Chocolate Caramel Bars

For the last month I’ve been interning at a French place called JoJo during my weekends from 9 AM till 5 PM. I was initially so excited about getting the internship…. But I always knew that I’d have to start on the bottom (on the job chain) and I’m learning what that actually entails. From 9-5 on Saturdays and Sundays, I am working in the prep kitchen either peeling potatoes, shucking corn, prepping string beans, cutting onions, making dressings, frying chips… and the list goes on. I am learning how to do lots of new things and how to be quick quick quick cause you know time is money (even though I am most definitely not getting paid). Anyways, today was a weird day, I woke up at 3 AM in a horror I had forgotten my knives in my locker at school! Chefs do not share knives… it’s like a musician without a guitar or a photographer without a camera…. This morning I woke up an hour earlier than my planned wake up time and hauled my ass downtown to school (about a 35 min subway ride) and got my knives…. But then I realized I had FORGOTTEN my chef pants! Ah! I guess it’s like a nurse trying to wear jeans to work if that makes the comparison more understandable…. I cursed myself once again. I tried to get an administrator at my school to sell me a pair of pants and he told me I had to wait for the receptionist who wouldn’t be there till 9 AM and my internship started at 9! Then my tears started coming… my internship was about a 15 minute subway ride away… but golly the normal me wouldn’t care and I’d be like hmm okay sooo I’ll be a few minutes late. But the tears worked the administrator (a man) ran and found someone (a woman) who was able to figure out how to charge pants onto my student account. Finally! I thought I got the worse out of the way, then at about 11 AM I was chopping onions and I cut myself and made a bloody mess and again the tears came. I cut and burn myself almost everyday at school, but today for some reason I was Mrs.Waterworks and I had to step outside of the restaurant and contain myself. I’m wondering if school and work every day of the week is finally getting to me… don’t get me wrong I love almost every moment. Tomorrow I don’t have to go into Jojo until 2PM and I’m making myself go to Central Park in the morning and walk around and enjoy the quiet and not being in a kitchen the first thing in the morning.

At school, I am mostly cooking something savory so I have been craving to bake. A few days ago on the phone my friend Jen told me that her boyfriend Kellan wanted me to send him some cookies. His birthday was yesterday… but perfect I decided I was going to bake him a belated birthday treat to fulfill his wish. Kellan was my neighbor in college and I brought him baked goods from time to time and he got pretty spoiled. Now everytime he sees me or hears his girlfriend on the phone with me it’s always, “Ooooh where are my cookies!” I love a boy who will eat my baking; he does have a special place in my heart… These are made with a chef’s worse enemy…. Cake mix… and store bought caramels… I can just see everyone cringing… I saw this recipe and I don’t know why I didn’t turn away when I saw cake mix listed as an ingredient. I still made them and they are pretty damn good. I need to send these bars out pronto buut I hope it passes the mail test meaning that it doesn’t get melty and fall apart. Since I can’t send the ENTIRE thing to Kellan (I mean that’d be spoiling him too much) so the winner for the other half goes to my dear old grandparents! This dessert would be great if you needed something quick and easy to throw together. To me this dessert is like a really fudgy dark brownie with decadent oozy caramel and crunchy pecans. Here is the recipe http://www.bakeorbreak.com/recipes/2009/12/23/chocolate-caramel-bars/

Indonesian Ginger Chicken

I am sitting outside on my balcony with a glass of wine as I am writing this because it’s rainy and slightly cool for the first time in a long while. It’s nice not to feel that wave of mist rush over me as soon as I step outside. I feel like New York is way more humid than North Carolina? I could be wrong… maybe its because I am used to getting around in a car with air conditioning and here I walk everywhere…but I am looking forward to experiencing the New York four seasons (the frigid winters maybe not so much).

I apologize I am doing chicken once again. We all had to quarter a chicken in class but did not cook them all so I volunteered to bring home a quartered chicken which meant free dinner times three (including leftovers). I have been craving Thai and asain foods lately maybe its because in class we do all sorts of French cooking which means lots of cream, butter, and SALT (thank goodness I walk a lot). I put salt in caps because I feel like we salt our food by the handful instead of using a typical pinch, and the chef instructors will still say it tastes undersalted still at times. It’s like WHAAT now I can’t help but have a heavy hand with salt. Perhaps that’s why I feel puffy sometimes? Anyways so asian is typically light, spicy, and fresh which is much more appropriate for the summer time.

This chicken recipe is a winner and the sauce makes it. I got this recipe from Ina Garten on the Food Network. I made the marinade before school in the morning and threw it in fridge and it was ready to bake when I got home later that night. Sorry for the boring pictures; I had a sweet potato on the side but it was microwaved and a bit shriveled up so it didn’t make it into the photos. But the sweet potato did go really well dipped in the yummy sauce.

Indonesian Ginger Chicken

Ingredients:
1 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed

Directions:
Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. **(Michelle’s Note: If I were you I’d use half the sauce for marinating and save about half of the sauce and use it for dipping)**

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown.

Homemade Mole

I went back home to Raleigh this past weekend and had an amazing time with family and friends. When I was picked up from the airport and on the way to the house I realized I’ve missed seeing green aka trees and grass. New York City is glamorous and so fun but definitely lacking in the nature department and consists of the colors light gray concrete and dark gray buildings. After spending time at home and riding in cars (not in subways) and lounging around the house I felt slightly refreshed when I got back to NYC.

Today I finally did what I’ve wanted to do for a long time and that was to make homemade mole! For a class assignment we all had to come up with a menu, and my menu theme was a progressive Mexican/Latin menu. I am going to include the menu because I would love some ideas and feedback if anyone has any other ideas to include in the menu… I have to cook some of the things on my menu and do food costing and take photos so this was the perfect excuse to make mole. I trekked to a Mexican grocery store after class and bought the dried chilies and chocolate. I pretty much simplified the recipe meaning I took less time to soak the chilies and sauté things… the whole thing probably took me about 45 minutes to make and I have enough mole to make multiple dishes of mole enchiladas. But that’s perfect because that’s what freezers and tupperwares are for.

Mole Negro
· 3 cups low-salt chicken broth
· 1 cup orange juice (I used two fresh oranges)
· 1 large onion sliced
· 1/2 cup sliced almonds
· 6 large garlic cloves, sliced
· 4 teaspoons cumin seeds
· 4 teaspoons coriander seeds
· 3 ounces dried pasilla chiles

· 2 ounce dried negro chiles

· 1/4 cup raisins
· 1 3.1-ounce disk Mexican chocolate (I used Ibarra brand)

First, toast the dried chilies in a saucepan (no oil) for about 3 minutes until the peppers start to puff up. Transfer the peppers into a bowl and pour in boiling water (until the peppers are covered) to rehydrate them for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add almonds, garlic, cumin, and coriander. Sauté until nuts and garlic begin to color, about 2 minutes. Add chiles and stir until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes.

Put this chicken broth in a large pan and bring to a simmer and add the orange juice. Add the raisins to the broth. Transfer the chili mixture to the broth and simmer until chilies are very soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; add chocolate. Let stand until chocolate melts. Working in small batches, transfer sauce mixture to blender and puree until smooth; return to reserved pot. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

I used the leftover chicken I brought home from class and made myself some enchiladas. I microwaved the chicken and corn tortillas and just slathered them with the mole sauce and it was yuuum!!

Here is the menu that I made for class, some of these dishes are the Mexican dishes that I grew up with and others are ideas that came to my head.

Appetizer

Cream of Poblano Soup
Topped with a fried cornbread crouton and shredded Monterey jack cheese

Seasonal Ensalada
Crunchy cabbage, julienned mango, avocado, candied walnuts, lime vinaigrette

Corn and Black Bean cakes
Topped with creamy queso, green onions, and fried cilantro and served with red pepper jalapeno salsa

Beef Empanadas
Made with masa dough, filled with chorizo, raisins, and olives

Seafood Entrées

Fish Tacos
Grilled Flounder with pickled red onions, fried avocados, and a roasted red pepper remoulade

Snapper
Breaded with dehydrated squash blossoms and served atop pepper jack mashed sweet potatoes

Mexican Style Mussels
Tequila, lime, and jalapeno

Scallops
Seared corn meal crusted scallops served with a honey habanero sauce

Meat Entrées

Mole Enchiladas
House made corn tortillas filled with shredded chicken and

generously topped with mole sauce

Stuffed Chicken
Chicken Breast stuffed with mashed plantains, bacon, and leeks

Pork Tenderloin
Made with orange marmalade and chipotle glaze

Chiles Rellenos
Poblanos stuffed with pork cheek, three cheeses, and served with a smoky tomato cream sauce

Sides (choice of two per entrée)

Spicy Macaroni and cheese
Serrano chilies, cayenne béchamel sauce, and Gruyere

Julienned Carrots
Paper thin carrots sautéed in a cilantro garlic dressing

Corn Pudding
Vanilla bean, chives, Manchego cheese

Jicama Salad
Julienned Jicama, red peppers, apples, cucumber, citrus vinaigrette

Desserts

Chocolate cinnamon profiteroles with a warm Kahlua sauce

Pineapple Brown sugar crisp served with a Mexican vanilla Ice cream

Coconut Flan with spiced pepita seed brittle

Chocolate Cherry Torte with Pistachio Ice cream drizzled with a bittersweet chocolate sauce

I hope everyone is doing well and is having a great summer!