Cooking in Pajamas

Hi everyone...

Sorry I have not been blogging this month. June has turned into a busy month, and although I have been cooking, I haven't been posting the recipes.  Don't worry, I've got lots of good ones that I need to type up. One recipe I am really excited to share is an Upside-down Apple Caramel Tart. You won't believe how delicious it is, and how gorgeous it looks on a plate.

In the meantime, are you looking for a delicious and simple chiken dish to throw on the grill (who isn't)?  Try this amazing Spicy Honey Chicken.  It it a savory, spice rubbed chicken topped with a sweet honey glaze.  Great for a weeknight family meal, and easy enough to cook for a crowd.  Plus, any leftovers can be used in a salad, on quesadillas or in a sandwich (chicken on sourdough bread with arugula, tomatoes and a spicy peach chutney is absolutely a killer lunch or dinner). This will not be your typical, boring, dried out grilled chicken...trust me!

Be sure to check out my cooking videos at Dacor.com or the CIP YouTube channel.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Rub:
2 teaspoons granulated garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder here)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Glaze:
1/2 cup Honey
1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar

Instructions:
Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the honey glaze for later after the chicken has cooked to pour on right before serving. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

Warning: this can be a hot mess, literally. It's sugar, and it's gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It's totally worth it once you taste this stuff.

If you don't have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!

S

This recipe, was without a doubt, my favorite Tyler Florence recipe that I prepared for my family last week during "Tyler Florence Week".  It is a little time consuming, but totally worth it.  I did the majority of the recipe early in the day.  I did the final broiling of the ribs right before serving.  We enjoyed these amazing ribs with corn on the cob and an arugula salad.

Tyler Florence's Ultimate Barbecued Ribs

Serves 4 - 6  (makes 2 slabs of baby back ribs)

2 slabs baby back ribs (about 3 #)

1 slice bacon

1 bunch fresh thyme

EVOO

1/2 onion

2 garlic cloves

2 c. ketchup

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. molasses

2T. red or white wine vinegar

1T. dry mustard

1tsp. ground cumin

1tsp. smoked paprika

freshly ground pepper and kosher salt

Preheat oven to 250.  Put ribs on baking sheet.  Brush with a little EVOO, and sprinkle well with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Put ribs in oven and bake long and slow for 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the BBQ sauce.  Wrap the bacon around the thyme and tie with kithchen twine so you have a nice bundle.  Heat a 2-count (slowly count to 2 as you pour) of EVOO in a large saucepan.  Add bundle, and cook slowly for 3 - 4 minutes to render the bacon fat.  Now, add the half onion and garlic cloves, and cook slowly on low, without them browning for 5 minutes.  Next, add the remaining sauce ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat to low  Cook on low for 20 minutes.  Baste the ribs with the sauce and let them continue cooking, basting twice more for 30 minutes.  *It is at this point in the recipe that I stopped for a few hours. The rest of the recipe was completed 30 minutes before we ate dinner.

Preheat your grill to medium hot, or preheat your broiler.  Throw the ribs on the grill, or under the broiler, and cook, basting a few times with the sauce, until crisp and charred, about 5 minutes on each side.  Pick the onion, garlic and thyme out of the sauce, and serve with the ribs.

I also have a little tip about cooking corn on the cob.  The worst way to make corn on the cob is to boil it.  Not only, are you boiling away all of the nutrients, you are boiling away all of the corn flavor!  The easiest way to make corn on the cob is in the microwave.  Here's how...remove the husk from the corn, and clean off all of the silk.  Then wrap each ear of corn on a damp paper towel.  Place on a microwave safe plate, and cover with plastic wrap.  You will have to figure out the exact cooking time on your microwave, but a good rule of thumb is 2 ears of corn will take 8 minutes on high.  Let it sit for a minute when it is done (it will be very hot), then unwrap and enjoy with whatever corn toppings you like.  I like butter, salt, pepper and a little Parmesan cheese on mine.