Flambé Tequila Chicken With Pine Nuts Food

TEQUILA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pulse the wafers and pine nuts in a food processor until well ground up. Add the butter and blend until evenly mixed. Set aside 1/4 cup of crumbs. Press the remaining crumb mixture evenly into a 9-by-13 shallow baking pan; bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool.
• In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the tequila, lime juice, egg yolks and condensed milk.
• In another medium bowl, beat the egg whites and sugar with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the tequila mixture. Spread the filling evenly over the crust and bake for 25 minutes; cool. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs on top. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight before cutting into bars.

CHICKEN FLAMBé

Steps:

• Sauté boned breasts in butter until just cooked through and tender, turning them to color both sides. White meat of chicken is very delicate and will cook quickly. Remove chicken to a deep, flameproof serving dish, or chafing dish. Add a little more butter to pan in which chicken was cooked and sauté shallots until just limp. Season with salt, pepper, ground cloves, and ginger. Stir in heavy cream mixed with egg yolks. Stir and cook very slowly over low heat until mixture coats the spoon. Do not overcook or the eggs will curdle. Taste for seasoning. Pour warmed cognac over chicken and ignite. While blazing, pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve with crisp shoestring potatoes and broiled mushrooms. With this, drink Chassagne Montrachet.

CHICKEN BRAISED WITH POTATOES AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven large enough to hold the chicken in one layer, heat the olive oil over high until shimmering. Season chicken pieces on the skin side with salt and pepper, then lay them in the pan, skin-side down. Adjust the heat so they sizzle but do not pop or scorch. Cook until skin is deeply browned and comes away easily from the pan, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Add onions, celery and garlic to the fat in the pot, season with salt and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Deglaze with the wine and vinegar. Stir in 1/2 cup water, pine nuts, bay leaves, cloves and saffron (if using). Return the chicken pieces to the pan, and nestle them into the liquid, skin-side up.
• Cover tightly and let cook undisturbed over the lowest possible heat until cooked through, about 45 minutes.
• Add the potatoes, then add more water until the liquid barely covers the potatoes. If in doubt, use less; you can always add more. Cover again and cook another 20 minutes.
• When ready to serve, gently reheat. Taste the cooking liquid and season with salt, pepper and a drop more vinegar if needed. Stir in the kale and simmer, uncovered, until completely cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in butter and parsley and serve, sprinkling each serving with more parsley.

CHICKEN WITH SAFFRON, RAISINS & PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat a large frying pan on a high heat and season the chicken. Add the olive oil to the pan, then the chicken. Brown for about 5 mins on each side, remove onto a plate, then set aside.
• Lower the heat to medium. In the remaining fat, fry the onions for 3 mins, then add the garlic and saffron. Cook for 3-4 mins more. Add the sherry, then simmer for 3-5 mins until syrupy.
• Put the chicken leg pieces back into the pan, tip in the stock, thyme and raisins, cover, then gently cook on a low heat for 20 mins. Add the breast meat and any juices left on the plate. Simmer for 10 mins more until cooked through and the sauce in the pan has reduced.
• While the chicken is cooking, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Scatter the pine nuts over a baking sheet, then roast for 10 mins until golden and toasted. Once the chicken has cooked through, season to taste, scatter with pine nuts and parsley, then serve with rice.