May 2, 2013: I Make the Best Whatever! Chicken Breast with Brown Butter and Fried Sage Leaves! Dog Party!!!

Apologies.  I was supposed to do this on Tuesday but between dealing with the dogs, all the hardcore waiting for word on those projects, and working my way through The Mammoth Book of Gangs, I – well – didn’t.  But better late than never and so, with further ado, here are MY results of Sparrow_hawk’s Chicken Breast with Brown Butter and Fried Sage Leaves from our I Make the Best Whatever entries:

As per instructions, I toasted the pine nuts, fried the sage leaves (doing my best not to snack on too many of them in the process), breaded and fried the chicken…and served!  Great flavors with some very nice textural contrasts – the crispness of the chicken coating and sage leaves, the tenderness of the chicken, the crunch of the pine nuts. This dish has made me even more of a sage fan.  My only criticism is that the recipe didn’t call for salt.  I assumed this was because of the presence of parmesan and the seasoned breadcrumbs but, in the end, I felt like I still needed a touch.  Otherwise, a very good dish that, while a little time consuming, isn’t that hard to make.  What did you all think?

Next week’s dish will be dasNdanger’s Puerco Pibil:

Puerco (Cochinita) Pibil5 tablespoons Annatto seeds [achiote seeds]

2 teaspoons Cumin seeds

1 tablespoon Peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon Whole cloves

8 Whole allspiceGrind spices in a coffee grinder [one used ONLY for spices] until VERY, VERY fine. this may take awhile, but be sure to get them as fine as possible.

Next, combine in a blender:

2 Habanero peppers, chopped [remove seeds to reduce heat, or leave in to keep the heat]

1/2 cup Orange juice

1/2 cup White vinegar

2 tablespoons Salt

8 cloves Garlic, chopped

Juice of 5 Limes (DVD calls for lemon, I prefer lime)

Splash of top quality tequila [clear tequila - avoid the ones with a carmel color as it might alter the flavor]

Add in the spice mixture and blend well.

5 pounds Pork Butt [or Pork Loin for less fat, but using loin will make the dish drier]

Banana Leaves

Cut the pork into 2 inch cubes…put in a large plastic bag and pour in the sauce…mix and let sit while lining a baking dish with banana leaves. Add pork and sauce, cover/wrap with more banana leaves and seal the whole thing well with tin foil. Then slow roast at 325 degrees for 4 hours.

Off you go.  Start cookin’!  And let’s reconvene next Thursday with the results.

Hey, who doesn’t like dogs in party hats?  Certainly not me, so when my sister sent the following pics from her dog Roxy’s birthday party, I knew I had to share…

Mom’s pooch, Felix (left), Fernando (back), and the birthday gal (right).

Felix has clearly had too much to drink.

Fernando = the life of the party.

Roxy clowns around as she prepares to feast on her birthday cake.

Fernando may be blind, but I’m sure he can smell that mashed potato icing.

Sis with mom’s other dog, Caramel who, apparently, is “too cantankerous” to wear a hat.  Boo!

The party in full swing.  I think the rottweiler is the designated driver.

I’m going to do a mailbag in the next couple of days so if you’ve got  a question, post it!

Tagged: Chicken Breast with Brown Butter and Fried Sage Leaves