Pan-roasted chicken in lime beer and cherry sauce served with sauteed broccoli with herbs and onions, and Spaetzle simmered in tomato gravy.

It was 5:30 p.m. There I was staring into the abyss of my pantry trying to figure what to feed the family. Rows of Steve’s favorite ranch beans greeted me in addition to canned tomatoes, some dried pasta, rows of Asian seasonings and spices, canned broth and too many others to mentioned. It is a never ending battle, even for a chef, to figure what to cook for dinner. Again, I needed something quick that my picky family would eat. In the freezer, I had the regular staples of raw chicken, beef of various cuts and pork. When all else fails, I usually grab my handy dandy chicken and try to put something together.

I did a quick search on chicken recipes and got inspired by one of Emeril’s recipe; Pan-roasted chicken with cherry beer sauce. Okay I did not have cherry lambic beer (cherry infused beer); however I had some Budweiser lime beer. I had some dried cherries and the rest of the other ingredients called for in the recipe. Emeril’s recipe simmered the chicken on the stove, which made me question how is it pan-roasted if simmered on the stove? I decided to sear my chicken on the stove and finish the rest of the cooking in the oven. I remove the meat once done and finish the sauce back on the stove. The dish came out pretty damn good, according to my picky eaters.

Along with the chicken I decided to serve up some spaetzle that has been hanging out in the pantry for quite some time waiting for the right opportunity to present itself. Well spaetzle, tonight is your night. I did not want to serve a creamy or plain buttered spaetzle. I decided to saute some aromatics and throw in a can of diced tomatoes with herbs, added a splash of dry sherry and finish it off with BIG dollops of butter. Needed a vege; had some broccoli. Made it simple by chopping up some onions along with some fresh thyme and gave the broccoli a quick saute with the onions, thyme, a splash of soy sauce, salt and pepper, and it was done. Time start to finish–45 minutes. Satisfaction on family’s faces–priceless.

Pan-roasted Chicken with Lime Beer Cherry Sauce

4 skin-on chicken breast or 6 skin-on chicken thighs

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper each

1/4 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoon each butter and olive oil

2 shallots, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme

1 can lime beer or whatever fruit flavored beer

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup half-and-half or heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Seasoned chicken with salt, pepper, sugar, and Dijon mustard. Heat an oven-proof saute pan on medium-high heat. Sear chicken on one side for about 3 minutes until nice and brown. Turn chicken over and brown the other side. Add in the shallots and garlic and continue to saute for another minute. Pour in the 3/4 of the beer into the pan. Add in the cherries and fresh thyme.

Place the entire pan in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside to keep warm. Place saute pan back on the stove on medium heat. Add the remaining 1/4 can of beer along with 1/4 cup half-and-half or cream to the pan, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Season sauce to taste with a little more salt and pepper. Simmer until sauce thickens, about another 3-5 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Easter pie is not often served here in America during Easter. However it is a popular dish in Italy. What is Easter pie? The pie can either be savory or sweet but tradition dictates it to be more on the savory side. Easter is preceded by Lent, a period marked by fasting, particularly abstaining from meat on Fridays. Come Easter Sunday it is time to splurge and indulge. This pie is rich and creamy with chockful of meat. Easter pie is a quiche-like savory pie filled with eggs, cheese, and meat. Whether sweet or savory, ricotta cheese is used to bind all the ingredients together. The sweet dessert version sometimes consist of wheat grain to signify “rebirth” and it is just as delicious. Easter pie is known by many names in Italy, depending which section of Italy in question. Its been called a pastiera, pizza rustica, or even pizza piena (stuffed pizza). The pie filling also varies from region to region. Some use macaroni, pork and cheese, others use a variety of ham, salamis, cheeses and even spinach in the filling. Easter pie is a hearty dish. It makes a great lunch with a nice crisp salad and a glass of wine.

 This is my version of the pie. Usually the crust is made of dough; however, I thought I would make it a little easier and flakier by substituting the crust for phyllo dough instead. If you prefer a dough crust, make your favorite double crust recipe and stuff it with the filling below.

 Italian Easter Pie

3 large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon sugar

1 pound ricotta cheese

8 ounces mozzarella cheese

¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese

4 ounces dry sausage, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 ounces salami, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 ounces prosciutto, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

10 phyllo dough sheets, thawed if frozen

1 stick butter

Method

Preheat oven to 375º F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, sugar and Pecorino Romano cheese. Gradually stir in ricotta until well combined. Add the meats and mozzarella cheese and stir until well blended.

Lightly butter a 10-inch round by 2-inch high cake pan. Lay 1 phyllo sheet over the bottom and up the sides of the cake pan, allowing the phyllo to hang over the sides. Brush the phyllo with the melted butter. Top with a second sheet of phyllo dough, laying it in the opposite direction as the first phyllo sheet. Continue layering the remaining sheets of phyllo sheets, alternating after each layer and buttering each sheet. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dish. Fold the overhanging phyllo dough over the top of the filling to enclose it completely. Brush completely with melted butter.Bake the pie until the phyllo is golden brown and the filling is set, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely.

Valentine’s Day is only a few days away.  Still trying to figure what to do? My suggestion is to stay home and cook a lovely meal to impress him or her. What says “I love you” more than feeding your loved one. Besides it is most probably too late to make dinner reservations at a decent restaurant, and knocking elbows with the rest of the other couples in a crowded, noisy restaurant does not sound very romantic. A home dinner is more appealing with great ambiance.

It is not too late to come up with a menu (simple but delicious) to wow him or her.  If you are on a budget and still want to make an impression, splurge on one expensive ingredient and balance the rest of the menu with lesser cost items but still delicious. Look out for specials that are currently running in the grocery store. You will be surprise at what is available, during this time, that is within your budget .

How to achieve a balance? Say you would like to serve lobster but it is a little out of your price range, then again maybe not… Instead of serving lobster as the main course, why not serve it as an appetizer? By serving it as a starter, portions are smaller and therefore less costly. For example, purchase a couple of lobster tails, roast it in the oven with wine, shallots, herbs, and butter and strew it on top of mixed greens with vinaigrette or use the meat to make risotto. So you see you can have lobster, eat it and still make an impression. It is all of a matter of careful planning and spending your money wisely.

Now that you only have a few (or two) days before Valentine’s, how are you going to come up with a simple and easy menu?  First cook ingredients that you are familiar with. This is not the time to experiment unless you know what you are doing.  Steak is always popular.  Can’t go wrong with steak.  Even a picky eaters would eat steak (unless they are vegetarians).  The cut of steak, again, is totally up to you.  I recommend, if cooking steak, to buy the best cut you can afford. This is where you splurge. Yes it is still winter outside; however, pan-seared steak on the stove is just as good.  Just make sure you do not use a nonstick skillet and crank the heat up on high! Give the steak an initial good sear to get a nice brown coloring and turn the heat down a little when you flip the steak over. A good cut of steak does not need much fuss. It just need a good seasoning of salt and pepper. You can make a sauce by rendering some red wine in the same pan the steak was seared in with some fresh herbs, a little broth, and finish it off with butter to give the sauce a smooth finish.

Instead of serving baked potato with the steak, why not serve potato gratin instead. Gratin has a rich luxurious feel that envelopes your mouth with creamy, silky richness.  Gratin also pairs  well with lamb or pork. Roasted asparagus with balsamic vinegar is another wonderful side as the slightly sweet and acidic balsamic vinegar adds freshness and helps cut the richness of the steak and potatoes.

To end the meal on a high note, do not make some low-fat, low calorie dessert. It is Valentine’s day for heaven’s sake! If you are not a baker, it is no shame to go out and purchase dessert from your favorite local bakery.  If you are talented in the baking department, let loose, make something orgasmic and close the meal with a bang!

Here’s a quick and tasty filet Mignon recipe.

Pan-Seared Filet Mignon with Cabernet Sauce

4 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided

2 tablespoon olive oil

4 (5-6) ounces filet Mignon steaks

salt and pepper

2/3 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other full bodied red wine

1/2 cup beef broth

1/3 cup chopped shallots

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/3 cup chopped parsley

Method

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Season both sides of steaks with salt and generous amount of ground black pepper. Add steaks to skillet (do not crowd. Cook in batches if necessary) and cook to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to plates and tent with foil.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 1 minute. Next add wine and bring to a boil until rendered in half (about 1 minute). Add in beef broth, thyme, rosemary, and mustard; simmer until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in parsley. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon over steaks.

Serves 4

 Chocolate Molten Cakes(recipe taken from Epicurious with my own added touch)

An old favorite that is popular in restaurants everywhere (except Fayetteville). If you never had one or had one and always wanted to know how to make it, here it is. The show stopper of this dessert is when you cut into the soft center of the cake, thick luscious warm chocolate oozes out, flowing like lava (hence molten cake). 

4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 60% cacao)

1 tablespoon instant espresso

10 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Method

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Generously butter six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Sprinkle inside of each dish with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Stir chocolate, espresso and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs, egg yolks and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Whisk in sugar then chocolate mixture and flour. Pour batter into dishes, dividing equally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Bake cakes until sides are set but center remains soft and runny, about 11 minutes or up to 14 minutes for batter that was refrigerated. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Immediately turn cakes out onto plates. Serve with ice cream.

Serves 6