Lemon Chicken

Last Monday, the world (or maybe just the Chinese?) celebrated the Chinese New Year. Kung Hei Fat Choi 恭喜發財 for Cantonese speaking people. :)

Anyway, since it is the new year, Grace suggested I try a Chinese dish. So I made Lemon Chicken and fried rice.

I tried doing Asian cuisine for the first time, and to be honest, I suck (I haven't even tried doing Adobo). Or maybe I just don't have the right recipe for this dish to taste a little more Chinese-y. It lacks that unique Chinese flavour. Maybe MSG? I don't know. Well, for me, the dish is so-so. I added sugar and honey to make it a little sweeter for my taste (typical Filipino taste) while retaining the citrusy taste of this dish. I added a little fresh parsley I have in the fridge. Although it tastes good, not good enough to make it in the Chinese restaurant. Grace said she wanted it to be more sour. I think the sourness is just enough. I don't like too much sourness in my dish. Something Chinese-y is lacking. Spice?

I just copied this recipe somewhere (sorry, I forgot where), but here's what I did.

1 whole chicken (recipe requires 8 chicken breasts)

4 tbsp soy sauce

salt and pepper

flour*

a dash of paprika*

100mL lemon juice

3 slices of lemon

1.5 cups chicken stock

2 tbsp cornstarch

a dash of garlic powder*

sugar and honey* (optional, to taste)

*not in the original recipe

1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and soy sauce. Leave it for 30 minutes.

2. Pat dry the chicken and dredge it with flour and paprika. Fry the chicken in oil until golden brown. (If you opt to skip the flour and paprika, fry the chicken breasts in butter). When done, leave it on a plate.

3. Combine the chicken stock, lemon, cornstarch, garlic powder and lemon slices (optional: sugar/honey, to taste) in a sauce pan. Boil until thick. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Maybe you have a better version of Lemon Chicken. Now, what did I miss? Hmmm

Broiled Herb-Crusted Salmon

A few days ago, Chef John of Food Wishes posted a recipe for salmon. I got so excited because it is very easy! I remember I had a conversation with a very good friend of mine who said cooking seafood is very hard. Well, I still don't know. I guess I will probably figure that one myself. However, what I can say is that cooking salmon is really easy! (Plus, it is very healthy, with those fatty acids, omega3+).

Yes, I know that salmon is expensive. A kilo of salmon costs about P774 and that is really expensive for me. My first time cooking with it, I was so nervous. I was like, "I must not screw this up. I must not screw this up. I must not screw this up.... Must not undercook. Must not undercook. Must not undercook. Must not undercook....  Must not overcook. Must not overcook. Must not overcook...." repeat 1000x during the whole cooking process! At the back of my mind, I can hear Chef Gordon Ramsey yelling at me "IT'S RAAAAAWWWWWW!!!!"(especially when I tried cooking the infamous scallops. coming in the near future). But hey, conquer your fear and learn! Buy 1/4 kilo of that and you're good to go for 3-4 people. It only takes 10-15 minutes to cook salmon.

IT'S RAAAWW!
(From http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1192181/Why-does-British-TV-make-heroes-nasty-bullies-Alan-Sugar-Gordon-Ramsay.html)

So anyway, back to the recipe. I really enjoy watching the video recipes of Chef John because it is so informative, and witty. When I saw this recipe, I immediately said to myself, "Well, that's easy. I can do that.", and indeed I did. Voilà! Broiled Herb-Crusted Salmon.

Right from the oven. Mmm, I can still smell the aroma from the herbs

He is right, the salmon came out perfectly! Very moist salmon, topped with super simple, but flavourful crust, cooked in 10 minutes! Amazing! You gotta try this one! Don't be afraid of salmon, it won't bite. Oh by the way, you can do this too with other fish (with the same thickness) if salmon is really expensive, or even chicken!

What you need (For 4-5 people)

(I made a little variation with the ratio. To check the original, see Chef John's blog)

500g salmon, with skin

salt and pepper to taste

2 small garlic clove, sliced

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1.5 tbsp chopped tarragon

1.5 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

1.5 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp cream cheese*

pinch of cayenne

1-1.5 tsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste

*not in the original recipe

1. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic, kosher salt, and the herbs, into a paste for about a minute or two. You can use a blender though, but it is really recommended to use mortar and pestle.

2. Add the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and cream cheese (optional), and continue to mash it for about another minute.

3. Using a wooden spoon (don't use metal), mix in the mixture a pinch of cayenne and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste (or not).

4. Place a foil on a baking pan. Lightly oil. Place the salmon, and season with salt and pepper (depending on how you seasoned the crust mixture).

5. Turn the broiler (top layer of gas inside the oven) to high for a while. While waiting, place the baking pan on top of the stove burner (high) for about 1 minute. You just want to give the bottom of the fish a "head start" since we are baking the fish using the broiler. When you hear crackling sounds, that's about done. Place the baking pan about 8 inches from the top/broiler.

6. Do not leave the fish. Wait for about 5minutes or so until the top is well browned (to your own liking).

7. When the crust has already browned, turn off the broiler and turn on your oven (bottom) to 350F and leave the fish for another 5 minutes or so. Cooking time varies with thickness of the fish.

8. After 5 minutes, serve.

That's it! Very easy, right? Now, tell me, how hard was that? I bet you can do that as well! C'mon, pick up a salmon and try this recipe. You won't regret it! :D

Sole Meunière

Actually, I used Cream Dory Fillet, not Sole. So I guess the appropriate title for this dish is Crème Doris Meunière. Sole is more expensive compared to Dory, so I'd rather use Dory. And besides, I already opened a pack of Dory Fillet (previous dish).

Don't worry, I didn't consume all that butter by myself.
I shared that buttery sauce with my sister. 

Sole Meunière is a classic French dish that uses Sole (kind of fish), dredged in flour, and cooked in butter. Lemon juice is then added to the resulting browned butter and poured over the fish as its sauce, garnishing with parsley. Some add caramelized onions to this dish, which is also very lovely. And I also tried Grace's  version where she added minced chili, together with the onion for that extra kick. YUMMY! But now, this is the very easy, classic version of this dish. Feel free to add ingredients for your own version!

for 1-2 person/s

fillet of sole/dory

1-1.5 tbsp unsalted butter

1-1.5 tbsp lemon juice

flour

salt and pepper

parsley

1. Pat dry the fish with paper towel, then coat it with seasoned flour.

2. On a medium-high skillet, melt the butter. When the foam from the butter starts to subside, add the fish and lower to heat to medium-low.

3. Fry the fish for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove the fish and place it on a platter.

4. Using the browned butter sauce in the pan, add the lemon juice to the butter. Mix well. Pour the sauce over the fish.

5. Garnish with fresh parsley.

There you go! A classic French dish cooked in 10 minutes. Who said cooking French cuisine is hard? Bon appétit!

Baked Dory à la Troy

I don't know what to call this dish. I just thought of Chicken Parmigiana, and improvised with what I have, and made this! It turned out pretty darn good.

I think the sauce overwhelmed the fish. (I just used up all the leftover spaghetti sauce)

Right after breakfast, I rummaged in our fridge for any leftovers that I can eat for lunch. I saw the spaghetti noodles and the sauce (from the other day), and.... that's it. I already ate spaghetti for lunch and dinner yesterday, I don't want to eat it for the 3rd time. I was thinking of making Chicken Parmigiana. I peeked in our freezer for chicken breasts, no luck. There's a pack of fillet dory though. I don't have chicken, but I do have fish! Improvise?

So that's it! I tried to make Chicken Dory Parmigiana. Naaah, I'll just name it Baked Dory à la Troy. After baking, it turned out really good! Not bad.

Layers include lemon, dory, spaghetti sauce, cheese

I think I used more than enough spaghetti sauce for this. Forgive me, I only used all what was left. I would really like to say that the end result was pretty great! The combination of the flavours: the lemon, the tomato, and the cheese, how heavenly. When you take a bite, you can taste the sweetness of the Pinoy Style spaghetti sauce, and the sourness of the lemon, sandwiching the very soft, and moist fish. I never thought that it would be so yummy! If you are desperate to make Chicken Parmigiana but don't have every ingredients, you can make this alternative.

What you need: (good for 1)

1/2 lemon, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 fillet of dory (or any white fish)

1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (or your favourite tomato sauce. I used 1 cup of sauce and it's more than enough)

grated cheese (cheddar and parmesan)

salt and pepper

a dash of oregano

parsley (for garnish)

olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 

2. Slice half of the lemon into 3 circular shapes and line it up in a baking dish. Reserve the end of the lemon for later.

3. Add the garlic to the baking dish.

4. Season the fish with salt and pepper (I added chili flakes for an extra kick). Place it on top of the lemon and garlic. Squeeze in the remaining end of the lemon over the fish.

5. Add the spaghetti sauce, or your favourite tomato sauce over the fish. Add a dash of oregano.

6. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil on top of the cheese.

7. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese browns.

8. Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Note: You can make your dory crispy! I think it would be closer to the experience of Chicken Parmigiana. First, pat dry your fish. Dredge it with flour with salt and pepper. Dip in a beaten egg and coat with breadcrumbs (with cheese if you like, yum!). Pan fry the fish for 4-5minutes per side on medium-high heat, using cooking oil until golden brown. Then proceed to step 2.

Enjoy your improvised Chicken Parmigiana! Baked Dory à la Troy!

Crispy Oat Crusted Fish Fillet with Tartar Sauce

I was looking for a perfect dish paired with spaghetti meatballs the other day. While a chicken dish came first thing to my mind, I decided to skip it since we've been having chicken everyday this week. I decided to try something crispy, yet not chicken. Hence I found this recipe from Very Best Baking. It's a simple fish fillet recipe that's different from my usual dory cooking (butter or cheese).

The name of the dish says it all, fish fillet covered in oats, with tartar sauce as dip. No fancy-pancy. No special foreign sounding ingredient. The only comment I have is that it lacks something fresh. Maybe some fresh greens, or a bit more of citrus? (Oh and the homemade tartar sauce is über!) If you like some twist to your plain-ole fish fillet, here's what you can do.

for the Tartar sauce:

8 oz cream cheese
12 fl. oz Evaporated milk
1/2 cup pickle relish
2 tbsp white vinegar (I used cider, but more than 2tbsp)
salt and white pepper
I also added a bit of minced onions


For the fish

Cream dory
eggs
Evaporated milk
oats
salt and pepper
paprika
garlic powder
cooking oil


1. Make the tartar sauce. Combine the cream cheese (at room temperature) and the evaporated milk. Whisk until creamy. Add  the rest of the ingredients. Season to taste. Refrigerate for an hour or so.

2. In a bowl, combine the oats, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Mix well. Dip the cream dory into the egg and milk mixture (I used 2 eggs and 12 fl. oz of milk for 9 cream dory fillets). Roll the fish into the oat mixture, covering it completely.

3. Pan fry each side for 4-5 minutes per side.

4. Serve immediately with lemon wedges (optional) and tartar sauce.

Poulet Sauté à la Crème

Sautéed Chicken in Cream

Earlier this week, I cooked a beef recipe with creamy sauce in it for my friends and left an opened carton of heavy cream in the fridge. I'm so worried that it might end up unused and spoiled after this week, so I decided to cook another creamy viand for tonight. I browsed through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and saw this simple recipe (with a lot of variation from the original recipe).

Basically it's just chicken with heavy cream sauce, with the addition of wine, onions and mushrooms. The moment you take a bite of this fine dish, you will feel the tenderness, the juiciness and the cheesiness of the chicken. Plus add the creaminess with a hint of wine of the sauce. Oh là là, le gastronome! It's very easy to do, very quick, and best if you're going to entertain guests in a hurry. I suggest this dish when you need  quick food for your hungry guests.

(Please note that I greatly varied my recipe from Julia Child's. Nevertheless, I'll give you mine)

What I did was (good for 4-6 people):

8 chicken breasts, pat dried
flour
salt and pepper
paprika*
dried tarragon
grated parmesan cheese*

1 can chopped mushrooms*
unsalted butter
cooking oil
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 red onion, minced


1. Combine on a plate the flour, salt and pepper, paprika, tarragon and grated parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly. After drying the chicken breasts, evenly coat it with the flour mixture.

1.a.**edit** Sauté the mushroom with oil and butter for around 4 minutes. Set aside <-- I forgot this step

2. On a hot casserole, combine cooking oil and around 2 tbsp butter. Add the chicken when the foam from the butter begins to subside. Sauté the chicken until golden brown (Actually, I fried the chickens until done). Remove the chicken and set aside.

3. Remove all but 3tbsp of fat from the casserole and deglaze with the wine. Reduce to 3tbsp. Add the heavy cream and boil until thick. Add the mushroom and continue to simmer for about 1 minute.

4. Remove from heat. Add 2 tbsp of butter to the hot liquid, stir and pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve with rice or noodles. Great with dry white wine.

Bon appétit!


The ingredients with (*) are not in the original recipe.

Cheesy Nachos

A few of my friends came over here to have our mini Christmas Party. I decided to give them an easy-to-make but very delicious appetizer while waiting for our main course. And tada, I served them Cheesy Nachos! I got the idea of "cheesy nachos" from a restaurant and tried to mimic it and I think I got it. So thanks to that restaurant for the great idea!

This may not look cheesy, but below the lettuce is a layer of cream cheese. Yuuuum!

If you want a tasty, yet easy to do snack, I suggest you try serving this Cheesy Nachos. It's really very easy. All you need are: (use as little or many you like)

for 6-10 people, depending on appetite

1/2 kilo ground beef
1 pack McCormick® Taco Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup water
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Onion
1 cup cream cheese
Cheddar cheese (optional)
Nacho chips 

1. Brown the meat in a sauce pan. After the meat has browned, strain all the juice. 

2. Dissolve one pack of mix with half cup of water. Pour into the meat. Stir and let it boil until the meat dries up.  

3. Let the cream cheese soften at room temperature or warm it using the microwave for 20 seconds.

4. Serve as you like. You can add lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapeño or whatever you like. 

Simple as that! If you already tried this recipe, let me know!

Oh next blog would be Chef John's Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs! I'm so excited about this dish! Stay tuned!