Chef Mik's Lemon Orange Chicken

This is one of the first dishes I ever created as a child together with my mother, I have always loved the flavor combination that is lemon and orange along with garlic and ginger I use the lemon-orange flavor profile for many of my baked goods as well. At any rate while the flavor combo may remain the same my method often changes depending on need sometimes braised, sometimes grilled or BBQ and sometime breaded with a dipping sauce. That said, the way I am preparing it today (braised in a Dutch oven) is one of my personal favorites and easiest for sure!! Its summer here in L.A. which may not be saying much but trying to stay in a summery state of mind I have baked some jalapeño cord bread, along with orange infused wild rice and creamed baby spinach with crème fraîche and parmesan a happy plate to be sure! But not for everybody so I always suggest serving it with what you like braised chicken with and see what you think, as for me, well I’m heading back for seconds!

Shopping List

Chicken thighs, bone in skin on (I have removed it)

Oranges

Lemons

Garlic

Ginger

Onion

Chicken stock or broth

Thyme

Cayenne pepper

Ancho chili

Paprika

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

My Mad Method

Finished dish shown here on a bed of wild rice together with creamed spinach and jalapeño corn bread 

Season chicken with the juice of one orange, one lemon, one garlic clove minced, 1 tsp ginger minced, one tsp each orange peal and lemon peal, cayenne, ancho to taste and I tsp thyme. Marinate up to three hours 

Combine the juice of two oranges, two lemons, one to two cloves garlic minced, one to two tsp ginger minced, one tsp each lemon and orange peal, one tsp thyme, one tsp paprika, cayenne and ancho chili to taste 

Sauté one half onions in oil or clarified butter

Add the chicken skin side down and brown about three minutes 

Flip and continue to brown two or three minutes longer

Add two dl’s chicken stock or broth deglaze the pan and reduce by about half add the reserved juice, bring to boil cover reduce temperature and simmer for about forty five minute to an hour

When the meat is cooked through remove turn off heat, fish out chicken and thicken the sauce with one large tsp of corn starch or arrowroot diluted in a little water or stock/broth restore the pot to the stove top bring to a quick boil 

Ready to serve!!

                      

 

 

 

   

 

Chef Mik's Asian Style Coleslaw

I don’t know that I would even be posting this recipe save for the fact my brother was in town for a few weeks. During which time I prepared this simple dish one night, low and behold both he and his family loved it so much so in fact he asked for the recipe! I should also confess I love miso in all its salty yeasty goodness and look for most any excuse to use it! 

If you aren’t that familiar with miso it is basically fermented soybean paste and taste like it , but paired together with a little bonito broth and you have the makings of a great soup, cut with a nice sweet wine reduction and lots of butter and you have a great beurre blanc, this sauce goes great with grilled tuna or salmon! Or heck you can even add it to egg custard base and through some other goodies in the batch and bang go presto you’ve got either Crème brûlée or ice cream! Though for the faint of heart you might want to stick with the green tea ice cream…

At any rate today I am using miso as the base for my salad dressing it will act as the binding agent helping to emulsify it. However it should be stated and can’t be stressed enough; be sure to dilute it enough so it will not be overwhelming! As for acid today I am only using rice wine vinegar though sometimes I will add a little lime juice. Also while I am using canola oil, vegetable oil or peanut oil will do. As for flavor enhancers I like to add a lot of ginger, and sesame oil to this particular dressing which is where the dressing would normally end however as I will be dressing one of our (foodperfected’s) more popular lunch side dishes with it I am adding a mayonnaise consonant. This won’t change the flavor profile much other then smoothing it out but it will help the dressing cling to the salad a bit better then it might otherwise

Shopping List

One small head of white cabbage

One eight head red cabbage

One carrot

hot house cucumber

Chinese pickled cucumber

Fresh Coriander

Scallions

Shaved almonds, toasted or toasted black and white sesame seeds

Dressing

White or yellow miso paste

Ginger grated

Honey

Shallots

Rice wine vinegar

Canola (rape seed oil)

Sesame Seed oil

Water, bottled

My Mad Method

Chef Mik’s Asian Style Coleslaw shown here with some poached shrimp 

In a mixing bowl combine 1 dl each: miso paste, and water a ½ dl each rice wine vinegar and honey, 2 tsp ginger minced and 1 tsp minced shallots

Mixed to combine, completely break up miso paste, pore or whisk in just enough oil (mix) to combine

Add a tsp or so of sesame oil , adjust seasoning to taste (I added more sesame oil and ginger)

This is 2 dl's worth of the dressing

Add a heaping TBSP mayonnaise mix to combine, adjust seasons and set aside (I added more sesame oil and ginger)

Shred the cabbage and cut the carrot into strips, (I am cheating and using a prepared cut batch)

Add the cucumber pealed, seeds removed and cut into strips

Add the pickled ginger to taste 

Add fresh chopped coriander sometimes referred to as cilantro to taste, (reserve some for garnish)

Add some sliced scallions to taste, (reserve some for garnish)

Pore over the dressing, mix to combine, refrigerate 2 to 3 hours 

This is what the coleslaw will look like after 2 hours, sample and adjust seasoning to taste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chef Mik's Old Fashioned Milk Bread

Today I am baking some nice old fashioned “Milk Bread” which had its hay day back around the turn of the last century. Fundamentally this is a simple bread to bake, close to French bread save for the fact that one employs milk instead of water. Not quite pan du mie which requires a starter but still great sandwich bread nevertheless. Many people to this day use it quite regularly in that regard. As for myself, I don’t typically buy bread out here in L.A. as good bread is hard to find. Not to mention I had a bakery myself for a number of years (for those of you familiar with it don’t worry, I still do only we don’t have the store front café any longer) so if I want a sandwich or a dinner roll for my meal, I just bake it myself, for the record when we bake these for work we do so a bit differently but this recipe and method work perfectly well, a great bread!!

Shopping List

Milk

Flour

Yeast, fresh or instant

Sugar

Salt

My Mad Method

Ready to serve!

Begin by combining your dry ingredients in a mixing bowl: 8-9dl flour, 1.5 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 2tsp instant yeast

 Mix to incorporate

 To this add 3dl milk 1/3 at a time

Mix to a nice smooth dough

Transfer to a well greased bowl, cover with a cloth and proof for 45-50 minutes, punch down the dough, cover proof again for an additional 45-50 minute

When the dough is ready it will be nice and smooth about double in size and feels lighter

  Work the dough, portion and transfer to a well greased mold, and proof for an additional 45-50 minutes (under a cloth). These have already been proofed. I have divided the dough for my form in two for a nice presentation when baked

Brush the top of the dough with an egg wash with just a touch of milk added. Bake in a preheated 200c oven for 1 hour or until it sounds hollow if taped and has good color. I have scored the bread

Here is a roll I made with the additional dough which I coated in black and white sesame seeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chef Mik's Swedish Style Pizza Salad

Swedish Pizza Salad

I have always been of the mind that if coleslaw and sauerkraut got together and had a baby it would be named pizza salad. That said it does rather resemble Israeli egg less coleslaw among countless others found in that part of the world. So I suppose it’s not all that surprising to consider as pizzerias began to sprout up around the Sweden, and people from that region began to migrate up to Sweden to work them, this particular salad also started to pop up around the country. In the end while it may not really be truly Swedish per se, nevertheless it has become a staple which can be found at any pizzeria one stumbles into anywhere in the land! More over it’s super simple to make and well worth the effort. Personally I have been making this salad myself sense the late 80s, and have enjoyed it still longer then that.  One more thing I will confess is this recipe is based on the one in my school cook book, which I went on line and compared to a couple others and they were practically identical so there you go…

Shopping List

White or green Cabbage

Pimentos + juice

Distilled vinegar or better still ättiksprit

Sugar

Canola or extra virgin olive oil

Oregano, dried is the norm but I have chosen fresh

Salt

Cracked black pepper

My Mad Method

Ready to eat!!

Shown here with pizza bread (rolls made of pizza dough) 

Choose a nice cabbage devoid of blemishes and firmly packed

Portion it into 8 equal sections

Finely shred the cabbage and transfer it to a mixing bowl

Dressing ½ dl distilled vinegar, ¼ dl sugar, ½ dl oil, 2 ts pimento juice, 1 ts oregano, salt and black pepper to taste. Mix well and set aside

Combine one 113g jar pimentos and dressing to the cabbage mix well

Weight down the salad to help break down the cabbage helping it release its juice, store in the refrigerator over night

One day later ready to serve!!

   

 

 

 

Cranberry Orange Muffins

These are some of my favorite type of muffins and one of my favorite flavor profile combinations for any baked good in this category!

Some tips for baking a good muffin would be first and foremost don’t use flour with too high a protein percentage such as bread flour. Try whole grain pastry flour, there are several that are produced by employee owned companies. Another alternative is a combination of unbleached AP flour and cake flour.

Sometimes when baking with a dairy product such as milk I also like to add crème fraîche, a thick curd, kefir or yogurt and this time is no exception so I am using Greek yogurt but they are not deal breakers just personal preference is all.

Another thing I like to do sometimes depending on the muffin is top them with a nice streusel, here’s the recipe for the one I used here but again if you don’t want to add it, not a deal breaker.

Streusel: 1 part sugar, 1 part butter, 2 parts flour, cinnamon to taste, chopped nuts optional, using food processor quickly pulse together butter and sugar, add flour and cinnamon pulse together, add nuts if using any

Shopping List

Granulated sugar

Brown Sugar

Butter

Eggs

Vanilla

Oranges

All Purpose Flour (AP Flour)

Cake Flour

Baking Powder

Baking Soda

Walnuts

Cranberries

My Mad Method

Cream together 115g butter together with 1 dl white bakers sugar, plus 1 to 2 TBSP brown sugar

Add 1 egg, and mix to combine

Add 1 tsp vanilla

Add 3 dl whole milk, and 1 TBSP yogurt

Add 6 dl AP flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking Soda, 1/4-1/2 tsp salt sifted together, mix but be careful not to over work the flour

Fold in 1 dl each: dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts, scant 1 TBSP orange peal, and 1-2 TBSP fresh squeezed orange juice

  Scoop the muffin batter into lined muffin tins, bake for circa 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean, in a 200c preheated oven. 

Ready to serve!

 

 

 

 

Chef Mik's Brownies

Brownies have been around for over a hundred years now and are a true American treat, first created in Chicago but made their way from coast to coast faster then it takes to bake them! If your kid is failing in school these are all the incentive they'll need to turn those grades around... At least they were for me...

While recipes may very, for me at its core is good quality semi sweet chocolate and unsalted butter. As for nuts I love walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts in my brownies but any nut is fine or none at all

so easy and so yummy!!

Shopping List

Semi sweet chocolate bars or chips

Unsweetened butter

Coco

Coffee, optional

Sugar, (you can blend sugars if desired)

Eggs

Vanilla

Flour

Salt

Nuts, optional

My Mad Method

Working over a water bath melt 150g chocolate and 120g butter, stirring while doing so, when melted half way through, remove from heat and finish mixing until smooth

 Add 2-3 TBS coco powder; you may also add 2-3 TBS coffee or espresso if desired

Add 200g sugar, mix to combine 

Add 3 eggs (I like to beet mine first before adding them), and 1 tsp vanilla extract

Add a pinch of salt and 100g white flour, sifted (its ok if you don't sift it)

If using nuts fold them in now, you may also use chocolate, white chocolate or other chips

Pore into greased sheet pans or cupcake pans 

Bake in a 175c preheated oven until a toothpick comes out slightly sticky

  I am topping my brownies with a chocolate ganache which will firm up when chilled 

Serve at room temperature or chilled, ready to eat!!!