Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts � Less Time, More Skin = Better Breasts

Cooking up a few chicken breasts should be a fast, easy, and delicious experience, but for many people it�s actually a slow, hard, and disappointing one. There are several reasons for this, and hopefully this demo for how to pan-roast chicken will eliminate them.

The most important factor is doneness. By �pan-roasting,� you can easily monitor the internal temp, and as I recommend in the video, start the pan sauce when the meat reaches about 150 F. By the time your sauce is done, and the chicken is covered in its hot, buttery goodness, it should have reached 155-160 F., which is what I shoot for.

At this temp, the chicken will be perfectly safe, while remaining moist and tender. I know many recipes, and reference sites, call for longer cooking times, and internal temps of 165-175 F., but that�s just crazy. Unless, you want tough, dry meat; in which case, that works wonderfully.

Also, I think it�s very important we leave the skin on. Not only does this add a lot of flavor, but also much-needed moisture. Even if you�ve been brain-washed into thinking the skin is �bad� for you, which it isn�t, you can peel it off before you eat it, but I recommend leaving it on during the cooking process.

And yes, we�d be getting even more flavor and moisture if we just left the breasts on the bone, but the whole point is for this to be fast to make, and effortless to eat. Otherwise, we might as well roast a whole chicken.

If you�re not into creating your own boneless, skin-on breasts, like we did in the video, you can have the butcher at the market do this for you. You�ll have to go to a larger store where they cut up their own chicken parts, and tell them exactly what you want, but they�ll hook you up at no extra charge. I really hope you give this easy, and very effective technique a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

4 boneless, but skin-on chicken breasts

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs, optional

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup *vinegar

4 tbsp cold butter, cut in smaller pieces

a splash of chicken broth or water, if needed to thin sauce

*I used apple cider here, but literally any vinegar will work. Some of my favorites are sherry, balsamic, rice, and champagne vinegar.

How to Make Your Own Prepared Horseradish � Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Every time I use horseradish in a recipe, I get e-mails from people asking me how they can make it at home. They mention they can get the fresh root, but can�t find anything already prepared in the jar, which in some cases is hard to believe � like when the email originates from New York City � but regardless, this is still a very worthwhile thing to learn how to make.

Worthwhile, and somewhat painful, if you�re not careful. As I mention in the video, the fumes produced by this process are very intense, and will cause burning eyes and runny noses, if you�re not in a well-ventilated space. Having said that, using a little common sense, it�s really not that bad, and so totally worth it.

This really is quite easy if you have a food processor, but if you don�t, a heavy-duty blender will work, although you may have to add more water in the first step, to get the mixture fine enough. You can also grate this very fine on a microplane, but that would probably only be practical if you�re making a smaller amount.

Once your horseradish has been ground finely, the technique is very simple. I like to wait two or three minutes (this is supposed to make it hotter), before adding the salt and vinegar. Then, I�ll simply process, adding as much water as necessary, until I have a nice, smooth, creamy mixture.

And while this looks like something from the grocery store, the flavor is incomparable. Intensely hot, and aromatic; this is the real deal. So, whether you�re one of these people, who lives in a place where they don�t have jarred horseradish, like apparently New York City, or you always wanted to try and make some yourself, I really hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 3 cups: you read this please in here

1 pound peeled, cubed fresh horseradish root

cold water as needed (about 3/4 cup total)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/3 cup white distilled vinegar

Alabama-Style White BBQ Sauce � An Almost Labor-Free Sauce for Your Labor Day Grill

This incredibly easy to make Alabama white barbecue sauce was invented in 1925 by Robert �Big Bob� Gibson at Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q restaurant, in Decatur. When I first read this bit of culinary history, I had to smile, since I actually know the guy. Well, sort of.

I�ve been to two bbq �boot camps,� run by champion pitmaster Chris Lilly, who trained under a guy, who trained under Big Bob Gibson. Hey, that�s only three degrees of separation. Ironically, Chris never made, or used the white sauce on anything we cooked, but still, I know a guy, who knew a guy, who knew THE guy.

Some people find this concoction quite strange, but not me. It�s eerily similar to the Cornell chicken marinade, which I love. In fact, Mr. Robert C. Baker, the creator of the aforementioned recipe, may have borrowed the idea from Big Bob. I would investigate further, but I have real crimes to solve.

Don�t let this mixture�s appearance stop you from trying what is a devastatingly delicious marinade, baste, and sauce. One tip for basting on the grill: make sure you do it towards the end of cooking, and not over too-high heat. You don�t want flame-ups, as that will cause an off taste.

I brush on two or three applications to each side, over more indirect heat, and as you see in the video, it sears on nicely. As a table sauce, it�s great on any of the traditional barbecued meats, but since it�s really just a salad dressing, it�s also wonderful for making potato salad, coleslaw, and grilled vegetables. I hope you give this white barbecue sauce a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 3 cups of sauce:

2 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup prepared extra-hot horseradish

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tsp yellow mustard

juice of one lemon

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Summer Vegetable Cavatelli with Fresh Corn �Cream� � Corn Not Cows!

There�s a restaurant near us that features a burrata-filled tortellini, served in a cream sauce fortified with fresh, sweet corn. It�s a wonderful dish, and was the inspiration for this simple, summer vegetable cavatelli.

I was going to use reduced cream, with fresh, pureed corn stirred in at the end, but then I had a thought. What if skipped the dairy altogether, and made the sauce 100% cob-based? I was also out of cream.

So, I blended the fresh corn with some chicken broth, and ended up with what looked like corn milk. At first, I thought I�d made it too thin, but after a few tests reducing some in a pan, I realized it was thickening up beautifully.

While I was very happy with this, in hindsight, I�d do a few things differently next time. I went with pancetta, but I think the smokiness of bacon would have made this even more delicious. I also think you should probably add the corn cream to the vegetables, and bring it to a simmer before the pasta is added.

Of course, this recipe will work with whatever fresh seasonal vegetables you happen to find at the market, as long as its something that tastes good with sweet corn. In related news, everything tastes good with sweet corn. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

For the corn �cream� (will make more than needed for the recipe)

2 ears fresh white corn, or other sweet corn

2 cups chicken broth or water

For the pasta:

2 cups cavatelli

1 tbsp olive oil

4 ounces diced bacon or pancetta (sausage would also work nicely)

1/2 cup diced sweet red pepper

1 1/2 cup diced zucchini

pinch of cayenne

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 to 2 cups corn �cream,� or as needed

1 cup halved sweet cheery tomatoes

1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

1 tbsp finely sliced basil leaves

grated Parmigiano Reggiano

4th of July Special: Red, White & Blueberry Grilled Chicken!

These colors don�t run, but they do stain, so I recommend eating this delicious, red, white and blueberry chicken outdoors, preferably at some type of 4th of July barbecue. While the Independence Day wordplay was very much intentional, this grilled chicken is no gimmick.

Smoky, spicy meats have been paired with sweet-and-sour, fruit-based sauces since we�ve had cooks, so that this combo works beautifully is no big surprise. And yes, other juicy fruit like peaches, or other berries will work nicely.

Like I said in the video, I made my spice rub extra hot, so I could really take advantage of the cooling effects of the sweetness in the sauce. Sweet cancels out heat on your palette, so you can kind of push things a bit if you want. The measurements below are what I used, but you should, and must adjust. 

As far as chicken doneness goes, I recommend checking with a thermometer. If you cook a lot of chicken, it�s fairly easy to tell by feel, but why take a chance? I usually go to 150 F, which left to rest for a minute, should be safe, and very juicy. So, if you�re looking for a very tasty, slightly unusual, appropriately named chicken recipe, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp ground dry chipotle

1/2 tsp cayenne
2 cloves minced garlic

For the blueberry gastrique:

2 cups blueberries

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

*splash of water as needed to adjust thickness (after the blueberries start cooking)

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

*If you make the sauce ahead, your sauce will thicken, and you will probably need to thin it out with some water. When tasting for seasoning, remember this is going to go on highly seasoned meat.

Nectarine Salsa � Stone Cold Delicious

I�ve always loved the marvelous contrast between a hot, smoky piece of meat, and a cold, fruity salsa; and this version featuring nectarines did not disappoint. In fact, the only thing that pairs better with this fresh fruit salsa is a basket of crispy tortilla chips.

This salsa will work with any stone fruit, but nectarines are my favorite. They�re usually sweet, even when still a bit firm, which I prefer texturally over a perfectly ripe price of fruit. Having said that, if you do have a few peaches to use up this summer, this is something to keep in mind.

As I said in my closing arguments at the end of the video, if you think fruit salsa is just too weird, then you need to be reminded that tomato, a fruit, is the most popular salsa ingredient of all time. I rest my case�again. Hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 cups Nectarine Salsa:

*Note: everything here is �to taste,� so adjust accordingly.

1 cup finely diced nectarine

1/3 cup finely diced onions

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper

2 tbsp finely diced jalapeno pepper

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

2 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste

pinch cayenne

pinch freshly ground black pepper

How to Fix a Broken Hollandaise Sauce

It happens to the best of us. You did everything right, and yet somehow your gorgeous hollandaise sauce has separated. Your hungry, possibly hangry, brunch guests are sitting down, and you're in the kitchen panicking, since there's no time to start a new one from scratch. What do you do? What...do....you....do?

First, take a deep breath, and by "deep breath" I mean a big sip of your Bloody Mary. Then, do what you see me do in this video. A hollandaise sauce is actually very easy to fix, and only takes a minute. Let's hope you never have to use it, but just in case, I hope you give this great technique a try.

Tonnato Sauce � Not Just for Cold Veal Anymore

Some things sound really amazing the first time you hear about them, and other things, like this tonnato sauce, really don�t. I was probably in my early twenties when this first appeared on my culinary radar as, �vitello tonnato.� At the time, a plate of cold, thinly-sliced poached veal dressed with a chilled, runny tuna sauce didn�t make a lot of sense, but I tried it anyway, and have been a fan ever since.

I don�t often serve it with the traditional veal, as in never, but ironically that�s the only thing I don�t serve it with. It�s tremendous as a spread, and equally impressive as an all-purpose, all-world dip. You can also turn any basic potato salad into the stuff of legends...well, at least picnic legends.

I have to give credit where credit's due, and admit I stole the idea for my "tonnato tartare tartine" from one of my favorite San Francisco restaurants, Bar Tartine. They do it much better, but even my primitive version was incredible, so if you're into that kind of thing, I highly recommend it.

As I said in the clip, there are only a few ingredients, and they're all �to taste,� so you should expect to adjust. I like mine with lots of everything, plus some garlic and cayenne, but that�s just me. By the way, in keeping with the spirit of the original dish, if you do happen to have some cold, leftover roast chicken, turkey, or pork, slice it thin, and slather this stuff all over it, and enjoy one of the best cold plates ever. I really hope you give this tonnato sauce a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 cups tonnato sauce:

1 (7-ounce) jar olive oil-packed tuna, plus reserved olive oil

6 olive oil-packed anchovy fillets

2 tablespoons capers, drained

3 tablespoons lemon juice, or more to taste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1 or 2 cloves minced garlic

salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne

For the spring vegetable topping:
equal parts shaved raw carrot and thinly sliced raw sugar snap peas or snow peas, tossed with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Topped with arugula sprouts or thinly-sliced arugula leaves.

For the raw beef topping:
ice cold diced lean beef (I used eye of round), tossed with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Topped with arugula sprouts or thinly-sliced arugula leaves.

Demi-Glace: Part 2 � Half Again

I could�ve squeezed this stuff into the last video (Demi-Glace Part 1), but it was already too long, and I didn�t want to rush through what�s just as important information. Plus, I really wanted to show some more gelatinized sauce slapping. People really seem to enjoy that, maybe a little too much.

Once you go through all the trouble of making homemade demi-glace, you�ll want to make sure you portion and store it properly, so that it provides you with many months of stellar sauces. 

As seen in the video, you should get 16 nice blocks, each enough for about two servings, depending on the sauce. As amazing as this stuff is when used as a simple pan sauce, stay tuned for a few proper demi-based sauces at some point. I�ve always wanted to do a bordelaise sauce, and now we can. 

Besides using this for sauces, you can also throw a block into braised dishes like short ribs, or coq au vin, and you take something already pretty great, and make it truly memorable. I hope you give homemade demi-glace a try soon. Enjoy!

Demi-Glace: Part 1 � Feel the Veal

If you saw the post from earlier today, you know this video has been delayed do to mysterious, and near catastrophic audio problems, but finally we have the first �demi� of the recipe, and I hope it was worth the wait.

This is my technique for veal demi-glace, and there�s not much to it. I�m going for a pure veal stock reduction, fortified with nothing more than mirepoix and tomato. I don�t do the classic roux-based �espagnole� sauce, which is traditionally mixed with veal stock and reduced by half.

Modern versions like this forgo the flour, and simply reduce the stock until the natural gelatin from the bones thickens things up. You get a much more intensely flavored sauce, with a wonderfully luxurious mouthfeel. I also usually make a pure version of the stock without the traditional �bouquet garni,� which is a very classic bundle of herbs and spices, usually wrapped and tied in a piece of leek.

It looks pretty, but I can add any or all of those flavors anytime I want, and we�re also always going to use this as a base for other sauces and applications, all of which bring their own herb and spice blends. Basically, like to keep my options open.

Stay tuned for part two, where I�ll show you what to do with this life-changing liquid, as well as how to portion and store it for many months of brown sauce nirvana. I hope you call your butcher and order some veal bones soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 3-4 quarts of Demi-Glace:

10 lbs veal bones, joints and marrow bones

1 tbsp vegetable oil

4 carrots, cut in 2-inch pieces

3 onions, cut in eighths (I did without thinking, but you don�t have to peel the onions)

4 ribs celery, cut in 2-inch pieces

1 (6-oz) can tomato paste

*10 quarts water

*While the stock simmers very, very gently for 18 hours, the level will drop a few inches in the pot, which is fine, but if it seems like the liquid level is getting low, add a few cups of water in.

How to Make Tahini Sauce with Too Much Garlic

This was supposed to be a simple tahini sauce video for teasing our upcoming falafel episode, but it turned into a demonstration on how not to adjust a recipe. Usually this delicious Middle Eastern condiment has just a touch of garlic, if any, for whatever reason I was in a garlicky mood, and decided to put in some extra� all at once.

This is a classic rookie move, and usually a recipe for disaster, pun intended. If you�re going to significantly increase the amount of an ingredient, you can�t just dump it all in and cross your fingers. You have to add it little by little, tasting as you go, otherwise you�ll end up like me; the proud owner of a perfectly fine garlic sauce.

There�s nothing wrong with garlic sauce, unless you really wanted tahini sauce.  The good news is, my mistake shouldn�t affect you in the least. The technique is very simple, and every ingredient is �to taste.� So, please use the ingredient amounts below as a guide, and then add more of whatever until you have it exactly how you want it.

Once you get the formula down, you�ll be enjoying one of the world�s great cold sauces. Perfect with everything from steamed vegetables to grilled meats, and of course, homemade falafel. So, stay tuned for that, and in the meantime, I hope you get this delicious tahini sauce a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 cup of tahini sauce:

1/2 cup tahini (pure sesame seed paste)

1 clove finely crushed garlic (I used 4 cloves in the video,  but you probably shouldn�t)

pinch of salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil, optional (most classic recipes do not include)

enough warm water to achieve the desired consistency (this sauce is usually very thin)