Fifty-seventh Post ~ Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms with Stilton Cream Sauce

Yes - it's as you suspected. I've got all this stilton left over from yesterday's Blueberry Chambourcin Port Fest and I'm just itching to cook with it. That and I want to have a meal worthy of the final glass of port!

Here's what you'll need to make tonight's 10-minute meal:

~ Chicken tenderloin

~ Mushrooms

~ Garlic (jarred or fresh)

~ Balsamic vinegar

~ Sea salt

~ Olive oil

~ Pasta of your choice

~ Stilton (or similar blue)

~ Cream

~ Fresh (or dried) thyme

Start a pot of water boiling. Slice up some mushrooms and start them sautéing with some garlic, salt and olive oil. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar. At this point your water should be boiling, so add your pasta and start watching the clock.

Cut the tenderloins into bite-sized pieces. Your mushrooms should be moving right along at this point, so add the chicken, another dash of salt, olive oil and balsamic. As soon as the chicken and mushrooms are cooked through, set them to the side in a prep bowl.

In the same pan (d0n't worry about rinsing) add about a tablespoon of stilton and some cream. You don't need too much of this sauce. What I made for my meal was enough to just coat the bottom of my stick-free skillet. So not much.

Once the sauce is nicely melded and your pasta is done, drain the pasta and put it on a plate. Top with the chicken and mushrooms from the prep bowl. Top that with a bit of fresh thyme.

The food paired beautifully with the blueberry chambourcin port and the meal itself came together nicely, too. The flavors held their own - the chicken and mushrooms were flavorful in their own right, but also were accented by the bit of stilton. The thyme added a nice fresh note to it, and it has become my all-time (all-thyme?) favorite herb to keep on hand!

Yours in the love of good food and wine,

AL

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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Fifty-sixth Post ~ Wine Feature: Blueberry Chambourcin Port Dinner

I arrived home on Sunday travel-weary (yet brimming with memories!) from our 16-day Alaskan adventure. Marked on my calendar, where it had been firmly planted for three months, were the words "PORT FEST".

I had gotten my hands on a unique vintage - a bottle of blueberry chambourcin port - from Vetter Vineyards about a year ago. Fellow foodie and wine connoisseur Meg and I decided that if we were going to do justice to a bottle (or even part of a bottle!) of port, we'd have to plan this right. So plan we did. Here's the menu:

BEVERAGES

~ Blueberry Chambourcin Port

~ Ice water

APPETIZER

~ Hickory-smoked almonds (Wegmans - way cheaper than Blue Diamond, and just as yummy!)

~ Imported French chocolate (via Japan and my friend Nozomi!)

~ Stilton (a classic, right?)

ENTRÉE

~ Pork medallions ladened with blueberry chutney (home-made by Meg's awesome mom!)

~ Steamed broccoli florets (what, we can't be healthy about this?)

DESSERT

~ Meg's outstanding blueberry cobbler

Here's how to pull it all together so that you can enjoy many hours of dining, dishing and drinking!

Make sure the port has had at least 24 hours out of the wine rack standing upright to allow sediments to, well, settle. Chill for about 15 minutes before pouring.

Have the cheese, almonds, chocolate and water ready on the table.

Know your limitations: Meg handled the baking. Period. Although she did assure me that this was a user-friendly recipe, I gladly stepped aside and readied the entrée while she handled getting dessert in the oven:

Put either stick-free foil on the pan or a little olive oil. Slice pork into inch-thick medallions. We had two each. Spoon some blueberry chutney (or another fruit chutney or even jam) over the pork. Pop in a 350-degree oven/toaster oven for about fifteen minutes.

This chutney was sweet and had a little zip, either from cardamom or chili powder, or possibly both. Meg's mom - care to weigh in? In any case, this chutney stood alone without any need for additional spices. If you're using jam, consider grating a little nutmeg over the top or adding a spring of a fresh herb like rosemary or thyme and a hint of black pepper.

While the pork is cooking and the cobbler is baking, sit and enjoy the appetizer and your first tasting of port. Vetter's port went wonderfully with the appetizer - the chocolate brought out the velvety texture of the wine, and the stilton and smoked almonds highlighted its intense berry tones. The wine is intense without being too heady - the bouquet is as delicious as the flavor, and it warms you at the first sip without that dizzying effect one can experience with too bold a drink. At 18%, it's also slightly lighter than most other ports I've encountered, which, in my opinion, makes it a more enjoyable beverage. A fine start!

During the last few minutes your pork is in, steam the broccoli in the microwave for three minutes or until desired doneness. The easiest method is to put the broccoli in a bowl with a tablespoon of water and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Try very hard not to burn yourself on the escaping steam when it's done.

Serve the pork with lightly buttered and salted broccoli. The port complemented the pork beautifully! Even though port is typically reserved as an after-dinner drink, this ruby port was fruity and approachable with bright characteristics. This made it a wonderful mirror to the entrée.

Enjoy some photos, some girl talk, nibble on some more chocolate, and then enjoy the cobbler. Here is a link to this recipe that Meg found (and masterfully executed, I might add)! The blueberry-stained copy she gave me will reside in my cookbook forever! The cobbler's sweetness gave the port a bit of a refreshing snap to it - but it wasn't at all clashing. It was a perfect dessert for this (typically) dessert wine!

A fine meal, fine wine, and the best ingredient of all, fine companionship!

Yours in the love of good food, wine and camaraderie,

AL

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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Forty-seventh Post ~ Chicken Nuggets with Blue Bruschetta and a Crisp Salad... Because sometimes, you just want summer to GET HERE already...

This is such a simple meal, I almost didn't post about it, but then I thought, maybe someone else out there could at least be warmed by the idea that Summer Foods + Middle of Winter = Instant Happy.

I don't know why this whole montage struck me as "summery" - perhaps it just looked like the kind of stuff you'd find at a picnic... a kid's picnic, even...

Growing up, my mom was a big fan of serving salads as a side during summer. And the fact that I was a miniature foodie from Day 1 not withstanding, these were seriously kid-friendly salads. Crispy green lettuce, french dressing so sweet it was like candy, and ginormous chunks of velveeta cheese everywhere.

When I eat bruschetta (especially Wegmans!) I find myself sitting on a sunny hill in Delaware Park watching Shakespeare with friends and pounding seriously good eats.

When I bread and toss chicken nuggets... well, I just feel like a kid. And isn't that summer in a nutshell?

So here's what you'll need:

For the bruschetta:

~ Wegman's bruschetta

~ Blue cheese crumbles

Toss ahead of time and let it all meld.

For the chicken:

~ Chicken tenderloins, diced

~ Italian breadcrumbs

~ Salt to taste

~ Olive oil

Dice and coat the chicken cubes and drop carefully onto a pan with a good amount of seriously hot oil. Toss around for a bit until browned and crispy

For the salad:

~ $1.00 and change

~ A fast-food drive-through window

For a one-time quick salad, I love grabbing one of the $1 salads from a drivethru. It's a fast, cheap pre-made veggie. I got ranch dressing because it reminded me of picnics and let it chill in the fridge until right before I sat down.

Serve with a chilled white (I had Vetter Vineyard's Chardonnay) and a good summery CD, like Jack Johnson, playing on your laptop.

Summer will come, folks! And then we'll all be pining for the days of sweaters and cozy winter stews!

Yours in the love of good food and wine and the memories they carry,

AL

Forty-fourth Post ~ Chicken in Bleu Cheese Cream Sauce Topped with Sauteed Mushrooms

This meal might sound gourmet, but in all honesty, it was born from determination to use (and use and use and use) leftovers that I might already have in my fridge. You all remember the chicken from last night - well, here was a good way to use part of it up. This is a pretty easy meal to make with substitutions - any meat would do, really.

Here's what you'll need:

~ Pasta (I used zitti)

For the mushroom topping

~ Mushrooms (I sliced up some baby pearls using my Chef's Knife - that's right - I've got one now, as part of a gloriously beautiful set in a wooden block, courtesy of my absolutely wonderful dad - or Santa... not quite sure, but I know they were given to me by a jolly man who loves me!)

~ One scallion, chopped

~ Bit of garlic (jarred or pressed, your choice)

~ White wine (Vetter Vineyards Brig Niagara was a perfect cooking and drinking companion)

~ Salt

~ Olive oil

For the cream sauce:

~ Chicken (preferably cooked leftovers, for ease)

~ Cream

~ Blue cheese

~ Any other cheese you might want to add (I had some grated parm on hand, so in it went)

~ White wine

~ Paprika

~ Thyme

~ Salt

~ Butter

Start your water boiling for your pasta, and cook and drain as you make the rest of the food:

In one pan (the only pan you'll need, if you work the sequencing right) start some olive oil heating. Add your chopped mushrooms and scallions, then some white wine. I'm starting to learn that I really like New York whites to use for sauteeing mushrooms. Other less-sweet wines can give the mushrooms a tart taste, but New York whites make them sweet and savory, all at the same time. Add salt and garlic to taste. Once they've sautéed, put them into a prep bowl to wait patiently.

In the same pan (now empty) add some butter and your chopped chicken. Add salt, thyme and paprika to taste. Once it's nicely golden, add the blue cheese crumbles (I used a crumbled Danish bleu from Wegmans) and some heavy cream and wine. Stir the mixture 'til it melds, adding more liquid as needed.

Top the pasta with the chicken in blue cheese cream sauce and top THAT with the mushrooms. I paired tonight's meal with Vetter Vineyard's Brig Niagara. It was sweet enough to par down the sharpness of the blue cheese, yet smooth enough to cleanse the palate, as this meal is a rich one. It had a soft finish, which made it a nice match, rather than contrasting pair, to the meal.

All in all, a nice dinner, and a nice re-use of leftovers!

Yours in the love of good food and wine,

AL

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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Twenty-fourth Post ~ Bruschetta and Blue Cheese Chicken

This was meant to be a simple, satisfying meal.

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Well, in the end, it was satisfying, but I had to battle rotten produce, a broken cork, and a disturbed wasp to get to that satisfying ending. Let us begin our tale:

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It all begins with bruschetta. I'd never been a bruschetta person until I went to Shakespeare in the Park with Meg and some of her friends. We

all were like walking adverts for Wegmans ("I brought Wegmans brie!" "I brought Wegmans cracked pepper and salt chips!" "Well, I brought Wegmans strawberries!") and the list went on. One of Meg's friends had brought Wegmans bruschetta from the Mediterranean Olive Bar.

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One taste, and I was in love. This bruschetta was sweet, yet spicy, yet savory, yet herby. It had me thinking about it again and again until I finally went and bought a container of it on Monday. It was nearly gone by today, so I figured I'd cook with it. I had read that bruschetta combines nicely with blue cheese, so I thought I'd improvise a little. Here's what you'll need to cook the meal I made tonight:

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~ Wegmans bruschetta (Really. I'm fairly certain nothing else will do.)

~ Chicken tenders

~ Olive oil

~ Seasoned bread crumbs

~ Blue cheese

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Coat the tenders in bread crumbs, and set to sizzling in the olive oil. Turn a few times. When they are looking golden, start your veggie.

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::PAUSE::

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I had purchased some cut, thrice-washed sugar snap peas from Weggies, as well. I didn't notice until tonight that they said "Use by 7/28/09." Well, I'm the type of person who takes sell-by/use-by dates as suggestions (a concept that I would not recommend using in regards to speed limits) and figured they'd be okay. I took one out of the bag to eat it raw (love, love, LOVE raw sugar snap peas) and it tasted... odd. But as it was the first thing I had actually tasted since my 4:30PM coffee and as it was now pushing 10:00, this didn't strike me as too troublesome. So I sauteed them with some salt, pepper and olive oil, crushed a clove of garlic into them, put them on my plate with my chicken (will elaborate on that later) and took one bite of them, and they tasted... odd. Even the garlic couldn't cover it up. Into the bin with them.

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::UNPAUSE::

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So back to the chicken, which shall now comprise our meal. It's soon to be covered in veggies anyway, so what's the big deal? While the chicken is sauteeing, mix some blue cheese right into the leftover bruschetta. It will meld nicely with the oils and turn into a splendid, melded, somewhat gloppy mess of goodness. Spoon it right over the breaded chicken and cover the pan. Turn off the heat and let it sit. Now, time to uncork the wine.

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::PAUSE::

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Every now and then it happens. And it's usually when you're thinking "Gosh, I'm awfully good at uncorking wine." CRaaaaCK. It's an unpleasant sound. It's the sound of the corkscrew pulling out a half of a crumbling, dried cork. This is a traumatic experience for any wine enthusiast, and rightfully a time for panic. Especially when your prized Wegmans bruschetta has JUST been spooned over your chicken. Here's my advice: Try anything you can. However, I would not advise trying to push the cork into the bottle in one sharp, jerking movement, as the last time I tried that (two apartments ago) I spray-painted the once-white walls with Merlot. Not pretty.

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In the end, I tried every trick I could come up with, and belive it or not, easing it back into the bottle with a pair of opened Fisker scissors did the trick. Here's a pic of the wreckage and all the tools I attempted to use to solve the problem:

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You can see the cork bobbing about merrily in the bottle - I managed to keep the majority of the cork dust out of the wine itself, which makes me happy. So now it's time to toss your veggies, sit back, and enjoy your Sartori Pinot Noir (velvety texture, fruity, with an earthiness that seems to echo the fresh herbs in the bruschetta) and bruschetta blue cheese chicken, and relax.

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::PAUSE::

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bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

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It's nothing. Ignore it.

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BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!

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Turns out, it's a wasp who seems to feel that the wood paneling in my livingroom is a perfect place for that three-story home he's always dreamed of, and is happily doing... well, whatever wasps do when they seem to feel they've found home. I sat there watching him for a while, trying to enjoy my meal while he buzzed louder and Ginny cried more franticly (new sound - It's got to be something deadly) until I rummaged under my sink and came out with my ACME Kill-All spray. Actually, it's by Orkin, and it did the trick. No one messes with my enjoyment of a meal. No. One.

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::UNPAUSE::

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So now that your veggie is trashed, your wine is accessible, and your household pests have been exterminated, you can enjoy this festively colored, brilliantly flavored meal from the Mediterranean! Where wasps are probably much bigger!

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Yours in the love of good food, wine, and letting nothing impede your culinary satisfaction,

AL

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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.