My Madison Bistro
Mar 22 2009
Poaching chicken is a very simple and healthful method to cooking chicken. The meat is moist and tender, and by adding aromatics to the poaching liquid, the chicken can take on some additional flavor.
Poached chicken is great for chicken salads, shredded BBQ chicken, as a topper for salads, in a wrap…the list goes on.
Mar 20 2009
When I was in college, brownies were a favorite in our apartment. One of my roommates was a bit of a brownie purist, however. She did not appreciate my attempts to spice up the brownies, with one exception: adding mini-marshmallows was always okay, because while baking, they would melt into the batter, creating an ooey-gooey confection.
I told her the other day that I was making these brownies, and she asked why I never made peanut butter swirl brownies a decade (and then some) ago. Apparently peanut butter would have been the other exception, but who knew?
I ended up making several modifications to the original recipe, simply because I didn’t have the required ingredients. So the chocolate is a bit darker, the butter a bit less, the oil added. But you know what? They are still delicious! I actually enjoy the contrast of the dark chocolate and the peanut butter, and though I was skeptical at first, the canola oil helps keep the brownies moist.
Mar 19 2009
I realize that my Bistro has been lacking in vegetable posts. It really wasn’t intentional, it’s just such a difficult time of year in the produce department. Wisconsin has such a short growing season, so when it comes to local produce, I’m pretty much stuck with fruits and vegetables that store well (winter squash, carrots, apples, pears, frozen fruit, and some hardy greens), or vegetables that are grown in greenhouses. And of course, there’s the produce department at the grocery store, which demands a little more thought so one does not arrive home with bags full of tasteless produce.
But that’s no excuse for neglecting my vegetables. Since spring is near, I’ve decided to celebrate by posting something green (well, and brown). Green beans are not usually considered to be a very sexy vegetable, but dress them up with some caramelized shallots (which make nearly everything better), and you’ll want a second helping.
Mar 17 2009
I have to admit, I was prepared to not like this dish. I’ve only recently started dabbling in the world of butternut squash, but I do love risotto and was very interested in trying this recipe. I did, however, have my usual bacon reservations.
In this recipe, I was afraid the bacon would flavor the overall dish too much for my taste, kind of like a carbonara does. My concern grew as I cooked the dish, because you don’t actually brown the bacon. It cooks through, but there was still very visible bacon fat. Scary. My trepidation grew as the risotto finished cooking, and I was afraid I would end up ordering a pizza. But I kept an open mind, and took a spoonful of rice.
