Farmhouse Chicken Chowder

Since Dave and I love Cook's Illustrated so much, we decided to subscribe to the other publication by America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Country, which is equally as good and arguably better based on number of recipes and your own personal tastes. The April/May cover features some fluffy cream cheese biscuits which are a similar variation of the cream biscuits Jeni just posted. Biscuits are absolutely essential for the Farmhouse Chicken Chowder.

I was first drawn in by the picture and then the fact that it didn't require a whole lot of ingredients (we have to get rid of all perishable items before the impending move so our kitchen is looking pretty barren these days), loved that it only takes thirty minutes but then was completely sold when it called for a store-bought rotisserie chicken! I was planning to hold off until I was out in Denver with my trusty sous chef by my side, but just couldn't wait, so I recruited some friends to help me eat the whole pot. It was super yummy and even better with some fresh biscuits. Think chicken and dumplings with bacon fat!

6 slices of bacon, chopped
6 scallions, white parts chopped fine and green parts sliced thin
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 celery rib, sliced thin
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-size pieces (about 3 cups)
1 cup half-and-half

Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from pot. Cook scallion whites, carrots, celery and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in bacon fat until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in broth and potatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add chicken and half-and-half and simmer until chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with bacon and scallion greens. Serve.

Note: For a richer soup, use cream instead of half-and-half (of course I did this).

Cream Biscuits

Perhaps it's just the love affair I'm having with my my new oven, but lately I've become addicted to baking. When I came across this recipe for cream biscuits on Orangette's blog, I had to give them a try. The kids are home on spring break and I thought I would surprise my daughter with some fresh from the oven biscuits when she finished up with her morning treatment.Adapted from The Breakfast Book, by Marion Cunningham, she says that these biscuits belong in your permanent recipe file, and she is right about that. I’ve tried a lot of biscuit recipes, and this is my new go-to, easy. It is not for those seeking a light breakfast - the amount of cream and butter is, shall we say, festive. It’s an epic biscuit.

Pulled Pork Sandwich w/ Carolina Mustard Sauce

Before the storm of change was blowing, we decided to try this tasty little number from Cooks Illustrated. Ashley did the brining of the Boston Butt Roast, taking into account that I would be home the 2 hrs after starting it, and I took over from there after my overnight shift. The article talks about acheiving a good "bark" on the pork and the best method they came up with was a combination of wet and dry rubs. The wet was mustard-based and the dry was paprika/ground black pepper and some other goodies that I can't recall because I can't find the recipe right now. I slathered on the wet and then dusted with the dry. One of the things I learned from doing this is that meat needs to stay at 200 degrees for 1 hour in order to breakdown the fatty tissue and have a "nice" tender meat. They devised a method in the oven to try to replicate true BBQ. I tossed it in at 325 (I think) for 4 hrs covered in foil to trap in the moisture and promote juiciness. (Anytime I write a phrase like "Promotes..." I can only think of things like toothpaste commercials.) Anyway, the second phase is to cook at same temp for another 2 hrs uncovered, to work on the ever crucial "bark" element of the roast. After the full 6 hrs, due to our oven's subpar abilities, the meat had only just gotten to 200. Since it was far later than we had planned and I needed to sleep soon we decided to just go with what we had, regardless of tenderness. I prepared the Carolina Mustard sauce as the roast sat tented in foil for 20 mins. Mainly a mixture of mustard, brown sugar ("how come you taste so good now?!") worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Before adding it to the newly pulled pork we decided to double the brown sugar amount and I still think it could've had more in it. I tossed the PP in 1 cup of the sauce and served the remaining sauce as a side, which we summarily dumped all over our sandwiches! Keith and I thought they were really tasty but Ashley, having watched me pull the pork and seeing all the fat, didn't have such fond feelings and left the rest for Keith and I to take as leftovers. I'd like to try this again, using real BBQ techniques and maintaining the proper temperature for an hour, once it's warm again. The taste was great and it's a nice little recipe to have in your grilling arsenal.

Buttermilk Syrup

While the other sibs are going through some big changes in their lives, I'll keep posting so that when they get settled in to their new normals, they'll have some good grub to look forward to. I love you guys!

I bumped into this recipe for Buttermilk Syrup on White On Rice Couple's blog (2011 weblog award winner). They claim "Feasting your eyes on this amazing buttermilk pancake syrup just isn’t enough. You have to taste it to believe that it really is the best buttermilk syrup recipe around. We were completely won over after the first bite and once we licked the plate clean of the clingy decadence, we were convinced that it really is a rock-star buttermilk syrup recipe. Breakfast will never be the same!"

I wholeheartedly agree! Of course I had to pair it with some Cornmeal Buttermilk Pancakes and Maple Cayenne Bacon. The syrup keeps for at least a couple weeks if you can manage to not use it all up quicker.