Quick Vietnamese Chicken Pho

Taylor has an unhealthy obsession with Pho (or rather, it is actually fairly healthy by comparison to his other cravings). If given the option, he could eat Pho for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And probably a few meals in between.

You may be asking, Pho? Huh? What exactly, is Pho? Pho (pronounced fuh, not po) is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually beef-based. It’s a unique flavor, made by simmering beef bones for hours and hours with a curious blend of spices. The incredible effort needed to make good beef pho is probably the reason we have yet to attempt to make it at home. We may make homemade pasta and pita bread from scratch, but we have to draw the line somewhere.

Which is why Taylor was practically jumping up and down when we flipped through the Steamy Kitchen cookbook (which, by the way, be bought ME as a Christmas gift), and there was a recipe for quick chicken pho. Keyword: quick. The boy practically demanded we go out and buy a chicken immediately to get started (keep in mind this was 9:30am Christmas morning). Not to mention how he’s been bugging me to “post the pho” daily since we made it last week.

I think he liked it, don’t you?

While I’m not nearly as big of a pho-groupie as Taylor, I admit the flavors of the broth are very soothing. It’s like the Vietnamese version of chicken noodle soup. Just be wary of anything called a “beef ball”. That is some scary stuff.

This recipe held up even for the most adamant pho-natic (ie: Taylor). He said the broth had all the same delicious flavors as the beef-based counterpart. In a fraction of the time.

Would it surprise you if I said we’re going to be making this quite often? Taylor’s orders. Pho sure.

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Quick Vietnamese Chicken Pho

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Steamy Kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 lb dried rice noodles

SOUP BASE
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 quarts chicken stock (store bought or homemade)
1 whole chicken breast
1/2 onion
1 3-inch chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1-2 tablespoons sugar
1-2 tablespoons fish sauce

ACCOMPANIMENTS
2 cups bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
fresh cilantro tops
1/2 cup shaved red onions
1/2 lime, cut into wedges
sriracha chili sauce
hoisin sauce
sliced fresh chili peppers

Directions:

To make the broth, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves, and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately remove from pan to avoid burning.

In a large pot, add spices, chicken stock, chicken breast, onion, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently. Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat, discarding the bone (if you used a bone-in breast).

Taste broth and add more fish sauce or sugar if necessary. Strain the broth and discard solids.

Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.

Ladle the broth into bowls. Divide the shredding chicken breast and noodles evenly into each bowl. Top with bean sprouts, cilantro, red onion, and other accompaniments as desired and enjoy.

Pear, Prosciutto, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Pizza toppings and panini fillings are virtually interchangeable. Anything that is good on a panini will be just as delicious on top of a pizza. Case in point, this panini, which we made a while back, virtually mimics this pizza, the only difference being the addition of caramelized onions.

I really love sauce-less pizzas. I really really love sauce-less pizzas with goat cheese. Which is why we make so many of them. And I don’t think I will ever deviate from my favorite crust recipe, which produces a crisp and chewy crust. With a splash of olive oil and a dash of dried herbs and fennel, the result is probably closer to a focaccia bread than a traditional pizza crust. Which makes it that much more unique and delicious. But do plan ahead – the dough requires at least 6 hours for the yeasty flavors to properly develop.

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Pear, Prosciutto, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Makes 3-4 servings.

Ingredients:

Crust:
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast (from 1 envelope)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups (about) unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Topping:
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 firm-ripe pear, halved, cored, and cut into thin slices
8 very thin prosciutto slices, torn into pieces
3 oz soft mild goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

To make crust, pour 3/4 cup water into large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over; stir to blend. Let stand 10 minutes to dissolve yeast. Add oil, salt, and herbs, then 1 1/2 cups flour. Stir until well blended (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto generously floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking, about 5 minutes (dough will be soft). Shape dough into ball; place in large oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with kitchen towel. Let dough rise at cool room temperature until almost doubled, about 2 hours. Punch dough down; form into ball. Return to bowl; cover with towel and let rise until doubled, about 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Punch down dough. Form into ball; place on floured work surface. Cover with kitchen towel; let rest 30 minutes. Sprinkle rimless baking sheet with cornmeal. Roll out dough on floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to baking sheet.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute, stirring frequently, 10 to 12 minutes or until onions are caramel colored and soft. Remove from heat.

Bake crust for 5-7 minutes or until just set, pressing down any large bubbles that might form. Remove from oven and quickly brush crust with olive oil and top with onions, pear, prosciutto, and cheese.

Bake pizza until crust is crisp and cheese begins to brown, 15-18 minutes. Transfer pizza to board. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

A Look Back – The Best of 2009

2009 was filled with delicious things, and many of those things were cupcakes. Literally hundreds of cupcakes. As I look back on everything we’ve eaten this year, so many wonderful memories come along with the dishes. There were birthdays and holidays and special occasion dinners… and oh yeah, a wedding. That alone makes this year one to remember.

I don’t want to get all soupy and sappy on you now, but I did want to take a quick look back at what I consider the best recipes and posts of 2009. My favorites. The ones, when looking back through the archives, brought a smile to my face or a growl in my belly. The meals that have become memories.

I hope you’re hungry…

(1) Double Chocolate Layer Cake with Raspberry Filling / (2) Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw / (3) Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes / (4) Baked Panko Chicken Tenders with Basil Aioli / (5) Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes / (6) Mongolian Beef / (7) Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream / (8) Prosciutto, Pear, and Goat Cheese Panini / (9) A Love & Olive Oil Wedding

(1) Red Pesto Penne with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Goat Cheese / (2) White Chocolate Bread / (3) The Go-To Chocolate Cupcake / (4) Panko-Coated Chicken Schnitzel / (5) Pumpkin Chip Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream / (6) Eggplant Parmigiana Heros / (7) Bettie Landis’ Gingerbread Cookies / (8) Cherry-Filled Almond Cupcakes / (9) Vanilla Cake with Tiramisu Buttercream and Ganache Filling

What will this next year bring? I have no way of knowing, but I can only hope it is sugary and sweet and swirled with buttercream. As we speak I’m preparing to celebrate Love & Olive Oil’s third birthday, which, without you, would not be something to celebrate. Prepare yourselves, I am confident this year is going to be a great one! Here’s to a happy and healthy 2010!

Mexican Chocolate Tart with Cinnamon-Spiced Pecans

It’s no secret that I enjoy the sweet and spicy combination of chocolate and chili. I’ve made cupcakes, hoarded chocolate, and loved every second of my sweet and spicy adventures. To me, the addition of spice only intensifies the rich decadence of the chocolate. It’s a match made in heaven.

So, while browsing dessert recipes in search of something special to follow our lovely Christmas dinner for two, as soon as I saw the title of this one, I knew my search was over.

This tart, if you’d like to call it that, is basically a soft ganache in a cookie crust. With a kick. And it is to die for. We still have half in the fridge and have been enjoying a small slice of it every night.

Has anyone else had trouble finding chocolate wafer cookies? We went to three different stores before we gave up. Plenty of vanilla wafers, oreos, chocolate teddy grahams… but no chocolate wafers. Instead, I used a box of slightly-stale graham crackers I had been hoarding with the intention of making smores cupcakes, but never did. Added a few tablespoons of cocoa powder to simulate the chocolate, and voila. A delicious crust in a pinch.

I also thought that this would be a perfect recipe to use the Olive & Sinclair Mexican Style Cinnamon Chili chocolate bar, but, alas, we unselfishly sent the few bars we were able to purchase (those babies are hard to come by in this town!) to family and friends. And I have no idea what a ‘disk’ of Mexican chocolate looks like let alone where to buy it. Instead, we used twice the amount of regular bittersweet chocolate, and just added a pinch of cayenne for kick.

And a kick was exactly what we got. But not too much, just enough to excite the tastebuds and make you want to eat another slice. And another. And then another for breakfast. In other words, this recipe is definitely a keeper.

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Mexican Chocolate Tart with Cinnamon-Spiced Pecans

Makes 8-10 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

Ingredients:

Pecans
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Crust
1 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs, finely ground, OR 1 cup graham cracker crumbs ground with 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1 cup heavy whipping cream or soy creamer
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 (3.1-ounce) disk Mexican chocolate (such as Ibarra), chopped OR another 3 ounces of bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (if not using Mexican chocolate)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

For pecans:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Whisk all ingredients except pecans in medium bowl. Stir in pecans. Spread in single layer on sheet, rounded side up. Bake until just browned and dry, about 30 minutes. Cool on sheet. Separate nuts, removing excess coating. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend first 4 ingredients in processor. Add melted butter; process until crumbs are moistened. Press crumbs into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom, to within 1/8 inch of top. Bake until set, about 20 minutes. Cool on rack.

For filling:
Bring cream to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolates; whisk until melted. Add butter, 1 piece at a time; whisk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla, cinnamon, cayenne (if using), and salt. Pour filling into crust. Chill until filling begins to set, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Arrange nuts in concentric circles atop tart. Chill until set, about 4 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely with foil and keep chilled. Serve tart with whipped cream.