Poached Chicken with Ginger and Mushrooms

Poached Chicken with Ginger and Mushrooms and Brown Rice

• 1 whole chicken, about 3 1/4 - 4 pounds
• 1 yellow onion, unpeeled, cut in halve
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 carrot
• 1 5 inch piece ginger, roughly chopped
• 1 head garlic, cut in half
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 1 pound Maitake mushrooms, root ends trimmed and mushrooms cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 bunches scallions, root ends trimmed
• Ponzu, Soy or Tamari, to taste

Rinse chicken, inside and out, under cold running water.  Place in a large pot and fill with enough cold water to cover chicken by about 2 inches.  Add onion, bay leaves, carrot, ginger and garlic.  Set over high heat and bring liquid to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low, water should be just barely simmering, and poach chicken until cooked through, about one hour. Add salt to stock.

Remove chicken from stock.  Strain stock and discard solids.  Use 3 cups of stock (instead of water) to cook rice according to package instructions.  Return remaining stock to pot and bring to a simmer.  Add scallions and mushrooms and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.  

Remove meat from chicken and shred into long tender pieces.  Mound cooked rice in serving bowls.  Add chicken and top with vegetables and hot stock.  Season to taste with ponzu, soy, or tamari. 

Candy Crush Cocktail

Crush candy not hearts!  Select an array of pretty pink sweets that range in flavor from bubble gum to passion fruit, smash to smithereens, mix with vodka, gin or bubbly and garnish to your heart's desire. 

Serbian Pita Pizza

Serbian Pita Pizza

Following the culinary orders of an inspired freight elevator operator we beelined it to a  grocery store in deepest brightest Queens in search of Ajvar - a Serbian red pepper extravaganza that makes you want to travel the world.  Toasted pita bread was our sauce vehicle of choice  - topped off with feta, olives, chilis and dried oregano.  We are calling it pizza just so you get the idea but wow - it is a whole other level. 

Cocktail Sour Cherries

Count down to 50! Game on.  Need these guys ready for end of summer festivities. Thank you Cindi for the inspiration. 

Cocktail Sour Cherries

• 3 pounds sour cherries
• 1 1/2 cups super fine sugar
• 3 cups brandy
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 8 cardamom pods

Wash and dry cherries on a kitchen towel.  Combine sugar, brandy, cinnamon, vanilla and cardamom in a large bowl and stir until sugar dissolves.  Add cherries and let stand about 1 hour.  Use a slotted spoon to lift cherries out of liquid and transfer to a clean quart size Mason jar.  Pour liquid into jar - making sure cherries are completely submerged. Seal jar with lid and store in a cool dark place for one month.  Give jar a shake every few days.  When the cherries turn a deep dark red they are ready.  Send out party invites. 

Morels and Butter

Only in beautiful Maine can one comb the beach and forage the woods all before breakfast.  Found just a handful of these beauties! We brushed them free of grit, sautéed them in plenty of butter, salt, pepper and a shower of fresh thyme and ate them before anyone knew we were home.