Savory Bacon & Crab Bread Pudding Eggs Benedict – Sometimes the Best Recipes Are the Ones You Don’t Make

This incredibly delicious bacon and crab bread pudding Benedict almost never happened. The original request was for crab cake eggs Benedict, but since we’d already done crab cakes, poached eggs, and hollandaise videos, I decided to go in another direction, while still somewhat honoring the aforementioned food wish.

It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and that includes growing the mustache. Not only do I think this is far superior to crab cake eggs Benedict, it’s way easier, and you get a lot more mileage out of the same amount of crab.

I only used four-ounces of crab, which would have made just two small crab cakes. Here it was enough for two large ramekins that seemed to be loaded with crab. Instead of just sitting on top of the English muffin, the crab flavor permeated the bread cubes during the baking time, and the results were spectacular.

This would certainly make any brunch special, especially a Mother’s Day brunch, which will be here before you know it. So, whether you’re desperately trying to finally gain your mother’s approval, or just want something awesome for breakfast, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 portions (I used 10 oz ramekins):

3 cups small dry bread cubes or plain croutons

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 strip bacon, sliced

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced red bell pepper

1/3 cup chicken broth or water (more as needed)

1/3 cup cream

1 tsp fresh lemon zest

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp fresh chopped tarragon
1 large egg 
4 oz fresh crab meat

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

2 or 4 poached eggs

1/4 cup hollandaise sauce

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Savory Bacon & Crab Bread Pudding Eggs Benedict – Sometimes the Best Recipes Are the Ones You Don’t Make

This incredibly delicious bacon and crab bread pudding Benedict almost never happened. The original request was for crab cake eggs Benedict, but since we’d already done crab cakes, poached eggs, and hollandaise videos, I decided to go in another direction, while still somewhat honoring the aforementioned food wish.

It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and that includes growing the mustache. Not only do I think this is far superior to crab cake eggs Benedict, it’s way easier, and you get a lot more mileage out of the same amount of crab.

I only used four-ounces of crab, which would have made just two small crab cakes. Here it was enough for two large ramekins that seemed to be loaded with crab. Instead of just sitting on top of the English muffin, the crab flavor permeated the bread cubes during the baking time, and the results were spectacular.

This would certainly make any brunch special, especially a Mother’s Day brunch, which will be here before you know it. So, whether you’re desperately trying to finally gain your mother’s approval, or just want something awesome for breakfast, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 portions (I used 10 oz ramekins):

3 cups small dry bread cubes or plain croutons

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 strip bacon, sliced

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced red bell pepper

1/3 cup chicken broth or water (more as needed)

1/3 cup cream

1 tsp fresh lemon zest

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp fresh chopped tarragon
1 large egg 
4 oz fresh crab meat

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

2 or 4 poached eggs

1/4 cup hollandaise sauce

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Harissa – Once You Go Tunisian, Other Hot Sauces Aren’t as Pleasing

Harissa is probably my all-time favorite hot sauce, and one I’m sure you’ve seen me use in a bunch of recipes here. As I mention in the video, a small spoonful of this makes virtually any savory dish better.

Now, I’ll admit to usually buying mine in convenient tubes imported straight from Tunisia, but I decided to show you my homemade version, since I do get the occasional note saying, “Chef John, I’m in the witness protection program, living in rural North Dakota, and they don’t carry many North African condiments at the market...what else can I use?”

As with any similar recipe, there are countless variations using many different combinations of fresh, roasted, boiled, and dried chili peppers. Same goes for the spice, but I really like the blend listed below. Dried mint really has a unique, and much different flavor than the fresh herb, and as I hope you experience, toasting the caraway and coriander does wonderful things.

I could do a 5000-word essay on what you can do with this sauce, but just for starters consider these ideas; Harissa aioli, pizza sauce, sandwich spread, steak sauce, chicken marinade, and rubbed on your knee to help that arthritis (warning: check with your family doctor before starting any sauce-based treatments).

Anyway, if you’ve seen me use Harissa, and were frustrated that you didn’t have access to any of this magical product, now you can make your own. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 red bell peppers, fire roasted, peeled, seeded

6-7 red Fresno chili, seeded

1 habanero, seeded

4-5 garlic cloves, peeled

1⁄4 to 1/2 tsp caraway seeds

1⁄4 to 1/2 tsp coriander seeds

1⁄2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried mint

1 tsp kosher salt or to taste

juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, added to blender at very end (do not blend more than a few seconds)

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Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Instead of wearing something green in honor of Saint Patrick's Day, I decided to post something green. There are robins in the garden, baseball on the radio, and soon you’ll be cooking out on the patio; and what better sauce to have around for those occasions than the delicious-on-anything chimichurri? (click here to get ingredients, and read the original post)

Besides being very green, this recipe is also perfect for a St. Paddy’s Day re-post because, as legend has it, an Irishman named Jimmy McCurry (who fought alongside Argentinean rebels in the early 1800's) is credited with introducing this sauce to the America’s. Thanks, McCurry, and a happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all! Enjoy!

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Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Instead of wearing something green in honor of Saint Patrick's Day, I decided to post something green. There are robins in the garden, baseball on the radio, and soon you’ll be cooking out on the patio; and what better sauce to have around for those occasions than the delicious-on-anything chimichurri? (click here to get ingredients, and read the original post)

Besides being very green, this recipe is also perfect for a St. Paddy’s Day re-post because, as legend has it, an Irishman named Jimmy McCurry (who fought alongside Argentinean rebels in the early 1800's) is credited with introducing this sauce to the America’s. Thanks, McCurry, and a happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all! Enjoy!

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Broken Spaghetti “Risotto” – There’s a Good Reason for Those Quotation Marks

This broken spaghetti “risotto” is many things – a fun-to-make recipe; a visually unique pasta dish; and a great alternative to the same old starchy side dishes – but one thing it’s not, is a risotto. No rice was harmed in the making of this video.

The “risotto” refers to the similar technique used for that famous Italian dish. Like the grains of Arborio rice, the pieces of broken pasta are tossed in hot butter or oil before the liquid is added, but here we’re going even further, and toasting it to a gorgeous nut-brown.

This gives the dish its signature look, as well as adds a subtle nutty/toasty flavor. The rest of the process is similar to risotto as well, with the broth being added in increments, to be absorbed by the noodles before the next splash is added.

The broth amounts below should be very close to what you’ll need, but as I said in the video, depending on the pan, heat, and size of batch, you’ll have to simply adjust on the fly.

As long as you don’t walk away, you should be fine. Just keep stirring until the liquid is almost gone, then taste, and if the pasta is cooked, you’re done. If it needs more, add a little broth and keep going.

I did this as a simple side dish, but if you added some vegetables and shredded chicken, you’d be looking at quite an impressive main course. In fact, don’t be surprised if you see this dish re-imagined here in the future. In the meantime, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 small portions:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup cut spaghetti, or regular spaghetti broken into very small pieces

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

about 1 1/2 cups hot chicken broth or stock, as needed

salt and chili flakes to taste

1 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 tbsp Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste

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Chicken Parmesan Casserole 2012 – New HD Version of the Most Popular Chicken Recipe on the Internet

On Thursday, February 21, 2008, we published a post called, “The End of Chicken Parmesan As You Know It,” offering an easy casserole version of this iconic Italian-American restaurant favorite. 

The title was hyperbolic, but inexplicably, the poorly lighted, lamely voiced, low-res video actually did go on to become the most popular chicken recipe video in the history of the Internet.

Thanks to YouTube, and social media sites like Pinterest, this alternative to the much, much messier and time-consuming chicken Parmesan went viral, and literally millions of people have watched and made this dish. So, with all the massive traffic visiting that old post, I felt the need to upload a nice, new version in HD.

Besides culinary vanity, I wanted to repost to address the concerns of a few that the cooking time wasn’t long enough. This recipe has generated more positive comments and emails than just about any recipe we’ve done. People LOVE this recipe, and seem to enjoying spreading the word with unbridled enthusiasm, so I found these occasional “doesn’t work” emails very mysterious.

Anyway, I’m happy to report that just like in the original recipe, 350 degrees F. for 35 minutes, plus a 10 minute rest, was plenty long enough to cook my fairly large chicken breasts. So, why did some people have a problem? Breast size and temperature.

I believe that most of the people that had issues were using just-thawed chicken that was still very, very cold inside. Of course, the optional quick sear in a pan as shown here will take care of that issue. Also, grocery store chicken breasts can range in size from 6-ounce up to 10-ounce, which obviously will have much different cooking times. So, the best thing to do is forget time, and simply use a thermometer.

I like to pull at around 155 degrees F. internal temp, and after a little rest, they are perfect. I would start checking at the 30-minute mark, and be sure to test in the middle of the thickest part of the breast. Besides cooking time, the rest of the recipe is ridiculously easy, and really does provide a very high-quality chicken Parmesan experience.

So, if you are one of the few people in the civilized world who has not given this recipe a try yet, I hope you like the new HD version, and give it a whirl soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed, optional

hot red pepper flakes, to taste

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 1/2 cups marinara sauce (more sauce is fine)

1/4 cup chopped basil, if available

8 oz mozzarella, shredded, divided

3 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated fine, about 3/4 cup, divided

*by the way, the same amount of fake Parmesan will not taste the same, and the amount may need to be adjusted…go buy some real Parmigiano-Reggiano!

1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

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