New Year, New Ingredients

Sometimes even the most adventurous cooks and eaters can fall into a food rut, and while I don't consider myself amongst the most adventurous, I do lament that I have several "safe eating" patterns that I've fallen into in 2010.

With that in mind, I want to make a list of ingredients that I rarely, or never use, but would like to. Here are a few to get me started:

• Eggplant
• Tofu
• Mussels
• Tarragon
• Fennel
• Leafy greens (kale, mustard greens, etc.)

What ingredients do you shy away from? What would you like to see me experiment with in 2011? What are your New Years resolutions?

Happy New Year!

-Apron

Giada's Chocolate Almond Honey Tart

Are you looking for the easiest and most impressive dessert recipe to bring to a New Year's party? Look no further than this yummy, RICH tart, with only 6 ingredients from Giada de Laurentiis. Be warned, it packs a lot of flavor, so serve small squares and watch them disappear! Pair with a chocolatini for a REAL chocoholic experience :)

Chocolate Almond Honey Tart

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature, plus extra for coating the pan
9 chocolate graham crackers, 5 1/2-ounces total
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup honey
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Place the graham crackers and almonds in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture forms fine crumbs, about 15 to 20 seconds. Add the butter and pulse until incorporated. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

In a small saucepan, whisk the cream and honey together over low heat until the honey has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to just below a boil. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the mixture is smooth. Pour the chocolate filling over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or preferably overnight.

Loosen the tart from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the edge. Unmold the tart and transfer to a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

Keep these in the fridge until ready to serve, as the chocolate gets messy if left at room temperature.

Pear, Pecan and Sweet & Spicy Bacon Salad

Someone has been a naughty blogger. If santa read food blogs, I would've gotten nothing but coal in my stocking. Lucky for me, he doesn't :) Here's a yummy holiday salad if you're feeling naughty OR nice!

Pear, Pecan and Sweet & Spicy Bacon Salad

1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
Dash cayenne pepper

3 slices bacon

6 ounces spring greens
1 pear, sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola
Balsamic vinaigrette

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the sugar and spices, then lightly coat bacon with the spice mixture. Lay on a baking sheet and cook until crisp.

Meanwhile, toss together the spring greens, pear, pecans and gorgonzola. Add in the cooked bacon and dressing, then toss to combine.

Enjoy as a light meal or pair with your favorite bread or salad for something a bit heartier.

Bacon Squash Risotto

What is perfection in a bowl? Salty bacon, creamy risotto and sweet butternut squash. This recipe has a short ingredient list, but it definitely isn't short on flavor! This was a perfect meal for two using up a leftover half of butternut squash and finishing up the bacon in the fridge. It's a fantastic post-Thanksgiving treat when you're tired of turkey :)

Bacon Squash Risotto

1 pound butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 slices bacon, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine, at room temperature
5-6 cups chicken broth, warm
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread out butternut squash over a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Bake about 30 to 35 minutes and remove. Set aside, keeping warm.

Meanwhile, heat a dutch oven over medium heat. Cook bacon until crisp; remove from pan, reserving drippings.

Add onion and garlic to bacon drippings and saute 2 minutes. Add rice and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in wine and stir one minute, until nearly evaporated. Add chicken broth, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring often and pouring in more broth once it has been absorbed. This process should take about 25 minutes.

Remove risotto from heat and stir in parmesan cheese, reserving a few tablespoons for garnishing at the table. Stire in squash, reserved bacon and fresh thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Coq au Vin-Off

What do you do when Bon Appetit has a recipe for Quick Coq au Vin one month, and Cooking Light shares a recipe for Easy Coq au Vin the next month? Why - you try them both! Emily of Cooking Inside the Lines and myself often have similar tastes in magazine recipes, so we were tickled to find out that I had tried Bon Appetit's and she had tried Cooking Light's rendition. Naturally, we decided to flip flop and try the other and compare which coq au vin dish would reign supreme.

Quick Coq au Vin - courtesy of Bon Appetit

I made the Bon Appetit version with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and absolutely loved it for its depth of flavor and simplicity. I thought, how can a Cooking Light recipe match up against this?

Easy Coq au Vin - courtesy of Cooking Light

Although the ingredient list for Cooking Light's was longer, I enjoyed the added benefit and textures of veggies mixed in. Not to mention I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks.

In the end, Emily and I came to the same conclusion - we wish we could combine the two recipes! Either one you try, you'll be the hero of your dinner table - give it a shot!

Roasted Chili Citrus Chicken Thighs with Olives and Potatoes

I don't often post recipes that are straight from a magazine or cookbook, but in this instance, I just had to! Bon Appetit really knocked one out of the park with this delicious dish featuring one of my favorites - olives! You'll want to keep going back for more, and you'll definitely be fighting over the leftovers (that is if there are any!)

Roasted Chili Citrus Chicken Thighs with Mixed Olives and Potatoes

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges (ok, I didn't peel mine and they were just fine!) :)
8 large skinless chicken thighs with bones
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh parsley
50 olives (preferably mixed colors and sizes)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook potatoes in large saucepan of lightly salted water until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Drain.

Carefully transfer chicken and potatoes to platter, keeping potatoes intact. Place baking sheet over 2 stovetop burners. Boil sauce until reduced to 1 cup, about 3 minutes. Mix in olives. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper and additional lime juice, if desired. Pour sauce over chicken and potatoes; top with remaining tablespoon cilantro and serve.

Meanwhile, place chicken thighs on large heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle chicken generously with salt; drizzle with 1 tablespoon lime juice and set aside. Whisk 1 tablespoon lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, both paprikas, grated orange peel, ground cumin, dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in small bowl. Rub chili mixture all over chicken. Arrange potato wedges on baking sheet, nestling around chicken. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and potatoes. Bake chicken and potatoes 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Turn chicken and potato wedges; spoon juices over. Bake 10 minutes longer. Add chicken broth, 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, and chopped parsley, stirring to scrape up any chili bits at bottom of baking sheet. Turn chicken over. Bake until chicken is cooked through and beginning to brown in spots, about 10 minutes longer.

Barbecued Pulled Pork Enchiladas

Have you ever found yourself in possession of a large amount of pulled pork? I love everything about it - making it is a breeze (hello easy crock pot meal!), it's so tender and juicy and there are a ton of things to do with it! When my roommate Rachel moved to Michigan, she bestowed her Omaha Steaks barbecued pulled pork stash upon me, so I was befuddled to do with 6 1-lb packs of pulled pork.

Luckily, Des from Life's Ambrosia has a great recipe for pulled pork enchiladas, which I've slightly adapted here. Trust me, you'll find yourself making a few extra pounds of pulled pork next time just so you can make these enchiladas :)

Barbecued Pulled Pork Enchiladas

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 14-ounce can tomato sauce
1 roma tomato, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

For the enchiladas:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced
1 pound barbecued pulled pork, cookedCanola oil (enough to cover bottom of a skillet about 1/4 inch high)
12 corn tortillas
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

Warm olive oil in a medium sauce pan. Add onions and garlic and saute 3 minutes. Add in spices and cook another minute. Stir in tomato sauce and diced tomato and simmer 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in cilantro; set aside.

Meanwhile, warm 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook about 8 minutes, until starting to char. Stir in pulled pork and cook to warm through. Remove from heat.

In a small skillet, heat canola oil until about 360 degrees (or when small bubbles form around the end of a wooden spoon when placed in it). Cook tortillas, one at a time, about 10 seconds on each side. Set on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9 x 13 pan, spread 3/4 cup tomato sauce over bottom. Place about 2 tablespoons pork mixture in each tortilla and top with about 1 1/2 tablespoons cheddar. Roll and place in pan, one right next to the other. Repeat until all tortillas are used and pan is filled. Top with remaining tomato sauce and spread remaining cheese over (1 to 1 1/2 cups). Cover and cook 15 minutes. Remove cover and cook another 5 minutes, until cheese and melted and just starting to brown.

Let sit at least 10 minutes before digging in, but this is also a great meal to make a day ahead!