The most delicious and the guiltiest food of all: Foie Gras

As I got ready for bed tonight, I suddenly had a late night craving. I have never been one of those "I ate a tub full of ice cream" binge snackers. It's rare that I crave sweet desserts or candies. I didn't get what "guilty pleasures" were when it came to food. Until now, that is. 

Enter the world of adulthood and fine dining. This little monster sure has grown up! I can now say that my last meal on earth, my craving, my guilty pleasure is fattened goose liver on a platter. I won't get into the humane debate or share a hypocritical view on "where" this food comes from. I just simply want to admit that I am a Foie Gras lover. I want to praise the food and creativity it takes to make this delicious dish.

I fell in LOVE with Lahaina Grill on Maui this year. I dined there twice on my vacation and had the Foie Gras over Ahi Tuna, each time. Once as a shared appetizer and the other as my MAIN entree! 

It's amazing what fruit does to the complexity of the flavors. Lahaina Grill makes a Fig sauce that ties the fish & liver flavors so well! It is served on a bed of spinach and sweet whole figs. I often find myself skimming menus to see if there is anywhere in the Bay Area serving a similar creation. I have yet to find this combo!

I've experimented making Foie Gras at home last year. I used sweet apples that I caramelized with butter and brown sugar. I didn't get restaurant quality flavor but I am going to try again and post recipe and pics! Until then, sweet dreams and savory slumber!!

Foie Gras over Ahi Tuna w/ Figs @ Lahaina Grill, Maui

White Bean Green Chicken Chili

Rainy Sundays with the 'ol Crock Pot

It's been pretty chilly in California lately. The weather has taken a drastic turn and we are dealing with strong winds, tornadoes and lot's of rain. What to do when you're stuck indoors?

Break out that dusty old Crock Pot!

With just a few inexpensive ingredients, I made one of my favorite dishes to have when it's cold and dreary outside.

The smell of your house and kitchen will be delightful!

White Bean Green Chicken Chili

(serves 6)

1 package of Foster farms bone-in chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)

2 Cans White Cannelloni beans

1 small can of diced chilies

1 can of Low sodium chicken broth

1 Medium onion

2 Garlic cloves

1 Jalapeno Serrano

1 Zucchini (if you like) 

2 tbsp EVOO

Salt & Pepper

Garnish: Cilantro, Monterrey Jack Cheese & Sour Cream

Instructions:

Dice your onion, mince your garlic and de-vein and de-seed your jalapeno. Dice everything up and sweat these ingredients over medium heat (5 mins) with some EVOO, add salt & pepper. (sweat = sautee) Put into the crock pot. 

Wipe, do not wash your skillet. 

Chicken thighs. This was a bit weird for me to do since I mainly work with skin less breasts. What I did was, I tried to cut out as much meat off the thigh bone as possible. I also ripped the skin off before cutting meat into bite sized pieces. You are probably thinking, why not just use skinless boneless thighs? I will get to that bit in a moment. Once you are done with this step, add to oiled skillet over med/high heat and lightly brown the chicken for about 5-6 minutes with a little bit of EVOO. 


**newbie cook tip: Don't try to stir meat right away.  Leave it be for about 3-4 mins, THEN try to flip/stir. You want to get a nice browning on the meat to lock in juices/flavor. Stirring the meat will only break it and cause you to have a nasty icky skillet to clean afterward.

What to do with the meaty left over bones? (they will  have lots of meat that you would hate to throw away) What I did, was I browned the bones with the rest of the chicken. Add EVERYTHING to your crock pot. The bones will produce delicious broth. You should have bare naked bones by the time your chili is ready- the meat should just fall off the bone during cooking. Remember to take them out before serving.

Once you are done with your chicken browning and its sitting pretty in the crock, add the beans (drain and rinse in cold water), can of diced chilies and the can of broth. I had a medium zucchini so I diced that up and added it on top.

Cook in the Crock for about 6-6.5 hours on LOW heat. I started my chili at about noon and served it at 6:30pm.


Buen Provecho!