Roasted Chicken and Brie Panini with Hot Raspberry Jam

I cannot stop making panini.

Without question my favorite thing in the new year is my shiny new panini grill. Oh I know...panini are so last decade. I don't care-I'm late for the party and now I'm hooked.

My first panini were basically "clean out the fridge panini". I used supermarket deli sliced chicken breast and brie. While I chose to use deli sliced because it was what I had on hand, feel free to substitute leftover roasted chicken or store bought rotisserie.

The spinach was really an afterthought. One of my New Year's resolutions is to each some sort of fruit or vegetable with every meal (OK I know I should have been doing that last decade too, but what can I say?). As it turns out the spinach worked perfectly. The jam was a holiday leftover. Purchased at my local Homegoods, the hot pepper raspberry jam was delicious. I may run out tomorrow and see if I can find a few more jars...it was really good-not too hot, in fact barely warm...but really wonderful tasting.

The most important part of making good panini is your bread selection. A soft regular bread just won't hold up with too many fillings. I chose a sprouted whole grain bread from the bakery section at Whole Foods that was both sturdy and flavorful. Firm rolls also work incredibly well.

5 Tips for Perfect Panini:

1. Choose a firm, sturdy bread

2. Divide the cheese between both slices of bread for best "melting together"

3. Preheat your panini grill

4. Experiment with different flavored oils brushed on the outside of the bread.

5. For best melting without leaking, do not over stuff with cheese and/or other fillings.

Roasted Chicken and Brie Panini with Hot Raspberry Jam

4 slices sturdy whole grain bread cut 1/4-1/2 inch thick

4 teaspoons hot pepper raspberry jam

2 ounces sliced brie, rind removed

1/4 lb. deli roasted chicken breast

1/2 cup (packed)baby spinach leaves

2 teaspoons crushed raw almonds

2 teaspoons red pepper flavored olive oil

Preheat your panini grill according to manufacturers directions.

Arrange your bread on a work surface. Spread 1 teaspoon of the jam over each slice of bread.

Divide the brie between the bread slices spreading gently over the jam. Stack the chicken, spinach and almonds on 2 of the bread slices then top with the remaining bread slices. Brush the sandwiches with the oil and place on the grill; close the grill and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Avocado Party!

I have previously established that I think that avocados are quite possibly the world’s most perfect food. Compact, nutrient packed, avocados are a portable nutrient powerhouse and I love them. So it should come as no surprise that I decided to host an avocado party.

I decided to go with an Avocado Luncheon where each course included avocados. I had nine guests and it was a lot of fun!

First up was (of course) guacamole. Served with multigrain corn chips, my guacamole is laced with diced tomatoes, jalapeno and cilantro. Instead of the typical garlic-which I often find harsh-mine includes finely minced shallot. For an impressive presentation I highly recommend purchasing a molcajete (mohl-ka-hey-te) which is basically a giant mortar and pestle. Ingredients are combined and served right in the molcajete…it looks so rustic.
Quick Guacamole

2 ripe avocados, peeled, seeds removed, diced
1/4 cup finely diced grape or plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in molcajete or medium sized bowl; mash to combine.

Lunch was an avocado and citrus salad with a jalapeno vinaigrette. On the side were Avocado, Bacon and Sprout Sandwiches with Lemon-Pepper Crème Fraiche. Sandwiches were served on small Ciabatta rolls.

Avocado Citrus Salads with Jalapeno Avocado Oil Vinaigrette

8 cups mixed greens
2 seedless oranges, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large red grapefruit, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 ripe avocados, peeled, seed and coarsely chopped
Jalapeno Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup Avocado oil
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Arrange greens on a large serving platter. Scatter the oranges, grapefruit and avocado over the greens.

In a small food processor combine the avocado oil, vinegar, lime juice, shallot, jalapeno, salt and pepper; process until smooth.

Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad.

Avocado, Bacon and Sprout Ciabatta Sandwiches with Lemon Pepper Crème Fraiche

Lemon Pepper Crème Fraiche:
1 cup crème fraiche
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Sandwiches:
1 lb. thick sliced maple flavored bacon
2 cups sprouts, rinsed and patted dry
3-4 avocados, peeled, seeds removed, mashed
10 Ciabatta rolls, split

In a small bowl stir together the crème fraiche, lemon zest, lemon juice, pepper and salt; set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels.

Spread the crème fraiche on the bottom half of each roll, top with the sprouts, followed by the bacon. Spread the mashed avocado on the top half of each roll and arrange on top of sandwiches.

Makes 10 sandwiches

Dessert was my favorite part of the party! I debated on how to serve the avocado for dessert-I had read online that in some countries avocados are mashed and sprinkled with sugar to be eaten as dessert. That was not particularly appealing to me. I love the combination of avocado and mango so I decided to go with those flavors in a sundae. Edy’s (Dreyers in some parts of the country) makes a Tart Mango Frozen Yogurt that is absolutely amazing!

Tart Mango Frozen Yogurt with Avocado-Coconut Sauce and Toasted Coconut

1/2 avocado
1/4 cup Crème de Coconut (such as Coco Lopez)
1/2 cup heavy cream
5 cups Edy’s Tart Mango Frozen Yogurt
1 cup flaked coconut, lightly toasted

In a blender (Magic Bullet works great here) combine the avocado, Crème de Coconut and heavy cream and blend until smooth.

Place 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt into each 10 serving bowls. Drizzle the Avocado-Coconut cream over frozen yogurt and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Makes 10 servings

Mini Chicken Sandwiches with Veggie Spread

Why is it that if it's little it seems to tastes better?

Well that's what my kids always thought anyway. When they were really little, I would often cut my kids sandwiches into shapes with cookie cutters and magically a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread became worthy of being eaten. Even Oscar Mayer seemed to know what was going on in my kitchen - they came out with those Lunchables and of course my kids had to have them...they're little sandwiches, they're cute (I'm sure the candy and sugary juice drink that I would never have included in their lunch boxes helped too). I have found now that I actually prefer "little" sandwiches too, but that's probably because then I can eat two of them and feel like I'm getting away with something.

A creamy vegetable spread is the base for these sandwiches made using "cocktail bread". The spread can use any variety of vegetables. An obvious addition would be scallions-I've excluded them here because my family prefers to not have an "oniony" tasting spread. I had a hard time not eating all the spread, because it's rather tasty by itself just spread on the cocktail bread.

Fillings could vary according to your personal taste, but I've used sliced Boar's Head Chicken breast from my supermarket. Boar's Head in my opinion has the best tasting cold cuts-when we first moved here from New York I was devastated that you could not buy Boar's Head brand...but thankfully a makeover at our local Stop and Shop a few years later brought with it Boar's Head brand and all is now well.

Mini Chicken Sandwiches with Veggie Spread

Veggie Spread:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons finely chopped carrot

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

pinch of salt

Sandwiches:

16 slices pumpernickel cocktail bread (2"x2")

Romaine lettuce

1/2 pound good quality sliced chicken breast

1 large ripe tomato

1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and thinly slice

In a small food processor combine the cream cheese, carrot, jalapeno pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and salt; process just until combined (it's best if it's left a little chunky).

Spread a generous amount of the veggie spread onto 8 slices of the cocktail bread. Top the spread with a slice of Romaine lettuce, cut to fit the bread. Follow with a few slices of the chicken breast, a tomato slice and/or an avocado slice. Top sandwiches with the remaining bread slices.

Please don't forget to vote for my recipe on Dole Way to Snack! See the upper right hand corner of the screen for a link. I only need about 10,000 more votes to win the trip to Hawaii!!

Salt of the Earth

"Where would we be without salt?" James Beard

It seems that in life you are either a salty person or a sweet person. A salty person is that person whose go-to snack would be chips and dip or pretzels and cheese. The kind of person who on occasion has had the jumbo bucket of buttered popcorn with free refills at the movie theater and then having eaten it all sheepishly presents the empty bucket to the shocked teenaged girl at the concession stand for a refill (was that a confession?).

A sweet person would instead gravitate first towards anything sweet and sugary: candies, cakes, cookies. I have a good friend (a sweet friend) who always will order a slice of cheesecake as an appetizer in a restaurant. She usually gets a cockeyed look from the waiter but hey, she loves cheesecake. Shocking still is that a sweet prelude to dinner doesn't preclude her from ordering dessert, she just enjoys starting and ending her meal with "sweet".

I on the other hand love all things salty. (OK it was me with the popcorn). My absolute favorite treat: giant soft pretzels drizzled with melted butter. Soft, salty pretzels were the inspiration for the recipe I have today- Grilled Chicken Sandwiches on Himalayan Pink Salt Flatbread.

I was so happy with how my grilled pizza came out that I picked up some more dough at the supermarket. While I was there I decided to go exotic with a special salt selection. I almost always use kosher salt when I am cooking, but I also frequently use French Grey Salt. Today I found Himalayan Pink Salt. Pretty! Pretty! I was definitely drawn to the pretty pink color. Unless you are a super salt fiend go light on this one-it's big and chunky-my kids thought it tasted like "salted salt". But it sure was tasty salted salt.

Just one quick note: I used red pepper flavored oil but you can use plain old evoo-I just like the extra spiciness the pepper flavor provides.

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches on Himalayan Pink Salt Flatbread

Flatbread:

1 package prepared pizza dough (located usually in the deli or bakery section of the supermarket), divided into four equal pieces

1/4 cup flour (I used semolina flour, but all purpose is fine)

1 tablespoon red pepper flavored extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (I used a three-pepper melange)

2 teaspoons Himalayan Pink Salt

4 grilled chicken breast halves (grilled your favorite way)

1 cup baby arugula

1 avocado, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

red pepper flavored extra virgin olive oil

Preheat a grill to medium high heat.

Press or roll the 4 dough pieces into equal sized ovals. Lightly flour a baking sheet and press each dough into the flour to shape. Lightly brush both sides of the dough with the oil. Gently press the pepper and the salt, evenly dividing, onto one side of each of the dough pieces. Arrange the dough on the grill rack and cook for 3-4 minutes in a closed grill or until lightly browned on the bottom with nice grill marks. Pop any bubbles that have formed and turn dough over and cook an additional 3 or 4 minutes.

Thinly slice the grilled chicken. Divide the arugula onto two of the flat breads. Arrange the sliced chicken on each. Top with avocado slices and tomato slices. Lightly drizzle each with red pepper oil to taste. Top each with remaining flat breads; cut each sandwich in half.

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Ravishing Radishes

"A tiny radish of passionate scarlet, tipped modestly in
white" - Clementine Paddleford

When I scan the produce department I am always drawn to the bright red radishes; their shape and color making them (from far away, anyway) almost look like ruby colored candies. I love radishes as an ingredient; they add a distinct peppery flavor and a cool, crisp texture. My supermarket was bursting with radishes today and I just had to have some.

We are still struggling along without a kitchen. We're eating a lot of sandwiches. But quite honestly (I know I've said this about avocados, but...) I think sandwiches are quite possibly the world's most perfect food. Think about it. Sandwiches can combine all your food groups in one neat, tasty package. In terms of portion control-assuming you are not exceedingly generous with the condiments-that Jared Fogle (he's the Subway sandwich guy) was really on to something.

No one is complaining around here. With all of the winding down of school activities and end of school year festivities sandwiches are probably what we would be having even if I had a kitchen.

These chicken sandwiches have a very slight bite to them, but if you would like to up the spice a bit just add a little more cayenne or a little more black pepper. For some of the sandwiches I washed some of the radish greens and tossed them in with the romaine-it was delicious. (I had actually never eaten the greens before, but I googled it and found that they were fine to eat - what do I know?) The flavor was very much like arugula-which I love.

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Baby Romaine and Radish Salad

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 Thin sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets
3 cups baby romaine lettuce leaves
1/3 cup thinly sliced red radishes
6 soft baguette/hoagie style rolls, split and lightly toasted
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
3 avocados, peeled and seed removed, then very thinly sliced

Rapidly whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, cayenne pepper, black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Measure out 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette and set aside.

Arrange the chicken in a marinating container or large zipper top plastic bag; pour the remaining vinaigrette over the chicken. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.

Preheat a grill to medium high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the grill rack; discard the marinade. Cook the chicken in a closed grill for 4 minutes, flip the chicken and cook an additional 3 minutes. Remove the chicken from the grill, season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and let rest.

Combine the romaine and the radish slices in a large bowl and pour the reserved vinaigrette over; stir to combine.

To assemble the sandwiches, arrange a chicken breast cutlet on the bottom half of each roll. Top the chicken with the sliced onion and the sliced avocado, evenly dividing. Using tongs, divide the romaine and radish salad between each sandwich arranging on top of the avocado. Slice each sandwich diagonally in half and serve.

Yield: 6 sandwiches

I've got no kitchen blues

My kitchen was demolished today. It’s been a long time coming. The Smithsonian called. They want my 1980’s kitchen for an exhibit titled “1980’s Tile Countertops-A Retrospective of Just Wrong”. I hated those counters.

(That's my favorite blues guy Robert Cray...favorite song of his to cook by? Too Many Cooks)

So without a kitchen there probably won’t be a lot of cooking going on (that has its pluses and minuses). If it can’t be cooked on a grill, waffle iron or quesadilla maker (lo-o-ve my quesadilla maker) it’s not happening. But, we’ve gotta eat. So I will try to discover supermarket finds that can be prepared without a kitchen.

Today I’m making grilled steak wraps.

It's hard pulling dinner together without a kitchen and it seems I'll be singing the "no kitchen blues" for about two weeks. So to start off with I'm making blue cheese the find for today. I think blue cheese and beef pair beautifully together; it seems to have a tanginess that compliments the heartiness of the beef… and let’s face it blue cheese on a burger rules. Not all blue cheeses are created equal though.

· Semi-Soft – smooth and creamy in texture like Saga Blue or soft but a little crumbly like Point Reyes Blue Cheese or Maytag Blue. These cheeses are usually wrapped in foil in the supermarket.
· Firm – sturdier in form and texture with a somewhat nutty flavor, like Stilton. Firm blue cheeses will usually be wrapped in plastic wrap or sold in a “wedge” at the supermarket.

For these steak wraps I will be using a Maytag blue cheese that I found at the cheese shop in Whole Foods. It is a semi-soft style of blue cheese. But feel free to experiment with different blue cheeses. I like how nicely Maytag blue cheese melts. If you don't use all the cheese that you purchased for the wraps, my favorite thing to do with leftovers is to melt it in a small saucepan over medium low heat, add a touch of cream and then drizzle it over a mound of potato chips for a wowee, yummy side.


Grilled Steak, Spinach, Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Wraps

Onions:
1 large red onion, peeled
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb. skirt steak (or your favorite grilling steak)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

oil to brush the grill

4 whole wheat tortillas or wrap bread, warmed
2 cups fresh spinach, thinly sliced
8 ounces Maytag blue cheese

Preheat a grill to medium high heat.

To prepare the onions, slice the onion into thin slices and place onto a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Add the butter, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Seal the packet and place directly on the grill rack

Grill the onions until tender, about 45 minutes. Turn the packet occasionally to prevent the onions from burning.

Season the steak with half of the salt and pepper. Lightly brush the grill rack with oil and place the steak directly on the grill rack. Close the grill cover and cook the steak for 6 minutes. Turn the steak and cook for an additional 4 minutes for medium rare or cook until your desired doneness. Transfer the steaks to a cutting surface and let rest while preparing the wraps.

Divide the spinach between the four tortillas arranging along one side of the tortilla. Using a knife spread the Maytag blue cheese down the other side. Carefully open the onion packet, then divide the onions between the four tortillas, layering them on top of the cheese and spinach. Carve the steak into 1/2 inch thick slices and fan over the onions. Roll the tortillas around all the ingredients. Cut the wraps in half before serving.

Yield: 4 wraps

It's all about the butter

It's difficult to say specifically what makes butter so good-it just is. After all, where would a pie crust be without butter to add a little tender flakiness? Would I really love lobster as much as I do without a small bowl of sweet melted butter to dip the claws into? Would a grilled cheese sandwich be as melt in your mouth delicious without a little (actually a lot) of softened butter slathered on before grilling? I wouldn't even think about eating warm, crusty french bread without butter.

Aside from just tasting good, butter is all natural-made from fresh cream. It's a source of vitamin E and trace amounts of vitamins A, K and D. But hold on, don't start eating it right off the butter plate yet; it is also a source of saturated fat, and like all things high in fat, it's best to use good judgement and control-you know, everything in moderation. Believe it or not though, we actually all need a little bit of fat in our diets.

While shopping at our recently opened Whole Foods supermarket the other day the Kerrygold butter caught my eye. It's hard not to notice the shiny gold package next to the not nearly as exciting cardboard ones.

I've been cooking with it and buttering bread with it for the last couple of days and I have to say I really like it. The butter has a deep golden hue and a lush, smooth texture-a little smoother and a little richer tasting than the butter we usually use. It was a tad more expensive, but I think it really added to the flavor of what I was preparing so I didn't really mind too much.


I wanted to use some pork tenderloin that was leftover from another day so I decided to make some pressed Cuban sandwiches. The pork was just pan roasted in a little butter and olive oil with salt and pepper. Typically though, the pork in a Cuban sandwich has been marinated in a garlicky mojo before roasting. So in order to impart some of that flavor into my already cooked pork, I decided to make what I will call a "mojo butter" and I slathered it on the inside of the sandwich before grilling. I thought the results were great...here's the recipe:


Cuban Pressed Sandwiches with Mojo Butter




Butter:
2 tablespoons Kerrygold butter, room temperature
1 clove garlic, mashed
1 teaspoon orange zest, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lime zest, finely chopped
pinch of oregano
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Sandwiches:
2 Cuban style rolls or Hoagie style rolls, split
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices baked ham, thinly sliced
4 slices pork tenderloin, thinly sliced lengthwise
4 sandwich sliced dill pickles
2 tablespoons canola oil


To make the mojo butter, in a small bowl stir together the butter, garlic, orange and lime zest, oregano, salt and pepper.


Slather the mojo butter on the cut sides of the rolls. Layer the bottom half of each roll with 2 slices of Swiss cheese, 2 slices baked ham, 2 pickle slices and 2 slices of pork tenderloin. Top with the remaining roll halves.


Heat the canola oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Place the sandwiches in the skillet and immediately press down with either a sandwich press, foil wrapped brick or a cast iron pan. Cook 6-8 minutes on each side or until golden brown and the cheese is melted.

I heart butter!