FRENCH + MEXICAN?

Friday, September 23

My parents might say that I cook this way because I've always been one who delights in not following the rules. I attribute it to my adventurous and imaginative spirit (which they would probably say is a nice way of saying I am a non-conformist, a bad word here in the South). Of course, now I'm a grown-up who gets to say, "Rules? What rules?" At least in my kitchen, anyway.

One of the things I love most about experimental cooking is to take flavors and preparation methods from different regions. Quesadillas are a perfect format for experimenting; they are so quick to make, and the crispy tortilla shell can hold just about anything well. For this variety, I chose the classic French flavor combination, pears and blue cheese, and served it with a tangy mango salsa (which didn't quite make it into the picture).

Before I give you the recipe though, I have to announce the birth of Ren William Partridge, son of Jessie and Jerrod, our good friends from Jackson (Jessie is the one who inspired the idea for this site). Ren was born yesterday around 1:15 (I think that time is close), and he weighed  9 pounds, 12 ounces (!!). Jessie and baby are doing well; I hope to have pictures to post soon.

Here's how to make the quesadillas (blue for boy!):

Blue Cheese-Pear Quesadillas

2 T. butter

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup green onions, sliced

3 ripe pears (I used Asian ones), sliced thinly

1 T. red wine vinegar

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 T. brown sugar

4 large tortillas

8 ounces crumbled blue cheese

2 T. butter

In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, and sauté until softened. Add the green onions and pears, and cook for about 10 minutes, until the pears are very soft. Add the vinegar, cayenne, and brown sugar, and cook while stirring for another 3-4 minutes. Remove the filling from the skillet, and heat another 2 T. butter over medium-high heat. Arrange one-fourth of the filling and cheese in half of each tortilla, and fold over. Cook until brown and bubbly, about 5-7 minutes per side. Serve with mango salsa.

Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango

1/2 red onion, chopped very finely

1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1 t. Kosher salt

Mix all in a bowl. Can be made ahead and refrigerated. If you have any leftover, it is delicious with lime-flavored tortilla chips.

PIZZA PARTY

Thursday, September 22

Moving to a new city has been hard on my entertaining sensibilities. I love to have people over for dinner, but how do you do that when you don't really know anyone? I have made friends with a girl in my program named Casey, who is from Missouri, also new to Baton Rouge, and with her sister, Christy. They were officially our first Baton Rouge dinner guests, and pizza was on the menu the night they came. I was too embarrassed to take a picture of the food while they were here, and as you can see, of the two whole pizzas I made, the four of us only left these two pieces (a successful meal, then, no?). It was lovely to have nice people to share our table with and reminded me why I enjoy entertaining so much.

Speaking of friends, I'd like to wish a happy anniversary to Jon and Hannah, who are vacationing in Yellow Stone right now, and a happy birthday to Jerrod, whose wife Jessie is being induced today! Their family will have another birth to celebrate, which I hope to report to you tomorrow.

Although I didn't plan to invite our new friends over when I made this pizza, it turned out to be a good choice for first-time guests--not too fancy, but the pesto and homemade crust still made it dressed-up enough for company. This recipe is another one I learned at the Brick-Oven; I ate their version of this pie many, many afternoons between the lunch and dinner shifts.

The crust takes a bit of planning, but it isn't difficult; it has to rise for an hour or so, but once it does, assembling the pizza is a snap. I used the pesto leftover from the Pesto Chicken Salad last week and the roast chicken from last night's dinner. Here's how it came together:

For the crust:

1 package yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for kneading

1 teaspoon pesto

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon garlic salt

In the bowl of a mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the water and sugar; stir to combine. Let it sit until the yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix on low speed until all ingredients are combined. Knead with the dough hook for about 8 minutes, until a ball forms. Knead for a few more minutes by hand, coating your hands with olive oil as you work. The dough should be smooth and stretchy. Put back in the mixer bowl, cover, and allow it to rise for about an hour or an hour and a half.

To assemble pizza:

1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

4 tablespoons pesto

Olive oil

Roast chicken, chopped (about 1-2 cups)

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Separate the dough into 2 balls and let them rest while you prepare the other ingredients. Grease and flour two baking sheets. Toss the chicken with a tablespoon of the pesto and some olive oil, until coated. Stretch the dough by hand, or roll out with a rolling pin. Drizzle lightly with oil, rubbing it into the surface. Bake for about 7 minutes. Remove from the oven. Spread the rest of the pesto over the crust, diluting with oil as necessary to make it spread. Sprinkle the chicken and sun-dried tomatoes evenly over the pesto. Cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake for another 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is brown at the edges.

MAKE MINE! NO, MINE!

Wednesday, September 21

In the Aunt's Recipe Book, there are two entries for Roast Chicken, one from Aunt Em and one from Aunt Prissy. Aunt Emily's says, "Mine's better than Prissy's so make this one." Aunt Prissy's says, "Mine is much, much better than Emily's so do use my recipe." What's a girl to do? When I first started cooking after I got married, I was not too fond of the idea of a whole chicken. The first time I bought one, armed with my two competing recipes, I removed the plastic packaging and sat the naked bird in the sink. I obediently followed the aunts' instructions: "Wash chicken inside and out. Pat dry." There was just one problem: all this gross stuff came out of the bird when I ran the water through his cavity, and I had the water on too high, so chicken juice splattered all over my face. When I set him down, it looked like he was standing in my sink looking at me. It was all too much for my delicate constitution at the time--I burst into tears and threw the bird away. I'm much braver now, but if a whole chicken intimidates you, don't worry, you aren't the only one.

If you can conquer your fears the first time, cooking a whole chicken is an easy way to kill two meals with one bird (pardon the pun!) The tender, roast breast meat is delicious with a bit of the pan drippings drizzled over it; I like to pair it with rice and a vegetable. These roasted carrots are crispy on the outside and sweet and soft on the inside, and the subtle flavors of the rice pilaf complement the chicken nicely without overpowering it. Once you get the chicken prepared, the rest of the meal comes together pretty quickly, but make sure the bird is good and defrosted--a frozen chicken takes a long, long time to cook all the way through, which I know from the last time we had dinner at about 10:00.

My Roast Chicken (a combination of the aunts' techniques)

1 whole chicken

2 lemons

2 cloves of garlic

Several sprigs rosemary

Olive oil

Lemon pepper

Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the innards and neck from the chicken. Gross, I know, but just reach in there and pull them out. Like pulling off a Band-aid, the quicker you do it, the less it hurts. Wash the chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Place the bird in a roasting pan, and coat with olive oil, rubbing the oil into the skin. Pierce one lemon several times with a knife and place it, along with the garlic cloves, inside the cavity. Slice the other lemon thinly. Place the lemon slices and rosemary sprigs under the skin on top of the breasts--you might have to use a knife to separate the skin from the meat. Season the whole bird with salt and lemon pepper. Roast, breast side up, for between an hour and an hour and a half. The chicken is done when its temperature reaches 180 degrees, or when the juices run clear. Baste occasionally with the pan juices.

While the chicken is cooking, you can prepare the carrots and rice. For the carrots, I buy the package of baby carrots, and place them on a cookie sheet, whole. Toss with lots of olive oil, Kosher salt, and cracked pepper. Roast in the oven with the chicken for about 45 minutes to an hour. The carrots' skins should shrivel and begin to crust around the edges. Then, you can take your time with the rice pilaf. I learned the technique from Sara Foster's Rice Pilaf for All Seasons in Fresh Everyday; this one is my variation.

Minted Orange Rice Pilaf with Pine Nuts

1 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 cup pine nuts

Zest of two oranges

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice

1 cup orange juice

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup chicken broth or water

Kosher salt and cracked pepper

1 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves

Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet or saucepan. Sauté the onion and garlic until both are soft but not brown. Add the pine nuts and half the orange zest and cook until nuts are fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Add the rice, and cook while stirring for another 3-5 minutes, or until the rice is coated with the butter and oil, sliding around the pan easily. Add the liquids, and salt and pepper well. Bring the mixture to a boil; then, reduce the heat so that it's simmering. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in half of the mint leaves. To serve, top each serving with reserved orange zest and mint leaves.

After dinner, debone the chicken and reserve the leftover meat. Even better, talk your husband into doing it (the best, of course, is if he offers, like mine does. Thanks David!) You can use it for all kinds of things...like the pizza tomorrow!