12 Minute Fried Chicken

This a fantastic dish and quick to put on the table!  Adding mustard and cayenne to the batter makes this chicken tangy and a little spicy, just awesome!

Recipe from Justin Chapple,  Food & Wine magazine


Recipe for two:

2 skinless chicken breasts, pounded
2 eggs
3 T Dijon mustard
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

Dipping sauce:

4 T Dijon mustard
1 T honey

Place chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound until they are roughly the same thickness so they cook at the same rate.  Season with salt and pepper.

Put the eggs, mustard and cayenne in a bowl and whisk together.  Put the Panko into one plate and the batter in another.  In a large heavy skillet heat about 1/3 cup olive oil.  When the oil's hot, dip the chicken into the batter and into the Panko and place them into the hot oil and cook over medium high heat until brown, about two minutes, turn when golden brown and repeat.  Only turn them once.

Mix the dipping sauce ingredients together and pour into a ramekin.

Serve on warm plates with veggies of your choice.  We had our fried chicken with oven roasted sweet potatoes, rosemary and garlic.

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

A wonderful warm bacon salad and a poached egg

A wonderful warm bacon salad with a poached egg.  This is one of my favorite salads, it's so comforting, the soft poached egg brings all the flavors together.  Very European and very wonderful...

To make this easy salad, first tear up some sourdough bread into rustic chunks and place on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle on a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Pop them in a 350* oven and cook until golden brown.

Cut the bacon into medium size pieces and fry them up in a heavy pan.  When done place the bacon on some paper towels.  Transfer the bacon drippings (about 3 tablespoons) to a large stainless steel bowl.

Poach an egg for 3 minutes, while that's happening place the stainless steel bowl on a burner with medium low heat.  Toss in a handful spinach and a handful of baby greens such as frisee', season with  some fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of chili flakes.  Pour in a teaspoon of sherry vinegar and toss the greens, when the greens start to wilt remove them from the heat and plate onto warm plates.  Add the bacon and croutons, then place the egg on top.


Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Eggnog Martini

Eggnog martini, just in time for the holidays...

1 large shot vodka
1 shot Frangelico
2 shots eggnog
1 pinch nutmeg

Place all the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice, and shake the dickens out of it.  Pour the liquid only into a cold martini glass, top with a little more fresh ground nutmeg.

Cheers,  Chef Hobbes

Making curry powder

Making curry powder to give as Christmas presents is a fun and different gift...

I make my curry powder on the mild side, I can always add cayenne pepper later if I want to heat things up a bit.

If you use whole seeds like I do, you must lightly toast them first, this will release the wonderful aromas and oils.  Do this by placing the seeds in a heavy skillet over medium heat, shaking the seeds back and fourth making sure not to burn them.

Christmas is the time when I dump out all my spices and buy fresh ones, making curry powder you must use fresh ingredients, Gourmet Galley in Friday Harbor has the best spices at a good price.

Recipe makes about a cup:

1 T brown mustard seeds
1 t cardamom seeds
1 stick cinnamon
1/2 t whole cloves
2 t coriander
1 T cumin seeds
1 T fennel seeds
1 T fenugreek seeds
1 t fresh grated nutmeg
1 t black peppercorns
1 t powdered ginger
3 star anise
1 T yellow mustard seeds
2 T ground turmeric
1 t paprika
1 t flaky maldon salt
1/2 t cayenne pepper

After toasting the seeds, combine everything in a bowl and mix.  Then grind all the ingredients in a vitamix, if you don't have one use a blender or coffee grinder working in small batches.

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Cooking fish in parchment paper

Cooking fish in parchment paper produces really wonderful moist fish every time...

You can use any kind of fish, but remember the thicker the fish the longer you have to cook it.  I find that salmon takes about 40 minutes with the oven at 350*.

Here's how:

Lay out a piece of parchment paper on a flat service.  Then place a small amount of thinly sliced onions in the middle.  Lay a fillet of salmon on top, skin and pin bones removed.  Season with a good amount of sea salt and pepper, then place a handful of cherry tomatoes that have been quartered, some thinly sliced red bell pepper, a three finger pinch of fresh dill, stems removed, two pieces of thinly sliced lemon,  add a large knob of butter and a little extra virgin olive oil.

Close the packet up, so the moisture stays inside, if you have problems with folding up the edges, try using large steel paper clips.  Place the packet of fish on a baking sheet and pop it in the oven for about 40 minutes or until cooked.

I served our fish with a roasted cauliflower and white bean puree, but it works just as well with rice.

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes