut it and left it out most of the afternoon until the pieces were fairly dried out. There was way too much green pepper. I diced mine, so half a pepper is plenty. Unless you prefer a lot of green pepper, of course. I did not have red wine vinegar on hand, so I substituted apple cider vinegar (after some research) and it worked great. I let mine sit for about two hours and the flavors were very mellow.

Recommended? Yes. I made it as a main dish, but I felt it needed something with it. I will add black olives next time and will serve alongside grilled chicken.

Peach & Blueberry Crumble

I'm not a fruit pie/crisp/crumble person, but boy, do I love them now!!

Peach & Blueberry Crumble (Makes 6 Ramekins)

Fruit:
2 pounds firm, ripe peaches (6 to 8 peaches)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

Crumble:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.

For the topping, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Squeeze the mixture with your fingers until it's in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the tops are brown/crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature. (You can make it ahead and store unbaked crumbles in the fridge.)

Observations/Suggestions: The peach boiling process is a must. Once the water comes to a boil, carefully put in the peaches and remove the water from the heat. Also, I cut my peaches into eighths, which was the perfect size. Since I did not have light brown sugar, I substituted dark, which I thought made a nice rich flavor. Also, since my butter was frozen instead of cold (oops!), I opted to use a pastry cutter instead of the electric mixer. I had much better control of the butter size and I had less mess. And again, I had no parchment paper on hand, so I made myself realize that I would need to let the pan soak afterwards. No biggie. FYI: Make sure that the ramekins are not too close to the edge of the pan though, they tend to spurt juices near the end. You do not want a messy oven! And, if you don't have ramekins, feel free to use a square 9x9" pan, I think that would work just fine.

Recommended? 100% Yes! Very tasty and attractive for little effort. To make it even better? A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top.

Cheese Danish

Although I've never been a pastry person, my parents adore cream cheese danish, so I thought I'd give it a try!

Cheese Danish (Makes 8)

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
2 Tbsp ricotta cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in an electric mixer (paddle attachment). Cream together on low speed until smooth. With mixer on low, add egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest. Mix until just combined, don't overmix!

Unfold one sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and roll it with a floured rolling pin until 10x10". Cut the sheet into quarters. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese mixture into the middle of each square. Brush the entire border of each pastry with the egg wash and fold two opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash and place the pastries on a prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

Observations/Suggestions: I did not have parchment paper, so I greased the pan with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (Original) and it worked fine. Minor sticking, but nothing drastic. Also, I should note, the cheese mixture may be a little lumpy. That is the lemon zest, do not worry. I highly recommend filling all danish at once because you will have leftover cheese mixture. Fill them well! Also, to my huge disappointment, all eight danish did not fit on the same pan. So, I ran two pans during the baking process. The pan on the bottom rack finished first, so keep an eye on them. I stored the leftovers in the fridge and they were fine the next day. FYI: These do not need to be served warm.

Recommended? Again, yes and no. I felt that the puffed pastry cheapened the danish. But, that may just be me since I am not a puffed pastry fan. If you want to impress houseguests with a fairly easy recipe, I definitely think this is the way to go. Good tasting with little effort.

Tomato Pesto Mozzarella Panini

When I found this recipe, I loved everything about it and was absolutely dying to try it. To me, it was a more "mature" version of grilled cheese, which is one of my favorite sandwiches.

Tomato Pesto Mozzarella Panini (Makes 3 Sandwiches)

1 large tomato
1 (8 oz.) ball of fresh mozzarella
6 slices white bread
1/2 cup pesto
kosher salt
unsalted butter, room temperature

Preheat panini grill machine.

Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella about 1/4-thick. Spread each slice of bread with an even layer of pesto. Place a layer of mozzarella on half of the bread and cover with a layer of tomato. Sprinkle the tomato with salt. Place the remaining slices of bread, pesto side down, on top. Spread the top and bottom of each sandwich with softened butter. Grill the sandwiches in batches on the panini grill for 2-3 minutes, until the mozzarella starts to melt. Cut in half and serve warm.

Observations/Suggestions: For starters, I stayed true to the recipe and opted for a ball of fresh mozzarella. It was my first experience with a ball of mozz, so I was surprised at the ultra mild flavor. However, I felt that the slices were much too thick. I would highly recommend thinly slicing the mozz and tomato. It will make the sandwich easier to eat and the mozz texture/taste not too overwhelming. You could opt for shredded mozzarella, but I think it may get too salty with the pesto. Which, by the way, I did not put salt on my tomatoes. The pesto brought more than enough salt to the sandwich. Also, I do not have a panini grill, so I used a pancake griddle and it worked great. Just make sure it's heated beforehand or your bread will get soggy. Which, speaking of the bread, did get soggy from the pesto. I would recommend slightly toasting the bread prior to putting pesto on it. And finally, for the butter, don't bother with a stick. I used the original version of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and it worked superb.

Recommended? Ummm... Yes. I hesitate only because the thick slices of mozz and tomato rubbed me the wrong way. If they are thin slices, then I will make it again. Perhaps grilled chicken in it would be nice, too?

Getting Started: Homemade Pesto

Pesto is one of those foods that I love, but have always been a little too timid to make. So, it only felt right to tackle it first.

I must warn you ahead of time, it is not cheap to make because of the high quality, expensive ingredients. I'll list prices by each item in the recipe to give you some perspective. But, before you make up your mind never to make it, I must give a confession. It may be cheaper to buy pre-made pesto at the store (I will eventually try and review pre-made recipes), but the satisfaction and taste of homemade, in my mind, was worth it. Okay, now for the recipe.

Pesto (Makes about 4 cups)

1/4 cup walnuts (We had these on hand, so I do not have a price estimate)
1/4 cup pine nuts (A small 4 oz. jar was $6.97) 
3 Tbsp chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (About $8 for two bunches)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (A slice of good Parmesan was about $7, so I opted for Parmesan shavings for $2.97)

Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. Turn on processor, then slowly pour the olive oil into the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely puréed. Add Parmesan and purée for one minute. Serve immediately or store the pesto in the fridge or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Observations/Suggestions: This pesto was good, but super salty. Next time, I will use a scant tsp of kosher salt, if that. Perhaps even a 1/2 tsp? I'll let you know when I make it again. Also, I heard that you can substitute walnuts for pine nuts, which would be significantly cheaper. I would recommend researching that before you try it. Food processors are a pain to use because of the clean-up, but I must admit, it was super easy to get all the ingredients blended to the right consistency. Which, I may add, I left my pesto with a little texture. For me, I tend to appreciate texture over nothingness. (FYI: The pesto picture is included with the Tomato Pesto Mozzarella post)

Recommended? Yes and No. If you have the time and want to experiment, I say go for it. But, unless you're eating the pesto straight, which I doubt you will, then it's probably more than acceptable to buy pre-made. Unfortunate, I know.

Tasty Morsels, Here We Come!

My Goal: To take the guesswork out of trying new recipes

The Plan: To select, test, savor, and share each recipe

I will share each new recipe I try, as well as provide my experience with the recipe, possible alterations, and photos of the finished product.

Although my recipes will come from a variety of sources, I will do my best to provide them in a way that is easily accessible.

Please feel free to comment or ask questions! Or, if you have a new recipe that you are hesitant to try, please feel free to send it and I'll be happy to try it for you.

The Discerning Culinarian,

Laura