COVID-19 Shutdown, Day 152

 I'm a bad daughter. 

It's already 1030pm and I didnt call my mom. I meant to at 7. 

I just got so engrossed in the cookbook project that I started last week, that I just could not stop tinkering with it. The project will be to create a cookbook that the modern working cook can use to answer the question, "What's for Dinner?"

It's 539 pages. I know, I know. It's very long. It took two binders and a ream of paper, but I got it created, printed, and numbered so I can find my way around. That was Phase 1. 

Phase 2 is the testing phase. 

I started that tonight too. I plan to try every recipe at least once. If perfect the way it is, it is labeled with the date and we move on. If it needs help, it could be tested over and over and over until it's right. This could take a while. I'm trying not to think about that. 

I also want to make sure that the combinations work, like the main plus sides. And desserts. And drinks. I'm excited because I really am the anti-barista. I don't know how to do mixed drinks. But I found that most recipes only makes 1 or 2 drinks. So it's not like I'm going to get drunk on multiple cocktail tests. ;)

Tonight's dinner is Chicken Kiev with Garlic Broccoli and Crostini. 

Hmm. I should add the crostini to the cookbook.

Anyway, Chicken Kiev really is a dish with breaded chicken and an herbed butter. It was fabulous. I almost don't mind washing the dishes tonight. So much butter!

You start by chopping herbs. I had been struggling through, using my household knives. But since today seemed to be such a watershed day, I decided it was time to bring out the culinary school tools, including Lucy the chef's knife. 

She scares me a little. I have what my sensei would call a healthy "respect" for her. She's on the top of this picture. 

On the left you can see the compound butter used in the recipe. You literally just mix soft butter with herbs, wrap it up in plastic and toss it in the freezer. That's it!

The herbs I used were tarragon, thyme, and parsley. All that chopping for just a teaspoon of herbs. The rest is going in the freezer. 

I used a paring knife to slit open the chicken, but I kind of mangled it, and had to hold the butter in with toothpicks. I need thicker chicken next time. In the picture the compound butter, now frozen, is at the top. 

Also I had frozen chicken to start with. (Did I mention that I've been nose deep in writing the cookbook? Forgot to thaw anything). So I did what you should not - I defrosted it in the microwave. That's why the chicken has cooked parts on it. 

Ugly. 

But we will make them pretty, I promise. 

Next is the dredging station, including flour salt and pepper in one bowl, egg and milk in a second bowl, and panko breadcrumbs on a plate. 

Think of it as a spa for the chicken.

After the chicken is breaded and fried on both sides, it is put onto a baking sheet lined with foil. 

They look better, right?

While the Kiev sisters were baking, I needed a side. I knew I had broccoli so I looked up the garlic broccoli recipe I needed to test and pulled that out. (Not an easy feat when you're printing and numbering it all. )

Lucy and I carefully separated the broccoli on its natural forks in the stalk and cut those in half to get them to cook faster as well as make them more bite sized. Big food is too much work. 

Rather than use up half my garlic bulb a day after grocery day, i used the squeeze variety of garlic in a puddle of butter. 

Next I added the broccoli and as it cooked turned it every 30 seconds. 

Once the outside caramelized, I took it off the heat, set a cover on, and started the crostini - this time with oil and butter. You can make garlic bread this way or bruschetta, but I just wanted to get the bread crunchy for the crunch element of the dish. Mmm buttery. 

Yea baby. Look at that!

So with all the elements made and the chicken resting I had one more thing to add to make the dinner pop. Grape tomatoes out of the garden. I wandered off, apron on, into the sweltering August humidity and picked a handful of grape tomatoes. They really did sing in this dish!

Bon Appetit!

I hope you enjoyed hearing about the dinner because there are many more to come!

Stay safe, sane, and healthy!

Vicky