Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Chicken Breasts with Goat Cheese

Well, here it is. I finally got around to cooking dinner. This is one of my favourite go to dinner party dishes. I’m almost embarrassed to give out the recipe, because it tastes like it should be a lot harder to make than it is. This recipe serves four but can easily be halved or doubled.

Chicken Breasts with Goat Cheese

Source: Lucy Waverman’s Fast & Fresh Cookbook

Chicken and Filling

4 single boneless chicken breasts
4 oz. goat cheese
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper to taste

Marinade

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced

In a small bowl mix together:

Goat cheese
Sundried tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 minced garlic clove
2 tbsp chopped basil
Cayenne
Salt & pepper

Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.


Cut a deep pocket in each chicken breast. Make the pocket as large as possible without cutting right through the breast. I almost butterfly the breasts, as you can see in the picture below.

Stuff filling into pockets, then flatten the breasts with your hand to pack and seal the pocket. Try not to let it overflow the edges.

Mix the marinade ingredients.

Pour over chicken breasts and marinate for 15 minutes.

Place the chicken on a broiler pan and broil for 5 – 6 minutes on each side until cooked through.


Enjoy!

Violino Gastronomia Italiana - Valentine's Dinner Parte Seconda

Since I splurged on the Valentine’s dinner last week, Dave insisted on treating me to a night out this week, my choice. I selected Violino Gastronomia Italiana (10133 125 Street). They’ve been on my list of restaurants to try for a while. Actually, they’ve been on the list since they opened a couple of years ago and I’m ashamed to admit I’m only getting around to visiting now.

The parking in the High Street area is always a bit tight, but when we arrived on Saturday night there were a few spots available in their lot. Once in the door, we were greeted warmly by the host who took our jackets and escorted us to our table. The restaurant is housed in an old mansion with dining on two floors. We were seated on the main level; the room was intimate with a simple elegance about it. It was a softly lit and warm toned room with rich golden floor to ceiling drapery that was complimented by dark wood beams and window trim. It’s a perfect place for a romantic dinner or an evening with close friends.

Our waiter quickly made his appearance, bringing with him a wonderful rustic loaf of dense, chewy bread and a bowl of olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a clove of roasted garlic in it. As we checked over the menus the host came by with a massive wheel of parmesan and cut off some chunks for us to have with our bread. We ordered a bottle of Cecchi Chianti ($33), one of the house reds, from what appeared to a fairly diverse wine list. Wines ranged from $31 for Freixenet to $440 for Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon. For our appetizer we ordered the Antipasto Misto for one ($15). Originally we ordered the plate for two, but our waiter ensured us that the platter for one would be sufficient, especially if we wanted room for dessert. For our main we both ordered the Duo di Agnello ($38), rack of lamb served with potato gnocchi.

The Antipasto Misto arrived swiftly. It was a nice mixture of smoked salmon, a jumbo prawn, a sugar glazed bay scallop, Genoa salami, prosciutto, capicollo, roasted Italian vegetables and mixed olives. Our waiter was correct in suggesting the smaller portion, but it was a bit comical to be cutting the prawn and the scallop in half so we could share.

As we waited for our lamb to arrive we watched the table across from us being served Violino’s signature dish, Bistecca alla Fiorentina ($59 to serve two), a 40 oz T-bone steak. The steak was wheeled to the table on a cart, doused in brandy and then set alight. Once the flame was out it was carved at the table for them. It looked fantastic and I wondered if I’d had made the right choice from the menu. My fears were alleviated as soon as our waiter appeared with our lamb. Wow. The lamb rack was served with a rosemary red wine reduction and gnocchi in a lamb bolognese. Dave and I both agreed that it was one of the best racks of lamb that we’ve ever had. The rack was lightly coated in Dijon mustard and then breaded. The slight hint of mustard combined with the wine reduction complemented the succulent meat that was cooked perfectly as ordered. The gnocchi was just as wonderful. The fluffy little dumpling pillows were nestled in a rich, rich, ground lamb bolognese sauce. The gnocchi is on the menu as a stand-alone pasta dish ($12), I’d definitely order it if I was looking for something a bit less than decadent then the rack of lamb.

Needless to say, we were too stuffed after the lamb to order dessert. We decided instead on a Padova, from their special coffee menu. The combination of Sambuca, Cacao, espresso and steamed milk was just sweet enough to finish off the perfect meal.

As we left the restaurant, our waiter, who had given us wonderful service throughout the evening, wished us well and urged us to come back and try to save room for dessert in next time.
Violino Gastronomia Italiana
10133 125 Street
780-757-8701
Lunch, Monday – Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Dinner, Monday – Saturday 5:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Brunch, Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Love is Freedom Edmonton - Valentine's Event

I’m always looking for something new and fun to drag Dave to. When I saw information on the Love is Freedom event at Only Here for the Food, I knew we had to go. Billed as “a celebration of love through a unique culinary and dining experience like no other”, I was sure it would be a Valentine’s date to remember. The event was held at d’Lish and featured cooking instruction from Edmonton chef, Sebastian Lysz (Relish Culinary Consulting) and lessons from Satesh Narine (Crestwood Fine Wines and Spirits) and Kathleen O'Connor (Gnoble Wines) about wine pairings.



We arrived to a warm welcome from Ariel del Rosario of BranchLab, who took our coats and pointed us to the bar. There was a wonderful mix of people and we enjoyed meeting everyone while we nibbled on great hors d’oeuvres. At around 7:00 pm Chef Sebastian Lysz started the show. He walked us through cooking up mushrooms and asparagus for our Warm Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Salad. I loved this dish, it was quick, simple, tasty and best of all made from ingredients that I frequently have in my fridge. Our first wine pairing of the evening was a 2006 Chardonnay from Virgara wines. Its hints of pineapple and grapefruit went nicely with the salad.




After our dishes were whisked away to be washed in the back, did I mention that this is the best way to cook, we started our butternut squash risotto. I’d heard that risotto was a bit labour intensive, but I wasn’t aware just how much work it really is. I’m sure glad Dave was there to do most of the stirring!



After what seemed forever, but was really just a glass of wine time span, our risotto was cooked to satisfaction. We topped our finished product with a bit of truffle oil. This was another first. I had never tasted truffle oil before. Wow, that little drizzle of oil made the dish for me. The risotto was paired with Alta Vista Atemporal Blend, once again a great match. This is a really nice red with great red fruit, pepper, and spice characteristics.



Once again, those dishes disappeared by themselves and we started on the Coq au Vin. We started by browning the chicken pieces in olive oil, then adding bacon and pearl onions. After cooking this for a bit we added chicken stock and wine to the dish.




Since our dish had to simmer for a while, we were treated to a small charcuterie and cheese plate to share as we sat and enjoyed our wine. The cheeses were from Paddy's International Cheese Market
and the Italian Centre. What really stood out for me was the cardamom salami from the Cheesery in southern Alberta. Sadly, when we asked Sebastian where we could find it, he told us we’d have to wait two or three months before it would be available at the Old Strathcona Farmers Market or City Market on 104th Street. Keep your eyes peeled for it; it’ll be worth the wait.


After our Coq au Vin had simmered for a while we added a beurre manie (equal parts flour and butter) to thicken the sauce.Our dishes tasted very nice, but I couldn’t get over its purple grey colour.

The Coq au Vin was paired with Virgara’s Cabernet Sauvignon, which was also the wine that the chicken was cooked in. This was my wine of choice over the evening; I found it fruity with rich black currant flavours. Very enjoyable.

For dessert, Chef Lysz prepared chocolate ice cream made with Kirsten’s Drinking Chocolate using dry ice to speed up the process. A warm and engaging showman, he demonstrated how dry ice will freeze a rose (a nice valentine’s touch) and then proceeded to smash it for us.



While he continued preparing the ice cream, we were treated to a selection of Kirsten’s Original Source chocolates.

Once the chocolates disappeared we started on our Bananas Flambé. We added a large portion of brown sugar to melted butter and then added our bananas.


Once our bananas were cooked, Chef Lysz came around with his big container of vanilla vodka, adding some to our dish and then lighting it up. Once the fired died down and the smoke cleared we dished it up in a bowl with our fresh chocolate ice cream. Very heavenly!

After dessert we were treated to the great jazz rhythms of Dave Babcock and his Jump Orchestra. The music was fantastic and I was happy to hear some of my favorite jazz songs. Sadly, I was too stuffed to get up and groove.





Thankfully, the organizers had arranged rides home for everyone. It was a perfect end to a fun and memorable evening.