You look at his site and imagine a room full of people working on the the recipes, the photos, site development, etc. But, no, it's really one guy who is really devoted to making his blog the best it can be. Not only that, he is active in several foodie communities.
This post is inspired by Ben's recent post
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Cordon Bleu
4 chicken breasts, boneless skinless
8 strips of bacon (I used turkey bacon)
swiss cheese
garlic
shallots
dry white wine
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil
Tenderize breasts, season with salt and pepper. Wrap swiss cheese in bacon, which is wrapped inside of the chicken cutlet. I also added a strip of bacon outside of the chicken. Many toothpicks are used to hold it together. I added 2 tbsp of olive oil to a frying pan. Then sauteed the garlic and shallot briefly. Then add the chicken breasts. Once browned, I put the breasts in the oven to cook through. I then deglazed the pan with white wine. After a couple of minutes I added veggies to the pan.
The final results were really good. Thanks for the inspiration Ben!
*******************************************************
Looking for Advice
We're in the market for some new cookware. I regularly use my frying pan and wok, gifts from R's mom when we got our first apartment in Canada in 2002. Originally, they were non-stick pans. But that name certainly does not apply to their current condition.
Every year, R's family does a Christmas gift exchange. Every year, I get..well...let's just say stuff I don't need. I'm very pragmatic about gifts, so I want to make sure (as much as possible) to avoid the annual exchange of junk.
I make a fair number of one pan-type dishes. You can see the type of dishes I make with my frying pan here and wok here. So, I'd like to replace my current large frying pan and wok with better quality ones. In looking around, it seems that the All-Clad product lines are very good. Considering the foods I make, is it better to get a large frying pan or a braiser pan?
Do you swear by any product line? Frying pan or braiser? Any advice would be excellent!
19 comments:
I swear by stainless steel pans. I have decided that I will no longer use anything nonstick. They just don't seem to cook as well.
I'm with Lisa - once the coating is broken on the non stick I don't even think it's safe to use. I like the all clad pans and they can go from stove top to oven so less to clean.
I like an assortnet. But you do have to be careful with the nonstick. And dont forget the good old cast iron. Its a dream.
Hola Psychgrad! Ben's dishes are true dishes! And he is so nice to everybody :D. Your Chicken looks fantastic and easy to cook :D
Concerning pans, see what I just found in my village's kitchen aid shop: the green Pan! I still haven't bought it, but it looks great. I looked for the link for you: http://www.green-pan.com/dev/ae/
Hope it helps :D
I agree with the assortment... a non-stick pan is good for things like omelets (or pad thai which I can't seem to make without sticking to the bottom). Stainless steel is good for highly acidic foods, but aluminum transfers heat a little better. The thing is to get a thick bottom pan -- they distribute heat better and you won't scorch your food. I prefer the saute sides (slopey)as opposed to the straight up. I find I can still boil pasta in them and they are better for sauteing since they let the steam escape. Also, you want to check the handle - make sure it's a comfortable grip and at a comfortable angle. Just my two cents. Well maybe I gave you $1 worth of opinion :)
This reminds me of a dish my mom use to make, I loved it. I love how bacon keeps it so moist.
I agree about cast iron, heavy but so wonderful to use! You have to coat them well with oil or whatever you're cooking with, but they last forever. The chicken looks delicious! I just launched my first ever food-blogging event over on my blog and I'd love your participation/advice if you have the time :-)
Our fam loves chicken cordon bleu! What a GREAT idea with the bacon-wrapping. LOVE IT!
I love Ben's blog too & your dish inspired from it looks wonderful.
We swear by our hard anodized Calphalon cookware. I bought Matt a 5-qt Sauté Pan which we use for making soooo much
I just picked up two non-stick saute pans (two sizes) with no plastic handles from a restaurant supply store. Brand is Vollrath. I've been really happy with them. I am drooling over a La Creuset one as well since I am beyond happy with my dutch oven.
my pans are discontinued... but they are still brand new looking and don't have dents or scratches and i use them everyday over exremem high heat... magnalite. i know they make new ones but they are not the same as what they used to make.
Wow, this sounds great...and I swear by Le Creuset and all-clad.
Ben certainly has some great recipes... and can you really go wrong with chicken and bacon? Looks beautiful.
Wish I could help you out with the pans, but I honestly don't know. I just imagine that the chemicals in non-stick are something you might want to avoid if you use super high heat. Mmmmm melted plastic :)
Ben is an inspiration to us all:D
I love the Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe and am bookmarking. As far as pans go I love stainless steel and cast iron. I use my cast iron frying pans quite a bit and love them. I never got into the non stick pans for some reason.
Ben is a great cook and I love all his recipes. Ben used to be a Tupperware representative and I got inspired from him to join Tupperware and I now use Tupperware's Chef Series sauteeing pan with a non-stick DuPont Tefflon Plantinum coating.
http://kopiaste.eu/2008/11/chef-series%e2%84%a2-57-litres-covered-saute-pan/
Bacon, chicken and cheese...mmm...
That dish looks really flavorful. Chicken is boosted by bacon I think.
My favorites are All-Clad and Le Creuset.
Mmm bacon-wrapped chicken breast... One of the best things to do when the breast by itself just isn't cutting it.
Post a Comment