Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook (14 page)

1.
Pat chicken dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.

2.
Add chicken to pan; increase heat to medium-high and cook 3 minutes, until golden. Flip chicken, top each cutlet with about 3 spinach leaves, 1 slice ham (folding it to fit), and ¼ cup cheese. Cover pan and cook about 3 minutes longer, until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted.

TIP

Smaller, more delicate baby spinach leaves work best in this recipe. If unavailable, use the regular large-leaf variety, first stripping off and discarding the thick stems.

1.
Warm oil in a large, heavy ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken 6 minutes on each side, until browned. (Chicken will not be cooked through.)

2.
Preheat oven to 350°F. In the fat remaining in the skillet, cook carrots, celery, onion, thyme, salt and pepper over medium-low heat for 6 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Increase heat to medium-high. Nestle chicken on top of vegetables, meat-side down. Add broth and any juices from chicken platter and bring to simmer. Place in oven; roast 25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Return chicken to plate. Let cool, then remove skin and bones and break meat into 1-inch chunks and shreds.

3.
Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Pour contents of skillet through a strainer set over a bowl. Transfer vegetables from strainer to a bowl. Reserve broth; you should have about 3½ cups (if not, make up the difference with more broth, water or milk).

4.
For sauce: Melt butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until incorporated, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 3½ cups reserved broth and milk and bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until sauce is thickened and coats back of spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in shredded chicken, cooked vegetables, peas, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour filling into 2-quart casserole dish. Lay pie crust on top of filling, crimping edges with your fingers. (You may need to roll it on a lightly floured surface to get it to fit your dish.) The crust should hang over the edges of the dish. Slash a few holes in the crust.

5.
Bake 30 minutes, until crust is golden and filling bubbles. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

TIP

For a shiny golden crust, brush the top with beaten egg before baking.

1.
In a large bowl, combine crab, scallions, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, parsley, tarragon, chives, salt and pepper. Fold in beaten egg until moistened. Using about ½ cup for each, form mixture into eight 1-inch-thick patties. Place patties on a platter or baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

2.
Warm oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook cakes 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through.

3.
For sauce: In a medium bowl, combine all sauce ingredients. Serve with warm crab cakes.

TIP

Crab cakes hold together better if refrigerated at least 30 minutes before cooking.

1.
Using paper towel, blot beef dry with paper towels. In large bowl, toss beef with salt, pepper and flour.

2.
Warm 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add meat in a single layer; cook 6 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove from pot and transfer to a bowl. Add ½ cup of the wine to pot and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up loose bits on the bottom of the pot. Wine will thicken and combine with pot bits to make a thick sauce. Lift pot off heat and scrape this sauce onto the browned beef. Return pot to heat; add 2 tablespoons oil. Brown remaining beef as above and transfer to bowl. Add another ½ cup wine; deglaze pot as above and transfer to browned beef.

3.
Warm remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same pot over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, until softened, stirring often. Add remaining ¼ cup wine, stirring until wine boils off. Return beef and juices in bowl to pot. Add broth, tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally and adding water to desired consistency.

4.
Stir in carrots, mushrooms and 1 cup water; cover and cook 1 hour, until meat and vegetables are tender. Do not let stew boil; keep at a low simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

TIP

The key to rich beef flavor is deglazing the pan using wine. This process scrapes up all the browned bits left from cooking the beef and incorporates them into the sauce. The alcohol is cooked off in this process.

1.
Preheat oven to 425°F; set an oven rack in lower third position. Place a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet in oven to warm.

2.
Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery; cook 5 minutes, until softened, stirring. Stir in apple, ¼ cup of the cider, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; fold in bread cubes and parsley.

3.
Using a paring knife, cut a 2-inch-wide pocket into the fatty side of each chop, cutting almost to the bone. Spoon a quarter of the stuffing into each pocket. Using your fingers, pinch the seal together. Season the chops with salt and pepper.

4.
Warm the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in same skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chops and cook for 3 minutes on each side, until browned. Transfer chops to the preheated roasting pan; set aside the skillet with the cooking fat in it. Roast the chops 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through cooking. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the stuffing registers 140°F. Transfer the chops to a serving platter and set the roasting pan aside. Tent chops loosely with foil to keep warm.

5.
Meanwhile, set reserved skillet over low heat. Sprinkle flour into fat in skillet, stirring until incorporated. Gradually pour in remaining 1 cup cider, stirring constantly and allowing liquid to incorporate before adding additional cider. Bring to a boil; lower the heat and simmer 5 minutes, until liquid reduces to about ¾ cup, whisking occasionally. Scrape any browned bits and juices from the roasting pan into the simmering gravy. Remove skillet from heat; whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper and spoon sauce over pork chops.

TIP

Use a small, sharp knife to carve out the pocket for your stuffing. If pocket doesn’t stay closed, hold it together with a toothpick.