All About Peach Butter

With Summer comes sweet juicy stone fruit like peaches and nectarines. Which is exactly what was in the second batch of fruit I received as part of the Canbassador program from SweetPreservation.com.  In addition to making a cobbler and a tomato peach salad, I made peach ginger butter. Fruit butter is very similar to jam, but it has a creamy consistency that seems amost buttery even though it’s completely dairy free. Fruit butters are easier to make than jam since they don’t set the same way. You cook the fruit to the right texture rather than setting with pectin. 

Since this was my first time making it, I had lots to learn. For one thing, you don’t need to remove the skins. I did, but this was not necessary since they get pureed into the mixture. I added some vanilla, cinnamon and cloves in a sachet. This was also probably unnecessary. Because of the ginger flavor you can’t really detect the other spices. I used mostly all peaches and one nectarine. 

The main thing I learned about making fruit butter is, it’s really easy to make! It takes very little time or effort and makes a jar makes a nice gift. The recipe I used came from The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving. 

I like fruit butter on an English muffin, but it’s good on any sweet breakfast bread or toast. The silky consistency is really irresistable! I’ve put together a list of ways to use it.  Have you made or used fruit butters? If so, let me know how you like to use them.

Ways to use peach butter 

* Add to a cheese or charcuterie plate

* On toast, muffin or croissant

* Layer on a grilled cheese sandwich

* Mixed with mustard as a marinade or sauce

* Used in place of apple butter in cakes or muffin recipes

* Serve on crepes, pancakes or waffles 

* Swirl into yogurt  

* Mix it with ketchup and soy sauce to make a barbecue sauce

* Slather on biscuits or cornbread

Disclaimer: My thanks to the Washington State Fruit Commission for choosing me as a Canbassador and providing me with fruit and to Jarden for providing a copy of the book. 

©2016 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Slow Cooker Smoked Chicken Recipe

Recently I was working on some recipes for a client and was tasked with making “faux barbecue.” By faux, I mean no smoker, no grill. In fact, all the recipes were to be made in a slow cooker. I don’t use a slow cooker very often so I wasn’t sure the recipes would even work. Boy was I wrong!

If you are looking for an easy way to cook chicken, this is it. It stays tremendously moist and flavorful and the meat is particularly good for using in sandwiches, salads or even tacos or enchiladas. One of the secrets to this recipe is dry brining the bird. That just means sprinkling it with salt before cooking. Salting it 24 hours ahead is fine, but 48 hours is even better. 

Don’t freak out over the use of 1/4 cup of liquid smoke. It does not actually touch the bird so you’re not ingesting it at all. In any case, liquid smoke is a natural and safe ingredient. Experts agree you'd have to ingest 3 whole bottles to cause any harm. 

This recipe in particular didn't go to print because it uses a whole chicken. My client wanted a recipe using just breasts. I rarely buy anything but whole chickens because they are so much more economical and you should too. If you’re afraid of ending up with too much chicken, by all means store some of it in the freezer. But I urge you to get in the habit of buying whole chickens. Invest in good kitchen shears and you’ll find it’s easy to break it down into pieces before or after cooking. Even if you only want to eat chicken breasts, you can use the rest of the bird to make homemade chicken broth or stock and still save money. 

Slow Cooker Smoked Chicken

Ingredients

One young chicken, about 5-6 pounds

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of chicken

1/4 cup liquid smoke

2 Tablespoons paprika, preferably smoked but sweet or hot is fine

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Pat dry the chicken with paper towels and sprinkle the bird all over with salt. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator at least overnight and up to 2 days before cooking. 

When ready to cook, in a small bowl make the seasoning mix by combining the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper. Pour liquid smoke into the slow cooker, place a rack inside and set to high. If you don’t have a rack that fits, fashion one out of a coil of crumpled aluminum foil. 

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and coat evenly on all sides with the seasoning mix. Add more paprika if necessary. 

Place the chicken breast down in the slow cooker on top of the rack. Cover and cook on high until it reaches an internal temperature of 165° F in the thickest part of the thigh, about 2 1/2 hours. Carefully remove the chicken from the slow cooker. If you want the chicken to have crispy skin, broil it for about 10 minutes. Let the bird rest 10 minutes before carving to let the juices reabsorb. Note: Remove the rack and discard the liquid in the bottom of the pot.

Enjoy!

©2016 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Roast Chicken with Asparagus & Leeks Recipe + Giveaway!

Foster Farms is one of the larger suppliers of chicken in California. It’s a brand you’ll find in most supermarkets. So I was pleased to learn they are now offering organic chicken. At my local supermarket they only had boneless and skinless breasts and thighs, and while I much prefer purchasing whole chickens I did want to give the product a try. 

Because I don’t usually, if ever, cook with boneless skinless chicken thighs, I turned to the ever dependable Faith Durand at The Kitchn for a foolproof technique. I added an herb paste, asparagus and leeks and reduced the pan sauce to make a glaze. It’s easy peasy and great for a quick meal that will be done in just over 30 minutes. The leeks, asparagus and herbs give the dish a fresh and light feel. 

Although I purchased the chicken with my own money, I did accept four $20 Safeway gift cards for you, my readers, from Foster Farms. If you would like one, please leave a comment about your favorite chicken thigh or breast recipe. Only one entry per person and you must have a US mailing address to be eligible to win. Contest ends Friday April 22nd, 2016. As usual, winners will be picked at random. 

Roast Chicken with Asparagus and Leeks
Serves 4 

Ingredients 

3/4 cup of fresh mild green herbs (I used cilantro, parsley and dill)
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon olive oil 
2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and pale greeen
1 package of skinless and boneless chicken thighs, about 1.25 pounds
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups medium thick asparagus, cut on the diagonal

Instructions 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Finely mince the herbs, garlic and lemon zest and drizzle in the oil--or process in a mini food processor. Rub the chicken with the herb mixture. 

Place the leeks in a 10-inch oven proof skillet. Place the chicken on top of the leeks and season generously with salt and pepper.  Roast for 10 minutes, then tuck the asparagus in and around the chicken and roast another 10 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees when pierced with an instant read thermometer. 

Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter and place the skillet on the stove. Heat the skillet and reduce the liquid until only a few tablespoons remain. Drizzle the glaze over the chicken. 

Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: My thanks to Foster Farms for providing the gift card. I was in no way compensated for this post because I wanted you to know my true feelings about the product. 

©2016 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken Recipe

The two most popular dinner requests in my household are for chili and roast chicken. They are both classic comfort foods and my husband never gets tired of eating either of them. It’s funny, because I rarely if ever make either one of them the same way twice.

Chili is just a naturally adaptable recipe. Over the years I've posted recipes for vegetarian white bean chili, a budget friendly chili with a mix of beans, chipotle pork chili and most recently for bison black bean chili. The ingredients change all the time depending on my mood and what I have on hand.

But roasting a chicken is another story altogether. Like so many people I am always looking to improve how I make the perfect roast chicken. Mostly I spatchcock or butterfly it or roast pieces rather than a whole bird for more even and consistent results. But in this case, because Napa Grass Farmer had provided me with such a beautiful bird I thought I’d roast the whole thing.  I used Meyer lemons, but you could subsititute conventional lemons if you like and I’m sure it would still be good.  I learned the formula of roasting at 400 degrees for 15 minutes per pound, plus 10 minutes from Nigella Lawson who in turn credits her mother. It’s a great rule of thumb, especially for smaller birds.

Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken
Serves 4-6, depending on the size of the chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
Kosher salt or flaky sea salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Two Meyer lemons

Instructions

Measure 1/2 teaspoon salt per pound of chicken and place in a small bowl. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Set on a plate and sprinkle the chicken all over with the salt. Place the uncovered chicken in the refrigerator and allow to air dry for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Remove the chicken from the fridge and pat dry, removing any visible moisture. Preheat oven to 400F. Leave the bird out of the fridge while you prepare the rub.

Zest the lemons, reserve the lemons and combine the zest with the olive oil, rosemary, thyme and pepper in a small bowl.  Cut the zested lemons into quarters. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and squeeze one lemon quarter inside the chicken, removing any seeds and place the remaining pieces in the roasting pan. Spread the herb mixture all over the bird.

Roast for 15 minutes per pound plus 10 minutes (or plus 20 minutes if the bird is 5 pounds or over). Rotate the chicken once or twice during roasting and cover lightly with foil if necessary to prevent over browning. The juices should run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh and the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh should reach 165°F when pierced with an instant read thermometer. Allow to rest for about  15 minutes before carving.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: My thanks to Napa Grass Farmer for providing me with the chicken. I was not compensated monetarily for this or any other Cooking with Amy post.

©2016 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.