Bobbie's Best Recipes

I got this recipe from Cooking Light magazine last June and finally made it. I saw that the recipe called for chicken thighs, so I took a package out of the freezer. Only after I’d mixed up all the glaze ingredients did I notice that the recipe called for skinless, boneless chicken thighs. It was too late to change course, and when I cooked the chicken I discovered that it didn’t really matter. The glaze is delicious, and it would work well with any cut of chicken, with or without skin.

Because I don’t have an indoor grill pan and it was not outdoor grilling season, I oven-roasted the chicken rather than grilling it. Grilling would probably be better for skinless, boneless thighs or breasts, but oven-roasting is fine for chicken with skin.

The magazine suggested mixing up the glaze first thing in the morning so the chicken marinates in it all day. Then the cooking part is really easy. I did them one better and started marinating the chicken the night before in a large Ziploc freezer bag. They were certainly right about the dinner-making being easy after that!

Ingredients:

½ cup thinly sliced green onion
3 Tbs. dark brown sugar
2½ Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. dark sesame oil
1 Tbs. minced fresh garlic
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp. sambal oelek (chile paste)
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1½  lb.)
Cooking spray

Directions:

Combine everything except chicken and cooking spray and stir with a whisk. But half in a shallow bowl or large Ziploc bag with the chicken and toss. (At this point, you can leave it in the fridge for several hours, or even overnight.)

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts; cook about 4 minutes on each side until done. OR preheat oven to 400 degrees and roast the chicken , basting occasionally. The amount of time this takes will depend on whether the chicken  skinless and boneless or not and how big the pieces are. The chicken should be nicely browned; if using chicken with skin, the skin should be crisp.

Transfer chicken to a platter and drizzle with the remaining soy sauce mixture.

Serves 4

IF my last post looked a little weird, that’s because it was sent by my husband, who was trying to post something on out travel blog.  I’ll be back with more yummy recipes soon.

Bobbie

I adapted this from a recipe printed in the Detroit Free Press, which adapted it from Food & Wine.

It’s easy to make but elegant enough to serve to company. It’s also heavy on the fruit and not too sweet.

One caveat:  plan to eat it the same day you make it, because the crust can get soggy if it sits around overnight.

Ingredients:

4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 cup sugar
¾ cup plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs
½ tsp. almond extract
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan.

In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with the lemon juice and 2 Tbs. of the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together.

In a medium bowl with an electric mixer (or in a stand mixer), beat the eggs with the almond extract and remaining sugar at medium-high speed for 8 to 10 minutes until thick and pale; a ribbon should form when the beaters are lifted.

Place the prepared pan on a piece of foil (because the juicy apples may leak). Spread the apples evenly in the prepared pan and then pour the batter evenly over them, making sure the apples are completely covered. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the batter to sink in a little.

Put the pan and the foil in the oven and bake for about 1 hour, until the cake is golden and crisp on top and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Transfer to a rack and rest for 15 minutes. Unmold and transfer to a serving platter. Dust with confectioner’s sugar by sifting about a tablespoon of sugar through a small sieve.

Ideal served warm with ice cream!

Serves 8