Pesto Chicken Sandwich

Today I have yet another delicious lunchtime sandwich option for you all.  I was craving some chicken pesto the other night, but decided it was more of an afternoon meal, so the next day I went to town.  Pretty much all you need for this is chicken and pesto sauce and the rest of the accompaniments are up to you.  I would've liked some avocado or maybe some lettuce or fresh tomato, but alas you use what you have, and here is what I made given the ingredients in my fridge.  Granted, it was still obviously a delicious and decadent sandwich.   

1. Toast your bread.  I went with sourdough. 
2. Cook your bacon.  I did this in a pan on the stove. 
3. Cook your chicken.  I used two chicken breast tenders which I first seared in the bacon grease, but then ultimately poached in a little broth/water combo.  This was to make sure it would cook through and remain moist.  When it was pretty much done, most of the liquid had evaporated so I spread a thick slab of pesto on top of the chicken, put the lid on the saucepan and cooked another 3-5 minutes.
4. Assemble.

On one slice of the bread I placed some red onion slices, covered with my bacon strips, and crumbled some herbed goat cheese on top.  On the other slice of bread I spread a coat of mayonnaise, placed my two chicken slices on top, and shaved some fresh parmesan cheese onto the still hot chicken so it would melt. 

Carefully flip over one of the sides of the sandwich.  Press together lightly, slice on the bias, and enjoy this cheesy, pesto-ey, meaty deliciousness. 

Nutmeg Scones

Who doesn't like a good breakfast pastry?  Scones are great because they're a flakier, slightly sweeter version of say toast or an english muffin, but not quite as deviant as, say, a bear claw or danish.  I like to put out scones at brunches, and they're always a hit, sometimes prompting an intense scone vs. crumpet debate (crumpets are more porous and contain yeast, where scones instead utilize baking powder.  scones also originated in Scotland while crumpets came from Wales).

My favorite scone recipe includes nutmeg and so the other morning I adapted the ingredients around what I had and the quantity of scones I was hoping to make.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour 
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 + 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg

I typically utilize a food processor to make scones, but all I currently have in my kitchen is a mini processor, hence the tiny proportions of ingredients.  Feel free to multiply the above ingredients if you have a larger preparation vessel. 

Step 1: combine the dry ingredients (the first six on the above list)

Step 2: Add the butter.  Make sure your butter is still cold and chopped into a cubes (a must in most dough recipes).  This is why the processor is ideal because the blade helps cut the butter into the dry ingredients, much more easily than if you attempted this by hand. 

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients (egg and sour cream):

Once completely pulsed, you'll get a crumbly mixture.  Pour it onto a floured surface and knead into a large ball of dough.  Separate the dough in half and depending on the size of scones you want to make, cut them accordingly.  I made 8 mini scones so I hand patted each half of the dough into a square and cut it in quarters along the diagonals. 

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place your scones on top.  For added flavor, sprinkle some sugar and nutmeg atop the scones before baking.  For even more added crunch, create an egg-white wash (just whisk egg whites and water) and rub/paint a little on top of the scones before adding the sugar/nutmeg.  Then bake for 10-15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. 

Serve warm when the flakiness can be most appreciated.  Serve with devonshire cream or lemon curd like at a fancy tea establishment or simply butter or jams.  Or you could use nothing at all, since they have enough flavor to stand out on their own. 

lemon curd!

Zucchini and Saffron Vichyssoise with Scallops

I've made this soup a few times now, and it's one of my favorite indulgences, for when you've got saffron threads you're just dying to use.  A vichyssoise is a thick, starchy soup based on potatoes and cream typically served cold.  But I'm not so much a fan of cold soups.  So I serve this one hot, and it's definitely a winner.  The original recipe comes from epicurious, so you can see what you need and in what quantities, but I'll show you the pictures and tell you my process.

Ingredients: zucchini, onion, potatoes, butter, garlic, saffron, chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, heavy cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper, scallops, and bacon for garnish (not in the original recipe, but how could i resist?)

For this dish I peel the zucchini and the potatoes completely.  I cut them both into small cubes as well as the onion.  First saute the onion in the butter.  Once softened add the potatoes, garlic, and saffron and cook for a minute.  

Next add the broth and your spices (bay leaf, thyme) and cook over medium/medium-low heat until the potatoes are softened, about 15-20 minutes depending on your potatoes.  

Add the zucchini last because it is already soft enough it shouldn't need to cook as long as the potatoes.  After about 10 minutes it should be softened enough.

At this point, bust out your immersion blender (or the regular blender if you don't have the handheld variety), and puree the soup nicely.  The recipe mentions pouring through a fine sieve, but I don't like losing some of the thick starchiness, so I skip that step, opting to leave every bit of the soup intact.  At this point you can add the cream, lemon juice, and salt/pepper.

If you want cold soup let it cool, then put it in the fridge (don't put it directly into the fridge or you ruin the integrity of the flavors from the cold-shock).  But if you want it served warm you can let it sit on low heat at this point, or leave the burner off until right before you're ready to serve it and turn the heat back up.

This soup is great on it's own, but if you need some meat with your dinner, the scallops are an excellent accompaniment.  Get the large sea scallops and slice them horizontally into smaller discs.  Since I'm a glutton for all things pork fat, I obviously decided a bacon garnish was necessary moreso than a zucchini garnish, so in a small skillet render some chopped bacon.  Remove from heat and to the bacon grease in the pan you can add a little butter and then sear your scallops.  Season with salt and pepper first, then add the scallop to the medium/medium-high heated skillet.  You'll only need to cook for about a minute on each side.  You want to cook the scallop through, but overcook it and you get a tough mess so err on the side of less time on the stove.  

To serve, plate (bowl?) your soup.  Add some scallop slices and sprinkle with bacon.  The soup provides a nice thick pillow for the scallops and the flavors really do play well together.