Comfort Food Makeover: Chicken Fried Steak

My kitchen has been churning out a steady stream of recipes from my newest cookbook: America's Test Kitchen Comfort Food Makeovers. Full of delicious recipes with 50-75% less fat and calories. What's not to love??? 

Today, I give you:

Chicken Fried Steak

Calories: 993 down to 580, Grams of fat: 65 - down to 20, all thanks to baking, not frying, and a really unique secret ingredient.

For the Steaks:

2            Boneless Strip Steaks, cut in half and pounded 1/2 thick

1 Cup     Panko Bread Crumbs

1/2 Cup  Flour

2 oz        Funyuns (!), crushed

4            Egg Whites, beaten

1 Tb       Canola Oil

1/2 tsp    Cayenne Pepper

1/4 tsp    Salt  

1/4 tsp    Black Pepper

• Preheat Oven to 425 degrees. Spread Panko on baking sheet and toast at 425 until golden.
• Line a baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top and spray with cooking oil. 
• Get 3 dishes, flour in one, egg whites in the next, toasted panko, funyun crumbs, oil, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
• Dip steaks in flour, then egg, then panko. Press panko lightly to adhere. 
• Roast steaks until 150-155 degrees, about 10 minutes. Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

While the steaks are in the oven make your gravy.

For the Gravy: 

4 oz            Breakfast Turkey Sausage

1 1/2 Cups  Milk, 2%

2 tsp           Cornstarch

Salt & Pepper

• Cook sausage until no longer pink.
• Stir in 1 cup of milk and simmer for 5 minutes.
• To avoid lumps whisk together 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch in a small bowl, then gradually whisk into gravy.
• Simmer for 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.  

Spice-Rubbed Pork Chops with Warm Pineapple Relish

I got a new cookbook over the holidays!

Thanks Mom & Dad

In case you haven't already gleaned it, Americas Test Kitchen is my absolute favorite cooking show/book/website. I'm really excited to go through this book full of quicker, easier recipes. I've made a few already and bookmarked MANY more dishes I can't wait to try. 

First up: this simple spice rubbed pork chop. I halved the recipe to feed 2, you can easily double it to feed 4.

Spice Rub
3/4 tsp Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Coriander
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Cayenne

• Rub 3/4 to 1 inch thick boneless pork chops with the spice rub
• In a nonstick skillet heat some oil on medium. Cook pork chops about 5 minutes on each side. The brown sugar in the rub will burn if the heat is too high, be careful. 
• Once the chops reach 145-150 degrees remove from pan and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the relish. Wipe the skillet with paper towels.

Pineapple Relish

1 cup Pineapple pieces

1 Tbs Brown Sugar

1 Tbs Lime Juice

1 Tbs Cilantro

• Add the pineapple, brown sugar and lime juice to the skillet. Heat on high for 1 minute. 
• Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. 

My wife said it was one of the best pork chops she's ever had and she can't wait for me to make it again. 

Croque Monsieur

Did you know that a humble grilled ham & cheese sandwich becomes a French bistro classic if you use Gruyére cheese? Well you do now! Behold the Croque Monsieur! The best use of leftover holiday ham.

Tips:
- Don't be shy with the butter!
- Grate your cheese; slices won't melt well.
- Add a small amount of your favorite mustard.
- To melt your cheese without burning your bread grill your sandwich in a skillet then finish it in the oven or microwave.

Chris' Ultimate Pumpkin Bread

Hooray for my first Baking post!

If you're anything like me you'll agree that there is no such thing as Fall without Pumpkin. Pie, Bread, Muffins, Seeds, Ice Cream, Lattes and Coffee Creamer, Rolls, even snuck into Mac n' Cheese. Give me ALL THE PUMPKINS!!! 

This recipe is adapted and expanded from the very incomplete Bobby Flay recipe here http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500191_162-2104698.html

Preheat oven to 350

In this Pan:

• 1 Stick unsalted butter
• 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Nutmeg 
• 1/4 Tsp Ground Clove
• 1/4 Tsp Ground All Spice
• 1/4 Tsp Ground Ginger

Melt the butter on low heat and add the spices. Swirl them in the pan until your entire house is WONDERFULLY fragrant. This blooms the spices and really takes the flavor to another level. You may need to turn the heat up to medium low, butter should be warm and fragrant, not foaming. Remove from heat and let the butter cool. 

Whisk together:

• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour (10 ounces)
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tsp Salt

In baking it's always important to use the correct amounts of dry ingredients. It's best to weigh your flour. If you have a kitchen scale, now is the time to use it.

Whisk together: 

• 2 eggs, beaten 
• 15 ounces Canned Pumpkin
• Spiced Melted Butter, Cooled
• 1/2 Cup White Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 Tsp Vanilla 

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir gently until just incorporated. Pour into a buttered and floured 9" loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 1 hour. Or as long as you can stand ;) 

Awesome bonus: Store the bread in a airtight container and it will actually become MORE moist and sweet overtime thanks to the brown sugar!

OH, and did I mention my wife's HONEY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING?!?!
Just blend Cream Cheese, Honey and Powdered Sugar.

Pizza Margherita

Behold! The mother of all Pizzas! Classic, thin, simple pizza that is strikingly similar to the "real" pizza they make in Italy (or Brooklyn). If this recipe sounds good you should also check out my Calzone post (Click Here) and also my Veggie Pizza post (Click Here).

 Since this is a very simple dish with a very short ingredient list, quality ingredients are paramount. Use San Marzano tomatoes, Fresh Whole Mozzarella, Fresh Basil and good quality Olive Oil along with your preferred Pizza Dough. 

All Purpose Pizza Sauce: In a food processor, process a few tomatoes with a pinch of salt, a small crushed clove of garlic and a tablespoon or so of olive oil.

Bellisimo!

Pizza Tips: 

• Rest your dough! Even if you're using fresh store bought dough it's always best to let it rise and relax in a warm area for as long as possible. The texture will be better and it will be easier to roll/stretch out. 
• Make/buy your dough ahead of time! You can freeze it!
• Make your sauce ahead of time! You can freeze it!
• Don't over sauce your dough or use too many toppings with a high moisture content, such as fresh veggies. The top of your crust will be doughy and underdone.
• When using pepperoni: place between layers of paper towel and microwave for a short time (30 secs to a minute). You'll be amazed how much grease comes out. Added bonus: your pepperoni will be nice and crisp when they come out of the oven.
• Use plenty of olive oil on your pizza pan. It tastes great and will keep your pizza from sticking. 
• Cook your pizza on a lower oven rack at a high temperature, 400-500 degrees.

Presto!

If this recipe sounds good you should also check out my Calzone post and also my Veggie Pizza post.

Italian Oven Fries

Making homemade fries isn't the easiest, cheapest, or healthiest thing in the world. Sometimes it IS worth it but sometimes you need a good oven fry recipe. I'm not sure how much healthier these are but you won't need a big pot of oil so no hot fat popping onto your arms/face/clothes/stovetop. 

These fries go great with my Turkey Sliders! Check them out here: http://eatinandcookin.blogspot.com/2012/10/turkey-burger-sliders.html

Todays recipe is brought to you by: http://www.marthastewart.com/349033/italian-fries

Ingredients:

Russet Potatoes, Sliced (approx 1/3 inch thick) 

Olive Oil

Butter, cut into little cubes

Romano Cheese, Grated

Salt & Pepper 

Dried Italian Herbs (Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Parsley etc)

Ready for the oven

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400, Slice potatoes and rinse them in cold water, then dry them on paper towels. 
• Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and toss with Olive Oil. Evenly coat with the Dried Herbs and plenty of Grated Romano Cheese. Don't skimp on the cheese!
• Optional (but not really) - Sprinkle a modest about of butter evenly across the baking sheet. 
• Bake for 40-50 minutes, depending on the size of your fries, turning the fries over halfway through. Take them out when they are Golden and season immediately with Salt & Pepper.

PRO TIP: 50 minutes is too long to wait for fries IMO. Next time I'm definitely going to par-cook them in the microwave first. After the potatoes are sliced, rinsed and dried put them in a microwave safe dish, toss with the olive oil, cover tightly with plastic wrap and cook at least 5 minutes on high. This should cut the oven time in half.

Ready for the plate

Ready for YOUR FACE!

Try these fries with this Turkey Slider recipe! So good! http://eatinandcookin.blogspot.com/2012/10/turkey-burger-sliders.html

Turkey Burger Sliders

Trying out some new recipes from a new cookbook (a gift from my in-laws, Thanks!) This is the first time I've ever bothered making sliders instead of full sized burgers but It's always nice to try something different. Of course you could just make these into 4 full sized quarter pound patties if you want. A nice tasty, and healthier, alternative to cheeseburgers. The Wife and I enjoyed them a lot with a side of Italian Oven Fries.

This recipe is adapted from The Chew Cookbook from the show on ABC. Click here to see/watch the recipe http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Turkey-Sliders-Clinton-Kelly. In my adaptation I dropped the egg white, added some cheese for extra flavor, reduced the onion and toasted the buns and cooked the patties in BUTTER!!! 

Makes 8 Sliders or 4 Quarter Pounders

Ingredients:

1 Lb       Ground Turkey
1/2        Yellow Onion, Grated (about 1/2 Cup)
2 Tbs      Dijon Mustard
1            Egg Yolk
1/2 Cup  Panko Bread Crumbs
1/4 Cup  Romano Cheese, Grated (or Parmesan, Asiago or another hard, dry cheese)
1 tsp      Cumin
1/2 tsp   Salt  
1/4 tsp   Pepper 

8 Potato Buns, Slider Buns, Dinner Rolls etc

Directions:

• In a medium mixing bowl lightly beat the Yolk then add the Turkey, Mustard, Cumin, Romano, Onion, Salt & Pepper. 
• Add some of the Bread Crumbs and begin to mix until combined. Add more bread crumbs as necessary for the mixture to be cohesive. Don't over mix!
• While you let the mixture sit melt some Butter on medium heat in a skillet and toast your Buns. Once toasted remove buns and wipe out the skillet with paper towels.

Mmm... Toasty Buns!

• Heat oil on medium heat in the skillet while you shape the mixture into 8 equal patties. Once the oil is hot add a bit of butter to the skillet and swirl the oil and butter together. Put the patties in the pan and leave them alone for 4 minutes. Season the top with extra salt & pepper. Then, turn them over and give them (at least) 4 minutes on the other side. 
• Note: It's very important that the turkey gets fully cooked to 165 F. Use a meat thermometer or cut into one of the sliders. There should be NO pink and the juices should be clear. Don't worry about over cooking them, the grated onion and breadcrumbs will make sure they stay juicy. 

Before

After

• Spread the buns with Mayo, Ketchup and Dijon and top with tomato and lettuce. You may need to toothpick the sliders together.

Oven Fries Recipe Coming Soon!

YUM!