chicken & grapes

Every time I had the option of choosing dinner growing up I chose the same recipe. Every holiday & birthday I would ask for the same recipe. Even now, if meim visits and offers to cook dinner, I ask for the same recipe; chicken & grapes. This is the one recipe (other than king crab legs) that I will never ever ever get sick of. Chicken & grapes is also amazing as left overs. Its overall a perfected recipe in every aspect.

Ingredients:

Curried rice 

1 cup rice

1 small apple (peeled, cored & cubed)

2 tbs curry powder

2 tbs butter

1 bay leaf

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Chicken and sauce

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Salt & pepper 

2 shallots

10 green grapes

1/2 cup white wine

3 tbs butter

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

1. Begin with the rice. Heat 2 tbs butter, add onion and garlic. Cook until onion begins to hint at turning brown.

 

2. Add cubed apple and curry powder. Stir to mix.
 

 

3. Add rice, bay leaf, and chicken broth. Stir and bring to a low simmer. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes.

 

 

4. As the rice is simmering, cut the chicken into strips. Add 3 tbs butter to a pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken strips, sprinkle salt and pepper, and cook until it loses the raw-chicken look. Once it reaches this point, transfer to plate and cover with foil.
 

 

5. Add shallots to the pan and cook for 3 minutes. 

 6. Add wine and stir constantly until half has cooked off. Add juices that accumulate around reserved chicken pieces.

7. Add heavy cream and grapes to the wine-shallot mixture. Stir over high heat to thicken.

 

 

8. Add chicken back into mixture to fully cook and thicken sauce.
 

 

9. Once fully cooked and thickened to your liking, remove bay leaf & fluff rice, and plate in this order: rice, chicken, extra sauce, more extra sauce.
 

 

 

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fresh apple tart from scratch

After apple picking came the obligatory apple baking day. I decided to make a tart, rather than a pie, to test out my new Le Creuset tart pan. I went with a shortbread crust (because I love shortbread more than any other cookie) and made the tart to look like a dahlia (one of my favorite flowers), so all in all it was a delicious customized tart, so feel free to customize to your favorite things!

Ingredients (for 1 tart made with a 9" tart pan):
Shortbread crust:
2 egg yolks
2 tbs cold water
1 3/4 cups flour
1 stick of cold butter, diced
Pinch of salt 
 
Apple filling:
3 extra-large apples (4 medium-sized) cored, peeled, and sliced (retain cores & peels)
2 cups water
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs butter, diced
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs cinnamon

Directions:
1. Mix the egg yolks with the cold water and whisk until well combined.
 
2. Place the flour into a food processor, along with 1 stick of diced cold butter and a pinch of salt. Pulse several times until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

3. Add the egg yolk and water mixture to the dry mixture and pulse until the breadcrumb texture forms into larger chunks. Beware not to overwork!

4. Turn mix onto a clean, floured space and bring together to make a dough. Shape into a semi-flattened ball and cover in saran wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 

5. While waiting for pastry, peel and core apples (easiest with a melon baller if you do not have a corer). Place peel & core remnants in a small pot, cover with 2 cups of water and add 2 tbs sugar. Bring to a boil. Boil down to a syrup, strain, and reserve liquid.

 

 

 

 
6. Cut apple pieces into small slivers (1/8"). Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

7. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out on a clean, floured space. Transfer to tart pan and lightly press on sides and bottom. 

8. Arrange apple slices accordingly in the tart pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Dot apple slices with diced butter. Pour 1/4 cup of apple syrup over tart and pop into preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes (turning & adding 1/4 cup of apple syrup each 15 minutes) until bubbly and browned.

 

 

 9. Remove and enjoy by itself or with vanilla ice cream!

 

 

 

 

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