French Onion Chicken

If you haven't been keeping up with my Instagram account, you should know I crammed a dozen of New York's top spots into a 48 hour trip and basically doubled in size. Now that I'm back home, I'm trying to cook more since I ate at enough restaurants to last through the rest of the year. I'm getting creative with some basic cuts of meat, like boneless skinless chicken breasts. They can be bland and dry and tough if you don't cook them right, but I found a way to keep them tender and juicy and flavorful. I personally consider this the epitome of health food because it's covered and vegetables and low-carb, meaning I don't feel guilty eating this with a big pile of mashed potatoes on the side.

This recipe is essentially a quick French onion soup thickened to a gravy for the chicken, which is then smothered in cheese and baked until hot and bubbly. A big skillet is the key to the dish so you keep building the layers of flavor and also don't have to wash too many dishes. The onions go in the pan first with a bit of butter, and they're sauteed until tender. I add some beef broth, which I swore I would never do with a poultry dish (it's actually a long-running debate within my family, especially for Thanksgiving). However, it's basically required for any good French onion soup, so I'll let this one go.

The chicken itself is pretty simple: just get some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and pound until even and fairly thin. I know you can buy thin chicken breast cutlets, but those are usually far to thin for my taste and overcook pretty much instantly. I try to keep mine maybe 1/2" to 3/4" thick so they can get nice and brown on the outside but stay juicy in the middle.

You can sear the chicken in the same pan as the onions, as long as you take the onions out first so they don't burn. The gravy is also made in the same skillet so you can take advantage of the chicken drippings. A few spoonfuls of flour will thicken it into a roux in just a few moments. The onions go back in the skillet along with more beef broth. It should become a nice smooth gravy as soon as it comes to a boil, then I add some fresh herbs for some extra flavor. Once it's the right texture and flavor, the chicken can go back in. As everyone knows, the best part of any French onion soup is the cheese on top, so I pile it on each piece of chicken. My personal favorite here is Swiss, but the traditional route is Gruyere. Really any good mild melting cheese will do, so provolone and mozzarella are some more approachable options.

The chicken really only needs to bake for a few minutes depending on how thick you pounded them out ahead of time. The real goal here is to get that cheese all brown and bubbly (and of course make sure the chicken is cooked so nobody gets salmonella). The dish doesn't really take all that long to make, but if you wanted to prep it ahead of time a good pause would be after you assemble the skillet but before you bake it off. Chicken straight from the fridge will obviously take longer to heat up and cook through than if you had cooked the dish in one go, but it only took me about 10 minutes in the oven. It's still doable for a weeknight dinner, and the leftovers are even better.

2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Medium Yellow Onions
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
3 T Butter
1 1/4 Cups Beef Broth
2 T Flour
2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
8-10 Slices Swiss Cheese (or Gruyere, Mozzarella, or Provolone)

Heat oven to 400F.

Slice the onions in half, then cut into thin crescents.

Melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 4 minutes or until translucent. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and 1/4 cup beef broth, and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until very tender. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness, about 1/2" to 3/4" thick. Season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat on the skillet to medium-high. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Add the flour to the pan drippings over medium heat and whisk until smooth. Add the onions, then stir in the remaining 1 cup beef broth. Bring to a boil, then season with salt, pepper, and the thyme. Return the chicken to the pan and spoon some of the sauce over each cutlet. Top with two slices of cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is golden brown.

Serves 4-6
Recipe Adapted from Creme de la Crumb

Blueberry Cobbler Cookies

Blueberry season is upon us! Well, almost, but given the insane number of buckets my family always lugs home after berry picking each summer I have to start planning early. Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits to bake with because they're so versatile. They work for pies, frozen treats, smoothies, all sorts of breakfasts, and pretty much anything else you can dream up. I rarely see them in cookies, though, so I made it my personal mission this summer to do some sort of blueberry cookie. Well, mission accomplished. I cook those tasty berries down to a jammy consistency, pile them on top of buttery vanilla cookie dough, top it all with crumbly streusel, and bake them into the perfect treat: the irresistible taste of a fresh cobbler with the convenience of a cookie.

The jam is extremely simple, just blueberries, sugar, and a squeeze of lemon juice. That all cooks down for about a half hour until the berries burst and turn nice and thick. This will make more than you need for these cookies, but it won't keep as long as a jar of store-bought jam, especially if you don't can it properly, so use any extra within a few days. It would be great on top of ice cream, spread onto toast, or used to dip these cookies in for maximum blueberry flavor.

All good cobblers need good streusel, and these cookies are no exception. This one consists of sugar, brown sugar, a bit of cinnamon, flour, and lots of butter. It comes together in seconds and should be perfectly crumbly. If it's a little dry, add more butter, and if it's a little wet, add more flour. You can add more cinnamon to taste, too.

The cookies are also easy to make since a simple sugar cookie is all you need to highlight the tart berries and sweet streusel. It starts by creaming softened butter and sugar together until fluffy, adding an egg and plenty of vanilla, then stirring in the dry ingredients. I scoop them into small balls and roll them in more sugar for a little extra texture and pop of sweetness. You can use your thumb or a small measuring spoon to press an indent into the center of each cookie, then fill each pocket with that tasty blueberry jam. The streusel goes on top, then the cookies go in the oven. When they're just golden on the bottom, it's time to eat. They're fantastic hot and fresh, or you can top them with a scoop of ice cream for a delectable summer treat.

Filling:
1 1/2 Cups Blueberries
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 tsp Lemon Juice

Streusel:
3 T Sugar
3 T Brown Sugar
Pinch Cinnamon
Pinch Salt
1/2 Stick Butter, Melted
2/3 Cup Flour

Cookies:
1 3/4 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Sticks Butter, Softened
2/3 Cup + 1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla

For the filling, combine the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small pot. Simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool.

For the streusel, combine the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the butter, then add in the flour.

Heat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment.

For the cookies, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat the butter and 2/3 cup sugar together on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Stir in the flour mixture.

Scoop the dough into 1" balls and roll in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Transfer to the prepared trays and press an indent in the center of each. Fill with the blueberry jam and top with the streusel. Bake for 12 minutes or until just golden.

Makes 20
Recipe Adapted from Joy the Baker

Pecan Praline French Toast Casserole

Brunch is a brilliant meal. Since it can be sweet or savory, it's really the best excuse to eat literally whatever you want. I went out to brunch at a local spot last weekend, and I decided on a waffle with cheesy hash browns. It's ok because the waffle used to be served with ice cream so really I'm being healthy. I also loved this particular brunch because there wasn't a wait (and also the great company). The main reason I would shy away from brunch is the fact that literally everyone else in the city has the same idea, and I'd rather not wait 2 hours for some pancakes when I could make decent ones at home. Brunch spots are going to be extra crowded this weekend for Mother's Day, so in my opinion it's worth trying to cook something yourself. I'm 100% sure your mom would love a homemade breakfast ready when she wakes up, especially if it borders on dessert and you don't forget to clean up after yourself. This pecan praline French toast casserole is basically breakfast bread pudding, and you can prep it the night before so all you have to do is pop it in the oven and wait for Mom to get up.

Like all good French toast recipes, this one starts with challah. It's a sweet bread made with eggs and fat, kind of like a sturdy brioche. French toast is actually best when the bread is a bit stale, so don't worry about picking up a fresh loaf. If the bread is stale, it's a little drier, meaning that it has more potential to soak up all that custard.

The custard consists of eggs, half and half, an extra splash of milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. If it sounds like what you would normally make for French toast, you'd be correct, though this may be a little more than you're used to making. You also have to let the bread sit overnight to soak it all up. When making normal French toast, the bread only cooks on the griddle for a couple minutes until golden and crisp, so it doesn't have much of a chance to dry out. If you poured the custard on the challah cubes and stuck it right in the oven to bake, you'd end up with dry bits of bread floating in a weirdly sweet, gelatinous pudding. Letting the bread sit overnight allows it to sop up all the liquid so that it stays moist (yes, I said moist) as it cooks through.

What makes this casserole extra special is the addition of pecans. I throw some chopped toasted pecans directly in with the bread so they're evenly distributed. I also make a 30-second homemade praline caramel concoction with even more pecans to go on top. That extra sugar seeps down into the bread pudding and also gets nice and crisp and caramelized for some nice textural variety. You can get more creative than just pecans, too. To make it more healthy/permissible for breakfast, you can add a handful of berries to the casserole before leaving it overnight. If your mom really wants a treat, though, you can take a hint from my local brunch spot and just throw some ice cream on top. My almost-stepmom would serve this with a big dish of grits casserole and a pile of bacon for a more well-rounded meal. The possibilities for this dish are pretty much endless, as long as you don't forget the card (and your mom gets to forget about the mess in the kitchen).

1 Large Loaf Challah or Brioche
1 Cup Chopped Pecans, Toasted
4 Eggs
3/4 Cup Half and Half
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp + Pinch Salt
4 T Butter, Softened
1 T Corn Syrup

Cut the loaf of bread into 1" cubes and transfer to a greased 7x11" baking dish. Toss with 1/2 cup pecans.

Whisk the eggs, half and half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt. Pour over the bread, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Heat oven to 350F.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, remaining pecans, corn syrup, and remaining pinch of salt. Sprinkle on top of the casserole and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and set.

Serves 6