Category: recipe

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Cooking with Whiskey – Chicken with Whiskey Cream Sauce

The cooking with whiskey cooking demonstrations were a lot of fun, but had the potential of being dangerous.  The igniting of the whiskey can go wrong very fast, so use caution when doing this recipe.

The chicken before the cream sauce.

Chicken with Whiskey and Cream
Ingredients
3 lbs roasting chickens (excess fat trimmed cut down the back)
sea salt
black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsps butter
1/3 cup scotch whisky (blended, warmed)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and rub all over with salt, pepper and half the olive oil. Combine the remaining oil and butter in a lidded roasting pan and place over medium heat. When butter is foaming, place the chicken, breast side down, in the pan and brown for about 4-5 minutes, then turn and brown on the other side for the same length of time.

Chicken with the Whiskey Cream Sauce after the sauce has been added,

Drain off most of the fat. Return the pan with the chicken to the heat and, working quickly, pour the whiskey over it and then set alight. Let the flame die down and then add the broth. Cover the chicken with the roasting pan lid (or tuck foil all the way around) and transfer to the oven to bake for about 45-50 minutes at 400 degrees.

When the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a cutting board to rest. Drain off some of the accumulated fat and then set the pan on a medium high heat. Add a spoonful of water to loosen bits clinging to the bottom of the pan, and then add the cream, stirring as you do so. Bring to a

boil and let cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the parsley to the sauce and keep warm. Section the chicken and serve the sauce at table with the chicken. Serves 4-6.

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Irish Soda Bread with Stew

This past weekend (September 29-30) was an Irish themed weekend at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.  We made several dishes including a Chicken with Whiskey Cream Sauce and Caramel Whiskey Carrots.

Irish stew with soda bread. Made September 29, 2012.

Irish Stew
1 lbs of lamb or beef stew meat
4 tbsp oil or butter (we used bacon fat for our demonstrations)
1/8 cup of flour (for a gluten free option, use potato flour)
1 sweet potato, 1” cubes
1 lbs red potatoes, 1” cubes
1/2 lbs of carrots, 1” pieces
1/2 lbs green beans (optional), halved
1/4 lbs onions or leeks, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sprigs of rosemary
1 tsp. Thyme
Kosher salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)Make sure the stew meat is cut up into 1” cubes. Preheat oil or butter in soup pot. As it heats, coat the meat with flour until browned. Once browned, add enough water to cover the meat, bring stew to simmer for 45 minutes.While cooking, cut up vegetables. After the meat has cooked for 45 minutes, add the vegetables, spices and herbs. Add more water if needed (should only cover the stew). Continue to cook until vegetables are fork tender. Stew should have a think consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let stew rest off of heat for 15 minutes prior to serving. Serves 3 – 4 people.SODA BREAD
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an ‘X’ into the top of the loaf.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

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Spice Blends from our Demonstrations

Each day, we demonstrate how to make various spice blends over an open fire.  An earlier entry – http://alicethecook.com/?p=801 talks about how we do it, but doesn’t necessarily cover the recipes.  Due to popular demand, below are the spices we demonstrate (and sell) at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.

Spices change based on the tastes of individuals and family units. Some prefer savory tastes and others prefer a spicier blend.  You can adjust accordingly. 

Toasting the garam masala spices

Please remember that you need to use a hot, dry cast iron plate for toasting these spices. 

  1. Gather your spices
  2. Toast the spices
  3. Grind up the spice.  You can use an electronic grinder, but make sure you do not use a coffee grinder.  Keep them separate so that you can enjoy both. 
  4. Use the spices as needed

As the spices age after grinding, they diminish potency significantly over time.  Most of the ingredients can be purchased through a co-op or a spice specialty store, such as Penzey’s Spices or Spice House; I’ve also had a lot of luck locating hard-to-find spices through Amazon.com.

If you to make more spices make sure you freeze your spices in an airtight bag to minimize the loss of flavor.

  • Garam Masala: cumin, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, chilies, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg
    In the case of garam masala, you would toast the spices together and grind them.
  • Curry:  sea salt, mustard seeds, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, garlic, ginger, and cumin
    In the case of the curry, you would begin toasting the mustard seeds until they begin to pop.  You would then add the salt, coriander, garlic, ginger, and cumin.  As a note, I would strongly recommend using dried spices instead of fresh ginger and garlic as they will scorch on a hot pan. Once toasted, I would begin grinding and then add the garam masala and the turmeric after. 
  • Ras El Hanout: cinnamon, cloves, corriader, cumin seeds, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom (use sparingly), ginger, fennugreek, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, dried Damascus rose petals, and optional chilis
    Like the garam masala, these would be toasted and ground together.  The rose petals will float to the top and be the last ingredient to grind.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

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Spaetzel (Oktoberfest)

Ingredients:

Spaetzel made September 22, 2012.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground or freshly grated nutmeg
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup extra fine dry breadcrumbs (optional)
4 T butter (optional)

Preparation:
Combine flour, salt and nutmeg. Add eggs and mix. Pour milk into the dough little by little, until a smooth batter forms, slightly thinner than brownie batter. Let rest at least 5 minutes.

Bring 2 quarts of water with 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy, 4 – 5 quart saucepan. Plan on boiling at least 2 batches from this recipe.

Set a large colander (one with large holes) over the saucepan and press the dough, a few spoonfuls at a time, through the holes directly into the water. Boil for 5-8 minutes until the noodles are tender to the bite. Remove noodles with a slotted spoon and drain further in a sieve. Toss with roasted breadcrumbs to serve.

To make breadcrumbs: Melt and stir 4 tablespoons butter in a pan over medium heat until butter stops foaming. Add 1 cup breadcrumbs and cook, stirring constantly, until crumbs are browned. Drain on paper towels.

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Red Cabbage (Oktoberfest)

Ingredients:

Tasty red cabbage made on September 22, 2012.

2 1/2 oz. bacon, either American or German “Bauchspeck”, chopped
1/2 c. onion, diced
4 c. shredded red cabbage, about 1 lb.
1/2 c. dry, red wine
1/2 c. apple juice
1 T. honey
1 bay leaf
4 cloves
Ground black pepper
1 apple, peeled and quartered

Preparation:
Brown bacon in a dutch oven (to make a vegetarian option, use tbsp of olive oil instaed of bacon). Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour in red wine and juice to deglaze, add the spices, sugar and apple.

Simmer on stove top for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Keep the liquids one finger width (1/2 inch) deep, adding apple juice or water. Adjust seasonings. Serve hot.