Dinner Party

Tonight, I held a dinner party in honor of Ronnie's birthday. The menu included some of his favorite foods: Fried Chicken to be specific. As I don't eat fried chicken, I decided to make the rest of the meal friendly for me. We had, in addition to the fried chicken, baked chicken in a special marinade I make myself, pan grilled whiting, steamed vegetables (green beans and onions with red bell peppers), fresh tomato soup, and a Kentucky butter cake. I have omitted those recipes, namely fried chicken, from the recipe lists as it is the only thing not gluten, corn, soy, casein, and sugar free.


Tomato Mushroom Soup (serves six)

6 tomatoes
1/2 cup sauteed sliced sauteed baby portebella mushrooms
1/2 cup sauteed diced onion
 2 clove minced and sauteed garlic
1/2 teaspoon of each: dried rosemary, thyme, and oregano
3 cups chicken broth (I make my own)
4 tablespoon butter
3 piece gluten free bread
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

 Cut three tomatoes, skins on, into chunks. Toss these into a blender with chicken broth to puree. Dice the remaining three tomatoes and set aside.

In a skillet, melt two tablespoon of butter. Saute onion, garlic, and mushrooms together. Onions should be translucent when done.

Pour puree mixture into a medium saucepan and set on low heat. Add diced tomato, broth, and sauteed vegetables. Add sea salt, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in 1/2 of the Parmesan  cheese.

Melt remaining two tablespoons butter in the microwave. Coat the bread with the butter on both sides. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the bread. Toast the bread on broil in the oven until golden brown and crusty (about three minutes). Remove the bread and cut into chunks.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with croutons.


 Steamed Green Beans and Onions

3 cups fresh green beans, snapped
12 pearl onions
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
Sea salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoon butter

In a double boiler, steam vegetables until tender. Vegetables should still have a snap but be soft enough to chew easily. Once steamed, place vegetables in a serving bowl. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Add butter and lemon juice. Stir together until well mixed and butter is melted.


Dijon Style Baked Chicken serves 6

6 pieces chicken, thawed
1 cup Dijon marinade (recipe follows)

Pierce chicken with a sharp knife in several places Place chicken in a baking dish.Pour marinade on chicken evenly. Cover with foil and leave in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. Bake in a 350 F oven for about 1 hour or until done. Your cooking time may vary depending whether or not your chicken has bones.


Dijon Marinade

1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup chopped onion

Pour all ingredients into a blender. Blend on hi until well mixed and smooth. This is similar to making mayonnaise, but you want to avoid creating an emulsion. Your marinade should be thin, like a liquid.  


Pan Grilled Whiting Serves 6

6 whiting fillets
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup sliced baby portebella mushrooms
4 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon Pepper
Sea Salt


Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium/high. Add fillets. Use a spatula to sear the fillets on each side (about  3 minutes per side). Sprinkle each side with sea salt and lemon pepper to taste. When done, place fillets on plates.

Saute onion and mushrooms in olive oil until just tender. Onions should be translucent. Spoon evenly onto each fillet to serve.


Kentucky Butter Cake

3 cups gluten free all-purpose flour

2 cups evaporated cane juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup goat's milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs

olive oil, for pan

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, mix flour, evaporated cane juice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Measure out 1 cup goat's milk and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Let this sit for 2 minutes. Add to flour mixture. Add butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly until lumps are gone and butter is evenly distributed throughout. 

Grease a 9x13 cake pan with olive oil. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 60 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cake cool completely.

Glaze

3/4 cup evaporated cane juice

1/3 cup butter

3 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a saucepan combine the evaporated cane juice, butter, teaspoons vanilla, and the water. Cook over medium heat, until fully melted and combined, but do not boil.


Pierce holes in cake at regular intervals. Pour the glaze over the cake. Let cool before slicing cake. Cake serves 12.