It’s Italian 29 Wild Mushroom Chicken Marsala Don’t skimp on the marsala wine; it doesn’t have to be expensive but it needs to be good, no imitations. It’ll make a difference, giving it a fortified, slightly sweet, rich flavor. Serves 3 to 4 3 to 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1½ pounds [680 g]) - pounded even and dried well kosher salt fresh finely ground black pepper 1/3 cup (41 g) all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons (45 ml) avocado oil 4 tablespoons (56 g) cold unsalted butter - divided 9 ounces (255 g) cremini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms - wiped clean, sliced 1 medium shallot - minced (about 3 tablespoons [3 g]) 4 garlic cloves - minced ½ cup (120 ml) marsala wine 1 cup (240 ml) Homemade Chicken Stock (page 169) ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream 2 tablespoons (4 g) chopped fresh tarragon or Italian parsley Season the chicken with 1¼ teaspoons (7.5 g) salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Dredge the chicken on both sides in the flour, shaking off the excess. Set aside. Heat a 12-inch (30.5-cm) frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and sear until lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate. In the same pan over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons (42 g) buttah. Add the mushrooms and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Sauté until tender and golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic, and sauté until tender and you can smell the gálick, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat. Add the marsala, return the pan back to the heat (be careful of flare-ups) and deglaze until reduced by one-third, 30 to 40 seconds. Pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream, season with ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer. Return the chicken to the pan and cook until tender and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through cooking. Cradle the heat between medium and medium-low. Don’t overcook it. Remove the chicken and divide it among three to four plates, or place it on a medium platter; keep warm. Continue simmering the sauce over medium-low heat until thickened, 3 to 6 minutes. If you want the sauce a little thicker, knead 1 tablespoon (8 g) flour into the remaining 1 tablespoon (14 g) cold butter, making a paste (see Chefie Tip for beurre manié on page 112). Otherwise, if it’s the consistency you like, just finish with the remaining 1 tablespoon (14 g) cold butter, stirring until melted off the heat. Don’t break the sauce (see Chefie Tip on page 25). Divide the marsala sauce over the chicken breasts. Garnish with tarragon or parsley, because you’re fancy. Hot Off the Grill or Griddle 39 Salmon Burgers with Fennel Slaw This will be the best salmon burger you’ve ever had and if you don’t like salmon, just give this a try. It’s layered with delicious, fresh flavors. The key here: Don’t overcook the salmon and just know cooking fish outside on the grill in a pan works like a charm and keeps the smells out of the kitchen. Makes 4 burgers For the Lemon Vinaigrette 2 tablespoons (2 g) chopped shallot ¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/3 cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Dijon mustard kosher salt fresh finely ground black pepper For the Fennel Slaw 1 small bulb fennel - cored and thinly shaved 3 tablespoons (10 g) chopped fresh dill Make the lemon vinaigrette: In a small blender, add the shallot, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, Dijon, ½ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and blend until smooth. (Do not add the honey first, it’ll stick to the bottom of the blender.) Reserve and set aside ¼ cup (60 ml) of the vinaigrette. Pour the remaining vinaigrette into a medium bowl. Make the fennel slaw: In the same bowl with the vinaigrette, add the fennel and dill, season with ½ teaspoon salt, and toss. (continued)40 Cooking with Shereen—Rockstar Dinners! For the Salmon Burgers 1¼ pounds (565 g) wild king salmon - skin removed, cut into large chunks 1/3 cup (17 g) chopped fresh dill ¼ cup (27 g) Italian-style breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons (30 ml) avocado oil ½ cup (120 ml) homemade mayonnaise (page 160) 2 tablespoons (30 ml) Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter - room temperature 4 Brioche Burger Buns (page 143) kale leaves Make the salmon burgers: In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the salmon, reserved ¼ cup (60 ml) vinaigrette, dill, breadcrumbs, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Pulse until the mixture is finely minced, not whipped. Divide and form the salmon mixture into patties. They’ll seem a tad wet, donta you worry; when cooked they’ll form, holding their shape. Heat the grill over medium heat. Once the grill is well heated, place a 12-inch (30.5-cm) nonstick frying pan over the grates and add the oil. Heat the oil for 1 minute. Add the salmon burgers and cook until golden brown, just cooked through and juicy, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Cradle the heat between medium and medium-low. Don’t burn ’em. Remove the burgers and let them rest, 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can cook the burgers inside on the stove. In a small bowl, stir the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and honey until blended. Spread a thin layer of butter on each of the bun halves and lightly toast them on the grill, about 30 seconds. Be careful of flare-ups. Spread the mayonnaise mixture on the bottom bun, top with kale leaves, salmon burger, fennel slaw and close with top bun. Repeat with the remaining burgers. Chefie Tip You can make the patties up to 6 hours ahead; cover the patties and refrigerate until ready to grill. Remove from the refrigerator to remove the chill, 20 minutes ahead. If you are making these ahead, do not add the salt and pepper until ready to cook. Salmon Burgers with Fennel Slaw (continued)134 Cooking with Shereen—Rockstar Dinners! Homemade Cannoli Fun fact: I used to work at Carlo’s Bake Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey, for Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro. Each day, I’d enter through the back door and snag a freshly piped cannoli off the speed rack as I headed up the stairs to the cake decorating room, where I worked. With each bite I moaned. Yes, they’re that good. Don’t get excited, I never made the cannoli at the bakery, so I have no clue what the recipe is. However, I created my version with inspiration from the flavors and texture that made me moan. I’m proud to say, these are MacDaddy! One important tip I’ve learned from Buddy’s cannoli: Don’t be stingy with the filling. Don’t use the ricotta cheese from the dairy aisle. Instead, go for homemade or hand- dipped ricotta from the cheese section of some grocery stores or Italian markets. I’ve found BelGioioso brand is a creamy and delicious ricotta as well. And don’t choose a cheap chocolate. You deserve the best! It makes a difference. Special equipment: 4¼-inch (10.7-cm) ring mold, pasta roller, cannoli tube molds, deep- fry thermometer. Makes 9 to 11 cannoli For the Filling 32 ounces (896 g) fresh whole- milk ricotta cheese 2 cups (240 g) confectioners’ sugar + more to garnish 1¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) ground cinnamon ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract ¾ cup (130 g) good-quality, extra-dark chocolate chips (Guittard recommended) - chopped (see Chefie Tip) For the filling: Double line a strainer with cheesecloth and place a large bowl under the strainer. Make sure the bowl is high enough so the strainer doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Add the ricotta in the cheesecloth and place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the ricotta. Add a small plate directly on top. Place something heavy, like a 24-fluid-ounce (710-ml) juice bottle or many cans, on top to weigh it down, pressing the milk liquid through the strainer. The liquid is the enemy to the cannoli, get rid of it! This step is crucial for a perfectly thick and creamy filling. Refrigerate the ricotta while it’s straining for several hours to overnight. Discard the excess milk liquid from the bowl and place the ricotta into a stand mixture fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the confectioners’ shugá, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix on low speed until smooth but not whipped, about 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate pieces until combined. (continued)136 Cooking with Shereen—Rockstar Dinners! For the Cannoli Shells 1 cup (140 g) Tipo “00” extra- fine unbleached Italian flour 1 tablespoon (15 g) granulated sugar ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons (26 g) chilled vegetable shortening 1 large egg - yolk and white separated 4 tablespoons (45 ml) marsala wine 8 cups (1.9 L) canola or peanut oil Homemade Cannoli (continued) Transfer the mixture to a large piping bag with no tip (don’t over fill it) and refrigerate to chill and firm up, about 30 minutes to overnight. For the cannoli shells: In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir the flour, granulated shugá, cinnamon and salt by hand using the dough hook attachment. Rub the shortening into the flour between your hands creating tiny, pea-sized crumbles. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and on low speed, add the egg yolk (set aside the white). Slowly pour in the marsala until the flour mixture is partially moistened, pushing down the flour with a rubber spatula to coax the flour to combine. When the mixture begins pulling together with a few dry crumbles in the bottom of the bowl, increase the speed to medium-low, kneading the dough. After 1 to 2 minutes, the dough should form a ball, naturally pulling away from the sides of the bowl. It should not stick to the bowl. If it’s sticking, lightly dust with flour. If it’s too dry, add a couple splashes of water; a little goes a long way. Continue kneading the dough in the stand mixer until smooth, 5 to 6 minutes. Divide the dough in half. Flatten each half into a disk and tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Note: This dough makes about 18 to 22 shells, but we only need the 1 disk for this recipe. Place the other plastic-wrapped disk in a freezer-safe zipper bag and freeze for up to 3 months, for another use. Let the 1 dough disk that we’re working with rest, 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. Before working with the dough, remove it to room temperature 30 minutes prior, to remove the chill. Heat the oil in a heavy bottom 6-quart (5.5-L) pot to 360 to 370°F (180 to 188°C), using a deep-fry thermometer. Adjust the heat between medium to medium-low to maintain the temperature.Next >