Valentine's Special: Average Betty and Fabio Sexy-Up Chicken and Rice!

I'm still in West Chester, PA, after a fascinating day of training at QVC. Since I have no new video recipe to share, I'll have to do the next best thing, and use somebody else's. 

Here's my buddy Sara from Average Betty getting all female on international playboy, and Top Chef All-Star, Fabio Viviani, who in return gets all Fabio on her. Together they bring you a rustic Chicken Marsala recipe served with an unusual, but erotically charged Strawberry Champagne Risotto. This menu is so Fabio and Average Betty, it hurts.

I've posted my slightly less steamy version below, and it's one of the recipes I always recommend for Valentines Day, especially for new cooks. It's fast, easy, and always impresses that special someone. I hope you enjoy both videos!

Be sure to check out the full blog post on Average Betty, which includes recipes and lots more information! 

Chef John's Chicken Marsala


See Chef John's original Chicken Marsala post here, and get all the ingredients and more info.

At QVC Learning How to "Move Product"

Hello from chilly West Chester, PA! After being postponed a week due to weather, I finally made it to QVC for a training session in preparation for a future appearance to promote the cookbook. It's going to be tough to reply to comments and emails for the next day or two, so I'll thank you in advance for your patience. Wish me luck!

Why is Chocolate So Popular on Valentine's Day? Because it Works!

I'm not saying that homemade "Good for One Full Body Massage" gift certificate you're making for your Valentine isn't going to be a huge hit, but just in case, you may want to whip up one or more of these sexy chocolate desserts. Enjoy!

Chocolate Sea Salt Crostini

The marriage of warm, crispy-edged bread, peppery olive oil, bittersweet chocolate, and briny sea salt is sublime.

Chocolate Egg Cream

Along with the chocolate come the simple additions of milk and seltzer water. The magic of this drink is how the minimalist design produces such a rich, yet refreshing chocolate beverage.

Hot Chocolate Stones

You have to be careful when making someone a homemade gift for Valentine's Day. There's a very fine line between, "Oh, you are so thoughtful, romantic, and creative!" and "You cheap bastard!








 

Boston Cream Pie

The cake in this recipe is simply acting as a pastry cream and chocolate ganache delivery system. A Boston cream pie is all about the pastry cream and ganache. 

Burnt Caramel Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Coins

I always thought the saying should have been, "you can't have your chocolate coins and eat them too." I mean who wants to keep cake around? It gets stale.

Michele's Chili Chocolate Cookies

These dense, dark, and dangerously addictive cookies feature a dose of black pepper and cayenne. If my wife, Michele, a renown foodie, calls these her favorite cookies, you know they rock!

Chocolate Lave Cake

For you single guys that aren't handsome, don't have money, and can't play a musical instrument, this may be the only arrow in Cupid's quiver. But take heart, it is a devastating weapon when used correctly.

Chili Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate mousse is a surprisingly easy "fancy" dessert you can make for your Valentine's dinner. This video recipe shows my favorite basic chocolate mousse recipe, with the addition of a little dash of chipotle pepper - which really does some strange and wonderful things.

Creme de Abacate ( Avocado Cream )

Avocado cream is a great dessert made from the simplest ingredients. The first time that I had this dessert was in Belo Horizonte in Brazil's Minas Gerais state. It is mildly sweet in flavor. In addition to being a great finish to a meal, it is also great baby food sans the port of course.

Ingredients:
3 avocados
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of sea salt
6 tbsp milk
2 tbsp port wine (optional)

Preparation:

1. Cut the avocados in half and remove the seeds.
   
2. In a large bowl, scoop out the flesh of the avocados and chop it into medium size pieces.
3. Cover the avocado with the sugar and the lime juice.
4. Chill for 20 minutes.
5. Put the avocado, milk, and salt into a food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth.
   
6. Pass the mixture through a sieve. You will need to press it through the mesh using the back of a spoon.
7. Stir the port into the mixture (if you choose to use it) and distribute it in dessert glasses.
8. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

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Fresh (Really, Really Fresh) Brown Butter Perch Cooked on Ice

This video recipe for brown butter perch features my first on-ice cooking demonstration, and if I could've woken up before 8 AM, it would have featured my first ice fishing demonstration. I've always felt that an alarm clocks' effectiveness has an inverse relationship to how nasty the weather is.

I love perch. I love everything about them – the sweet, delicate flavor, the striking coloration, and the stubborn fight they put up for their size. So, when some friends of mine invited me out to their little slice of frozen heaven to ice fish for them, I jumped at the chance.

I will resist the temptation to steal my own thunder, and explain in detail what you're going to see. In fact, I usually only do that when I need another paragraph to wrap around a third photo I really want to add. But, I will say that the recipe you're about to see can be easily recreated in your kitchen, and is perfect for those of you who continue to claim you can't cook fish.

The key is getting the butter to a perfect nutty brown. Technically it's still butter, but something happens when it's toasted like this, and it really does become another ingredient altogether. Add some freshly-plucked-from-ice-water perch, and a little squeeze of lemon, and we're talking involuntary eye rolling.

I'd like to thank my dear old friends, the Fitzpatrick's, for inviting me to their top secret perch hole(s), and for having such incredibly cute kids. I haven’t smiled this much editing a video in a long time. Enjoy!

Bonus Coverage: Check out this great ice fishing post by my friend Tamar on Starving Off the Land!  

8 oz Fresh perch fillets

2 tablespoons butter

lemon as needed

For the seasoned flour:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon fine salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and/or a tsp of Old Bay

Gluten-Free Chocolate Recipes for Love

Romantic chocolate recipes- gluten-free.

How do I love thee, Dear Reader? Let me count the ways. And if you wouldn't mind indulging me (just a little) let me count them in chocolate- that buttery dark bitter sweetness that coaxes even the no good very bad surliest day to soften its grip. Consider this my chocolate valentine to you.

For starters, let me thank you with a wake-up call. How about velvety Chocolate Muffins in bed? Served with your favorite morning beverage, of course. And for your mid-morning pick-me-up, let me tickle your fancy with a plate of crunchy pecan studded biscotti (you can dunk or not, Darling, it's up to you). Or perhaps you would prefer a chocolate laced Quinoa Breakfast Brownie that's high in protein for breakfast, but rich enough for dessert? It's my current favorite gluten-free treat-- but honestly, who can choose? My recipes are like my children. Each one is unique with individual attributes that make a mother dissolve into Warm and Fuzzy Land, so.

Who am I to judge?

Continue reading

Next Up: Chef John Goes Ice Fishing!

I hope you all enjoy the big game today, and eat lots of great food! I'll have a new video up tomorrow starring some incredibly delicious perch, so stay tuned for that. Enjoy!