Lemon coriander chicken curry is one of the very first curries I ever learned to cook. I cook dozens of curries now but this one is special to me.
poultry
chicken gumbo with okra
A bowl full of chicken gumbo. Over rice or not. Runny like a soup or nice and thick like a stew. It all works. There are two types of gumbo. Those made with a roux and those that aren’t. This is the latter. It’s lighter and heavy on the vegetables. As healthy as a gumbo gets I guess. But it’s still damn tasty.
Making a roux takes time. It’s time well spent when you’re looking for that rich, focus on the chicken and sausage kind of gumbo. Can’t beat it for that flashy cajun, explode in your mouth meal.
chicken with creole cream sauce and green chili mash
Chicken with creole cream sauce on a bed of green chili, garlic mashed potatoes. It takes a rustic cajun dish up a couple big notches.
It goes from down and dirty stew to dinner party. Don’t get me wrong. I love a creole chicken stew. It’s comfort food with spice. But sometimes upscale is the way to go.
turkey noodle soup
Turkey noodle soup from scratch is about the best thing you can do with your leftover turkey. Deep turkey flavour, tender noodles and incredible mouthfeel make this version special.
cornish hen with mustard cream sauce
Cornish hen with mustard cream sauce is long on style and short on work. Roast the hens. Maybe baste them once along the way. Whip up a quick reduction sauce and you’re done. It pairs beautifully with potatoes of any sort. Mashed, roasted, or along side a potato galette.
roast duck with parsnip puree and port reduction sauce
Roast duck with parsnip puree drizzled with a rich port reduction is an elegant meal you can serve at any fine dinner party. It’s flashy enough for New Year’s Eve. And it’s not that hard to make. Do it ahead of time. Make the sauce during the afternoon. Reheat the parsnip puree over low heat.
Prep the duck legs ahead of time using sous vide technique. All you have to do is brown them in a pan or under the broiler just before you serve dinner. Restaurants prep everything ahead of time. So can you.
chicken with sun-dried tomato cream sauce
Chicken with sun-dried tomato. A dish that used to be on every menu. A fad that came and went. It’s too bad. Sun-dried tomatoes are a great ingredient. Little tomato flavour bombs in whatever dish they’re used in.
chicken tikka
Chicken tikka. Boneless tandoori chicken. Bite sized even. What’s better than that? Seriously. How can you not want to put that in your mouth?