Koldskål

Posted on July 23, 2012 by sparecake

If you didn’t know, the Tour de France ended yesterday! For the 3 weeks, the chefs of 3 of the teams were on twitter sharing photos, menus, and blog posts about what they were making their teams. Check out this sweet kitchen-truck one of them was working in! Last week one of the chefs mentioned that she had made Koldskål for dessert and all the guys had loved it. Not only did I have no idea what it was then, but I still can’t even type it without copying and pasting from somewhere else to get that å business.

Turns out, Koldskål is a chilled Danish buttermilk soup popular in the summer. I made a tiny amount that afternoon to check it out, and it’s real light and refreshing, so I decided to make it for a picnic I went to this weekend. (In the meantime, my mom wanted to get some of those Dunkin Donut oreo donuts so I made some more that evening to dunk the donuts in. Totally reasonable.)

I’ve never had it made by anyone Danish, so I read a bunch of recipes and took what I liked out of them, which included a bit of lemon. The first time I made it I didn’t have any buttermilk around, so curdled milk by adding lemon juice. When I made it later for the picnic, I used store-bought buttermilk, but added some lemon zest to keep the extra tart citrus flavor. This is good with some berries. There are apparently also Danish cookies that are usually paired with it, but until I have any idea what they are, Nilla wafers are a good substitute.

Not pictured: Giant sugar bucket.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons sugar (you could use plain yogurt and bump the sugar up a bit)
  • drop vanilla
  • lemon zest, to taste (probably 1/4 or so of a lemon)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or your blender and mix thoroughly. If it got warm while you were blending it, chill a bit until back to fridge temp. Um, and that’s it. I whisked them together this time because I was making a double batch, but with a normal amount a blender works well. If it got warm while you were blending it, chill a bit until back to fridge temp.

Serve with berries and cookies as desired.

Mine first got packaged up.

Driven safely upright down to Boston.

And then chugged at a picnic!

We shared some serious truths.

Super simple, and really nice and light for a hot day. If you’re interested in checking out what cyclists eat, the chefs for Team Sky (my new favorite twitterer), Saxo Bank Tinkoff Bank, and Garmin Sharp are apparently all going to be posting again during the Vuelta a España next month!

Koldskål (Danish Buttermilk Soup)

Based on a bunch of sites, but especially My Danish Kitchen.

  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • drop vanilla
  • lemon zest, to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve chilled with berries and/or cookies as desired.

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Jimbalian Fudge Cake

Posted on July 20, 2012 by sparecake

Before getting anywhere near this recipe, I would like to pass on one pro-tip: If your shortening looks kinda like Vaseline and smells like rancid death, THROW IT OUT. This message sponsored by the Jani and Corinne Council for Never Eating Anything Like That Ever Again.

Anyways. This recipe is from the Star Trek Cookbook, which… already, awesome. Supposedly it’s the cake Neelix made several times for Kes’ birthdays… And since Ocampa only live to 9, it better be a pretty good cake if you’re going to serve it to one of them more than once!

That frosting goes on smooooooth!

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 1-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

  • 3 1-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate
  • 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 7 tablespoons light cream
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line with parchment 2 9″ cake pans. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In your mixer’s bowl, combine the shortening and sugar and beat until soft and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

This sweatshirt has chocolate on it 9/10 of the time. For some reason I tend to bake right after doing laundry…

Add the melted chocolate and blend thoroughly.

Alternate adding the flour in 3 batches and milk in two, so that you add flour both first and last, and beat after each addition.

Beat in the vanilla, then divide evenly into the prepared cake pans and spread.

Bake 30 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when gently pressed. Let cool completely before frosting.

To make the fudge frosting, first melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Beat in 2 cups of the powdered sugar, the cream, and the salt, whisking until smooth and creamy.

Cook, still on low and stirring slowly, until the mixture beings to bubble at the edges. This takes a little bit. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and remaining 3/4 cup of powdered sugar. Beat slowly until smooth, somewhat cooled, and thick enough to spread, then frost.

Pretty pleased to have combined nerdiness and chocolate!

Jimbalian Fudge Cake

From the Star Trek Cookbook.

Cake:

  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 1-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

  • 3 1-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate
  • 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 7 tablespoons light cream
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line with parchment 2 9″ cake pans. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In your mixer’s bowl, combine the shortening and sugar and beat until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the melted chocolate and blend thoroughly.  Alternate adding the flour in 3 batches and milk in two, so that you add flour both first and last, and beat after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, then divide the cake into the prepared cake pans and spread evenly. Bake 30 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when gently pressed. Let cool completely before frosting.

To make the fudge frosting, first melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Beat in 2 cups of the powdered sugar, the cream, and the salt, whisking until smooth and creamy. Cook, still on low and stirring slowly, until the mixture beings to bubble at the edges. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and remaining 3/4 cup of powdered sugar. Beat slowly until smooth, somewhat cooled, and thick enough to spread, then frost.

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Norwegian Pound Cake

Posted on July 18, 2012 by sparecake

This is a really simple pound cake that has a nice crisp outside and is topped with chocolate frosting. The frosting uses eggs in a way I’d not seen before in frosting, and is quite tasty.

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 2 1/4 cups sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 3/4 pound butter (3 sticks), room temperature
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (I just used more vanilla, as I prefer it)

Frosting:

  • 8 ounces chocolate bits (I used semi-sweet)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 pound butter, room temperature
  • drop almond extract (used vanilla again)

Combine all the cake ingredients in the bowl of your mixer and beat on medium speed for 20 minutes. While that’s beating, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a bundt pan.

You may wonder why you’re beating so long and consider stopping after 5 minutes, but I did find that the batter got lighter in color and looked fluffier by the end. Pour the beaten batter into your prepared bundt pan.

Bake 1 hour 20 minutes.

Turn out immediately onto a wire rack and cover with a clean dishtowel while it cools.

To make the frosting, first melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave, then let cool several minutes. Beat the eggs and butter together, then add in the chocolate. Beat in the almond extract.

We weren’t patient enough to let the cake cool completely, so I just heaped the frosting on top, figuring it’d melt down the sides a bit. I’m not sure what a more attractive way to frost a bundt is. It’s a pretty thick, solid frosting, at least until the heat of the cake made it start dripping.

I really liked both the tastes and textures of this cake. Two thumbs up!

Norwegian Pound Cake

From Forum Feasts (haha Amazon has copies from $8.10 to $264.40. WHAT.)

Cake:

  • 2 1/4 cups sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 3/4 pound butter (3 sticks), room temperature
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Frosting:

  • 8 ounces chocolate bits
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 pound butter, room temperature
  • drop almond extract

Combine all the cake ingredients in the bowl of your mixer and beat on medium speed for 20 minutes. While that’s beating, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a bundt pan. Pour the beaten batter into your prepared bundt pan and bake 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn out immediately onto a wire rack and cover with a clean dishtowel while it cools.

To make the frosting, first melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave, then let cool several minutes. Beat the eggs and butter together, then add in the chocolate. Beat in the almond extract. Frost cake as desired.

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Frozen Hot Chocolate

Posted on July 16, 2012 by sparecake

After typing up the fluffernutter pie recipe, I did end up looking through the rest of the Fluff cookbook. There were a bunch of things I liked the look of, including some frozen hot chocolate. This weekend I went to New York and got a frozen hot chocolate at Dinkies  and it was really good, so I wanted to see how the Fluff one compared.

The Dinkies frozen hot chocolate.

I think the Dinkies one was a bit smoother, but the Fluff one…well, it had Fluff, which I love. I think I would have liked it even better with a dollop of Fluff at the bottom of the glass. (Tonight was the first time I ever considered lining a glass with Fluff…)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cold milk
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 large spoonfuls of Fluff
  • 6 ice cubes
  • whipped cream and/or chocolate for garnish

Put the milk, cocoa, Fluff, and ice all in a blender.

Blend 30 seconds, or until smooth. Don’t let ice chunks hide in the bottom, as they’ll be annoying to crunch on later. Serve in a glass and garnish as desired.

Soooo classy! It makes about twice that much.

It’s not the richest chocolate thing ever, but it’s pretty refreshing and very tasty. Worth trying out, especially considering how fast it is to throw together.

It’s also an awful easy recipe to type up!

Frozen Hot Chocolate

From the Yummy Book.

  • 1 cup cold milk
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 large spoonfuls of Fluff
  • 6 ice cubes
  • whipped cream and/or chocolate for garnish

Put the milk, cocoa, Fluff, and ice all in a blender and blend 30 seconds or until smooth. Garnish as desired.

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Sugar Cookies

Posted on July 13, 2012 by sparecake

Do you ever start looking for recipes and just go “uuuughhhh oh noooo” because there are 10,000 variations and you don’t want to have to figure out which one is best? Well, one of my relatives gave me The Best Recipe, the Cooks Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen cookbook. I’m pretty confident using these recipes and knowing that someone did zillions of trials to get the very best cookie/duck/polenta, and I don’t have to worry about it. (Ok, blog over, get the cookbook and go home. Oh, wait, no don’t! I’d be so lonely!)

I wanted some green cookies this week, as it was the playoffs in floor hockey and my team’s shirts are green. Fabulously enough, they were victory cookies, and the Mighty Pucks are the champions!

Winning is sweaty business.

Anyways, cookies…

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Adjust the oven racks to upper and lower middle position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

Cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a shallow bowl or pie dish. I replaced some of the regular sugar with green sparkly sugar.

Scoop the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon sized balls, and roll each ball in the sugar. Place the balls 2 – 2 1/2″ apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Butter the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass or ramekin, then dip in sugar. Gently flatten the dough balls to 3/8-1/2″ thick, dipping the glass back in sugar after every 2 or 3 cookies.

Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until 10-11 minutes, or when the cookies are pale golden. Most of the browning on mine was right at the edges.

Let cool 2-3 minutes on the pan, then transfer with a wide spatula to a rack to cool completely.

These are some pretty fabulous sugar cookies – I’m willing to believe they’re the best, which is certainly what the Mighty Pucks deserve!

Sugar Cookies

From The Best Recipe.

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Adjust the oven racks to upper and lower middle position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

Cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a shallow bowl or pie dish.

Scoop the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon sized balls, and roll each ball in the sugar. Place the balls 2 – 2 1/2″ apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Butter the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass or ramekin, then dip in sugar. Gently flatten the dough balls to 3/8-1/2″ thick, dipping the glass back in sugar after every 2 or 3 cookies.

Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until 10-11 minutes, or when the cookies are pale golden. Let cool 2-3 minutes on the pan, then transfer with a wide spatula to a rack to cool completely.

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Fluffernutter Pie

Posted on July 11, 2012 by sparecake

One of the desserts I made for the wedding in Kansas City last weekend was a fluffernutter pie. The people that make Fluff have a whole cookbook, but I’ve never even really looked through it, for whatever reason, I just go straight to this recipe because I know I love it. Everyone that got some at the wedding seemed to love it too!

Looks a bit of a mess now, but it’s fabulous!

Ingredients:

  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 prepared Oreo crust

In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the cold water with the gelatin and let it sit for 1 minute. Place on the stove and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, vanilla, and remaining 1/2 cup cold water.

Exciting, I know.

Add the peanut butter and fluff.

Beat together with an electric mixer until smooth and evenly mixed. If you don’t have a hand mixer, you can pour the water mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer before adding the fluff and peanut butter. I suppose you could also beat together by hand, but oy that sounds like it would take effort.

Avoiding spatter.

Cover and refrigerate several hours until the mixture forms solid mounds if you scoop out a spoonful and drop it.

Beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks.

Fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture, stirring gently until evenly combined. Turn out into the Oreo crust and refrigerate another hour or two until set.

Optional steps:

Bring to wedding.

Yay, I made that cake too!

Have friends consume.

Hmm while I’ve got the link open, might be time to finally check out the rest of the fluff cookbook…

 Fluffernutter Pie

From The Yummy Book (page 9).

  •  1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
  • 2 cups heavy or whipping cream
  • 1 prepared Oreo crust

In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the cold water with the gelatin and let it sit for 1 minute. Place on the stove and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, vanilla, and remaining 1/2 cup cold water. Add the peanut butter and fluff and beat together until smooth and evenly mixed. Cover and refrigerate several hours until the mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon.

Beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks. Fold into the peanut butter mixture, stirring gently until evenly combined. Turn out into the Oreo crust and refrigerate until set.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

BRB

Posted on July 9, 2012 by sparecake

Although I’d been building up a small queue of posts lately, I was gone all last week to Kansas City to prep for the wedding of some of my favorite people, and burned through them. Here’s what you missed while I was gone.

There was lots of eating!

Lots of baking in a kitchen made for giants!

Lots of good decorations!

Lots of awesome people!

Lots of home-made desserts gettin’ all classy!

And not a lot of sleep!

Back Wednesday, when I’ll have had enough sleep to type up a recipe!

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Cornbread and Sausage Stuffed Apples

Posted on July 6, 2012 by sparecake

I saw this recipe, wanted to make it immediately, and then lucked out when we randomly got a free box of Stovetop stuffing. Perfect! The only problem I had was that there were only tiny apples at the supermarket. I think if you can get bigger apples, it’ll be way easier to scoop them out, and they’ll make better bowls.

Ingredients:

  • 1 6 ounce package cornbread stuffing mix
  • 1/2 pound ground pork sausage, loose not links
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 5 Rome apples (or 6 tiny apples)
  • 1 medium-size sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 cup cider vinegar

Prepare the stuffing according to the package directions, then set aside. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink, and set aside. You can dump them both in the same bowl if you’re low on counter space.

Stir together the lemon juice and water.

Cut the apples in half, from the top down. Using a sharp, pointy knife, cut out the insides of the apple, leaving a 1/4″ shell. You might also find a grapefruit spoon helpful. As you hollow out each half, brush the cut edges and inside with the lemon juice mixture to help prevent browning.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Chop the apple insides into small pieces, discarding seeds and cores, then combine with the chopped onion in the pan you cooked the sausage in. Saute 6-8 minutes, until onion is tender.

Stir together the apples and onions with the sausage and stuffing, adding the parsley as well.

Crumple strips of tin foil into rings.

Dump any excess lemon-water out of the apple shells, then put each on a foil ring in a baking pan.

Spoon the stuffing mixture into the apples, piling it up as high as is stable.

You’re supposed to pour the cup of cider vinegar into the bottom of the pan, to steam while they bake. I forgot to do this, and don’t know how much it adds. I’ve been asked to make this again, though, so will maybe find out soon!

Spoon any extra stuffing into a loaf pan or 8X8″ baking dish.

Bake apples and extra stuffing 30-40 minutes, until apples are tender.

Delicious! I really liked the filling, and the apples cups were fun.

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffed Apples

From MyRecipes.com.

  • 1 6 ounce package cornbread stuffing mix
  • 1/2 pound ground pork sausage, loose not links
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 5 Rome apples (or 6 tiny apples)
  • 1 medium-size sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 cup cider vinegar

Prepare the stuffing according to the package directions, then set aside. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink, and set aside. Stir together the lemon juice and water.

Cut the apples in half, from the top down. Using a sharp, pointy knife, cut out the insides of the apple, leaving a 1/4″ shell. You might also find a grapefruit spoon helpful. As you hollow out each half, brush the cut edges and inside with the lemon juice mixture to help prevent browning.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Chop the apple insides into small pieces, discarding seeds and cores, then combine with the chopped onion in the pan you cooked the sausage in. Saute 6-8 minutes, until onion is tender. Stir together the apples and onions with the sausage and stuffing, adding the parsley as well.

Crumple strips of tin foil into rings.

Dump any excess lemon-water out of the apple shells, then put each on a foil ring in a baking pan. Spoon the stuffing mixture into the apples, piling it up as high as is stable. Pour the cup of cider vinegar into the bottom of the pan. Spoon any extra stuffing into a loaf pan or 8X8″ baking dish. Bake 30-40 minutes, until apples are tender.

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Banana Nutella Bundt

Posted on July 4, 2012 by sparecake

Super easy, super chocolatey, super for breakfast! God I love chocolate for breakfast.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2  cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2  cup  brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1/4  teaspoons salt
  • 1  cup mashed banana (about 2 bananas)
  • 1/4  cup melted butter
  • 1/2  cup nutella
  • 1/4  cup milk
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Grease a bundt pan, then set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, yeast and salt. In a medium bowl, combine the banana, butter, nutella, and milk.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry goods, stirring just until the dry goods are evenly moistened.

Stir in the cup of chocolate, then transfer to the bundt pan.

Cover, and let rise 1 hour. You could probably refrigerate overnight instead, and just take out of the fridge in the morning for as long as the oven takes to preheat, but our fridge was too full to test that method.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover, and bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the bread/cake comes out clean.

Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out and either eat immediately, or cool on a wire rack.

I recommend eating it warm, while the chocolate chips are still gooey. Fabulous!

Banana Nutella Bundt

Adapted from Treat & Trick.

  • 1 1/2  cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2  cup  brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1/4  teaspoons salt
  • 1  cup mashed banana (about 2 bananas)
  • 1/4  cup melted butter
  • 1/2  cup nutella
  • 1/4  cup milk
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Grease a bundt pan, then set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, yeast and salt. In a medium bowl, combine the banana, butter, nutella, and milk. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry goods, stirring just until the dry goods are evenly moistened. Stir in the cup of chocolate, then transfer to the bundt pan. Cover, and let rise 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover, and bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the bread/cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out and either eat immediately, or cool on a wire rack.

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Chicken with Moroccan Hot and Sweet Tomato Sauce

Posted on July 2, 2012 by sparecake

I’ve been looking for a bunch of chicken recipes lately, as one of our frequent dinner guests won’t eat anything else. Someone I (sort of?) know from some defunct Boston music based message boards posted this recipe recently, and I knew right away it would be good. I was still sort of impressed, though, by how much everyone liked it. Definite keeper! My version’s slightly different from the original, due to more mouths to feed/an inability to read recipes, and…because I felt like it. Gotta keep it interesting!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 – 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed
  • salt and pepper as needed
  • 8 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger (I can’t read and used a lot more than called for, but don’t think it was a negative, so use the higher amount if you like ginger, the lower if not)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  •  2 tablespoons dark honey (if you can’t find that, use regular honey)
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Pour the can of crushed tomatoes into a pot and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then stir in 4 tablespoons of the butter, continuing to stir until melted. Simmer a minute or two further, still stirring, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Put the onions and garlic in the food processor and process until smooth. I didn’t bother chopping the onion into very small pieces, as the food processor is entirely capable. Set aside.

In a large pan, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the chicken pieces.

Roughly centimeter wide strips.

When the oil has heated enough that it’s shimmering, add some of the chicken strips, leaving enough space between them that they don’t touch.

Ask me about my space management skills. Don’t ask me about the grease now all over the stove.

Cook until golden on the bottom, then flip. When browned on both sides, remove to a dish. It’s ok if they’re still pink in the middle, as they will be cooked further. Continue cooking until all the pieces are golden, adding more oil if necessary.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the now empty pan. Add the garlic/onion paste and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to smell sweet. Add the cayenne, cinnamon, and ginger and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce and honey, stir together, and cook another 2-3 minutes until the sauce has warmed up.

Add the chicken back to the pan and stir to ensure it’s covered all over with sauce.

Put a lid on it and cook over low heat until the chicken is fully cooked in the middle, 15-20 minutes.

The recipe suggested serving with couscous, I served with a bucket of quinoa. The sesame seeds are to be sprinkled on top when serving. We’re not big on seeds, so I skipped that.

As I said, people really liked this, especially the cinnamon flavor that comes through. There was probably enough for 6 if you’re all light eaters, or four…people who appreciate dinner.

Chicken with Moroccan Hot and Sweet Tomato Sauce

Adapted from Joe Cooks.

  • 1 1/2 – 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed
  • salt and pepper as needed
  • 8 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  •  2 tablespoons dark honey
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Pour the can of crushed tomatoes into a pot and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then stir in 4 tablespoons of the butter, continuing to stir until melted. Simmer a minute or two further, still stirring, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Put the onions and garlic in the food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.

In a large pan, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat until shimmering. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the chicken pieces. Add chicken strips, leaving enough space between them that they don’t touch. Cook until golden on both sides, then remove to a dish. Cook remaining pieces, adding more oil if necessary.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the now empty pan. Add the garlic/onion paste and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to smell sweet. Add the cayenne, cinnamon, and ginger and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and honey, stir together, and cook another 2-3 minutes until the sauce has warmed up.

Add the chicken back to the pan and stir to ensure it’s covered all over with sauce. Cover and cook over low heat until the chicken is fully cooked in the middle, 15-20 minutes.

Serve over couscous or quinoa and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

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