San Diego Football Weekend

This past weekend me and four friends went down to San Diego for the Ravens vs Chargers game.One friend is a Bolts die hard and the other is a second year fan of the Ravens anyway the first night we went down to Ocean Beach..kinda of Haight and Ashbury of S.D..lots of old hippies,stoners,surfers and laid back people in general..the place we ate at down there has some of the best fish taco's ever!..lots of different kinds of fish,killer calamari,shrimp stuffed jalapeno poppers the list could go on and on

South Beach bar and grill
The next day we went up the hill from our hotel to Hash House A GO GO..I've been to the one in Vegas but this one is the original..twisted farm food is what they call it..I call it giant.

Andy's fried chicken on bacon mashed potatoes,fried eggs,fruit and maple reduction

left to right,sage chicken,truck driver french toast,hash skillet,gravy covered chicken

Now on to a little comedy..being guys and drinking we talk a lot of shit back and forth and make up names for each other..kinda like big kids..anyway my friend Larry and Shane kept joking it up and named me Dr Bunson Honeydew from the muppets and Larry named Shane beaker..so here is a pic of Me and Shane(Beaker and Bunson)we laughed all weekend about it..hope you get a laugh too..Oh and by the way Shane I told you I'd post this shit!

Chicken Saltimboca (Reconstructed)Coast to Coast

Saltimboca means to "jump in the mouth" and this dish does it!..as i have mentioned before i started this blog with help from everyone from Bakespace and we just started to do coast to coast cooking challenges..someone picks a dish and we all make it our own way...so here is my version of saltimboca...it's made flat or rolled..most typically with sage and prosciutto topped with a wine pan sauce..i've made it both ways but everyone likes this way the best and i've made it more than a few times..I replace the pan sauce with a thick rich artichoke alfredo sauce..i also add provolone cheese along with basil,sage,crushed red pepper,garlic powder, black pepper and the prosciutto..then it's crusted with a panko parmigiano mix and fried till golden brown..it's almost like an Italian cordon blue!

Ingredients:
chicken breasts
prosciutto
sliced provolone
fresh sage
fresh basil
garlic powder
onion powder
crushed red pepper
salt and pepper


Method:
Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and line up chicken in a row,put another piece of plastic over the top and pound with a mallet until about a 1/4 inch thick,remove top piece of plastic,sprinkle with spices in an even layer,then the herbs,then a slice of cheese followed by the prosciuttonext i laid out a smaller sheet for each piece of chicken and rolled it up tightly,let the chicken set for at least 2 hours or overnightnext i used a standard breading procedure(forgot a pic)starting with flour,egg wash and then a mix of panko bread crumbs and parmigiano cheese(about 50/50 mix)and pan fried them till golden brown

Artichoke Alfredo Sauce
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese(no green can stuff!)
4 oz diced pancetta
2 shallots
3 cloves garlic
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts(rinsed and drained)
1/2 bottle of white wine(i used pinot grigio )

Method:
start with a little olive oil in a sauce pan,brown pancetta until fat is rendered and remove from pan,add shallots and saute about 3 min,add garlic and saute a few more,deglaze pan with wine and reduce to about 1/4 cup


once reduced strain off liquid and reserve,slowly melt the butter into the reduction,once butter is incorporated add scalded cream slowly to pan,once thickened about 8 to 10 minutes,add cheese and artichoke hearts,cook a few minutes more season with salt and pepper to taste,sauce will thicken upon standing

serve with your favorite pasta and here is the plated dish



here are pics and links to everyone's blogs
Michele
http://myitaliangrandmother.blogspot.com/2009/09/chicken-saltimbocca-pasta-toss-coast-to.html

Shane's
http://culinaryalchemist.blogspot.com/2009/09/cooking-coast-to-coast-saltimbocca-al.html

Spryte's

http://sprytesplace.blogspot.com/2009/08/chicken-saltimbocca.html

Monica's

http://alaskandermishinthekitch.blogspot.com/2009/09/saltimbocca-bakespace-coast-to-coast.html

Dajana's

http://dajana-bakerscorner.blogspot.com/2009/09/coast-to-coast-and-overseas-cooking.html

Cathy's
http://thedutchbakersdaughter.blogspot.com/2009/09/coast-to-coast-cooking-chicken.html

DD's

http://ddpiesslice.blogspot.com/2009/09/cooking-coast-to-coast-saltimbocca.html

Sheryle's

http://cookiebakerscorner.blogspot.com/2009/09/chicken-saltimbocca-with-lemon-sauce.html

Danielle's

http://peacefulcooking.blogspot.com/2009/08/saltimbocca-coast-to-coast-and-overseas.html

Pamela's

http://pamelaspalace2.blogspot.com/2009/08/saltimboccafor-coast-to-coast-cookoff.html

And here is a map link of where everyone is from
http://data.mapchannels.com/mc3/7109/saltimbocca_7109.htm?v=3&x=-69.153442&y=46.523669&z=2&t=0&f=1

BBQ RUB

I've been playing around with this recipe for a few years now and I've got dialed in just right.I use it on all different kinds of meat and it works really good.Just enough sugar to salt and all the right spices


Ingredients:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup kosher or sea salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup paprika
2 tbls onion powder
2 tbls garlic powder
1 tbls chili powder
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp corriander
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp old bay seasoning
1 tsp ground celery seed

combine every thing in a air tight container,use a spice grinder to get a nice fine texture if wanted

Grilled Chicken With Brandy Apple Dijon Sauce

I kinda just thought this up..it's actually a combination of a few different recipes,i like to look at recipes as a guide,just a starting point and then i let my past knowledge,experiences and taste for balance take over..anyway i'll just list the ingredients for this one because i didn't measure anything..the potatoes and asparagus were grilled along with the chicken

ingredients

bacon 6 slices diced
apple juice concentrate
Brandy
apple cider vinegar
grey poupon dijon mustard
mailie whole grain mustard
heavy whipping cream
shallot
garlic
fresh thyme
salt and pepper

method


set a sauce pan over medium heat and add bacon,cook until fat is rendered,drain bacon to paper towel leaving about a tablespoon of fat in the pan,add shallot,saute 3 to 4 min,add garlic and saute another 2 minutes,deglaze pan with brandy(about 1/4 cup)add apple juice(about a cup) and vinegar(about 1/4 cup) and reduce liquid by half,strain off liquid and add back to sauce pan,whisk both mustards(about 2 tablespoons each)to the reduction,simmer 3 to 4 minutes,slowly whisk about a half cup heavy cream to the sauce,season to taste and add fresh thyme and finely minced bacon off the heat..top your favorite meat or poultry with this..great balance of sweet to tangy!