Volume 8, Issue 080 - April 22, 2005

Hello Recipe Club,

I would once again like to thank my friend Cathy Leslie for sharing recipes from her CD with us. Next week we will learn about seasoning and flavoring food. A day by day guide to properly using your spice cabinet and fresh herbs.

Have a great weekend!

Cathy is an above-average cook and recipe collector from Texas. Over the years, she has compiled well over 2,000,000 recipes and has released her first CD with 35 categories that include a total of 35,206 recipes! Chef2Chef.net and Cathy would like to offer this CD for a limited time only at the price of $19.95, plus a small S&H charge. This amazing collection comes with searching capabilities and makes wonderful gifts. Click Here to Purchase An Amazing 35,206 Recipes On One CD!  $2.00 from every sale goes toward the Chef2Chef Culinary Scholarship Fund.

Apricot Glazed Chicken with Peaches and Raisins

Ingredients:

2 (3-pound each) chickens, cut in serving pieces
salt
minced garlic or garlic powder
12-ounce pack dried peaches
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup apricot jam
parsley sprigs

Preparation:

Season chicken with salt and garlic to taste. Place peaches and raisins in bottom of buttered 16x12-inch baking pan. Top with chicken pieces. Brush with melted butter. Drizzle 3/4 cup wine over. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Warm apricot jam in small saucepan. Press jam through sieve into bowl. Stir in remaining white wine. Uncover chicken and baste with apricot-wine mixture. Continue baking at 325 degrees, uncovered, for 30 minutes, basting frequently, until chicken is tender and deeply glazed. Garnish with parsley.

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Chevre Chicken Breasts with Squash

Ingredients:

2 large boneless chicken breasts, split, skin on
salt and pepper to taste
4 small zucchini
4 small yellow squash
1 tablespoon olive oil or other cooking oil
4 slices aged goat cheese (1 1/2-ounce each)
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle with desired salt and pepper. Remove stem and tip of the squashes and cut into 1-inch chunks.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the chicken on both sides until golden, for about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. When cool, place a slice of goat cheese under the skin.

Add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until soft. Transfer onions to a covered baking dish.

Add zucchini, yellow squash and butter to the skillet and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Scrape into the baking dish containing the onions, add desired salt and pepper and mix well.

Arrange chicken on the squash, cover and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Arrange the breasts on a platter. Mix the squash with chopped parsley and mound next to chicken. Serve immediately.

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Cheese Fried Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour
4 ounces dark beer or stout
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, or as desired
1 large onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon cooking oil
6 plum tomatoes or canned peeled tomatoes, drained
2 dried poblano chili peppers or 1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 large boneless chicken breasts, split, skin on
4 slices sharp jack or cheddar cheese
flour for dusting chicken
salt and pepper
1/2 cup frying oil

Preparation:

Place flour in a mixing bowl and slowly pour in the beer while mixing. Add the egg white, pepper and desired salt and mix well. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30 minutes before using.

Combine onions and oil in a small Dutch oven or casserole, place in the oven and turn temperature to 375 degrees.

If using fresh plum tomatoes, bring a pot of water to the boil, plunge in the plum tomatoes and cook a minute or so, until the skins crack. Drain tomatoes and when they are cool enough to handle, peel them. Discard peels, cut tomatoes in half crosswise and squeeze out seeds. Add tomatoes to the Dutch oven.

Remove stems from the dried chili peppers and remove the seeds. Add peppers to the Dutch oven. Add cumin, cream and salt as desired. Cook for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and scrape the contents into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and set aside.

Meanwhile, place a piece of cheese under the skin of each breast. Dredge each breast in flour and shake off the excess. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat on the stove. 

When the oil is hot enough for frying, dip each breast in the beer batter and let the excess run off. Carefully place skin-side down in the oil and fry until golden. Turn and fry other side, for about 1 minute per side.

Remove breasts from the oil as they are done, drain on paper towels and transfer to a baking dish. Place the chicken breasts in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. Place tomato sauce in a saucepan and reheat. 

If the mixture is too thin, place it in a saucepan over high heat and boil down. Pour the sauce onto a platter and arrange the chicken breasts on top.