Classic Chess Pie

This is from Pie Academy by Ken Haedrich. It's a great book because he's got so many solid recipes and interesting flavor combinations. We bought it for ourselves after testing out a number of recipes.

However, you've got to keep an eye on him. For example, his basic streusel is surprisingly tasteless. His fruit pies are made with frozen fruit (which has worked out great) but you've got to keep an eye on the cooking times. For example, we have found that we need to let the fruit fully thaw to get good results, as opposed to Haedrich's "partially thaw" instructions. So if you go in ready to be flexible and adapt occasionally, it's good. 

I trust Haedrich enough that I made this pie for the first time for my book club. It has a lovely lemony flavor and several people had two pieces. Naturally they wanted the recipe. So here it is, paraphrased by me.

CLASSIC CHESS PIE
8-10 servings 

Pie crust dough for a single-crust pie (I used a half recipe of easy Perfect Piecrust) 

Filling

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon

Prepare pie dough. Roll into a 13-inch circle and line a 9- to 9-1/2-inch deep pie pan with it, fluting the edge. (My pie didn't need a deep dish pan. Next time I'm going to try my 9" regular pan.)

Partially prebake — Preheat oven to 375°. tear off a sheet of standard aluminum foil about 16 inches long. Prick the bottom of the shell with a fork in a lot of places. Press down on pie shell so it fits like a glove. (Haedrich then has you use beans to weight the foil. His technique is here. Having read somewhere long ago that you just need to be sure the foil is pressed really hard against the crust, that is what I did and it worked out fine.)

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer, gradually adding sugar about 1/4 cup at a time. Beat in the flour and salt; the mixture will be quite grainy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well on medium speed after each addition. Blend in the lemon juice and zest on low speed. (The filling may look curdled. That's ok.) Place the pie shell on a baking sheet, near the oven, and carefully pour the filling into the shell, smoothing the top with a spoon.

Bake the pie, on the sheet, on the center oven rack for about 46 minutes. The pie is done when the filling is just set and no longer soupy in the middle. Give it a little nudge to check.

Transfer the pie to a rack and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers, covered with tented aluminum foil.

Cheese Pennies

This recipe is from King Arthur's Flour and is really easy and really a treat. Everyone loves them.

We use the lower amount of cayenne but they are really full flavored.

CHEESE PENNIES

Ingredients

2 cups (227g) grated sharp cheddar cheese
8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups (180g) flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
paprika, optional

Instructions
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the paprika to make a cohesive dough, sprinkling in a tablespoon or so of water if the dough doesn't seem to want to come together.

As soon as the dough starts to come together, turn off the mixer and gather it into a rough ball.

Transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a 16" log about 1-1/2" in diameter. (We make two 8" long logs. That way one can wait in the freezer while the first is being cut into pennies. If you want to freeze the dough for a longer amount of time, just make sure to remove it from the freezer about 30 minutes before you want to slice it.)

Wrap the log in waxed paper or plastic wrap, and chill it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Using a serrated knife, slice the log crosswise into 1/8" rounds. Place them on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving only about 1/2" between them; they won't spread much as they bake. Sprinkle them with a bit of paprika if you like.

Bake the cheese pennies in a preheated 400° oven for 11 to 13 minutes, or until they're just beginning to brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan for several minutes before transferring them to racks to cool completely.

Store, well-wrapped, for up a week.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Goodness gracious, I first shared this recipe in 2004. That is so long ago! In the meantime, I've made a number of time-saving changes or those that up the flavor. This soup is so simple and so delicious you've got to try it so I'm rerunning it, revised.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Step 1:
1-1/2 - 2 pounds chicken thighs
6 cups chicken stock

Simmer the chicken thighs in the broth until done. Let cool on a plate and then discard skin. Pull meat off the bone in bite sized pieces. This enriches the broth and gives good moist chicken that will stand up to the later simmering. Reserve broth and chicken.

Step 2:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2-3 tomatoes, chopped (app. 2 cups)
OR instead of the above use 2 cups fresh pico de gallo from your grocery store (if your grocery store does that)

In a large stock pot, heat oil. Saute everything for about 10 minutes.

Step 3:
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder (I've also used ancho chili powder, which my husband loves in this dish)
1 teaspoon salt
Reserved chicken and broth from Step 1

Add all, return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve up in big bowls to make room for accompaniments below.

Step 4:
Lime wedges
Shredded Monterey Jack
Sour Cream
Tortilla chips

Crumble some tortilla chips in the bottom of the bowl (or let each person add their own at the table), ladle soup over them. Serve with accompaniments.

Gochujang Chicken and Tortellini

This is from Cook's Country and is a quick meal which totally surprises the palate. I myself couldn't imagine the final dish, coupling as it does the unlikely combination of cheese tortellini with Korean chile paste. And some honey. And some fontina cheese.

But it works. In fact, it works so well that my husband, who usually forgets leftovers are in the fridge, ate it all up in three days running.

NOTE: We did wind up using the Korean sauce instead of the paste just because that's what we could fine. It was tasty but the juice was runny. Having since found the paste we are eager to try it again because a clingier sauce would be very good.

Gochujang Chicken and Tortellini

8 ounces dried cheese tortellini
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons gochujang paste (not the sauce)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded (2 cups)
2 scallions, sliced thin on bias

Adjust oven rack 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Add pasta and cook until tender. Drain and return to saucepan.

Meanwhile, combine chicken, honey, gochujang, soy sauce, oil, garlic, and ginger in 12-inch broiler-safe skillet. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Off heat, stir in tortellini. Sprinkle with fontina. Broil until cheese is melted and just beginning to bubble, 2 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.

Broccoli-Cheddar Rice Casserole

From Taste of the South magazine comes this delicious meatless casserole. It was surprisingly satisfying for such a simple recipe.

Broccoli-Cheddar Rice Casserole

Makes 4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients

2 cups water 1 cup long-grain rice, rinsed (OR 3 cups cooked rice, room temp)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 (8-ounce) package cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 cups broccoli florets
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
¼ cup finely crushed buttery round crackers

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray an 11×8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a 3-quart Dutch oven, bring 2 cups water to a boil over high heat. Add rice, stirring for 20 seconds. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, without stirring, until moisture is completely absorbed and rice is tender, 22 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff rice with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and moisture is released, 5 to 7 minutes. Add broccoli and cook 3 minutes more. Remove vegetables from skillet and place in a large bowl.

In same skillet, melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Add flour; cook, stirring constantly, until flour is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook, stirring constantly, until milk thickens, 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and slowly whisk in cream cheese until completely incorporated. Whisk in 2 cups Cheddar cheese, a small handful at a time, until completely incorporated. Pour cheese sauce over vegetable mixture. Add rice and stir to combine. Pour rice mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Cheddar cheese.

Cover and bake until casserole is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover and increase oven temperature to broil. Sprinkle casserole with crushed crackers. Broil until cheese and crackers begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.