Mouthwatering Chicken Dinner

My son's birthday is in a few days, but the only time he could visit was this past week, so I made him a birthday dinner a week early. Within reason, I ask what he'd like for dinner and then I make it - my birthday gift. So this time, he asked for Chicken Madeira and risotto and Bread Pudding.

The Bread Pudding recipe is one I've made many times over the years, although it has been truly years now since the last time I made it, so that was a welcome recipe to revisit! 

Chicken Madeira

As for risotto, I have made a few of them over the years, also. Nothing I have made real note of, though, so I had no place to fall back on for that recipe. And as for Chicken Madeira - I was stumped. I had heard of Chicken Marsala, though I never made that, but Chicken Madeira? So at first, I wondered if he just named the wrong alcohol? Nope, apparently not, as I looked it up online. 

What was mainly available online were recipes that were "Copycat Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira recipes." I've only ever eaten at Cheesecake Factory once maybe, many years ago, and this was not what I ate! I looked the recipes over, but they just didn't do it for me. While I don't care to drink Madeira on its own, I do like to cook with it. It is a special style of fortified wine that comes from the Portuguese island of Madeira. I have not used anything US domestic, nor would I. There are very nice Madeiras from Madeira that are inexpensive enough and more authentic. Generally, I have a Rainwater Madeira on hand, and as it is a lighter style, it is wonderful for cooking. 

So on with perusing recipes I went, and after reading what was available, I realized that essentially, this dish is made almost identically to the way I make my sauteed mushrooms. The main difference (besides the addition of chicken, of course) is that some of the alcohol liquid is left in the pan (and generally I use dry Sherry) rather than evaporating off all of the alcohol, and then the addition of some stock to further use for gravy. All the rest of the recipe is my own preferred method, despite finding others who did it basically the same way. I opted to do some things in advance, such as making my own stock. 

For the chicken, instead of buying whole chicken breasts, then slicing them into two flat pieces, pounding them to ¼-inch thickness - I bought chicken cutlets, already sliced thinly. This saved some time. Even so, it probably would have been better to pound a couple of them that were still cut a bit too thick. Oh well.

The Stock

For the stock, I bought some beef marrow bones at the grocery, and a couple of days in advance, set them on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for about an hour, until they were browned a bit. This gives great flavor to a stock. Then I placed the bones into a large pot with about 8 quarts of water, 1 onion with skins on (these give great color to the stock), 1 bay leaf and a teaspoon of black peppercorns, whole. I cooked this on a very low temperature, barely simmering, for two hours. At this point, I removed the 4 cups of stock that would be needed for the risotto. The stock had nice flavors at this point, but not overwhelming. I do not salt my stock, opting to salt the dish as needed when that time comes.

The rest of the stock, I allowed to slow-simmer for the remainder of the afternoon, planning to reduce the liquid by evaporation from 3 quarts to 1½ cups (just under one quart). By nearly dinner time, I removed the bones, onion and bay leaf and allowed the stock to further reduce to the 1½ cups I wanted. I strained this through a fine mesh strainer and stored this to use for the liquid in the chicken recipe. 

Chicken Madeira

Chicken Madeira

Makes 8 pieces of chicken

8 chicken cutlets, OR 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts halved into two flat pieces each and pounded to ¼-inch thickness
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1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ pounds baby bella mushrooms, or white button mushrooms, sliced
½ teaspoon salt
2 large shallots, sliced thinly
2 - 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced finely
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1¾ cups Madeira wine
2 - 3 quarts unsalted stock (chicken or beef)
oil, as needed for frying chicken cutlets
½ cup all purpose flour
salt, for sprinkling on chicken
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¼ cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

A day or two ahead, slowly simmer the 2 - 3 quarts of stock down to just 1½ cups, cool, cover and refrigerate until needed.

Earlier in the day (if time will be an issue) heat a large skillet and add in the tablespoon each of olive oil and butter and add in the mushrooms and the half-teaspoon salt. Stirring often, saute the mushrooms. First, they will begin to release a huge amount of water. Cook past this, allowing all the liquid to evaporate and the mushrooms to begin browning. Now add in the shallots and continue to cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are nicely browned and the shallots are very soft. Add in the garlic, pepper and the thyme leaves and toss well, until the garlic is fragrant. Add in the Madeira wine and raise the heat, then cook, stirring, until the wine has reduced to a thick, glossy paste in the pan. Remove from heat and set aside.

When ready to proceed with the recipe, heat another large skillet with some of the extra oil. Sprinkle all the chicken cutlets with a little salt on each side, then lightly dredge each cutlet in the flour. Fry the cutlets until they are done to 165 degrees internal temperature at the thickest parts of the meat, and remove them to an oven safe tray and keep warm, at the lowest oven setting.

Add the reduced stock to the pan with the mushrooms and set back on the heat. Cook the stock down slightly more. Stir together the water and cornstarch and pour into the pan and stirring quickly, cook until the mixture thickens just slightly. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. [If you choose to do the chef-like finish, you can also whisk in a couple of tablespoons of butter, just before adding the chicken. I had planned to do this and completely forgot!]

To serve, set each of the chicken cutlets into the mushroom sauce, turning to coat with sauce, then set on a platter. Serve extra mushroom sauce on the side.

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Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Risotto

As for the risotto, 

I sort of followed a recipe from Kylee Cooks, but made some of my own adjustments. I made my own stock, and it was from beef bones, not chicken or vegetable stock. I used large shallots rather then onion. I also roasted a head of garlic to nicely tender and light brown, then extracted all the garlic and passed it through a garlic press to remove anything hard or clumpy, then used it all in the dish. If I made this recipe again, I believe an added cup of the stock would have been better. The rice just was a little more "al dente" than I was truly comfortable with, while eating. Flavors were wonderful.

Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Risotto

Serves 6 - 8

Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Risotto

1 head garlic
1 pinch fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon olive oil
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1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large shallots, chopped finely
1½ cups arborio rice
⅓ cup dry vermouth, dry Sherry or other dry white wine
4 - 5 cups hot beef, chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup parsley, finely minced

Earlier in the day (or up to three days in advance), preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Clean a head of garlic, slicing a bit of the root end off so it will set straight. Cut off about a quarter-inch from the top of the head. Any little tips of the garlic that were cut off, remove from their papery skin and set atop the cut top of the head. Place the head of garlic onto a piece of aluminum foil and wrap foil up around the head, leaving the top open. Set the pinch of fresh thyme leaves on top, then the teaspoon of olive oil, then pinch the top closed. Set the garlic in its little packet into an oven-safe ramekin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Once done, cool, then press out all the garlic into a small bowl. Either mash or pass through a garlic press. Cover and refrigerate if not using that day.

To Make Risotto: Heat a saucepan with the 4 - 5 cups of stock and have nearby. Heat a 4 - 6 quart saucepan and add in the tablespoon of oil and butter. Saute the chopped shallots until very soft. Add in the roasted, pressed garlic, and stir well, then add in the rice. Stir well to coat all the rice grains with the oil and butter. Pour in the dry vermouth and cook quickly until the vermouth (or other wine) is completely evaporated. Begin adding in the hot stock, one ladle full at a time, stirring the rice until each ladle of stock is absorbed. To use all the stock should take about 20 to 25 minutes. Be sure to leave a little bit of the liquid in the rice after the last ladle full of stock has been added.

When ready to serve, stir in the Parmesan cheese and the parsley, reserving a bit of parsley as garnish on top.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Cute as Buttons - Cannoli Made in Cups

I saw a photo and got an idea. Cannoli Cups. 

I really hate deep frying anything. And so have never made cannoli. I have nothing against them in concept, though I am not totally sure I have ever eaten any. But if they could be made in tiny mini muffin tins, then they could be baked. Aha!

Cannoli Cups

Sill waffling, I looked at recipes, seeing what constitutes cannoli dough. And then, wondering if  the dough was made and set it into mini muffin tins, would it shrink? So finally I got down to creating a recipe. As usual, I read countless recipes online. I looked for what constituted true cannoli dough. Ideas, ideas and more ideas. Once I created a recipe plan that sounded good, I made the dough one evening just before dinner. It went into the fridge to chill while we ate dinner, and after dinner I got it out and set about testing. 

My first piece of dough was rolled out as thinly as I could get it, and believe me, it tends to spring back, so it needs to be thin. I cut out circles with a three-inch biscuit cutter and set two little discs of dough into two wells (sprayed with nonstick spray, just in case) of my mini muffin tin. I baked them, primarily to see how they would fare. Maybe if they shrunk too much I would have to turn the mini muffin tin upside down and lay the little disc of dough over the upturned well, rather than set it inside. But actually, they came out just fine, without too much shrinkage. So, I proceeded with the remainder of the dough.

Let me just say that these little cups, even before filling them with the ricotta cream, were just delightful. They had amazing flavors. I am tempted to make the dough and use it for crisp cookies!

One thing I had concern over was that the cups be strong enough to stand up to the wet, creamy filling. Granted, these cannot be filled too far in advance and still expect the cups to be crisp. But for a reasonable amount of time, I hoped they would hold up. And they did.

What Makes Cannoli Dough?

When looking through recipes, it appeared there were a few "constants" in making cannoli dough.

1. All the recipes used cinnamon.
2. Most of the recipes used unsweetened cocoa powder.
3. All recipes (that were true to the spirit of things) called for Marsala wine.
4. Most recipes called for vinegar in addition to the wine. 
5. All the recipes I read used egg in the dough.
6. Most recipes called for butter.
7. One recipe said no true Sicilian grandmother would use butter, but instead would use lard both in the dough and for frying the cannoli. 

Cannoli Cups

Okay, so some of these "constants" sounded good. Others, not as much.

Marsala Wine and Substitutes

One of my first stumbling blocks was the use of Marsala wine. I love wine. But the only time I tasted Marsala was a very long time ago, and to me it tasted like medicine. Granted, it may have been a cheap version of Marsala, but I have a hard time thinking of going out to buy a bottle just to use 2 tablespoons worth in cannoli dough. Instead, I went Googling to see what would be a good substitute for Marsala. There were many suggestions:

• Use Sherry. Though Sherry has its own unique flavor profile, and is not like Marsala at all, it can be used.
• Use a red wine such as Pinot Noir.
• Combine white grape juice with a tablespoon of brandy.
• Use Madeira, which has a very similar flavor profile to Marsala. 

Hurray! I had Madeira in the fridge!  

I opted to use cocoa and cinnamon, plus the addition of a little coffee powder. I like Starbuck's "Via" instant coffee, both for flavor and ease of dissolving. I used Madeira wine and white wine vinegar and the obligatory egg. And I used lard. 

What Next? Embellishments

The Dough      -      Before Baking, fitting in mini muffin tins      -      Baked and Rimmed

Okay, I had a recipe. And I also had other ideas. Seeing photos of cannoli online, some had ends dipped in chocolate. Some had ends dipped in chocolate and chopped nuts. Some had no chocolate dipped ends, but had little mini chocolate chips sprinkled onto the filling.

I decided that to make my little cannoli cups attractive, I would melt some chocolate and dip the rims in the melted chocolate. I also decided to chop some unsalted pistachios and dip half of the chocolate dipped rims into the nuts. 

And the Final Touch: the Filling

Every recipe I read online said that the filling was ricotta. Some mixed Mascarpone cheese with the ricotta. Most said that the ricotta had to be drained, preferably 3 to 5 hours, if not more, or else the filling would be too runny. I bought Sargento brand full fat ricotta. I set it into a strainer, as I would do for yogurt. It went into the fridge overnight. In the morning I had just about a whole teaspoon of liquid that had seeped out. 

I cannot believe that one teaspoon of liquid would make the filling too runny. Maybe other brands are more moist, but my container of Sargento was pretty good, as is.

I did use a bit more mascarpone to ricotta ratio than called for in any recipe I read. I love mascarpone. The ricotta and mascarpone mixed together with a little confectioners' sugar was absolutely perfect and made the best little cannoli cups imaginable. 

Cannoli Cups

Cannoli Cups

Makes about 50 to 60 cups

DOUGH:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon coffee powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lard
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) white vinegar
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) Marsala, Madeira or Pinot Noir wine
1 large egg, whisked to mix

TO ADORN:
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
⅓ cup chopped unsweetened pistachios

FILLING:
16 ounces full fat ricotta cheese, drained at least 3 - 5 hours
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
¾ cup confectioners' sugar

MAKE THE DOUGH: In a mixing bowl, combine the first six dry ingredients and stir to combine. Cut in the lard, and once combined, lift the mixture and slide it between the palms, making flaky looking bits in the bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg with the vinegar and wine of choice. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and toss to combine, as for pie dough. Once it begins to hold together, form a ball, flatted, wrap tightly and chill for at least an hour or up to overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray the wells of mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray. Using about half the dough at a time, on a floured surface, roll the dough as thinly as possible. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut little rounds of dough and set them into the wells of the prepared mini muffin tin, pressing down into the edges. Bake the cups for about 10 to 12 minutes, until crisp.

TO ADORN: While the cups bake, set the chocolate chips in a wide bowl and microwave on a few short bursts of 20 to 25 seconds, until they melt. Set the chopped nuts in another wide bowl. Once baked, remove the cannoli cups from the pan and cool them only until of a temperature to handle, one to two minutes. Invert one cup into the melted chocolate, set upright on a rack to finish cooling. Repeat with the remainder. For some of these, after dipping the rims in chocolate, dip also in the nuts. Set them aside to cool and harden.

MAKE AND FILL: Set the ricotta and mascarpone cheeses on the counter for an hour to make them easier to mix. Spoon both cheeses into a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Beating is not necessary. Once the cheese are combined, add the confectioners' sugar and stir thoroughly.

The cups can be filled with small spoons. Sprinkle on mini chocolate chips or more chopped nuts, if desired. If you have piping bags and tips, I used #823 open star tip from Ateco. Fill the piping bag and pipe like ice cream in cone. 

NOTE: Depending on how many cups you manage from the recipe, and how much you fill the cups, you may need a slightly larger amount of the filling.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.