Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms

I love to read.  It's actually somewhat of a problem.

Whenever I read fiction or a memoir, one of two things happens.  I either put the book down because I can't get into it, or I'm so into it that I can't think about anything else, and end up reading the whole thing within a day or two.  The latter happens much more frequently than the former, and everything else I'm supposed to be doing falls by the wayside.  I fall into reading rabbit holes so easily that I usually don't allow myself to read anything other than my school textbooks during the semester itself.  (Of course, I'm very interested in speech and language pathology, but books with titles like Understanding Voice Problems and Preclinical Speech Science never really end up being page-turners.  Instead of keeping me up all night like a suspenseful novel, they're uniquely capable of sending me into a sudden nap if I read them anytime after the sun sets.)

Figs & Pancetta

This simple appetizer is an amazing way to showcase some delicious figs.  I'd been wanting to wrap figs in prosciutto for a while now, but accidentally got slices of pancetta instead.  I think in my mind I'd filed them as being the same thing.  I did a little research and it seems like pancetta is thicker and less pliable, and cured with more spices than prosciutto.  You can use either one here--prosciutto would probably be easier to wrap around the figs, and you might not even need the toothpicks.

Blackberry, Almond, and Rocket Salad with Fresh Mozzarella

Did you know that arugula is called rocket in the UK?  Arugula is a pretty fun word, but rocket is even better.  This salad has rocket in it, along with all the other delicious things listed in the title.  After making blackberry cupcakes for this month's Get Your Chef On challenge, I wanted to do something else fabulous with the rest of my juicy blackberries.  I dreamed up this salad, and thought about it all day during class.

I was happy to find that it was even better than I had imagined!  The spicy arugula, sweet blackberries, creamy mozzarella, and toasty almonds are the perfect combination.  This is my new favorite summer salad.  Ben loved it, too!  When I served it he said it looked fancy (secret--any salad with blackberries looks fancy!), and then he asked for seconds.  Usually he's a one plate of salad kind of guy.

So, here's what I would recommend.  Go buy a lot of blackberries, make these cupcakes, then make this salad.  A light dinner with a decadent dessert is the perfect thing to have on a summer evening.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 cups arugula
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of sea salt
1 heaping cup blackberries
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, roughly cubed

Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often to make sure they don't burn, until golden brown (less than five minutes).  Set aside to cool.

Toss the arugula with the oil, vinegar, and salt and adjust seasonings to taste.

To serve, line plate with arugula.  Top with blackberries, fresh mozzarella, and toasted almonds.  Enjoy!

You might also like:

Spring Salad with Citrusy Shallot Vinaigrette








Jerk Chicken with Avocado and Papaya Salad








Wheat Berry Salad with Pine Nuts, Raisins, and Pickled Red Onions

Fresh Mozzarella & Strawberry Grilled Cheese

Have you had any strawberries lately?  The ones I've been getting are so good that I couldn't resist putting them in my grilled cheese!  You have to try this.

This sandwich is inspired by a salad I made last week that got eaten before it could be photographed.  It was a strawberry spin on caprese salad, without the tomatoes, because I just can't stomach raw tomatoes.  Anyway, the salad had strawberries and little balls of fresh mozzarella, a balsamic drizzle, and some julienned basil on top.  It was delicious.

Today when I was thinking about lunch, I wondered how the flavors of that salad would do smushed between two slices of butter-kissed bread.  Answer: they do really well.  This recipe is boyfriend-approved, which is great except for the fact that I had to share my sandwich with him.  I recommend you make and eat this in secret, because anyone who tries it is going to want more.

Ingredients (makes 1 sandwich):

2 slices of bread (I used Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain German Wheat)
3-4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
2-3 strawberries, sliced
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt
Butter for cooking

Layer half the cheese on one of the slices of bread.  Top with the strawberries and drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top.  Top that with the remaining cheese, a sprinkle of salt, and the other piece of bread.

Heat some butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Cook the sandwich, flipping halfway through, until the bread is golden and crisp and the cheese is melted to your liking.  Serve hot.

Strawberry Shortcakes with Balsamic Chocolate Glaze

A while ago, I asked what recipes my friends wanted to see on the blog, and my friend Eva suggested strawberry shortcakes.  I didn't get to it right away, but had been working on it in the back of my mind. I wanted to make strawberry shortcakes, but I wanted to kick them up a notch.  So I asked myself: what's normally missing from strawberry shortcakes?

Drumroll . . . chocolate!  (And balsamic vinegar, obvi.)  I'd been wanting to try a balsamic chocolate syrup ever since a friend of mine brought chocolate balsamic vinegar and a quart of vanilla ice cream to a Valentine's party I hosted years ago.  So, here it is!  Strawberry shortcakes enhanced with a tangy balsamic chocolate glaze.  If the glaze weirds you out or you want a more classic dessert, you can make them without.  But, I suggest you give chocolate balsamic a chance!

This recipe looks a little complex, and it does have a lot of components.  But, the strawberries and balsamic chocolate glaze can be made the day before and stored in the fridge.  Bring the strawberries back to room temperature while you make the biscuits, and reheat the glaze until it's pourable.  The shortcakes are easy and bake up fast, and the whipped cream is ready in no time.



A word about these shortcakes: they are really good!  I am already getting excited about having the leftover ones for breakfast with a little butter and jam.  Normally I don't trust baked goods from Cooking Light, but was won over by the brown sugar and nuts in this recipe.  The shortcakes aren't nutty, but the pecans and brown sugar give them a rich flavor and they aren't overly sweet.



Also, this is what I'm bringing to this month's virtual chocolate party hosted by Roxana's Home Baking!  Check out what everyone else is bringing here.

Ingredients (serves 6; you'll have 6 extra shortcakes):

1 pound organic strawberries, trimmed and sliced
2 teaspoons sugar

For the shortcakes (adapted from Cooking Light):

2 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup toasted pecans (or almonds), finely chopped
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
5 1/2 tablespoons very cold butter (1/3 cup)
3/4 cup milk (I used 2%) or buttermilk
Extra flour for rolling
Sugar for sprinkling

For the balsamic chocolate glaze:

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
1/2 vanilla bean
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Pinch of salt

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy cream, or coconut cream scraped from the top of one can of chilled coconut milk
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Toss the strawberries to coat with the sugar and set aside.

To make the glaze, place the vinegar in a small saucepan, and add the seeds from half a vanilla bean.  Cook over medium heat until the vinegar starts to boil, then reduce the heat to low.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vinegar is thickened and reduced by half, about 40 minutes.  Add the sugar and the chocolate to the saucepan and stir until smooth.

To make the shortcakes, preheat the oven to 450 and combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl.  Grate in the butter with a cheese grater (this is why you need it really cold!).  Mix with your fingers until the mixture is uniform and resembles coarse sand.  Add the milk or buttermilk and mix just until combined.  On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough lightly five times.  Pat it out until it's about half an inch thick, and use a biscuit cutter or something else round--I used a small jar--to cut out circles about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.  Place the shortcakes on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with a little sugar.  Bake for about ten minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

To make the whipped cream, add the vanilla bean seeds to the cream in a large bowl.  Beat on high until soft peaks form, then sift in the powdered sugar and beat again until stiff peaks form.

To serve, cut each shortcake in half and top with strawberries.  Drizzle with balsamic chocolate glaze, and top with a generous dollop of whipped cream.