Chicken Salad

Spring is in the air and chicken salad is calling.  For me, all I need are four ingredients.  Chicken, mayonaisse, celery, and dried cranberries.

To prepare my chicken salad, I start off with two bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts.  I drizzle them with oil and then sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper.  I roast them in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.  Once the chicken is done, I let it cool completely before shredding.

After the chicked is shredded, it's just a matter of combining all the other ingredients.  To the shredded chicken, I add about 1 cup of maionaisse, preferrably homemade.  Then I dice 3 stalks of celery to add to the chicken.  Last but not least, I chop about 1/2 cup of dried cranberries and add them to the party.

That's all there is to it.  Simple and delicious.  Roasting the chicken gives it a deeper flavor and keeps it tender and juicy.  The creaminess of the mayonaisse, combined with the crunch of the celery is all complimented by the chewy sweetness of the cranberries.  All the flavors shine.  All you need is some toasted bread and maybe a little lettuce for the perfect chicken salad sandwich.  Although, I have been known to just sit down and eat it out of the bowl with some club crackers.  Who's hungry?

Homemade Mayonnaise

I realize I have posted about making my own mayo before, but I failed to post a recipe.  What can I say?  I was young.  Back then, I had a bad habit of posting about the food I made without including a full recipe.  Well, I am now here to rectify myself. 

Mayonnaise is very simple to make, and I almost always have all the ingredients in my pantry.  It is quite versatile, too, as the seasonings can be adjusted to make it fit whatever you're wanting to make.  I have used this basic method to make coleslaw dressing and to give a more Italian flair to my pasta salad.  No matter what you're making it for, it's all about building an emulsion.

For this batch, the seasonings I used were salt, pepper, celery seed, garlic powder, paprika and sugar.  Start out by mixing together the yolk and dry ingredients, and then add the vinegar.  I have moved on from a whisk to a hand mixer, mainly because I was never able to whisk vigorously while slowly drizzling the oil into the yolk.

Once that mixture is combined, start adding the oil a few drops at a time until the mixture starts to thicken.  There's your emulsion!

At this point, you can increase the flow of oil slightly, though still slow, and continue mixing until all the oil is incorporated.

There you have it!  Homemade mayo!  Leave at room temperature for an hour and then keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

Mayonnaise

Ingredients
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 pinch paprika
2 pinches sugar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 cup oil

Directions
Whisk together egg yolk and dry ingredients.  Then mix vinegar into the yolk mixture. Continue to mix and start adding the oil a few drops at a time until the liquid seems to thicken and lighten.  Once you have formed the emulsion, increase the oil flow to a constant, thin stream. Continue mixing until all of the oil is incorporated. Leave at room temperature for 1 hour then refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Onion Dip from Scratch

From an elegant dish such as French onion soup, to a simple dip in which to dip a chip, caramelized onions do not disappoint.  I wasn't really a fan of chips and dip until I made my own dip.  I have to say, making onion dip from scratch is far superior to buying a packet of seasoning or buying it pre-made in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.  Plus, it is so simple, there really is no reason not to make it from scratch (I apologize for the double negative, it just seemed to make my point better).  The most involved step is dicing the onions and caramelizing them, but once that is done, the rest is as easy as dumping a seasoning packet in some mayo and stirring. 

Yes, Alton Brown strikes again.  The recipe I use comes from him.  It is yet another example of AB taking a regular food item most people take for granted, teaching the viewers how to make it themselves, and redefining what it is supposed to taste like.  It really is one of my favorite things about cooking, discovering what mass market, processed foods were meant to taste like, and sharing them with my friends and family.  So, if you want to know what real onion dip tastes like, give this recipe a try.  It will redefine the way you think of chips and dip.  Oh, and it helps if you make your own mayonnaise, too! 

Onion Dip from Scratch
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
In a saute pan over medium heat add oil, heat and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions. Refrigerate and stir again before serving.

Mayonnaise

I have recently gotten into the practice of making my own mayonnaise, and with such palette pleasing results, I don't know why I didn't try it sooner. I have been making it for a couple months now and it all stemmed from a conversation I had with Eva and Daniel. I don't remember how we got on the topic, but Daniel told me it was easy to make and that his mother had a recipe. In a matter of days, Eva sent me an e-mail with Madame Sutter's mayonnaise recipe; it looked easy enough, so I decided to give it a try.

Basically, mayonnaise is made by slowly adding oil to an egg yolk while whisking vigorously to disperse the oil. The oil and the yolks form a base of the emulsion, while the lecithin from the yolks acts as the emulsifier that stabilizes it. The recipe I got from Madame Sutter also calls for vinegar, salt, pepper, and celery seed. I have also experimented with it a little by adding other ingredients to play with the flavors a bit. I have only made my mayonnaise from whisking it by hand, but it can also be made with an electric mixer or food processor.

In my opinion, the flavor of homemade mayonnaise is far superior to that of any store bought brands, and I know exactly what is in it. Double bonus. It really is so easy to make, too! It is so much fun to see the emulsion form and then continue to build into such a thick consistency; it's like magic. Whisking it by hand, I usually have Valerie slowly drizzle in the oil while I whisk with reckless abandon, it's quite a sight I'm sure. I'm thinking about trying it with my electric mixer or food processor because I am going to have to make a lot of it for the chicken salad we are going to serve for Emilie's birthday party. I don't know if my arm can stand the amount of whisking I would have to do to make several batches. I'm leaning towards the electric mixer because I am afraid of breaking up the emulsion if I use the food processor.

I am glad I finally conquered my fear of making my own mayonnaise. My perception of it being a daunting task was unfounded. I'm thankful for Eva and Daniel nudging me in the right direction, and thankful for Madame Sutter for being so generous and providing me her recipe. Now if I could only get my hands on an authentic French baguette recipe, I'd be all set!