Chicken Tikka Masala

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 50 Minutes
Ready In: 2 Hours 20 Minutes

Yields: 4 servings

"This is an easy recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala - Chicken marinated in yogurt and spices and then served in a tomato cream sauce."

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream (or milk for a lower fat version)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat a grill for high heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
4. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro. Goes well with Naan or rice

from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Tikka-Masala/Detail.aspx

Naan

Original recipe yield:14 servings
PREP TIME : 30 Min
COOK TIME : 7 Min
READY IN : 3 Hrs

INGREDIENTS
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

(Note: If you want larger naan, make the balls bigger. When you place the balls on the tray, be sure to also space for them to expland. Also, oil the tray before placing the balls on it as to avoid the dough sticking.)
3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Naan/Detail.aspx

Darkest Chocolate Crepe Cake

From:http://www.marthastewart.com/

Cake Ingredients:
3/4 Cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus melted for pan
8 Ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/3 Cup sugar
1/2 Teaspoon salt
2 1/2 Cups whole milk, room temperature
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Hazelnut Filling (See Below for Recipe)
Chocolate Glaze (See Below for Recipe)
Candied Hazelnuts (See Below for Recipe)

Method:
1. Bring 1/4 cup water to a rolling boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking to combine after each addition. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate until completely melted. Set aside.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla in another medium bowl. Gradually add milk mixture to flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Add chocolate-butter mixture, whisking until smooth. Pour through a fine sieve into an airtight container; discard lumps. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
3. Lightly coat an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet with melted butter. Heat over medium heat until just starting to smoke. Remove pan from heat; pour about 2 tablespoons batter into pan, swirling to cover bottom. Reduce heat to medium-low; return pan to heat. Cook, flipping once, until edges are golden and center is dry, about 30 seconds per side.
4. Slide crepe onto a plate. Repeat process with remaining batter, coating pan with butter as needed. Crepes can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day.
5. Place a crepe on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Spread with about 3 tablespoons hazelnut filling. Top with another crepe. Continue layering with hazelnut filling and crepes, using about 32 crepes and ending with a crepe on top. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
6. Spoon 1/2 cup glaze on top of the cake, spreading to edges. Spread remaining glaze around sides of cake, coating completely. Refrigerate until glaze is firm and set, about 20 minutes. Cake can be refrigerated up to 3 days. Garnish with toasted and candied hazelnuts.

Hazulnut Filling Ingredients:
2/3 Cup heavy cream
6 large egg whites
1 2/3 Cups sugar
1 3/4 Cups (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter cut into pieces, softened
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 Cup hazelnut cream (available from Whole Foods Market, www.wholefoods.com)
pinch of salt

Method:
1. Put cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Whisk egg whites and sugar in the clean bowl of mixer set over a pan of simmering water until sugar has dissolved and mixture registers 160 degrees;, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment; beat on high speed until slightly cooled and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 5 minutes.
4. Fit mixer with paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low speed, add butter, several pieces at a time, mixing well after each addition (meringue will deflate slightly as butter is added). Add vanilla, hazelnut cream, and salt; mix until mixture comes together, 3 to 5 minutes. Fold in whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Use immediately.

Chocolate Glaze Ingredients:
1 1/4 Cups heavy cream
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
1 salt 10 Ounces semisweet chocolate finely chopped

Method:
1. Bring cream, corn syrup, and salt to a boil in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium- medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; swirl pan to cover completely with cream. Let stand about 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Let cool completely.

Candied Hazelnuts Ingredients:
9 hazelnuts, toasted and peeled
1 Cup sugar

Method:
1. Thread each hazelnut onto tip of a long wooden skewer; set aside. Place a cutting board along the edge of a countertop; set a baking sheet on floor next to edge.
2. Cook sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook, without stirring, until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides with a wet brush to prevent crystals from forming. Let boil until syrup turns light amber, about 5 minutes; remove from heat. Let stand until slightly cooled, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Dip 1 skewered hazelnut into syrup, coating completely and letting excess syrup drip back into pan. When dripping syrup becomes a thin string, secure end of skewer under cutting board, letting caramel string drip over edge onto sheet. Repeat with remaining hazelnuts. Let stand until caramel has hardened, about 5 minutes. Break strings to about 4 inches. Carefully remove skewers.

Espetada de Espadarte (Swordfish Kabobs)

website: http://www.leitesculinaria.com/recipes/port/sword_kabob.html

by Elisabeth Luard

from The Food of Spain and Portugal(Kyle Books, 2005)

Serves 4

Swordfish is one of only three fish firm enough to keep its shape on a skewer; the others are tuna and monkfish, the poor man's lobster, either of which can be substituted in this recipe. Espetadas (kabobs), bite-size pieces of meat or fish threaded onto sharpened sticks, are the fairground treat on the island of Madeira. They're eaten with bread rolls (bolos do caco): yeast-raised buns the size of a dinner plate, traditionally cooked on a bakestone (caco) made of basalt, the rock of which the island is formed — though in modern times, rather less romantically, the caco is made of concrete.

Ingredients
1 pound of swordfish steaks, cut into cubes

for the marinade
2 tablespoon of olive oil
3 or 4 garlic cloves, skinned and crushed
1 oregano sprig, crumbled
1 dried piri-piri pepper, crushed, or 1 malagueta pepper, seeded and finely chopped (piri-piri is a type of hot chili pepper, if piri-piri is unavailable, use another chili pepper - strength of your choosing)
Coarse salt

Method
1. Thread the fish onto skewers and arrange them on a flat dish.
2. Combine the marinade ingredients, pour them over the kabobs and leave them for an hour or two to take the flavors.
3. Remove from the marinade and drain thoroughly.
4. Heat a small barbecue or broiler to maximum heat and grill the fish kabobs fiercely. Serve with white rice or soft cornmeal porridge (polenta).

Pigs in a Blanket

This appetizer is cocktail sausages or hot dog sections wrapped in dough then baked. It is as simple as can be and is great finger food at parties. Goes well with ketchup, mustard and/or mayonaise.

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 cups flour *
1 teaspoon salt *
3/4 cup shortening *
ice water *
2 dozen cocktail sausages or hot dogs, sliced

* An alternative to making your own dough is to use Pilsbury's slice and bake croissant rolls.

PREPARATION:
Sift together flour and salt. Cut in shortening and add just enough ice water to hold together. Chill. Roll dough out to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut in squares large enough to cover a sausage (if using hot dogs, slice in 2-inch lengths).

Place wrapped sausages or hot dogs on a lightly greased baking sheet; bake at 400° for about 15 to 20 minutes, until pastry coating is browned.