Elegant Cheap Dishes From Manhattan Chef: Chicken With 40 Garlic Cloves, Salad and Dessert

From Denny: CBS runs this Chef on a Shoestring segment over at The Early Show where they give a chef the challenge of creating a wonderful meal to serve four people and do it for $40 or less. In this economy, more and more people are turning to clever ways to create great entertaining dishes for less money.

Featured in this video clip is Manhattan, New York Chef Sebastian Zijp who runs the kitchen for Bar Blanc Bistro. He became executive chef in 2008. His specialties are drawn from fresh seasonal ingredients from local markets. Though he was born in Africa to Dutch parents, he has traveled the world and chose to settle in New York City.

If you have never made this traditional French dish, don't be intimidated by the many garlic cloves. As they bake in the oven the flavor goes from sharp and pungent to softer and mellow. If you really enjoy the flavor of garlic, you can always add more to the dish or bake some (covered or in tin foil) on the side in the oven. If you are in a hurry - or don't enjoy peeling garlic cloves - just use that minced garlic in a jar at the grocery store, usually on the produce aisle. Spoon out about the same volume amount as the garlic cloves - about 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic for an average sized garlic clove.






Recipes Featured:

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
Simple Arugula Salad
Lemon and Parsley Couscous
Poached Pears with Amaretto Cream





Watch CBS News Videos Online



FOOD FACTS From Epicurious.com about some of chef's ingredients:

Pecorino: In Italy, cheese made from sheep's milk is known as pecorino. Most of these cheeses are aged and classified as grana (hard, granular and sharply flavored); however, the young, unaged Ricotta pecorino is soft, white and mild in flavor. Aged pecorinos range in color from white to pale yellow and have a sharp, pungent flavor. The best known of this genre is Pecorino Romano, which comes in large cylinders with a hard yellow rind and yellowish-white interior. Other notable pecorinos are Sardo, Siciliano and Toscano. These hard, dry cheeses are good for grating and are used mainly in cooking. They can be used in any recipe that calls for parmesan cheese, especially if a sharper flavor is desired.

Couscous: A staple of North African cuisine, couscous is granular semolina. Cooked, it may be served with milk as porridge, with a dressing as a salad or sweetened and mixed with fruits for dessert. Packaged precooked couscous is available in Middle Eastern markets and large supermarkets. The name couscous also refers to the famous Maghreb dish in which semolina or cracked wheat is steamed in the perforated top part of a special pot called a couscoussière, while chunks of meat (usually lamb or chicken), various vegetables, chickpeas and raisins simmer in the bottom part. In lieu of a couscoussière, a colander set over a large pot will do. The cooked semolina is heaped onto a platter, with the meats and vegetables placed on top. All diners use chunks of bread to scoop the couscous from this central platter. Couscous varies from country to country - Moroccans include saffron, Algerians like to add tomatoes and Tunisians spice theirs up with the hot-pepper-based harissa sauce.

Amaretto: A liqueur with the flavor of almonds, though it's often made with the kernels of apricot pits. The original liqueur, Amaretto di Saronno, hails from Saronno, Italy. Many American distilleries now produce their own amaretto.







RECIPES

Simple Arugula Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch baby arugula
2 radishes
1 bag baby carrots
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon shaved pecorino cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

Slice the radishes and shave the baby carrots. Toss radishes, carrots, and arugula with the lemon juice and the oil. Season with salt and pepper, top with the shaved pecorino.








Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken thighs
40 cloves garlic
4 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon oil
Salt and pepper

METHOD:

Season the thighs well with salt and pepper. Heat a pan to medium high heat and sear the chicken until very dark golden brown. Remove from pan and add garlic, stir until they are lightly browned. Return the chicken to the pan and cover with a lid or tinfoil. Place in a 350º F. oven until cooked. Maybe 22 minutes.








Lemon and Parsley Couscous

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup couscous
1.25 cup stock or water
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Zest of 1 lemon (use the same lemon from the salad)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of salt

METHOD:

Mix the couscous with the salt, parsley and lemon in a bowl. Bring the stock or water to a boil with the olive oil. Pour the boiling liquid over the couscous, give a quick stir and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand five minutes, fluff with a fork and serve.







Poached Pears with Amaretto Cream

INGREDIENTS:

2 Bartlett pears, cut into quarter inch slices
1 cup water
2 tablespoon sugar
1 cinnamon stick
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Amaretto di Serrano

METHOD:

Bring the water to a boil along with the sugar, cinnamon and zest. Once boiling, add the pears and turn to a simmer until pears are soft, about 20 min. Mix together heavy cream, powdered sugar and Amaretto and whisk until stiff peaks form. Serve atop the poached pears.








So, how did Sebastiaan do in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition?!

Arugula Salad
arugula $2.50
radishes $1.98
carrots $1.99
lemon $0.50
pecorino cheese $5.49
total $12.46

Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves
chicken $3.98
garlic $2.64
thyme $1.29
total $7.91

Lemon Parsley Couscous
couscous $2.19
stock $2.79
parsley $2.99
lemon $0.50
total $8.47

Poached Pears
pears $0.94
cinnamon $1.99
lemon $0.50
heavy cream $2.25
powdered sugar $1.29
Amaretto $1.50
total $8.47

Grand total: $37.31

That gets him onto our Leaders Board!!

1. Amanda Freitag $37.17
The Harrison

2. Kelly Liken $37.20
Restaurant Kelly Liken

3. Sebastiaan Zijp $37.31
Bar Blanc Bistro





*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

Spring Food: Chef Kellers Marinated Skirt Steak, Ice Cream Sandwiches

From Denny: I just love it when great chefs are out promoting their latest cookbook and go on network TV to demo some recipes. You always learn something new, polish your skills and pick up some interesting recipes! Chef Thomas Keller is known for emphasizing local ingredients like green garlic and the many different ways it can be applied to tasty dishes.

Chef Keller is author of the New York Times Best Seller cookbook "At Hoc At Home." As a famous Napa Valley chef and restaurant owner he has a unique take on springtime food.

The Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival will take place on April 8 - 11 in California. Count on Chef Keller to be there this year too as he has participated for many years. It's a convergence of the creme de la creme of the culinary arts world tasting wine and demonstrating recipes while playing golf. Not a bad gig! :) This year there will be 70 chefs swarming the festival and over 250 wineries.

Chef Keller enjoys working with the Pebble Beach local ingredients, especially garlic, as it is one of the specialties of this area. Keller teaches there are many uses for garlic, from roasted garlic to garlic confit, working in a wide spectrum of dishes from pastas to salads.

Check out his easy to make and economical marinated skirt steak you can serve year round. And he gives divine recipes for your own homemade ice cream too! Just in time for the warmer Spring weather sweeping across America.

Take a look and learn a few new things. Did you know that adding salt to boiling water elevates the temperature? Check out other quick facts chef mentions as he demonstrates his easy to do Spring menu.




Check it out: "Ad Hoc at Home" By Thomas Keller - discounted over at Amazon.


Recipes Featured:

Marinated Skirt Steak
Marinated Cucumbers
Ice Cream Sandwiches
Vanilla Ice Cream
Chocolate Ice Cream




Watch CBS News Videos Online



Marinated Skirt Steak

SERVES: 6

MARINADE

6 thyme sprigs
Two 8-inch rosemary sprigs
4 small bay leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
5 garlic cloves, smashed, skin left on
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Six 8-ounce trimmed outer skirt steaks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
4 thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves, smashed, skin left on


DIRECTIONS

Skirt steak, part of the diaphragm, is a very flavorful cut. There are two sections of the skirt, an outside muscle and an inside muscle. The inside muscle is smaller, a little more uneven, and a little tougher than the outer skirt, which we prefer. The outer skirt is still a tough cut of meat and, because it's served medium-rare, not tenderized through long cooking, you need to slice it across the grain, straight down (thereby shortening the long muscle fibers that otherwise make it tough), to ensure that it's tender. The marinade we use here, with abundant herbs and garlic, is excellent for all cuts of beef.

Combine the thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic, and oil in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let the marinade cool to room temperature. Pull away the excess fat from the skirt steak and discard. If necessary, trim the steak of any silver skin. Cut crosswise into 6 equal pieces. Put in a dish or a resealable plastic bag, add the marinade, and cover the dish or seal the bag, squeezing out excess air. Marinate for at least 4 hours, or for up to a day, in the refrigerator.

Remove the meat from the marinade and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking; discard the marinade. Dry the meat with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Heat some canola oil in a large frying pan over high heat. When it shimmers, add half the meat and quickly brown the first side. Turn the meat and, working quickly, add 1 tablespoon of the butter, 2 thyme sprigs, and 1 garlic clove and brown the meat on the second side, basting constantly; the entire cooking process should take only about 11/2 minutes. Transfer the meat to the rack and spoon the butter, garlic, and thyme over the top. Wipe the pan and repeat with the remaining steaks.

Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the center of the meat registers about 125°F. Remove from the oven and let the meat rest on the rack in a warm place for about 10 minutes for medium-rare.

Arrange the steak on a serving platter, or slice each piece against the grain, cutting straight down, and arrange on the platter. Garnish with the garlic and thyme.





Marinated Cucumbers

MAKES: ABOUT 3 CUPS

INGREDIENTS

6 small cucumbers (5 to 6 ounces each) or 2 pounds medium cucumbers
3/4 cup champagne vinegar
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Cut off the ends of the cucumbers and peel them. Seed the cucumbers if desired: cut the cucumbers lengthwise in half and use a small spoon to scrape out the seeds. Cut the cucumbers into half rounds, or into rounds (if you didn't seed them), batons, wedges, or any shape you like. Combine the vinegar, oil, red pepper, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Put the cucumbers in a canning jar or other storage container and pour the liquid over the top. Refrigerate for at least 1 day, or for up to 2 weeks. Before serving, remove any solidified oil from the top of the liquid and discard. Serve cold.





Ice Cream Sandwiches

MAKES: 12 ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

INGREDIENTS

1 quart homemade ice cream (see below), just spun, or store-bought ice cream, softened

Twenty-four 2- to 3-inch cookies

DIRECTIONS

My fondness for this American classic is so well-known that my French pastry chef at per se created a four-star version. But here's a simple version that's hard to beat. You can use any kind of cookie and any kind of ice cream. Simply spread the soft ice cream on a quarter sheet pan and freeze it until firm, then use the same cutter you used for the cookies to cut out squares or rounds of ice cream and sandwich them between the cookies. Kids love this, but it's also a fabulous adult dessert.

You can use just one kind or a variety of ice cream flavors and cookies. Some of our favorite combinations are Chocolate Chip Cookies (page 326) with Vanilla Ice Cream (page 319), Chocolate Shortbread Cookies (page 327) with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (page 320), and Linzer Cookies (page 331) with Chocolate Ice Cream (page 319).

Line a quarter sheet pan with a piece of plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on both long sides. Spread the ice cream in an even layer in the pan. Fold over the plastic and freeze until firm.

Lift up the edges of the plastic wrap to remove the ice cream. Have a bowl of hot water at your side. Using the cutter you used to make the cookies or a knife, cut squares or rounds of ice cream slightly smaller than the cookies, dipping the cutter or knife in the hot water and drying it with a towel before making each cut. Assemble the sandwiches and serve immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 days.





Vanilla Ice Cream

MAKES: A GENEROUS 1 QUART

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 tablespoon vanilla paste
10 large egg yolks
Pinch of kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Pour the milk and cream into a large saucepan, and add half cup of the sugar. With a paring knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean, if using, and add them to the liquid, along with the pod. Or stir in the vanilla paste. Bring to just below a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar; a skin will form on top and the liquid should just begin to bubble. Remove the pan from the heat and let steep, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Remove the vanilla bean from the pan, if you used it. Return the pan to the heat and heat until the milk is just below a simmer.

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar and the yolks in a bowl until slightly thickened and the whisk leaves a trail. Slowly, while whisking, add about half cup of the hot milk mixture to the yolks, then whisk in the remaining milk mixture. Set a fine-mesh basket strainer over a clean saucepan and strain the liquid into the pan.

Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set a medium bowl in the ice bath; have a strainer ready. Put the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom and sides often with a wooden spoon, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the spoon. Strain into the bowl, add the salt, and let cool, stirring from time to time.

Refrigerate until cold or, preferably, overnight.

Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the texture is "soft serve," transfer to a storage container and freeze to harden. (The ice cream is best eaten within a day, but it can be made several days ahead.)





Chocolate Ice Cream

MAKES: A GENEROUS 1 QUART

INGREDIENTS

7 ounces 55% chocolate cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
11/2 cups granulated sugar
10 large egg yolks
Pinch of kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water.

Pour the milk and cream into a large saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until warm. Reduce the heat to medium, whisk in the melted chocolate, and heat until just below a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk the sugar and yolks in a medium bowl until slightly thickened and the whisk leaves a trail. Slowly, whisking constantly, add about H cup of the hot liquid to the yolks, then whisk in the remaining liquid. Set a fine-mesh basket strainer over a clean saucepan and strain the liquid into the pan.

Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Set a medium bowl in the ice bath; have a strainer ready.
Put the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom and sides often with a wooden spoon, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the spoon. Strain into the bowl, add the salt, and let cool, stirring from time to time.

Refrigerate until cold or, preferably, overnight.

Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the texture is "soft serve," transfer to a storage container and freeze to harden. (The ice cream is best eaten within a day, but it can be made several days ahead.)




Check it out: "Ad Hoc at Home" By Thomas Keller - discounted over at Amazon.




*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!