Friday Foodday

Happy Friday!
Here are my favorite recipes this week.

Rhubarb Collins
c/o Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1 (4 ounce) stalk rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2 -inch pieces (about 3/4 cup total) or 3/4 cup frozen rhubarb chunks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 2 to 4 ounces Champagne or soda water, chilled

Directions

1. In a small pot, combine the rhubarb and sugar with 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer until slightly thickened and bright pink in color, about 20 minutes. Let the syrup cool then pour through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Press down gently and discard the solids. DO AHEAD: The rhubarb simple syrup can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
2. In a cocktail shaker, combine 1 ounce of the rhubarb simple syrup with the gin and lemon juice. Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously until completely mixed, about 20 seconds. Strain into a highball glass and top with Champagne or soda water.

Skillet Chicken in Tomato Chipotle Sauce with Avocado Crema

c/o Skinnytaste

Ingredients

2 (1 pound total) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Olive oil spray

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 small onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon chipotle pepper in adobo

Juice of ½ lime

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

• AVOCADO SAUCE

1/4 cup low fat sour cream

1 ounce avocado

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

½ small jalapeno pepper, seeds and membrane removed

1 small garlic clove

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/8 tsp kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1  tablespoon water, as needed

Directions

Place the chicken breast halves between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or parchment and lightly pound to even thickness.  Season both sides with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper.

Heat large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Spray with olive oil spray, add chicken breasts and brown each side, 2 minutes each.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside on a plate.

Reduce heat to medium, add oil and onions and sauté, scraping brown bits with a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes or until onions are tender.  Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds more.  Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, ½ teaspoon salt, cumin, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce, stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low, return chicken to pan, cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes more or until chicken is cooked through. Add lime juice.

Meanwhile, to make the avocado sauce combine all sauce ingredients in a small blender and process until smooth and uniform in color.

To serve: Top each chicken breast half with tomato sauce mixture, avocado sauce and garnish with cilantro.

The Browniest Cookie

c/o Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter
4 ounces (115 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup (190 grams) dark or light brown sugar
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, any kind will work
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (115 grams) chocolate chips or bitter- or semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks

Directions

Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate together — you can do this on the stove over very low heat, stirring constantly, in a double-boiler or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each — and taking the chocolate out when it’s almost, but not fully, melted. Off the heat, stir until it is. 

Whisk sugars into melted butter and chocolate, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Whisk in baking soda and salt. If your cocoa powder is lumpy, sift it right onto the surface of the batter, other wise, just add it to the bowl. Add flour, too, and then stir until just combined. Add chips or chocolate chunks and stir until combined.

Place bowl in the fridge for about 30 minutes, and up to a few days. Shorter than 30 minutes, you can bake it right away but they keep better shape once chilled and are easier to scoop. Longer than 30 minutes, they become difficult to scoop, but you can let them warm up slightly before you do.

Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). 

Scoop into about 1 1/2- to 2-tablespoon sized mounds and space evenly on parchment- or nonstick baking mat-lined baking sheets, allowing room for them to spread a little. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, at which point they will still definitely look underbaked, but you should take them out if a fudgy-centered cookie is your goal. (Of course it is!) Let set on baking sheets for a few minutes before carefully transferring to a rack to cool the rest of the way before eating.