Curried Rotisserie Chicken Salad with Cashews, Craisins, and Scallions

Yield: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 0 (I cheated and used a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken)

Level: I

Ingredients:

• ~2 C 'pulled' chicken ... If using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken: skin removed, only the breast meat
• 3 T light mayo
• 1 T Dijon Mustard (I prefer Grey Poupon)
• 1 T Curry Powder
• 1 T Cumin Powder
• 1/2 T Turmeric Powder
• 1 T Garlic Powder
• 1 T Onion Powder
• 1 Tsp Salt / Pepper each
• 1/4 C chopped scallions
• 1/4 C Dried Cranberries (I prefer Craisins)
• 1/4 C Chopped Cashews

Instructions:

Prepping the chicken
Place the cooled chicken on a large cutting board and remove the legs and wings, which should pull apart easily because it’s so tender. These will not be used for this recipe. Next cut both pieces of breast meat off by running your knife down either side of the bone in the middle of the breasts. As you guide your knife along the bone, pull it outward gently to separate the breast meat from the bone. Visit Gourmet.com for a video demonstration

Roughly shred the white meat by using 2 forks and pulling the meat apart. This takes a little bit of time but is totally worth it. I use small dinner forks and hold them close to the ‘business end’ so they don’t bend. If the chicken is tender enough, you might even use your fingers to separate the meat.

Making the salad
Mix mayo, mustard, and seasoning together in large mixing bowl. Add chicken, cranberries, scallions, and cashews and mix until thoroughly covered. Let sit in fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Chef's Notes:

Usually is good for 3-4 days though never lasts that long ;)

Easy Rotisserie Pulled Chicken Salad with Tarragon, Green Apples & Cashews

Copyright © 2010 SomedayGourmet.com

Yield:  5-6 cups of salad

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes (it’s ok to cheat on this one!)

Difficulty: Level I

Ingredients:

• 1 Pre-Cooked Rotisserie Chicken – any flavor (found in most grocery premade sections)
• 1 Green Apple (I prefer Granny Smith)
• ½ - ¾ Cups Cashew Halves or Pieces
• 2 ½ Cups Duke’s Light Mayonnaise
• 3 Tbsp (heaping) Grey Poupon Mustard
• 2 Tbsp Dried Tarragon
• 2 Tbsp Dried Sage
• 2 Tsp Paprika

Instructions:

Let the chicken cool in the refrigerator.  In the meantime, core and cut the apple into 4ths. Dice 3 of the 4 sections and thinly slice the final section (for a garnish).  Place the diced apples in a large mixing bowl, add the cashews and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, dried herbs and spices.  Set aside.

Place chicken on a large cutting board and remove the legs and wings (should pull apart easily because it’s so tender).  Next cut the both pieces of breast meat off by running your knife down either side of the bone in the middle of the breasts.  As you guide your knife along the bone, pull it outward gently to separate the breast meat from the bone. Visit Gourmet.com for a video demonstration

Roughly shred the white meat by using 2 forks and pulling the meat apart.  This takes a little bit of patience but is totally worth it!  I use small dinner forks and hold them close to the ‘business end’ so they don’t bend.  Place all of the pulled meat into the large mixing bowl with the apples and cashews.

Optional but recommended:  Using your fingers, remove the quality pieces of dark meat from the legs and wings and pull.  This adds a great additional flavor to the dish and is hard to even discern in the finish product.

Finally, add the mayo mixture to the chicken bowl and mix thoroughly with a large spoon.  Place the sliced apple on top and serve.

Chefs Notes:

• This salad tastes best after having a chance to chill for at least an hour.
• This dish will stay good for about 4-5 days in a resealable container in the fridge.
• Don’t be afraid to give the chicken a pretty good workout to break it down and increase the creaminess.
• Add more mayo if the mixture is too dry but be sure to mix well.
• Serve this with croissants for an extra special treat

Scallion Infused Pan-Fried Crab Cakes with Lemon Herb Rémoulade

(Copyright 2010 http://www.somedaygourmet.com/)

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Minutes / batch of 4 Cakes
Difficulty: Level 1
Yield: 4 Crab Cakes & 1 Cup of Sauce

Ingredients

Crab Cakes
16oz Cooked Crab Meat (Claw or Lump)
3/4 Cup Plain Breadcrumbs
1 Egg
2 Scallions (white section only)
1 Tbsp Grey Poupon dijon mustard
1 Tsp Worchester Sauce
1 Tbsp Mustard Powder
2 Tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 Tsp Cracked Black Pepper
1/2 Lemon Juiced
2-3 Tbsp Canola Oil (or other high heat oil)
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

Rémoulade3/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1/2 Lemon Juiced & Zest
1 Tbsp Heinz Ketchup
1 Tsp Worchester Sauce
1 Tsp Horseradish Sauce
2 Scallions (green section only)
1 Tbsp Dried Dill
1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat a large (and preferably thick bottomed) frying pan over medium heat with canola oil just covering the bottom of the pan.

Finely chop both scallions, separating the white and green sections.  Place the white section in a large mixing bowl.  Add the mustard, Worchester sauce, lemon juice, mustard powder, Old Bay, black pepper and egg.  Whisk together until mixed and the egg is lightly beat.  Next, dump the crab meat into a small bowl and gently look for shells.

Roll up your sleeves, this next part gets messy.  Add the crab meat and the breadcrumbs into the large mixing bowl and gently fold into the egg mixture until thoroughly mixed and the proper consistency to form into patties.  Divide the mixture into four piles and gently form into balls. Then lightly flatten into large patties on a cutting board with your hand.

Carefully add the butter to the heated oil and allow it to completely melt.  Using a spatula, place the 4 crab cakes into the pan with enough space to not be touching each other.  Once placed, DO NOT MOVE. 

Cook the crab cakes on each side for exactly 4 minutes.  Remove and promptly add to serving dishes.

While the cakes are cooking, place the green section of the diced scallions into a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients for the rémoulade except for the olive oil.  Pulse the blender a couple of times to ensure the scallions begin mixing with the other ingredients and push the mixture down as necessary (with blender off of course).  With the center portion of the lid removed, turn the blender on full and begin slowly drizzling the olive oil into the mixture and blend until emulsified.  Remove mixture and add to serving dishes. 

Sprinkle the sauce with Old Bay.  Garnish with lemon wedges or slices.

Roasted Pear & White Wine Vinaigrette

I'm sorry Snapple but this is the best stuff on earth!

Inspiration: Roasted Pear Champagne Vinaigrette
Prep Time: 10 minutes before
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Level I
Yield: 2-3 Cups

Ingredients

• 2 Ripe Pears
• 1/2 cup White Wine (I used Horton Vidal Blanc)
• 1/2 small diced onion or 1 shallot
• 1/2 tbsp minced Garlic
• 1 tbsp Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard (recommend name brand here)
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1-2 tsp freshly ground Coarse Sea Salt
• 1-2 tsp freshly ground Course Black Pepper
• 1 cup Canola Oil
• Blender

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with Pam.  Wash the pears, remove the steams, and slice into 4ths.  Holding each piece of pear vertically, gently slice out the core and seeds.  Flip the piece over and slice into 2 or 3 wedges and place on the baking sheet.  Repeat.

Sprinkle the cinnamon over the pears and place the pan in middle of the oven.  Bake for 25-30 minutes and then let cool for a few minutes on the pan.

In the meantime, add the rest of the ingredients except the oil into the blender.  Measure the oil in a small measuring glass with a spout and set aside.  Once the pears have cooled slightly, add to the blender and pulse until thoroughly puréed.  Remove the center of the lid, turn the blender on high, and slowly and steadily pour the oil into the center of the blender while its running. 

Refridgerate for at least 30 minutes before using and will hold for 5-7 days.

Chef's Notes

• Picking a pear can be challenging and I try to find ones that are just slightly soft to the touch with a little color in the skin.  I typically plan to use a pear 2-3 days after I bring it home from the store to allow it to ripen on the countertop.  For this dressing I went with a standard pear but there are a wide variety of pears to experiment with!
• If you are preparing the dressing to use with a salad, consider roasting another pear that has been cut into larger slices with cinnimon to use as a tasty and gourmet looking topping.
• This recipe does not actually contain any vinegar so I guess its technically not a vinaigrette.  Feel free to hold that against me ;)