Monday, February 29, 2016

Fried Chicken Breasts

Prep20 m
Cook25 m
Ready In55 m

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon dried tarragon
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
8 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Stir together flour, tarragon, salt, ginger, pepper, mustard powder, thyme, garlic powder, and oregano in a shallow bowl until well blended. Beat the egg together with the milk until smooth in a bowl. 

Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture, shake off excess, then dip in egg, and again in flour. Set breasts aside to rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour again, and shake off excess. Brown the chicken in the hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Place onto a baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, 20 to 30 minutes.


Monday, January 11, 2016

Vegan Menu Ideas

Shepherd's salad (tomato, cucumber, sweet peppers)

Southwestern corn and bean salad (corn, black beans, tomatoes / salsa)

Pasta with tomatoes and basil

German potato salad

Ratatouille

Ligurian farinata

Turkish green beans


Roast Duck

Summary: 425 F for 45 minutes, flip; roast 45 min, flip again and roast until done.

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 (5- to 6-lb) Long Island duck (also known as Pekin)
2 cups boiling-hot water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

PREPARATION

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
If necessary, cut off wing tips with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Remove and discard excess fat from body cavity and neck, then rinse duck inside and out. Prick skin all over with a sharp fork. Fold neck skin under body, then put duck, breast side up, on a rack in a 13- by 9- by 3-inch roasting pan and pour boiling-hot water over duck (to tighten skin). Cool duck, then pour out any water from cavity into pan. Pat duck dry inside and out, reserving water in pan, then rub duck inside and out with kosher salt and pepper.

Roast duck, breast side up, 45 minutes, then remove from oven. Turn duck over using 2 wooden spoons, and roast 45 minutes more. Turn duck over again (breast side up), tilting duck to drain any liquid from cavity into pan. Continue to roast duck until skin is brown and crisp, about 45 minutes more (total roasting time: about 2 1/4 hours). Tilt duck to drain any more liquid from cavity into pan. Transfer duck to a cutting board and let stand 15 minutes before carving. Discard liquid in roasting pan.


NOTES: 

I didn't pour boiling water over the bird, but did cut off excess fat and used the same method I use for roast chicken. I separated skin from meat and rubbed seasonings (salt, onion and garlic powder, cinnamon, ginger, orange zest) directly on meat and on skin, then left the bird uncovered in the fridge for about 20 hours. I let it come to room temp before roasting. 

For the first 45 min or so, I used the convection oven setting, then switched to the regular oven setting. I had to wrap wings in tinfoil after about 45 min to prevent them from burning. 

Result was fall off the bone tender.  

Turkey in Convection Oven


Timing Guide for Convection Roasting

The timing we have established for roasting turkeys in Convection is based on the following criteria:
Letting the turkey sit outside of the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours.
Cooking the turkey without stuffing.
Roasting the turkey on a rack in a shallow pan with the legs swinging free.
Cooking the turkey in the Convection Roast mode at 400 degrees for 20 minutes then reducing the temperature to 350 degrees/375 for large capacity ovens, for the remainder of the cooking time.
Cook the turkey to an internal temperature of 160-170 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh and allow it to rest for 20 minutes prior to carving, in this time the internal temperature rises to 180 degrees.

Turkey weightCooking timeResting time
10-12 lb. turkey1 ½ hours20 minutes
12-15 lb. turkey1 ¾ hours20 minutes
15-20 lb. turkey2 hours20 minutes
20-25 lb. turkey2 ½ hours20 minutes