Crispy Korean Chicken and Gingerbread Biscotti for CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning I'll be featuring the following recipes on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.

This may look like a long and detailed recipe but once you have all of the elements together (mise en place), it is quite simple to prepare.

Enjoy for your Grey Cup snacking or make it a regular feature!

1. Crispy Korean Chicken
from:  http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-dakgangjeong

Steps:
Mix chicken with seasonings and cover in starch.
Fry in hot oil for 7 to 8 minutes.
Shake off, let sit, then fry for another 12 to 15 minutes.
Coat in seasoning sauce.
Sprinkle sesame seeds over top and serve immediately.
Ingredients

3½ pounds chicken wings (about 1.6 kg), washed and drained
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2/3 cup potato starch or corn starch
⅓ cup peanuts (optional)
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 4 large dried red chili peppers, seeded, cut crosswise into ⅓ inch pieces (optional)
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup rice or corn syrup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard (optional)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Grapeseed oil (or vegetable oil, peanut oil)
Directions

Cut off the tip of each wing and chop the wing in half. After this is done you should have about 3 pounds of chicken, with 24 to 26 pieces.
Put the chicken in a bowl and mix with salt, ginger, and ground black pepper by hand.
Put 2/3 cup potato starch in a bowl and dip each wing in the powder to coat it, one by one. Squeeze each wing to press the coating to it tightly.
Make the sweet, spicy, and sticky sauce:

Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons cooking oil, minced garlic, and the dried red chili pepper.
Stir with a wooden spoon until fragrant for about 30 seconds.
Add soy sauce, rice syrup, vinegar, and mustard sauce (optional). Stir with a wooden spoon and let it bubble for a few minutes.
Add the brown sugar and continue stirring. Remove from the heat. Set aside.
Fry the chicken:

Put 4 cups of cooking oil in a frying pan or pot and heat it up for 7 to 8 minutes over high heat.
See if the oil’s ready by dipping a test wing into it. If the oil bubbles, it’s hot enough to start frying. Slide the coated wings one by one into the hot oil and cook for about 12 to 13 minutes, turning over a few times with tongs.
Take the wings out of the oil and shake them off in a strainer. Turn off the heat, and let the wings sit for a few minutes.
Reheat the oil and fry the wings again for another 12 to 15 minutes until they all look golden brown and feel super crunchy through the tongs. If your frying pan or pot is not large enough to fry all the chicken at once, divide it into batches like I do in the video. If you use a larger frying pot to cook them all at once, you’ll have to use more cooking oil.
Coat the fried chicken with the sauce:

When the chicken is done, reheat the sauce until it bubbles.
Add the hot chicken and mix well with a wooden spoon to coat.
Remove from the heat and transfer the coated chicken to a large platter. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over top and serve immediately. This chicken won’t lose its crunchiness, even by the next day. You don’t need any dipping sauce.


2. Gingerbread Biscotti

2/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 tsp Frangelico (or try kirsch, or coffee liquors)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch sea salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Mix butter sugar and molasses until smooth. Add one egg at a time and mix. Add vanilla and liquor and mix until smooth. Combine dry ingredients and mix slowly into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated. Turn out dough onto floured surface and form into a large log. Divide dough into three pieces and flatten out each piece into rectangles onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Take out of oven and cut into biscotti pieces. Turn cookies and bake for 5-7 minutes at 300ºF. When cooled, drizzle melted chocolate or make a simple icing of icing sugar and liquor.

Enjoy!

Cooking Demo at D.A. Niels - A variety of Autumn flavours

Yesterday I had the pleasure of demonstrating the following recipes at D.A.Niels on Berry St. I topped a sample of the squash with a sautéed pickerel cheek, the drunken figs were prepared with Pellee Island Semi-Sweet Merlot and I iced the biscotti with Nocella and icing sugar. Thanks to everyone who came out.

1. Pickerel cheeks with Chermoula (Morocco meets Manitoba)

1 head garlic, peeled (or 3-5 large cloves)
¼ tsp cayenne
1 heaping tbs cumin
½ bunch parsley
1 whole bunch cilantro
juice of one lemon
2 tbs vinegar
1 generous tbs olive oil
salt, to taste

1 lb pickerel cheeks

Blend all of the first ingredients in a food processor and place in glass bowl. Mix in the pickerel cheeks and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Sauté a minute per side. Serve immediately.

This is a classic Moroccan flavouring for fish but also goes well with vegetables.

2. Sautéed Squash with Pear

1 small squash or pumpkin (size of a small cabbage)- NOT Spaghetti Squash
1 ripe pear
1 tbs. butter
drizzle olive oil
freshly grated nutmeg
1 oz Frangelico
salt and pepper

Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Save seeds on paper towel to dry for planting in Spring. I used a small version of the bumpy salmon coloured squash in the top photo.

Cut seeded squash into four pieces to make peeling easier. Peel and slice into wedges. Heat a sauté pan to medium heat. Melt butter with a drizzle of olive oil. Place squash slices in pan and slowly cook for ~20 minutes or until soft and beginning to brown on both sides. Add chopped pear, salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium high after pear has softened and add the Frangelico. Allow the liquid to cook down a bit.

Can be prepared in advance and warmed up. A nice side dish for a wide range of holiday feasting.

Enjoy!

3. Gingerbread Biscotti

2/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 tsp Frangelico (or try kirsch, or coffee liquors)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch sea salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Mix butter sugar and molasses until smooth. Add one egg at a time and mix. Add vanilla and liquor and mix until smooth. Combine dry ingredients and mix slowly into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated. Turn out dough onto floured surface and form into a large log. Divide dough into three pieces and flatten out each piece into rectangles onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Take out of oven and cut into biscotti pieces. Turn cookies and bake for 5-7 minutes at 300ºF. When cooled, drizzle melted chocolate or make a simple icing of icing sugar and liquor.

Enjoy!

4. Drunken Figs

1 package of dried figs
red wine such as Lambrusco works great as it is a sweet wine to begin with, but merlot, shiraz, zinfandel or pinot noir would work great too!


Place dried figs in a glass bowl, cover with wine. Place in fridge. DONE

Enjoy on their own, with ice cream, pound or angel food cake, etc.

Italian Countryside with the Assiniboine Park Conservancy and the MLCC

On Wednesday evening, I had the pleasure of presenting a few recipes from around the Italian countryside with Bonnie Tulloch, Education Coordinator for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy and Gary Dawyduk,Product Ambassador of the MLCC. I added a few surprises in the mix as well that can be found on this blog such as Sage Butter Pasta and a variation of biscotti with cranberries, walnuts and blood oranges and zest.(Click on biscotti labels for some variations in this blog)

Bonnie presented on the flora of the Italian countryside that was represented in the recipes and Gary presented excellent beverage pairings for each course, including a welcoming cocktail and after dinner digestivo.

Aperitivo:
Negroni cocktail:
1 oz. London Dry Gin (Quintessential, #540419, $25.86)
1 oz. Sweet Vermouth (Cinzano, #422, $11.49)
1 oz. Italian Bitters (Cynar, #5299, $23.85)
Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass, ¾ filled with ice
Garnish with orange slice



1. Bruschetta con pomodoro e basilico

This is bruschetta in its simplest, tastiest form.

The next step in bruschetta assembly is rubbing the toasted bread with garlic, before or after sprinkling on the olive oil, and adding a pinch of salt.

Paired with Prosecco – Zonin (#6017) $13.28
* Italian or French bread, cut in 1/2 inch slices
* fresh, ripe, firm tomato, washed and coarsely chopped
* fresh basil leaves, whole or shredded
* olive oil, extra virgin, the best
* garlic, peeled, whole (optional)
* salt to taste

Grill or toast bread. Charcoal is great!

Place sliced bread under the broiler, in the toaster or best yet over a charcoal grill and toast.

Rub toast with a clove of garlic or not, depending on taste.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Spoon chopped tomato onto bread.

Scatter some basil. Alternatively, place the tomatoes, basil, garlic (chopped fine), olive oil and salt in a bowl and mix.

Set bowl at table alongside the toasted bread and simply spoon on mixture.

Some prefer to use sliced rather than chopped tomato.

2. Farfalle with Onion Confit, Gorganzola and Walnuts

Paired with Gewurztraminer 2009 – Fetzer (#350843) $14.99 and 1488 Whisky Ale – Tullilbardine (#10420, 500 ml) $7.33

(serves 2-4)
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 lb farfalle
1/3 cup fresh basil
3 tbs, walnut pieces, toasted
1 ounce Gorgonzola

Heat olive oil in a wide skillet. Add the onions and pinch of salt. Sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the onions begin to soften and release their juices. Add the garlic and continue to cook over medium heat, gently stirring as they caramelize. After 30 minutes, the onions should be a rich golden colour and sweet. Add wine to deglaze the pan ad simmer over low heat.

Boil pasta as per instructions. Chop or break the toasted walnuts. Before draining pasta, add a 1/4 cup of cooking water to the confit. Add the drained pasta to the confit with walnuts and basil. Season and crumble in cheese. Serve immediately.


3.Elk Osso Bucco:

Paired with Dolcetto d’Alba 2007 – Damilano (#9722) $26.99 and Rioja Reserva 2005 – Montecillo (#802108) $20.97

1 cup all-purpose flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 pieces Beef, Bison or Elk for osso bucco
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 lemon, zest peeled off in wide strips with a vegetable peeler
1 head garlic, cut horizontally through the middle
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bottle dry red wine
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can low-sodium beef broth (I had homemade chicken broth on hand instead)
1 (28-ounce) can whole San Marzano tomatoes, hand-crushed (I used 6 frozen garden grown Roma Tomatoes)

Put the flour in a large shallow platter and season it with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Dredge the meat in the seasoned flour and then tap off the excess (extra flour will burn and make the dish off-tasting).

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and hit it with a 3-count drizzle of oil. Add the butter and swirl it around the pan to melt. Sear the meat, turning carefully with tongs, until all sides are a rich brown caramel color. Drizzle with a little more oil, if needed. (Do this in batches if the shanks are big and look crowded in the pot.) Remove the browned meat to a side plate. There will be a lot of flavor left over in the bottom of the pot. You're going to use that to create your sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using the same pot, sauté the onion, celery, carrots, lemon zest, garlic, bay leaves, and parsley over medium heat. Cook the vegetables down until they start to get some color and develop a deep, rich aroma. Season with salt and pepper; add a little oil if needed. Nestle the meat back in the pot. Pour in the wine and let it simmer down for 20 minutes, until the wine has reduced by half. Reducing is key for intense flavor. Add the beef broth and tomatoes and stir everything together. Cover the pot and put it in the oven. Braise for 1 and a 1/2 hours. Then remove the cover and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. The sauce should be thick and the meat tender and nearly falling off the bone.


4. Lemon Gelato with Amaretto cookie

Paired with Maximo Marche Bianco 2006 – Ronchi (#10955, 375 ml) $24.45

Lemon Gelato:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
1 pint (500 ml) water
The zest of a half a lemon
The juice of three lemons
An ice cream machine
Preparation:

Bring the sugar, water and lemon zest to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Let the mixture cool, stir in the lemon juice, and make the sherbet, following the instructions given by the manufacturer of your ice cream machine.

Yield: 6 servings lemon gelato.

Variations: you can also make lime sherbet, substituting limes for lemons, or orange sherbet, using the juice of three oranges and one lemon. If you choose to make the latter, reduce the sugar somewhat since oranges are naturally sweeter than lemons or limes.

Amaretti cookies

Ingredients

2 egg whites
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp (1 mL) almond extract
2-1/2 cups (625 mL) ground almonds
Topping:
2 tbsp (25 mL) granulated sugar
Preparation:

In large bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; beat in sugar, 2 tbsp (25 mL) at a time, until stiff glossy peaks form. Beat in almond extract; fold in ground almonds.

Drop by generous 1 tbsp (15 mL) or pipe using piping bag, 2 inches (5 cm) apart, onto parchment paper–lined baking sheets.

Topping: Sprinkle sugar over cookies. Bake in top and bottom thirds of 300°F (150°C) oven, rotating and switching pans halfway through, for about 20 minutes or until firm to the touch and light golden. Transfer to rack; let cool completely. (Make-ahead: Store layered between waxed paper in airtight container for up to 3 days.)


Digestivo: Frangelico Liqueur (#8546) $23.97

Gingerbread Biscotti

(photo by Karen)

Gingerbread Biscotti

2/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 tsp Frangelico (or try kirsch, or coffee liquors)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch sea salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Mix butter sugar and molasses until smooth. Add one egg at a time and mix. Add vanilla and liquor and mix until smooth. Combine dry ingredients and mix slowly into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated. Turn out dough onto floured surface and form into a large log. Divide dough into three pieces and flatten out each piece into rectangles onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Take out of oven and cut into biscotti pieces. Turn cookies and bake for 5-7 minutes at 300ºF. When cooled, drizzle melted chocolate or make a simple icing of icing sugar and liquor.

Enjoy!

It only tastes expensive

When I was younger, I made presents for my friends and family. Now I am older and I make presents again. Here are a couple of popular items to make and give away in jars. Nice for watching budgets but still feel extravagant.



Homemade Granola
I adapted this recipe from my parents' older version of the More with Less Cookbook

Preheat oven to 350ºF

1 large roaster (I use a large aluminum turkey roaster)
2.25 kg oats (you can reduce for your wants)
1/2 cup skim milk powder
up to 2 cups each sliced almonds, broken pecans, or other nuts that you enjoy
1 cup unsweetened medium coconut (optional)
1 cup roasted green pumpkin seeds (optional)

In a saucepan melt together:
1 cup molasses
1 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil

Watch that the molasses and honey don't boil over but it is ready to pour into the oats mixture when it bubbles and foams up.
Mix well into oats and nuts and bake for 20- 30 minutes or until browning on top. Stir and bake for at least another 20- 30 minutes. While it is baking, soak dried fruit.

Dried Fruit (I always round quite up on these items and don't really measure at all)

1 cup dark raisins
1 cup craisins
1 cup cut dried apricots
1 cup pitted cut dates
All optional or what you may have on hand. At Christmas I use dried cherries. I also often use currants.

After turning and baking the granola, turn off heat and stir in drained fruit. Leave in oven until all dried.

Fill small sealer jars with granola for gifts.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Almond Biscotti


Check out an earlier post for Chocolate Almond Biscotti and try the options. One option that I made today was Lavender Saffron Almond biscotti. I made lavender syrup and used chopped up lavender in the dough as well.

Fill small sealer jars or decorative boxes for gifts.

Enjoy!

Hazelnut Frangelico Biscotti

Hazelnut Frangelico Biscotti

Recipe By: Karen
Serving Size: 36

1 c butter softened
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
4 tsps Frangelico
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c +2tsp white flour unbleached
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c ground hazelnuts


Preheat oven to 325ºF. Cream butter until fluffy and add sugar. Cream again until fluffy and add the eggs, beating well until mixture is smooth. Mix in Frangelico and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat into butter mixture until just incorporated. Stir in hazelnuts.
Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces on a lightly floured board. Roll pieces into long cylinders about 1 - 1 1/2inches in diameter. Place on a baking sheet and flatten to rectangles. Bake until light brown, about 25 minutes.
Cool the rolls and slice diagonally to make 1/2 inch biscotti. Lower oven temperature to 300ºF, lay the slices on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake until dry, about 10 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Variations:
Lemon Zest/Almond, Grand Marnier Biscotti. Substitute zest of one lemon for hazelnuts and Grand Marnier for Frangelico.
Cranberry/Almond/Grand Marnier Biscotti. Substitute dried cranberries for hazelnuts and Grand Marnier for Frangelico.
Chocolate/Almond. Substitute hazelnuts for 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds and 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Substitute Kalhua for Frangelico.

Hazelnut Biscotti and Mexican Hot Chocolate

Hazelnut Frangelico Biscotti

Recipe By: Karen
Serving Size: 36

1/2 c butter softened
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
4 tsps Frangelico
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c +2tsp white flour unbleached
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c ground hazelnuts


Preheat oven to 325ºF. Cream butter until fluffy and add sugar. Cream again until fluffy and add the eggs, beating well until mixture is smooth. Mix in Frangelico and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat into butter mixture until just incorporated. Stir in hazelnuts.
Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces on a lightly floured board. Roll pieces into long cylinders about 1 - 1 1/2inches in diameter. Place on a baking sheet and flatten to rectangles. Bake until light brown, about 25 minutes.
Cool the rolls and slice diagonally to make 1/2 inch biscotti. Lower oven temperature to 300ºF, lay the slices on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake until dry, about 10 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Variations:
Lemon Zest/Almond, Grand Marnier Biscotti. Substitute zest of one lemon for hazelnuts and Grand Marnier for Frangelico.
Cranberry/Almond/Grand Marnier Biscotti. Substitute dried cranberries for hazelnuts and Grand Marnier for Frangelico.
Chocolate/Almond. Substitute hazelnuts for 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds and 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Substitute Kalhua for Frangelico.



Mexican Hot Chocolate

1 bar Luker Chocolate*
1 litre milk
pinch ground cinnamon or cinnamon stick
pinch dried chipotle chilies
1/3 cup sugar
pinch Hawaiian Red Clay Sea Salt**

*Available in Winnipeg at Dino's Grocery Mart at 460 Notre Dame.
**Purchased at Dean & Deluca in NYC but available in many locations.

Slowly cook all ingredients except for the Sea Salt. Serve when well incorporated with Red Clay Seal Salt served on the side to bring out the full chocolate flavour.

Enjoy!