Crispy Skin Chicken in 30 minutes!

As promised in one of my previous posts, on instagram and also on Facebook, I'm finally getting to blogging our crispy skin chicken dish (not deep fried).  First off, you must used chicken with the skin on (I'll post an easy to print recipe at the bottom of this post as well). You can choose chicken leg, chicken thigh, drumsticks, wings etc.. but whatever you buy must have the skin in order to achieve the crispy chicken skin. The next item you will need is a large ovenproof pot that can be used on the stove top as well as the oven. A le creuset or a dutch oven will do the trick nicely.

First, take the chicken thighs, chicken legs, or chicken wings and pat them dry with paper towels. If you want more meat, then chicken thighs or quarter chickens (i.e. drum stick and the thigh) would be best. Add a sprinkle of salt, pepper and olive oil to the meat. You can also add more seasoning if you wish such as basil, oregano, or thyme. In this recipe, we kept it simple with just salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to bake at 475F.

Next, place the dutch oven (the one that I have is a 5.3L le creuset) onto the stove top. Add a little cooking oil to the bottom the pot. Do not turn on the burner yet.

Arrange the chicken with the skin side down into the cold dutch oven. There can only be one layer of chicken otherwise you will risk having non-crispy and/or undercooked chicken.

Turn the stove burner to medium -low (halfway between med and low). Allow the chicken to cook uncovered for 15 minutes (skin side down). You will hear sizzling and popping and that is okay! This occurs because the fat in the chicken is rendering and will result in a nice crispy skin.

After 15 minutes, flip the chicken pieces so that the skin side is up. Feel free to place some sliced lemons underneath the chicken (the non crispy side) for a lemon flavoured chicken. Then place the entire dutch oven into the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. At this point, turn the oven temperature down to 375F.

After baking for 15 minutes at 375F serve immediately. This chicken should be juicy on the inside and have a crispy skin.

Quick Crispy Skin Chicken

Ingredients & Materials

• chicken thigh, chicken leg or chicken wings with the skin on
• 1tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of pepper
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• optional: lemon slices or lemon zest
• large dutch oven

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475F.
2. Pat dry chicken.
3. Lightly coat chicken with salt and pepper.
4. Lightly drizzle some olive oil on top of chicken.
5. In a cold Dutch Oven (or oven safe stovetop pot) add some cooking oil.
6. Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer with skin side down.
7. Place the Dutch Oven on the stovetop burner set at medium-low and cook for 15 minutes (do not touch chicken during this time).
8. Flip individual chicken pieces so that the cooked skin side is now facing up.
9. Place the entire Dutch Oven into the oven and reduce oven temperature to 375F.
10. Bake for another 15 minutes.
11. Serve immediately from oven.

Amazing Dessert at Teatro Ristorante in Calgary

I had the most amazing ice cream this past Friday night in Calgary at Teatro Ristorante while Dan and I were with some of our friends C & D. John Michael MacNeil, executive chef at Teatro, was incredibly nice to accommodate us with making some liquid nitrogen ice cream for dessert.

Gorgeous interior! Look at the height! 

One of the exciting parts of the night was watching the creation of the liquid nitrogen ice cream. The caramel is made exactly at 60C. Any little degree over will result in a bitter and tart caramel ice cream and will have to be thrown out. So precision is important! Liquid nitrogen is at a temperature of -190C, so as it is poured into the custard it will rapidly chill and freeze the custard without adding any extra ice crystals! According to Dan (the engineer) the smoothness of the liquid nitrogen ice cream is due to the fat molecules being frozen precisely and resulting in no additional ice crystals. 


The liquid nitrogen is also used to keep the plates cold, otherwise once the caramel ice cream is scooped it will melt immediately. Another interesting fact is that the liquid nitrogen containers are very difficult to fill. Since the temperature of the room is about 26C trying to fill the containers are super tricky as the liquid nitrogen evaporates almost immediately.

This liquid nitrogen salted caramel ice cream was the most velvet and creamy ice cream you will ever experience. The volcano rock salt that is lightly sprinkled on top helps to cut the sweetness a bit and adds to the lovely flavour of the ice cream.

We were also intrigued by a dessert titled "cinnamon aubergine pie" at Teatro. The word (and color) aubergine is not something you typically see on a dessert menu. This pie did not disappoint! We did not know what to expect but upon the first taste the consistency of the pie filling felt like soft chunks of apple; when really it's eggplant! Having a spoonful of the aubergine pie with the liquid nitrogen ice cream was incredibly mind blowing for all of us.  It's definitely worth trying out when you visit Teatro!

Nearing the end of the night Chef John gave us a tour of the kitchens. Look at the beautiful cured meats, micro herbs and the amazing wine cellar converted from the bank vaults! 

Cured Meats at Teatro Calgary

Micro herbs from Teatro Calgary's kitchen

Wine cellar in a bank vault! One of these huge bottles of wine equates to 5 bottles of wine!
Crunchy bread at Teatro Calgary.

One part of the huge wine cellar down in Teatro Calgary

All in all a great night with friends enjoying deliciously smooth ice cream, having our mind blown by the aubergine pie and getting a tour of Teatro's kitchen. Thanks again to Chef John for everything! With dessert being spectacular I can only imagine what lunch or dinner will be like! Dan and I certainly look forward to having dinner or trying out a tasting menu at Teatro in the near future! 

Teatro Ristorante

200-8th Ave SE

Calgary, AB

(403) 290-1012

http://www.teatro.ca

Comparing Two types of Matcha (Green Tea)

A few weeks ago I was contacted by KissMe Organics to try out their Organic Matcha. I agreed and decided to make a batch of Matcha Macarons for comparison. Up to this point in time, I have been using a Matcha (green tea) powder sourced from Japan. I was interested to see if there would be any difference in terms of the texture of the resulting buttercream, look and taste of each macaron.

Closer look of the two matchas

Looking closely at both matchas, the one sourced in Japan has a slightly darker colour in comparison to the one from KissMe Organics. Texture and fineness of the both matcha powders seemed fairly similar. 

Matcha Buttercream made from KissMe Organics Matcha

Once I finish making buttercreams for macarons, I fill the macaron shells right away. For the buttercream made with matcha sourced from Japan, there is slightly darker colour to the buttercream. On the other hand, the buttercream made from KissMe Organics took on a slightly brighter green colour.

Left: Matcha sourced from Japan. Right: KissMe Organics Matcha sourced from China

Visually, both macarons are very similar if we look only at the buttercreams. I must also note that for the matcha buttercream sourced from Japan macaron (on Right), had been previously frozen (then brought back to room temperature) so the buttercream may look slightly more stiff in comparison to the other one.

In terms of taste, there was just subtle differences in taste. In fact both taste very similar. As you bite into the macaron, you get a gentle mouthfeel of green tea (matcha) flavour along with the characteristic known to a macaron. However, the buttercream made from KissMe Organic's matcha had a hint more of a chalky taste especially when comparing both macarons at the same time. 

I also brought a tray of the macarons made from the KissMe Organic matcha to a foodie function, and shared them with friends and family.  No one seemed to notice anything significant about the taste and texture of the macarons; in fact, they loved the intense green tea flavour that you got with each bite.  

May News & Ongoings!

Wow! Who would have thought that April would fly by so quickly? Before I talk about what I was up to in April, the above photo depicts the beauty challenge that I am participating in this May! We all know we should drink more water, but do we? Together with a few others through Blossom Lounge, I will try my very best to drink 2.5L (or more!) each and every day for the entire month of May! The rubber bands on my BKR bottle will help me keep track. Follow along with me on instagram or on this blog! The hashtags that we are using are #blossomxbkr #bkrlovesyou #blossomlounge. 

April was a busy one with me teaching friends to bake macarons, doing a comparison of matcha powders, dinners at home (we've been trying to cook more at home), and Eat Alberta 2014! 

So, in the next few weeks, check back for my post comparing two different types of matcha powders for making Matcha green tea macarons.






I had the opportunity to be a volunteer this year at Eat Alberta 2014: Seedy Business and the whole experience was excellent! I will blog more in my post on Eat Alberta. Meanwhile, I will leave you with one of the many things I learned that day - How to take apart a whole chicken! (From Nevin of Drift Food Truck).

Here's the link if the above doesn't work

Lastly, Dan & I have been trying to cook more food at home. For example, crispy skinned chicken in a cast iron pan or fish cooked in the dutch oven. I will blog those too in the next few weeks! If there is any food on my instagram feed that you want to know how to make, drop a comment below!

Delicious Eats Guaranteed at Mama Lee's Kitchen

As many of you may have heard, Mama Lee's Kitchen opened this past week on 51 Ave (Duggan area). Located next to My Empanadas in a small strip mall on the south side of 51 Ave, Mama Lee's Kitchen is a place like none other in the south side of Edmonton. Mama Lee's Kitchen is not just a place to pick up really good cooked Korean food, but you can also purchase items to cook at home. When you walk into Mama Lee's you instantly see fridges stocked full of various sizes and types of kimchi (yes there is more than 1 kind, 11 types are stocked here!), stews, soups, and various side dishes. Check out their menu here.

As it was around 1pm on a Thursday afternoon, my husband and I decided that we should try out some of their cooked food. There aren't too many seats in the place (approximately 12), so if you are lucky snag yourselves a seat! Otherwise, have no worry, as all food you order comes in take-out boxes. 

We decided to try Mama Lee's Seafood Pancake ($4.50) and the Tteok Galbi combo ($8.50). The seafood pancake was nicely done with a generous portion of seafood, egg, and vegetable along with some soya sauce for dipping on the side.

The Tteok Galbi, was probably the best deal for lunch as it came with japchae (clear cold Korean noodles), kimchi, vegetable tempura, bean sprout salad and steamed rice. The Tteok Galbi was made from grilled ground beef patty and was very well seasoned. It went well with the hot rice and the rest of the accompanying sides in the combo. While my husband liked the kim chi he did admit that it was on the slightly spicy side for people who may not be used to it. However, I didn't find the kimchi too spicy.  This was also due to the fact that I paired the kimchi with some of the creamy coleslaw and the slightly sweet Tteok Galbi with the rice. 

While eating, we did notice many Koreans came in and bought kimchi. I for one, think that it must be quite a compliment if someone personally comes into just purchase kimchi. 

Overall, a great lunch time meal for two people for under $14. Certainly, we could have both ordered a combo, in which case the price would still have been super reasonable. With an easy accessibly location, I can certainly forsee myself picking up take-out or other quick-make items on the way home from work. Hope you also have the opportunity to check out Mama Lee's Kitchen soon.

Make sure you also visit Andrea's and Cindy's post regarding Mama Lee's opening day! 

Mama Lee's Kitchen

www.mamaleeskitchen.com

10633 51 Ave. NW

Edmonton, AB

(780)498-1222

Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm

Sunday: closed

Tacos Galore at Expressionz Cafe

Last Saturday, a few friends and I had the chance to check out Taco Day at Expressionz Cafe. We had originally heard about these delicious tasting tacos from one of my friends. She had noted how delicious they were and that we had to try it out as they reminded her of the food from home. Taco Day happens every other week at Expressionz Cafe and you can find the exact schedule on their website. In fact, the next Taco Day is this coming Saturday April 5!

Expressionz Cafe is located close to the Real Canadian Wholesale Club off of 99st on 70th ave. Parking can get tight, so parking might get inventive. 

We arrived around 1pm and found a table for 4 fairly quickly. The place was busy, and everyone looked super happy either enjoying their meal or snacking on the chips that arrived to the table while waiting for their meal.

3 different sauces that arrived with the chips - all were tasty, fresh and went well with the tacos.

Fresh tomatoes, cilantro, onions with lime 

Las Carnitas - soft pulled apart pork shoulder with cilantro & onions. Fresh lime & lemon for squeezing

El Pastor - slow cooked pork with pineapple, onion and cilantro

Three different types of corn tortillas here: Las Carnitas, El Pastor and El Suadero

In the end we decided to order two orders of the Las Carnitas, one order of El Pastor and one order of the El Suadero for four people. Pictured above are all three types. Upon receiving the tacos we quickly squeezed the fresh lime/lemon on the tacos and ensured that everyone had 2 Las Carnitas and one each of the El Pastor and El Suadero. This was truly genuine Mexican street food. The softness of the tacos, the balance of the flavours and acidity was amazing. For those of you that know me, I am not a fan of cilantro and I can tell you that the flavours were done so well, that I hardly noticed that the cilantro was there! The corn tortillas were soft and warm as well. Needless to say we were super full after eating our own 4 tacos each (16 tacos in total). The overall consensus for favourites was the Las Carnitas tacos with the pulled apart braised Alberta pork shoulder. Everyone had their favourite between the El Pastor (pork) and El Suadero (beef). My husband really liked the El Pastor made with the chopped slow cooked pork, special red spices and the touch of pineapples. He felt that the flavours all balanced well.   

Our first taste at Expressionz Cafe was not only tasty but delicious! In terms of pricing, each order of 4 tacos is $10. Great price, considering you can actually choose two flavours that you want or one of each kind.

I will definitely be back for Taco Day! When leaving, they also mentioned that they have Fondita Days which is Mexican comfort and street food (every other Thursday) from 5-9pm. Sound really intriguing and we will certainly return to try their cuisine for supper.

Expressionz Cafe, Market & Meeting Place

9938 70 Ave, Edmonton, AB

(780)437-3667

Cafe is open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

http://expressionzcafe.com/

Taco & Fondita Days listed on their calendar

Eat Alberta 2014 - Seed the Possibilities

I am super excited to let everyone know that Eat Alberta 2014 is coming back for a 4th season, this year's theme is "Seed the Possibilities". Tickets start selling tomorrow Tuesday March 25. For those that have never gone to Eat Alberta let me tell you a little more about it. Eat Alberta is a great place for anyone who, like me, loves food! It's a one day, workshop-style conference where you will have some hands-on learning, food tastings, and learn about local and regional Alberta foods. You will also have the opportunity to meet and learn from local farmers, chefs, foragers, botanists and bakers!

Taking a quick look at the sessions available on the Eat Alberta 2014 website, there are exciting sessions this year such as learning how to make jowl bacon from Chad Moss, hands-on nose to tail butchery from Elyse Chatterton, pumpkin ravioli making from Kathryn Joel, making scratch soup from Elaine Wilson, making curries with Michelle Peter-Jones, and breaking down an entire chicken from Nevin Fenske of Drift food truck. 

The keynote speaker this year will be John Schneider from Gold Forest Grains. Tickets for Eat Alberta are $150 each and will include everything from the keynote, 4 different sessions, meals (breakfast & lunch), and the mixer at the end of the day. You can purchase tickets starting tomorrow Tuesday March 25 on the website www.eatalberta.ca. Please visit the website for all the session descriptions, presenter bios, track information, FAQs and more!

Get your tickets early so you can get the food track that you want!