Chicken Kiev

This is without doubt my favorite chicken dish. Chicken Kiev is boned chicken breasts rolled around seasoned butter, breaded, and baked. Delicious!

Several years ago this was a very popular entree that could be found on the menus of some of New York’s finest restaurants. But, it would eventually give way to the more modern, healthy, ‘low this and that’ cuisine. Perhaps that is because of the high butter content, all of which oozes out onto the plate as you make that first cut with your knife. Just the sight of it can cause your cholesterol numbers to climb. But some things I refuse to give up. This is one of them.

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon parsley, fresh
1 tablespoon chives, fresh
2 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh
2 teaspoon dried tarragon
½ teaspoon thyme leaves, dried
pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning chicken
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 large whole eggs, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
2 cups bread crumbs, fresh ground
1 cup flour, for dredging

Preparation:
Combine butter, parsley, chives, tarragon, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place mixture on plastic wrap or waxed paper and roll into small log; place in freezer.
Place chicken breasts, 1 at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Squirt chicken lightly with water and squirt the top of the plastic wrap as well. Pound to no less than 1/8-inch thickness. Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper.
Lay 1 chicken breast on a new piece of plastic wrap and place 1 tablespoon of the compound butter and 1 tablespoon bread crumbs in the center of each breast. Using the plastic wrap to assist, fold in ends of breast and roll breast into a log, completely enclosing the butter; roll very tightly. Repeat with each breast. Place chicken in refrigerator for 2 hours, or up to overnight.

Place egg and water mixture in 1 pie pan, season with salt and pepper; and bread crumbs and flour in different pie pans.
Dip each breast first in the in the flour, then egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs. Place on a rack over a pan and refrigerate for about two hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat until oil reaches 325-350 degrees F.
Remove from fridge when ready to cook. Gently place each breast in oil, sealed-side down, and brown. Transfer to a baking pan and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack set in sheet pan and allow to drain for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Six servings.

Sweet Potato Pecan Pound Cake

This is a follow-up to my last post about the homegrown, organic vegetables of Persimmon Hill Farm. I took my own advice and purchased some of their "fresh out of the ground" sweet potatoes. My original intention was to make a sweet potato pie. But I got carried away and decided to combine my three favorite desserts into one.

I found these organic sweet potatoes to have a sweeter than usual taste, and not stringy, allowing the use of all of the potato. Baking, instead of boiling, brought out even more of the sweetness. Also, they were more tender, thereby requiring less baking time. Based on this experience, I believe I just became a regular customer!

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 cups sweet potatoes, baked, peeled & pureed
1 cup butter, unsalted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla paste, or extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt, fine grind
2 teaspoons cardamom
⅓ cup buttermilk
1-½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Glaze:
⅓ cup butter, unsalted
¾ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste, or vanilla extract
3 tablespoons bourbon
½ cup white chocolate, melted
½ cup pecans, chopped & toasted

Preparation:
Cake:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes until soft - approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size. When done, puree in food processor or mash by hand.
Spray a 12 cup bundt pan or angel food cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cream butter with sugars and beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla paste and sweet potatoes and blend well. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spice. Stir into the batter, alternating with the buttermilk, until blended. Fold in chopped pecans and spoon the batter into the cake pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Carefully move the cake from the pan to the rack and let cool completely.
Glaze:
Heat the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and let cook, bubbling gently, about 5 - 8 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from the stove and briskly stir in confectioner's sugar. Stir in the vanilla and bourbon. Drizzle over cake, then sprinkle with pecans. Let cool 30 - 60 minutes and then last, drizzle on the white chocolate

Homegrown, Fresh and Delivered

We all know that summer time means an abundant supply of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables. But what I did not realize is that there are farms that produce year-round. I have discovered one right here in my own backyard.

Located in Clark Hill, South Carolina, is Persimmon Hill Farm. Owner Kay Pittman has been producing ‘all-natural’ vegetables and fruits for 27 years on her 15 acres farm. She is part of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement. CSA’s, which exist throughout the USA, have become popular and are a way for consumers to purchase fresh, seasonal food directly from the farmer. The farmers offer “shares, memberships or subscriptions” to interested consumers which entitles them to receive a portion of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

The advantages for the consumers are: ultra-fresh food with flavor and vitamin benefits, exposure to new vegetables and new ways of cooking, develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown. The advantages for the farmers are: get to spend time marketing the food early in the year, receive payment early in the season which helps with the farms’ cash flow, an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow.

Persimmon Hill Farm offers half shares at $25/week, which provides a variety of vegetables for 2 people; $40/week for 4 people. The 'share' fee includes delivery to your home, of produce picked the same morning. It doesn’t get any fresher than that!

Kay delivers to Augusta, Martinez, Grovetown, Lincolnton, North Augusta and Aiken. To learn more about CSA’s or to buy a share in Persimmon Hill Farm, and start receiving your weekly delivery, contact:
Kay Pittman
706.825.0906
organicphf@hotmail.com

Onion & Feta Tartlets

This past weekend I catered an Open House/Grand Opening for a good friend in Augusta. The fare consisted of a host of yummy hors d’oeuvres; but this one item in particular captured the attention and appetite of most guests. Although I verbally gave the recipe to everyone who asked, here it is again, in case you forgot.

Ingredients

1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil
2 large red onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
Pie crust (recipe below)
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
¼ red bell pepper, chopped (optional for garnish)
2 eggs
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and white pepper

Preparation
Make crust. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a skillet (do not use a nonstick one or onions will not caramelize). Add onions and cook over medium low heat until caramelized, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in thyme and set aside to cool.
Grease 24-cup miniature muffin pan. Roll out crust into a three thin sheets. Using a 3” round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out 24 rounds – 8 from each sheet of crust – and line the cups of the muffin pan.
Divide the onion mixture into the 24 cups, and then spoon in the feta. Add a piece of red bell pepper (optional). Combine the eggs with the cream, season and pour into the crust cases.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until puffed and light golden. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Crust
3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter, diced
6-7 Tablespoons cold water
Combine flour and salt in large bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in enough water with fork just until flour is moistened. Divide dough into thirds; shape each into a ball. Flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic food wrap; refrigerate until ready to use.

Cantaloupe Pie with Ginger Snap Crust

Last week a friend came to visit. While sitting around talking about our favorite childhood foods, he mentioned cantaloupe pie. I had to admit that I had never heard of cantaloupe pie. Surely he was kidding. But I was curious, and wouldn't you know I had an overripe cantaloupe in the fridge that was destined for the trash. My friends Mothers version of cantaloupe pie was made with a graham cracker crust. Here I used ginger snaps. Okay, that was what I had on hand.
Thank you Captain Sam for sharing this warm memory with me!

Cantaloupe Pie

Ingredients:
1 medium cantaloupe (the riper the better)
½ cup sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1-¼ cup crushed ginger snap cookies
½ stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
Whipped cream (optional)

Preparation:
Combine crushed cookies, butter and sugar. Press into a 9-inch pie plate, covering bottom and sides. Set aside.
Cut the cantaloupe in half, peel and remove seeds. Cut into small pieces and put into a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a gentle boil. Put into a blender and puree. Return to pan.
Combine sugar, flour and salt and add to the cantaloupe mixture. Stir until thick.
In another bowl beat egg yolks. Add a little of the hot cantaloupe mixture to the egg yolks in order to heat yolks. Stir the yolks into the cantaloupe mixture. Continue to cook and stir the cantaloupe mixture until it is thick and creamy. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla paste. Pour into the pie shell.
Cool completely. Serve with whipped cream.

New Orleans Barbeque Shrimp

In the Uptown District of New Orleans, on Napoleon Avenue, is a restaurant named Pascal’s Manale. An Italian-Creole restaurant, their specialty is barbeque shrimp. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Barbeque shrimp - been there, done that.” No you haven’t, period! There is nothing “barbeque” about this shrimp - neither the preparation nor the sauce. Why it’s called barbeque beats me; but then, I don’t care. This shrimp is so good; it’s the stuff that dreams are made of.

I lived in New Orleans for 2 years. While there, I attempted to eat my way through the city. I was not able to dine in every great spot in the “Big Easy” but don’t feel sorry for me. I experienced the best and left with some good memories - not to mention all the recipes I could steal from willing and unwilling donors.

Many people have tried to copy Pascal’s Manale recipe; and it was even posted in the Times-Picayune newspaper several years ago - if in fact that was the authentic recipe. The recipe I have listed here is a culmination of no less than five different barbeque shrimp recipes that were given to me by friends who live there. It is not an exact match, but its close enough for me. If you ever find yourself in New Orleans, run, don’t walk to Pascal’s Manale. It will be one of the best experiences you’ll ever have. Trust me on this one.

New Orleans Barbeque Shrimp

Ingredients:
2 pounds shrimp
2 sticks butter, unsalted
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 bottle beer (6 ounces) - preferably Abita Amber
Juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
1 tablespoon rosemary leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Tabasco, to taste (optional)
French bread

Preparation:
Clean shrimp and lay into a shallow casserole dish in one layer.
Melt butter in a saucepan. Add all other ingredients, except bread, and stir until beer foam subsides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 - 3 hours. Baste and turn shrimp every 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake uncovered for about 20 minutes or until shrimp are pink and cooked.
Serve in a soup bowl with sauce and lots of french bread.

A Chef With a Vision

Chef Randy Stamm, owner of Prime Steakhouse in Aiken, South Carolina, is no newcomer to the restaurant business. In fact he comes from three generations of restauranteurs, and has worked in his family’s New York City steakhouses since he was 16 years old. Classically-French trained at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park New York, he has owned over 10 steakhouses - all under the "Prime Steakhouse" name - throughout the United States.

So what brought Chef Randy to Aiken? Retired since he was 40 and living at the beach in New Jersey, he "got fed up with the depressing economic climate and negativity of living in the northeast." He moved to Aiken to be near his mother, who has lived in the area for 12 years. Once here, he was asked to revamp the culinary arts program at Aiken Technical College. But his retirement from the restaurant business was soon to end. “I need the action. After 8 years of living at the beach I was ready to get busy.” Prime Steakhouse was born again.

When asked why he would take on such a venture in this economy, he says it is because of the rapid growth of Aiken and the surrounding areas. “The south is the new northeast. My friends are moving to South Carolina, not Florida.” His vision for Prime Steakhouse is that it will “quickly become the finest restaurant in Aiken County.” Within two years he hopes to add more locations in Aiken and around the state.

Prime Steakhouse opened Friday, July 10th and features prime aged beef, and lobsters that are flown in daily. Beginning next week, a Raw Bar with oysters, shrimp and clams will be available in the bar area every afternoon starting at 3 p.m. But don’t be fooled by the name. Prime Steakhouse offers more than just steak. They are open daily for lunch (except Sunday) and have a full lunch menu with soups, sandwiches and salads (see Ahi Tuna Salad recipe below).
http://www.primesteakhouseaiken.com/
321 Richland Avenue
Aiken, South Carolina
803.642.4488


Peppercorn Ahi Tuna Salad with Wasabi and Balsamic Sauces (Recipe by Chef Randy Stamm)

Ingredients:
Ahi tuna loin
ground black peppercorn
mixed salad greens
wasabi (tube)
white wine vinegar
corn oil
red balsamic vinegar

Preparation:
Dust tuna loin with black pepper. Sear on all sides just until rare. Set aside.
Squeeze wasabi into a bowl and add vinegar and oil to make a runny sauce. Place in a squirt bottle and refrigerate to thicken.
In a medium sauce pan slowly reduce red balsamic vinegar by half and cool to room temperature. (If not reduced slowly, it will taste burnt.)
Slice tuna and arrange over greens. Serve with sauces.