Chipotle Chicken Sandwiches

Best. Sandwich. Ever. Sweet peppers, spicy mayo, crisp greens. Everything I would want in a sandwich. Why did my husband love it? Easy. Chipotle mayo. Without a doubt his favorite condiment, and without a doubt the easiest yet fanciest-sounding condiment to make. In other words, a win-win situation. They kept really well and I think the flavors came together just about perfectly after sitting in the cooler for a few hours.

I mention the cooler because this sandwich was part of our lunch during our lovely trip to the Northern Neck. We visited wineries and took in some lovely views. As far as wineries we found two that we really liked. Ingleside Winery http://www.ipwine.com/--in the business for 30 years (!) which is practically unheard of in Virginia. Their wine is great, definitely worth the trip. The other winery we liked has only been open a few years but their wine was also great and they have a beautiful property. http://www.thehaguewinery.com/ So nice to find a few options outside of our normal Northern Virginia Routes.

Chipotle Chicken Sandwiches

Adapted from Bon Appétite June 1997

Makes 4 sandwiches

2-3 (or more depending on how much chipotle you like) chipotle chilies in adobo, chopped

1/4 cup of mayo

1/2 pound sliced deli chicken

1/4 pound Montery Jack cheese

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 sliced tomato

1 bunch of your favorite greens

4 whole wheat rolls toasted if you like

Brush the peppers with olive oil. Either in the oven or on the grill roast the peppers until they have black blisters and are soft. Let them cool in a paper bag then peel, seed, and cut into slices. Whisk together the chipotle chilies and mayo until incorporated.

Spread mayo on the bottom of the roll and stack chicken, greens, cheese, tomato, and peppers (or whatever way you want to stack!) Spread mayo on top of the roll, smush together and love it.

Cranberry Almond Granola

What initially drew me to this recipe was: nuts! shredded coconut! dried cranberries! Then I realized: hey there's not an obscene amount of sugar in this, and hey there's no butter in this granola....awesome! Also, Ken kept talking about trying to find granola at one of the "winter" farmer's market and I thought to myself, "Well why don't I just make it!" So, I did and it was pretty good, but next time I think I would add more "stuff".

Cranberry Almond Granola

Adapted from Bon Appetite June 2003

I'm not going to include measurements with this one because it really depends on what you like. Maybe you like less coconut, maybe you want more pecans, or maybe you would rather have dried blueberries instead of cranberries...whatever! However, I will note that I did use 2 cups of oats as a base for this. Anyway without further ado:

2 cups of oats

pecans

almonds

shredded coconut

dried cranberries

cinnamon

all spice

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup frozen cranberry juice concentrate

vegetable oil spray

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the cinnamon, all spice, sugar, and juice in a medium sauce pan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour hot syrup over oats mixtures and stir to coat. Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheet and bake 20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Stir the granola and bake another 12 minutes, until granola begins to dry. Granola will keep up to a week.

Brown Butter Raspberry Tart

OMG you guys! I ended up having a last second dinner party two weekends ago. My dream come true! We had truckloads of appetizers, pizza, and most most importantly: the brown butter raspberry tart.

Yes, I was terrified that I was going to either a.) burn the butter or b.) get scared and not brown it enough and my tart would be a greasy mess. However, this dessert was much easier than I imagined and it turned out beautifully.

Brown Butter Raspberry Tart

From Bon Appétite June 2009

Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 stick unsalted butter diced

2 containers raspberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together sugar, eggs, and salt in a bowl to blend. Add flour and vanilla, whisk until smooth.

Cook butter in a heavy large saucepan (use a light colored pan so you can see the butter brown). When the butter is brown and smells nutty pour immediately into a glass measuring cup. Let cool slightly then slowly whisk it into the flour mixture.

Place the raspberries point side up in a circular pattern in the tart crust and pour the custard mixture over the raspberries. Bake until the tart is puffed and golden, about 40 minutes.

I'm sure at this point you're all, "Wait, where's the crust recipe?" Well, I used the crust method found here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/the-great-unshrinkable-sweet-tart-shell/

It went fairly well for me, however I must have been half out to lunch when I made it because I straight up forgot to make double thick sides! That's like crust making 101! Well, I was kind of upset with myself but it still turned out nicely, which is a testament to how good this method is.

Leek Confit with Herb Goat Cheese

This weekend ended up being a weekend of discovery:

1. We found an excellent excellent winery in Maryland! Black Ankle Vineyards http://www.blackankle.com/

2. I do not hate banana nut bread as I have previously told many many people. I like my mother in law's; probably because she does not use anything resuming a mix for it.

3. After exhaustive research (aka wasting time at work) I have determined that you can confit just about anything. As the all knowing Wikipedia tells us: confit is a generic term for various kinds of food that have been immersed in a substance for both flavor and preservation. Sealed and stored in a cool place, confit can last for several months. Confit is one of the oldest ways to preserve food and is a speciality of southwestern France. So there you have it! This means it will not take you two days to make this recipe. In fact, it will take about 30 minutes. Epicurious suggests putting this over scrambled eggs in the morning which I could totally picture...but alas we ate it all.

Leek Confit with Goat Cheese

Bon Appetite October 2008

¼ cup (half stick) butter

4 large leeks white and pale green parts only halved lengthwise and cleaned

2 tbsp water

½ tsp salt

4 oz. softened goat cheese

Crackers or toasts

Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan. Add the leeks and turn to coat. Stir in water and salt. Cover and cook until leeks are very tender, about 20-25 minutes. While leeks are cooking spread soft goat cheese on crackers or toasts. When leeks are done spoon on top of prepared toasts. Serve warm.

White Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

This recipe could go a million different ways. I think next time I make it I will add a bit of red wine vinegar and a few fresh chives. Ken and I enjoyed this with "cucumber chips) aka a sliced up cucumber and a glass of Fabbioli wine. The weather in DC has been strangely amazing for the past few weeks and I'm starting to wonder when the backlash will hit...

Adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen

1 can of cannelini beans or navy beans

3 oz cream cheese, or goat cheese, or boursin, or mascarpone...(I used goat cheese)

1 small jar roasted red peppers

1 garlic clove

lemon juice to taste

salt and pepper to taste

My philosophy with dips is to throw it all into the food processor and let Cuisinart sort it out. Which is exactly what I did here and it was lovely. I will never tell you to mice a garlic clove before putting it in the food processor. How silly!

Marinated Pork Loin with Pineapple Salsa

That collective sigh you heard this weekend was the East Coast basking in the sunshine. All those rumors that we're a hateful bunch of pale people are suddenly no longer true! To celebrate, Ken and I went to some of our favorite Loudon Count wineries and had a picnic. This post is not about that picnic (which was pretty good IMHO) it is about the dinner that evening.

I think next time I would add either hot sauce or a chili of some sort to the salsa. Not that it wasn't flavorful but I usually prefer hotter salsas. (Yes, that lovely looking citrus salad you see in the background? All in good time my friends...)

From Self April 2008

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp hot chili powder

1/2 cup orange juice

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 pork loin, trimmed

1 small pineapple cut into small cubes

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 red bell pepper, seeded sliced thin

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Cooking spray

Whisk the first five ingredients together and pour over pork into a bowl. Allow the pork to marinate for at least 3 hours.

Combine the pineapple, juice, pepper, onion, and basil and let stand at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to mingle.

Lite a grill. Remove the pork from marinade and pat dry. Grill turning only once about 18-20 minutes or until internal temperature is 160. Let stand at room temperature about 10 minutes then slice and serve with salsa.

Piselli con Asparagi e Basilico

The Italian name for this dish sounds so pretty for something so stupid easy. The title is literally what it is: peas, asparagus, and basil. Sauteed with a few shallots in olive oil and you're in for one of the more refreshing dishes I've made in a long time. And if you can find farm fresh peas I bet this will be even better. Sadly, I had to use frozen...alas only 4 more weeks until the farmer's market is mine again!

From Gourmet April 2008

2 shallots chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 bunch asparagus cut into half inch dice

2 cups fresh or frozen peas

Handful fresh torn basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook shallots in oil until just tender; about 4 minutes. Stir in peas, asparagus, salt, and pepper and cover. Cook until vegetables are just al dente about 8 minutes. Add basil, a little salt, and serve.

Fennel and Celery Salad

The other name for this salad is Dama Bianca. When translated properly means: the best thing you've had in a long long time. Or "woman in white"...either way, the light color is truly striking.

I was unsure of this because believe it or not I have never had fennel raw. Seriously! And oh how delicious it was. I recommend tossing the celery and fennel with the dressing ahead of time to let the flavors mingle. It was well worth it. Important note: now 100% confirmed...even better the next day!

Adapted slightly from Gourmet April 2008

2 fennel bulbs sliced thin

4 inner stalks of celery sliced thinly on the diagonal

1 ball fresh mozzarella shredded

½ tbsp lemon zest

2 tbsp lemon juice

6 tbsp olive oil

1 bunch torn basil

salt and pepper to taste

Wisk together the zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss with the celery, fennel, and basil. Let stand up to one hour to allow the flavors to mingle. Add the cheese when ready to serve.