httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaQiVR_YL-k
When the video starts to play click on the triangle to make a video quality change depending on your Internet speed (360P, 480P, 720P HD or now 1080P HD — our default is 720P HD).
We found a salad that I think will become a real favourite (because I know I’ll be making it a lot) – so much so that we were bowled over by it. In fact, during a recent saladoff at work (kinda like a bakeoff but with salads instead), I made this for my competition dish. It did get a lot of compliments but, alas, I didn’t win. 🙁 [Sympathetic editor’s pat on the shoulder: “Well, you know you’re a winner every Thursday in my books, no matter what.”]
Here are some pics from that competition. The winning salad (the one with strawberries and candied walnuts) was really yummy. See if you can spot it.
I’m trying something new as the pics are posted via twitpic so I embeded the website event into this one (yes it is complicated I just hope everyone can see it). If not try this link twitpic.com/e/9mb
[iframe http://twitpic.com/e/9mb 640 700]
Lately, we have been finding multiple uses for rotisserie chicken using the current cookbook and this was yet another one of them. We will have more episodes featuring this yummy bird in the coming weeks. [Helenka claps her hands in glee.] Putting a great meal together using foods prepared fresh daily from the supermarket or your favourite warehouse club can be a real treat. Yes, I admit I’d love to make my own rotisserie chicken, but why not let them do all the work for you and then enjoy the benefits.
Goat cheese makes another guest appearance here and I’m thinking there is more to this cheese than meets the eye, especially when it comes to adding flavour. It’s now a favourite of mine and I like to have it around in my refrigerator … just in case. [Helenka approves wholeheartedly of this crucial contingency plan!]
Another ingredient that I don’t get to use all that often is dried cranberries. I didn’t really know where in the store to find them but, using some creative sleuthing skills (umm, walking up and down each aisle until I found them – lol, not really), I did manage to locate the proper ones (otherwise, gummy bears with added fruit juice would have had to suffice and I really doubt my sidekick would eat that, even if I made it a secret ingredient). [Sidekick sighs in relief that I didn’t have to be subjected to the horror. Besides, gummy bears are meant to be enjoyed all on their own. Oh, great. Now I have a craving for gummies.]
Cooking for myself before was already a real joy but, nowadays, I’m loving it even more as I am discovering there is a whole world of flavours out there that I never tried myself. It’s really got me thinking of how far I could take this adventure and, seeing as we gots to eat [Helenka asks, mock-incredulously, “We does?”], it can only get better from here.
Have yourselves a great week and enjoy!
B&H =:)
Please note: We try and review the recipes in the cookbook; however, in an effort to respect copyright, we are not able to reproduce the actual printed recipes here. If you do have the book, please follow along with us!
Review: Grilled Chicken Salad
Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)
What do you get when you combine amazingly tender store-bought rotisserie chicken, sliced avocado, crumbled herbed goat cheese, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, an exquisite mix of salad greens, as well as our added enhancements, namely halved sweet cocktail tomatoes (from Sapori) and sliced red onion? All moistened with a home-made honey-mustard vinaigrette? Uh-oh. I’m going to be using a particular word again. You guessed it: utter perfection. Seriously, I could not believe how incredible this salad was. Every bite Brian and I took of it gave us a different combination of ingredients on the fork. The most impressive thing about it was how well the goat cheese brought cohesion to the salad. In fact, its presence reduced the tartness of the mustard and red wine vinegar in the dressing. We also agreed that rotisserie chicken was the only way to go, because of the superior flavour (we surmised it could have been from a saline/brine bath prior to roasting). I can’t believe I nearly let this blog post be revealed without any nostalgia. But I just remembered because of what Brian wrote about wanting to make it himself. Hey, Brian, I used to make my own rotisserie chicken. At my old place on Prince Arthur, the stove/oven had an overhead rotisserie unit. And I used it a lot in the really, really old days (even before I met Brian). Of course, the taste was out-of-this-world with super-crispy skin and tender flesh. The only drawback was one of time because it took 30 minutes per pound. So … a three-pound chicken (which is not exactly huge) meant 90 minutes of going swirly-twirly (and that’s only my thumbs, lol). By the time the chicken was done cooking, I was usually too tired to eat. Also, washing out the drip pan was so not fun. But, still, I remember!
Variations
We found it rather confusing that The Book’s recipe did not contain sliced red onion, even though there were thin rings in the accompanying picture. [Yes, yes, I’m nitpicking about the stylists! You think that’s bad, you should see what grief we gave our fave department store one Christmas when they made major use of BLUE lights but, oh no, they didn’t have any to sell. Stylists, could you please be more consistent???] Also, Brian added the halved tomatoes to the salad as we especially enjoy the festive appearance of all that red amid the mixed greens. The other change that Brian made was to use an herbed goat cheese rather than a plain one. As the cheese had been removed from the fridge immediately prior to taping, it refused to crumble, so Brian chopped it up. While we were busy with another episode, the salad ended up waiting and mellowing (or, as Brian would call it, “festering”). The delay caused the inevitable softening of the cheese so that it combined extremely well with the very ripe avocado. [And, yes, the evil editor acknowledges and thanks Brian for showing her how to scoop an avocado half out of its shell.] The original recipe already contains several key components to crafting a successful salad: a protein, an avocado (which I think should always be in every salad, but I’m biased – as if you couldn’t tell), a cheese, chopped nuts, dried fruits, salad greens and a dressing. With some judicious planning and unrestrained imagination, there are many other ingredients that could be substituted. I can already see cold tofu cubes (for an alternative vegan source), avocado (again), Asiago cheese, slivered almonds, dried cherries, salad greens as well as julienned red cabbage and an Asian salad dressing of one’s own making. Just think of how many different types of salads you could invent! Because, as always, good food should be fun. Hmmmm. Where have I heard that before? Our verdict – when we weren’t moaning and comparing what combination was on our forks – was that this was a winner and should be made as often as possible! Also, it had been a dreadful day outside (with sudden cold downpours); but, inside, we felt as if summer was just around the corner. It’s pretty amazing when food can make such a huge improvement in mood. And I’m thrilled that it does have that power.
Cooking time (duration): 60
Number of servings (yield): 4
Meal type: supper
Culinary tradition: USA (General)
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