Sorry guys, I have a brutal cold but haven’t had the chance to slow down much, and by bedtime I’m running on fumes. I must say I’m very much looking forward to going to bed with my bottle of NyQuil tonight.
It turns out social media is an effective means of transmitting medical advice – I’ve had a ton of sure-fire cold remedies relayed by twitter – hot water with honey and lemon! with ginger! with rum! I’ve tried it with all but the rum and while it is comforting and feels like it should do something to knock out my cold, it doesn’t seem to have the power.
However. Yesterday I ran into a friend while signing books downtown for the CBC Suncor Food Bank Drive, and upon hearing my lounge-singer voice she and her friend began offering up suggestions of same, except this time it was suggested I crush up some garlic, stir it into honey and eat that.
Worth a try, don’t you think? Would it matter if said honey and garlic were administered by chicken wing?
Honey Garlic Hoisin Wings
3-4 lbs chicken wings or drumettes, wing tips trimmed
canola or olive oil, for cooking
Sticky Garlic Hoisin:
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Pat wings dry with paper towel and arrange in a single layer on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. (Lay them on a wire rack set on the sheet, if you have one.) Drizzle with oil and toss to coat; roast for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through and starting to turn golden.
Meanwhile, stir together the sauce ingredients. Remove wings from the oven, drain away any fat in the bottom of the pan, toss wings with sauce (if you like, save some to toss the wings in afterward) and roast for another 10-15 minutes, until the skins are crispy and the sauce is caramelized. If you like, turn on the broiler and cook for 2-3 minutes, until deep golden. Serve immediately, with napkins. Makes lots.
By the way – I’m drawing for the Okanagan trip tomorrow! At noon!
December 03 2010 | appetizers | 16 Comments »
Head cold. Can’t hardly breathe, can speak even less. Realized I had no voice upon pulling into the Tim Horton’s drive-thru at 6 this morning, en route to the Mount Royal University radio station, where I was interviewed live on the air sounding like a prepubescent mouse who smokes too much.
Didn’t feel like cooking, so rummaged around the fridge, opening miscellaneous yogurt containers, and found the leftovers from the dinner I was invited to on Sunday night. Which I haven’t even told you about yet! Am I on the ball with anything anymore?
The pictures, I’m afraid, are from my phone. Some of them didn’t go through, and the ones that did don’t do the dishes justice. But I at least wanted you to see the production that went into dessert – two homemade graham crackers on a schmear of chocolate (which acted as an anchor, keeping them on the plate, and also something for me to lick off the plate afterward) topped with a slab of ganache (one plain, one peanut butter) and a homemade marshmallow, which was then torched. Alongside, a tall shooter of hot chocolate topped with its own little marshmallow. Does anyone know how it might be possible to make a career of attending dinner clubs?
The table setting was lovely, as was the company (none of whom I knew, but all I liked instantly). And the food! I’m determined to make everything again – perhaps they need their own dedicated week. The theme was celebrity chefs, and each brought a dish from one of their favourites – Liesl brought savoury palmiers with goat cheese, pesto and sundried tomatoes and a cocktail a la Ina Garten, Monique brought Jamie Oliver’s pumpkin soup, Michelle made Panade a la Judy Rodgers (from the Zuni Cafe book – like chunky French onion soup with veg – so on my must-make list), Bonnie flew in from Vancouver and made salad a la Bobby Flay – greens, toasted hazelnuts, apples, blue cheese (methinks she took plenty of liberties with this one – with great success) and a dressing made with pomegranate molasses.
Jody made crab spring rolls from Ramsay’s F Word, Brandy made Nigella’s aubergine involtini (yum! total keeper – making it very soon) and Stephanie made the aforementioned s’mores for dessert. There were baby girls to cuddle and at the end, little gift bags of spiced pecans to take home. With my name on them! As if I had done them up myself or something. Sniff.
Eating them now, in bed, with hot lemon and honey. A fitting bedtime snack.
Spiced Maple Pecans
These keep well, so making a large batch will guarantee a good stash. They also make an excellent gift, bundled in cellophane or in an inexpensive glass jar tied with ribbon.
4 cups pecan halves (about a pound)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
Preheat oven to 350?F.
Spread pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 7-8 minutes, until fragrant. Drizzle with maple syrup and toss to coat; continue baking for another 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the nuts absorb most of the syrup.
In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle over the nuts and toss to coat. Spread on a cookie sheet to cool completely.
Store extras in a tightly sealed container. Serves 12.
Maple Cinnamon Pecans: substitute the spice mix for a blend made with 1 tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ginger and ¼ tsp. salt.
Garlic Pepper Pecans: substitute the spice mix for a blend of 1 tsp. garlic salt, 1/2 tsp. paprika, 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
December 01 2010 | appetizers and snacks | 10 Comments »
