Just a trifle...delicious!

OK...it's the day before Easter, but I made easter dinner today.  Long story made short - logistically, it worked out better for all involved.

As I was making the menu, I was looking for a light dessert - People always tend to stuff their faces around the holidays, and I was making Ham, potatoes, carrots, asparagus, rolls.  A light dessert was definitely in order.  One from Tyler Florence caught my eye - it was for a Lemon Curd Berry Trifle.  There was only a few problems:  1) I don't have a trifle bowl, nor do I plan on buying one in the near future.  2) I was never much of a "Trifle" aficianado.  I liked the idea of lemons and berries though I didn't like the idea of making lemon curd from scratch, because I find it to be a royal PIA.  Perhaps it's because I really prefer cooking over baking, I dunno...but how to shortcut this so that it's still good, and fits in with my cooking philosophy of fresh?  Before you start saying ewwww curd??!!...sounds disgusting! it's not.  It's actually a type of custard made with eggs, sugar, and lemons, cooked...and it's very sweet, and very lemony.  The thing is, you can buy some very good lemon curd at your local supermarket in the jam/jelly aisle. *edited - or...you could pick some homemade stuff up at Breezy Willow Farm -yum!*  Beats standing over a hot stove beating eggs yolks, sugar, and lemon into oblivion. (sorry Tyler).  HAH.  There was still the problem of the trifle bowl, and my distaste for trifle. 

My experiences with trifles in the past have usually been some sort of cake soaked/sprinkled with booze, layered with vanilla pudding (yuk - I reeeeaallly don't like vanilla pudding.  at all.  bleah) and some sort of canned pie filling, usually cherry or something along those lines.  Even the ones made with chocolate I still was not crazy about - they were, as Randy Jackson says on "American Idol"  "Just a'ight dawg".   But again, lemon and berries intrigued me, AND that the filling was mousse, not pudding, AND the booze sprinkling was optional.  And the booze sprinkled was Limoncello, and I love Limoncello in my cosmos.  In fact, I make my cosmos with vodka, Limoncello, and cranberry juice with a splash of OJ.  It's my own concoction, and I've shared it with you - but that is another blog post, along with my Lolita Martini Glasses.

I decided to make these Trifles really "trifling" and put them in little dessert glasses since I didn't have a trifle bowl.  They came out really, really REALLY good.  And they are really, really REALLY easy to make.  Tyler Florence's original recipe is Here, if you really CAN cook and somehow just stumbled upon this site by accident - If cooking a custard makes you curdle, you can print out my easy-peasy version Here. 
First, gather your ingredients.

1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 pint blackberries
1 pint blueberries
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 pound cake - 12 oz (3/4 pound) cubed
12 oz. Lemon Curd
*honestly, any combination of fresh berries would work - this is just what I had on hand*
Whip up with heavy cream with the confectioner's sugar.  You should have stiff peaks.  Soft peaks look like they are going to stay, but they flop over, sort of like soft serve.  Stiff peaks stay where you put them, best way to describe it. 

Don't overbeat the heavy cream, or you will wind up with butter.  Not the end of the world, but you are making a trifle, not butter for your breakfast toast.

Next, fold the jar of lemon curd into the whipped cream.  Best way I've found to do this is with a spatula and a gentle touch.  Don't stir it in, you want to keep the volume you just spent the last few minutes coaxing out of the heavy cream.  Use an "over and under" motion until the curd and whipped cream are well combined. (ignore the shallot in the picture - I was making Easter dinner and there was a ton of food on the counter in various stages of preparation.  Folding courtesy of my daughter Meg :-)) Take the berries, toss them together in a bowl.  Now...put a few cubes of cake in the bottom of your dessert glass. 

Be inventive, and use what you have in the house.  I almost used my martini glasses, but I only had four, and needed five.  You could use pilsner glasses if you had parfait spoons.  You could also use a wine glass.  Follow the cake cubes with the mousse, then sprinkle some berries on top of the mousse.  You could even use juice glasses.

Repeat the layers once more, ending with berries as topping.  (You may have to repeat the layers more than twice depending on what type of glass you are using.)

Put them in the fridge for a couple hours so the mousse sets, then serve.  The mousse is very sweet, and very lemony, and offsets the tartness of the berries perfectly.  The plain butter pound cake also helps to tone down the sweetness of the lemon curd.

When your guests "oohh!" and "ahhh!!" over your dessert, just smile and say "Oh, it was nothing!" in a tone of voice that suggests it was something, then look coy when asked for the recipe.  Keep em' guessing :-)

Chicken breasts - who said being flat was a bad thing?

Have you ever made boneless breasts and they were just sorta "meh?"  Maybe a little tough, maybe dry, maybe just not that good?  What if I told you there was a way to get perfect Chicken Breasts every time? That they'd be moist, tender, juicy? How much would you pay for something like that? $40? $30? well, today, I can offer it to you for not $20, not $17.99, not even $10! No, today I am offering you these juicy, tender chicken breasts...for the price of $0!!!!!!!  FREEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! Yes, that's right, and if you act now, I'll throw a second variation in - that's TWO  recipes for the PRICE OF ONE!!!!  Just call the toll-free number on your television screen NOW!

.....Ooops, sorry...I was channelling my inner Billy Mays there for a moment....

But yes, there is a very simple way you can get tender moist chix breasts every time.  (At least, every time I've made them this way they've been yummy) The best part is, you get to vent some of your frustrations - that idiot that cut you off on the highway...that rude store clerk you felt like smacking...that customer that tried to pinch your butt...*insert idiot of choice here*  And again, this is EASY, and very open to variations.  If you hadn't noticed, I like variety.  I love having a good, solid, base recipe that I can "expound" upon.  This is that sort of recipe.  Use regular bread crumbs and serve with lemon? Wiener Schnitzel!  Use regular bread crumbs, add some parmesean cheese and add some basil and oregano? Italian! Panko and Five Spice seasoning? Asian!  Add some parsely, thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram (aka "Bouquet Garni") omit the bread crumbs, saute the chix in butter with the herbs thrown in and add a bit of white wine to the pan as a light sauce and a squeeze of lemon? French!  

Here is the list of ingredients:

1. 1 pound of boneless chicken breasts (that's about 2-3 halves)
2. 1 cup of panko bread crumbs
3. Italian Seasoning (I use that McCormicks' Grinder - LOVE IT)
4. Salt and Pepper
5. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
6. 1 egg, slightly beaten in a shallow dish.

If you don't have a roll of Waxed Paper in your cabinets, I suggest getting one.   It's cheap (usually around $2) and very versatile.  You can use it to line your cake pans - cut a piece to the size of your pan (trace around the rim) and wallah.  no sticking!  *NOTE - do NOT line cookie sheets with waxed paper unless you want a smoking, yukky tasting mess*  You can also use wax paper if you are say...making chocolate dipped strawberries for Valentine's Day.  The strawberries will dry nicely on the waxed paper, again without sticking.  You can use it to press a flower between two sheets using an iron.  You can use it to roll out pie crust.  Cut a piece the size of your cake - Pipe the decorations (flowers, lettering, whatever) onto the waxed paper template, pop it into the freezer for about 1/2 an hour, then use a spatula to carefully slide the decor off onto the cake exactly where you want it.  Gluing anything? line your work surface with wax paper.  Use a piece of wax paper to shine up your faucets before company comes.  It keeps water spots off them temporarily and they will be gleaming.  Use it to cover something you are reheating in the microwave - no more splatters! My mother always put a piece on top of fresh pudding before putting it in the fridge to make it easy to remove the skin that formed.  And last but not least...you can use it to pound out chicken breasts, and save cleaning your counters and rolling pin. (See, there was a reason behind my ramblings!)

Take a chicken breast and place it between two pieces of waxed paper.  Get out your nice heavy rolling pin (if you don't have one - have your hubby buy you one "just because" or use a wooden mallet.  Don't use a hammer - actually, you COULD use a hammer if you turn it sideways and use it that way)  and start pounding.  Start from one end of the chicken breast, and work your way down.  You want that bad boy thin.  About 1/4" thick or a tad more.  The picture above shows the contrast between pre-pounded and pounded.  Below shows what the breast looks like when you're done.

Do the same with the other two breasts you have.  You can re-use the waxed paper until it starts getting torn.   Now get your egg and bread crumbs ready.  Beat the egg slightly and put in a shallow dish - in another dish put the bread crumbs.  Grind some Italian Seasoning on top - about 20 grinds or so - if you are using dried seasoning in a jar, put about 2 teaspoons, and throw a bit of salt (or if you have it...Seasonello) in with the Panko, and toss lightly with your fingers to combine.

You make want to cut your flattened breasts in half to make it easier to dip and fry them up.  Dip the breast first into the beaten egg, then into the Panko mixture, making sure the breast is coated evenly. 

Heat some EVOO up in a large frying pan - a couple turns around the pan to evenly cover the bottom should do it - you can always add more if need be.  Saute the breasts on medium heat until browned - about 2-3 minutes per side (it does NOT take long) Carefully flip and brown the other side, then keep warm in a 250 degree oven while you finish up the other breasts.

This is what they should look like in the pan when browned.  Add more EVOO if you need to with the second batch to ensure even browning.  Below is what they look like on the plate after you serve them with that yummy asparagus you just roasted in the oven (Recipe from the 3rd)

Enjoy! This is nice enough to serve when company comes, and easy enough you won't be spending all of your time in the kitchen.  Make a small antipasto salad (salami, fresh mozzarella, red peppers, onions, greens, tomatoes with a balsamic vinaigrette - Paul Newman has an excellent one - or...make your own with Good Seasons Italian dressing mix, except use balsamic vinegar instead of white vinegar) serve with a nice Prosecco or Pinot Grigio and voila! you are set!  For dessert, keep it simple - some lemon ice with ginger snaps, or gelato.  Enjoy!! 

This should serve 4 normal people - I'm not counting teenage boys - double the recipe if you are making this for them - or even for husbands/boyfriends/SOs who *think* they are still teenage boys.  :-D