Chicken Curry

I found this recipe while looking for a different curry recipe. It looked good, so I thought, why not. It came out great!
For more recipes from this guy go here http://norecipes.com

Chicken Curry Recipe

6 whole chicken thighs
5 cloves garlic grated into paste
1″ knob of ginger grated into paste
2 Tbs garam masala
3 medium onions sliced thin across the rings
1/2 stalk lemongrass cut into 3 pieces
1/2 can of coconut milk
1 C water
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2″ piece of cassia bark (aka saigon cinnamon)
1/2 star anise pod
cayenne pepper to taste

Heat a heavy bottomed pot that’s big enough to hold all the chicken in a single layer over medium high heat until it’s hot. Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place the chicken skin-side down and let some fat render out of the skin. Continue frying undisturbed until the skin is brown and crispy. Flip the thighs over and brown the second side.

Transfer the chicken to a plate then quickly add the garlic, ginger and garam masala and stir to distribute in the oil. You want to fry it just long enough to caramelize the garlic and ginger, but not long enough to burn it. Since the garam masala is brown it’s a bit tricky to tell when it’s done, but I’ve found that the mixture gets sticky when the sugars in the garlic and ginger have caramelized. By this point this mixture will be very fragrant and it’s where this curry gets its base layer of flavor from.

Add the onions and lemongrass to the mixture and fry, stirring occasionally until it’s reduced to about 1/4 of its original volume and takes on a sticky texture (this could take as long as 40 minutes). The caramelized onions give the curry sweetness and depth. By cutting the onion thin, they caramelize faster and by cutting them against the grain (rings), the onions will dissolve into the sauce.

Add the remaining ingredients and return the chicken to the pot. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and cook at a gentle simmer for about an hour, or until the chicken is very tender and falls off the bone.

Garnish with something green (such as cilantro or scallions) and serve with coconut milk rice.

Chocolate Snack Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 cup sugar

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white or cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup cold water
Ice cream or whipped cream, if desired

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease bottom and side of 9-inch round pan or 8-inch square pan with shortening; lightly flour.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir oil, vinegar and vanilla until well mixed. Vigorously stir oil mixture and oil into flour mixture about 1 minute or until well blended. Immediately pour into pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool with ice cream.

*Do not use self-rising flour.

New Orleans Bread Pudding and Whiskey Sauce

Bread Pudding
1 loaf day old french bread

2 tbs butter
4 cups of milk
3 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of raisins (opitional)
2 tbs of vanilla
1/2tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

preheat oven to 305 degrees. Butter a 13x9 baking dish. Break bread into chunks. pour milk over bread, when soft, break into smaller bits and let bread absorb all the milk. Beat eggs and sugar together until think and smooth. Stir in raisins, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour mixture over bread and combine ingredients. Pour bread in to baking dish. Place this dish in larger pan filled with 1" of water. Bake for 1 hour or until knife comes out clean.

Whiskey Sauce

8 TBS pf butter
1 Egg
1 Cup of sugar
1Cup of bourbon, rum or brandy

Melt butter in a double broiler. stir sugar and eggs together in a bowl and add to the butter. stir 2-3 minutes until sugar dissolves. remove from heat and cool before adding bourbon, rum or brandy. serve warm.

Banana Bread

I'm not sure where or who gave me this recipe. But it works very well. A quick note to those who have not made banana bread before you need to wait for the banana's to have turn almost black. Why? Because that is when the banana's are at the peak of their flavor. This recipe will not work with yellow or spotted bananas. The bread will turn out dry. I tried it, so don't repeat my mistake.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
7 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:
Makes two loaves of banana bread.
1. Cream the butter and sugar. Blend in the bananas, vanilla and eggs.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. Add to the bread mixture and mix until just combined. Pour into two greased 9x5 inch loaf pans.
4. Bake at 350F. Check on the bread after 35 minutes (it may take up to 60 minutes). Banana bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the banana bread in the pan for 10 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack.

Jerusalem Chicken

Chicken and Pasta
6-9oz Chicken Breast :oil and butter for saute
1/2 cup flour seasoned with salt, pepper and spike seasoning
6 oz of pancetta (or Bacon)
12 oz of Mushrooms sliced
1-1/2 TBS capers
1 lbs Cappellini pasta Cooked


To make Chicken and Pasta
Cook Pasta and drain, cover to keep warm. Heat a small amount of oil and two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Dredge chicken in flour and saute in pan, until brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan. Cook pancetta or bacon until done, remove from pan. Add a little more oil and butter if needed, saute mushrooms until soft cooked, add artichokes, and capers, saute lightly. Mix chicken and pancetta back into pan and heat lightly. Toss 3/4 of butter sauce if needed. Serve over noodles.

Lemon Butter Sauce
4 oz Lemon Juice
2 oz White Wine
4 oz Heavy Cream
1 lbs Butter

Heat lemon juice and wine in sauce pan over medium heat. bring to a boil and reduce by one third ( until there are 4 ounces) Add cream and simmer until mix is thicker (3-4 min) slowly add butter until completely incorporated. season with salt and pepper. removed from heat and keep warm.