Techno Chicken!

Kids are picky and sometimes it's difficult to get them to eat stuff that's good for them. I know! However, there is nothing technical about getting your kids to eat this "Kid-Approved Chicken Salad," full of chicken, apples, and celery! This chicken salad makes a perfect lunch, tucked inside mini-pita pockets or mini-ciabatta rolls lined with some butter lettuce! Perfect for small hands and packed with all they need to get them through the afternoon! For more adventurous kids, feel free to add chopped fresh herbs, chopped walnuts or pecans, or even swap the mustard for 1 teaspoon curry powder! The variations are endless!

Kid-Approved Chicken Salad

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked chicken, small dice
1/2 cup apple, small dice
1/4 cup celery, finely diced (so they don't recognize it!)
1/4 cup plain yogurt or mayonnaise
2 teaspoons grainy or Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mini pita bread or ciabatta rolls, for serving
Butter lettuce, for lining the bread (keeps the bread from getting soggy!)

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the yogurt, mustard, and lemon juice and mix until smooth. Add the chicken, apple, and celery and toss until evenly distributed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Open one side of your mini pita or cut almost all the way through your mini ciabatta roll (leave some of the bread intact to keep the chicken salad from falling out), Line with a lettuce leaf, and fill with some of the chicken salad. Wrap with some aluminum foil and tuck it inside a sandwich bag. Refrigerate until ready to go!

Post-Election Depression?

Last weekend, I was listening to NPR about how passionate both sides were for Romney and Obama. One story was about a man who apparently makes excellent bbq and was resolute for Romney. Upon learning that his brother-in-law was voting for Obama, the man declared that if Obama won his brother-in-law could still come over to his house and eat whatever his wife made, but would NOT be allowed to eat his fabulous bbq for the duration of Obama's term! Ha! Ha!

Being a native Texan, I'm naturally inclined to not wanting the government controlling every aspect of my life, so I'm disappointed. Plus, the economy sucks! So to help deal with my shock and melancholy, I made a perfect anti-depression dinner: "Camembert Salmon with Leeks." Salmon, loaded with omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to combat depression as well as being good for your heart and blood pressure, and leeks, containing flavonoids that help prevent the breakdown of serotonin and dopamine, two key brain chemicals responsible for happiness. This outstanding dish really did make me feel better and the Pinot Noir didn't hurt either! 

(Even my picture looks sad....)

Camembert Salmon with Leeks

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Leeks

6 leeks

canola oil

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salmon

4 salmon fillets (about 1/4-1/2 lb each), with skin

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon canola oil (also good for depression)

For the Camembert Sauce

8 oz Camembert

1/2 cup cream (or more if needed)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cider vinegar, or more to taste

Directions:

For the Sauteed Leeks

Slice 5 of the leeks into rings and wash in bowl of warm water, allowing the grit to sink to the bottom of the bowl. (For more, see Techniques.) Melt the butter in a large skillet and gently saute the leeks until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

For the Fried Leeks (optional, but is delicious!)

Cut the remaining leek into very thin slices, wash, drain, and separate with your fingers. Heat about 1 1/2" of canola oil in a saucepan over high heat. When the oil is very hot and a test leek slice sizzles immediately upon entering the oil, begin to deep-fry the thin leeks in batches until they're crisp and golden, about 30 seconds. Remove the batches with a slotted spoon or tongs and drain on paper towels. Season with salt. Set aside.

For the Camembert Sauce

Unwrap the cheese, remove the rind (or your sauce will be lumpy), and cut into large pieces. Place with the cream in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, to melt. When smooth, season with salt and pepper. Taste, then add the vinegar. If you'd like it slightly more acidic, add a bit more vinegar.

For the Salmon

Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over high heat until the skin of the salmon touched to it sizzles immediately. Cook the salmon skin side down until done to your liking, about 6-8 minutes. (This technique, known as "unilateral," is common in France, and keeps the salmon slightly rare and very moist inside. If you don't want to try it, just flip the salmon over halfway, and cook until done to your liking.)

Plating the Dish

Rewarm the sauteed leeks and sauce, if needed. Divide the sauteed leeks evenly among 4 plates, forming a circle, leaving the center of the plates clear for the salmon. Lay a salmon fillet in the center of each plate. Spoon around the sauce and garnish with the fried leeks. Serve immediately. Yum!

Recipe adapted from French Food at Home, by Laura Calder.

Perplexing Pork

Let's be honest, people overcook pork! It was always the USDA standard to cook pork to a whopping 160 degrees. This was due to Trichinella spiralis, a nasty parasite that was prevalent in pork in the early- to mid-20th century. However, due to changes in feeding, hygiene, and strict meat inspection requirements, trichinae is virtually non-existent. So much so, that the USDA officially lowered the temperature recommendation for cooking pork to 145 degrees. According to the USDA, trichinae is killed at 55 degrees C or 131 degrees F. (Ground pork should still be cooked to 160 degrees.) With that in mind, we must consider that the internal temperature of any meat, when left to "rest," will not only let the juices be reabsorbed but raise the internal temperature. Even a small steak or single piece of chicken will rise at least 3-4 degrees, while a larger cut of meat, like a large roast or turkey can rise as much as 10-15 degrees. So while the USDA recommends 145 degrees, many chefs like Bourdain, Keller, and Ruhlman recommend internal temperatures of about 135 degrees and letting it rest 10 minutes, to create perfectly moist, delicious, and safe pork. 

Don't believe me? Try Ruhlman's excellent recipe for "Pan-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Garlic, Coriander, and Thyme." Pan roasting is the combination of two dry-heat techniques: saute and roast. Meat is first seared on the stove in a saute pan, then is turned and finished in the oven. Keep in mind that you will need a heavy oven-safe pan. I like to use my cast-iron frying pan. Love that pan! This is my new "go-to" recipe for pork tenderloin which can be successfully altered with different herbs and spices. It's a fabulous technique and the results are quick and delicious! Roasted vegetables make the perfect accompaniment.

Pan-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Garlic, Coriander, and Thyme

Serves 4

Ingredients:

One 1 1/4 pound pork tenderloin

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly toasted and crushed in a mortar with pestle or on a cutting board with a pan, or roughly chopped with a knife

1 teaspoon canola oil

4 tablespoons/55 grams butter

3 garlic cloves, partly smashed with the flat side of a knife to open them up but not flatten them

3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1/2 teaspoon picked thyme

Zest from 1 orange

Directions:

About 1 hour before cooking the pork, remove it from the refrigerator and season it with salt and pepper and the coriander seeds. Pork tenderloins have one end that tapers. Consider folding the tapered end over onto the meat and tying it with butcher's string so that the tenderloin has a uniform thickness. (I tied mine.) Alternately, you can leave it as is (it will be medium-well done by the time the tenderloin is medium-rare), or you can cut off the end and save it for another use.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C/gas 4.

Put an ovenproof saute pan that's large enough to contain the tenderloin over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil. When the oil is hot, lay the tenderloin top-side down in the pan. Let cook, without moving it, until it is browned, 1 to 2 minutes. (It took about 3 minutes for me.) Add the butter, garlic, and thyme sprigs to the pan. Turn the tenderloin.

When the butter has melted, spoon it all over the tenderloin and slide the pan into the oven. After several minutes, remove the pan and baste the tenderloin.

Squeeze it. It should still be fairly squishy (rare). Return it to the oven for another few minutes. Baste again if you wish.

Remove the tenderloin from the oven. The total cooking time should be about 10 minutes. The tenderloin should still be somewhat pliable but beginning to show signs of firmness. If you must, check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer; it should be between 130 and 135 degrees F/54 and 57 degrees C. (I must, and I pulled it out at 135.)

Baste the tenderloin again, add the thyme leaves to the butter in the pan, and set the pan aside for 10 minutes.

To serve, cut the tenderloin crosswise into slices about 1/2" thick. Drizzle some of the herbed basting fat over the slices and sprinkle some orange zest over the top before serving.

Recipe from Ruhlman's TWENTY, by Michael Ruhlman.