The Make Ahead Cook - Chicken Tagine

As I continued to cook my way through the America's Test Kitchen Make Ahead cookbook,  I decided to make Chicken Tagine. This is a North African dish using chicken thighs, dried apricots, and olives. It's a braised dish, meaning that they meat is first browned, and then simmered in liquid until finished.

The dish starts by browning skin-on chicken thighs. The chicken is removed, and onions and other aromatics are browned. A spice mixture is added, which immediately makes the kitchen smell amazing! Broth and the browned chicken are added, along with carrots. The dish is simmered until the chicken reaches 160F. Prior to serving, olives, cilantro, dried apricots, and lemon juice are added.

This dish was the first time I have ever tried olives.  The flavor of the olives worked well in this dish, but I don't think I would eat them on their own. I served this over couscous, which absorbed the juices from the chicken. The recipe can be found here.  Enjoy!

The Make Ahead Cook - Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

While I do not make New Year's resolutions, I do think it's important to set goals for myself. So I decided to buy a cookbook and make everything in it. It doesn't matter if its something I normally wouldn't make or an ingredient that I may not like or haven't tried. I'm determined to get through the whole book. I hope to learn some new techniques, try different ingredients, and explore various cuisines.

I went to Barnes and Noble and browsed the cookbook section. I decided on the Make Ahead Cook by America's Test Kitchen. It has over 150 recipes and various types of cuisine. The book is broken up into different sections such as meals that you can prepare and then finish cooking the next day, slow cooker recipes, meals that you can freeze, and meals that you can, prepare, put in the refrigerator and finish later. I decided to start off with Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables.

I've made one-pan chicken and vegetables before. It's good, but the vegetables really don't get crisp. They sit in the chicken juices, get steamed, and taste greasy. This recipe resolves that issue. Instead of using a whole chicken, a cut-up chicken is used. The individual chicken pieces give off less moisture. After the chicken is done, the vegetables go back in the oven for one last blast at high heat, which gives them great color and flavor. I used parsnips, potatoes, shallots, and Brussels sprouts. The vegetables and chicken marinate in herbs and olive oil for a few hours, then are roasted in the oven. You can view the complete recipe here.

Prepping the vegetables

Placing the Brussels sprouts towards the center of the pan prevents overcooking

White meat in the middle of the pan ensures it stays moist.

Cultured Butter - Less than an Hour Hands on Time

Flipping through my America's Test Kitchen DIY cookbook, I found a recipe for cultured butter that sounded intriguing. Adding yogurt into the cream introduces bacteria which gives it some tang. I was surprised how easy it was. When I make my family's Christmas cookies this year (Vanilla Kipfels) I may try using homemade butter.

Ingredients

4 c. heavy cream
1/3 cup Greek yogurt (the recipe recommends Stonyfield Farms Greek Yogurt - I used the lowfat one.
1/4 tsp. salt  (optional)

Directions

1.  Make sure the cream and yogurt are at room temperature. Place the two in a large container, cover, and shake well. Remove the container and cover with a kitchen towel. Leave out in a location around 75 degrees for 18 to 48 hours until the mixture is thickened to the consistency of yogurt. Refrigerate for about 2 hours until the temperature of the mixtures is 60 degrees.
2. Place 4 cups of ice water in the refrigerator (you'll need this after the cream is whipped.) Line a fine-mesh strainer with a triple layer of cheesecloth and place the strainer over a large bowl. 
3. Place the cream mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Cover the stand mixer with plastic wrap - this is to prevent splatters, and there will be some! 
4. Whip on high speed until the cream separates into butter and buttermilk. You'll see spatters starting to hit the plastic wrap. It took about 3 minutes to get to this stage for me. 
5. Strain the butter through the cheesecloth. Push down gently with a spatula, then gather up the ends of the cheesecloth, gather the butter into a ball, and squeeze. The goal is to get rid of as much buttermilk as possible, as it can make the butter turn rancid quicker. 
6. Place the butter into a large bowl. Pure 1/3 c. of ice water over the butter, and use a spatula to mash the butter against the side of the bowl. Drain the liquid and repeat a few more times until the water runs clear. 
7. Transfer to a container for storage. I split my butter into two logs. One got wrapped in parchment and stored in the freezer. The other went into the fridge.

Aw Shucks - A Fast Way to Remove Corn Husks and Silk

Removing the husk and silk from corn can be a pain. The silk never comes completely off, even when you use one of those brushes, and then you're pulling it out of your teeth.

I found this video tip which uses the microwave to create steam between the corn and husk. You then just shake/squeeze the corn and it comes out, silk free. I tried it last night and it worked great! I then grilled the corn, which tasted great slathered with some butter. Try it next time you're going to make some corn!

DIY Peanut Butter - Roast, Grind, and Eat!

One of the Christmas presents I received was the America’s Test Kitchen DIY cookbook. It’s filled with over 100 food related projects that you can make at home (including goat cheese, nutella, and bacon!). I’ve decided to start at the beginning and make everything that appeals to me.  Starting with the first recipe, here’s homemade peanut butter. (The recipe from the book uses unsalted peanuts and 1 teaspoon of salt. I used salted peanuts and some honey)

   

Ingredients

4 c. roasted, salted peanuts
2 Tbsp. honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F. 
2. Roast the peanuts on a baking sheet for 5 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes..
3. Add the peanuts to a food processor. Process for 90 seconds.
4. Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides. At this point, you should have dry, crumbly mixture..
5. Continue processing for another 2 to 4 minutes until the mixture changes to a creamy paste. 
6. Scrape down the sides again, add the honey, and pulse for a few times to distribute it.
7. Transfer to a container and store refrigerated. I had enough to fill two 8-ounce jars. 

Roasted Peanuts

After 90 seconds, the mixture will be dry and crumbly.

The final product - a creamy (delicious) paste