Follow the recipe for "supremes" or substitute for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, if preferred.
Chicken Breast Supremes Stuffed with Feta, Pancetta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Serves 2
Ingredients:
8 thin slices pancetta
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons Morton® Sea Salt, divided
1 1/2teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, divided
2 green onions, finely chopped
8 chicken breast supremes, 8 ounces each (breast with wing attached, skin on)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Place pancetta, evenly spaced, in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and slightly crisp. Allow pancetta to cool. Coarsely chop pancetta, and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the chopped pancetta, feta cheese, ricotta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon Morton® Fine Sea Salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper and green onions. Divide the stuffing into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into an egg shaped oval, packing firmly. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375° F. Lay the chicken breast supremes skin side down. Remove the chicken tenderloins from the underside of the breast. Lightly pound the tenderloins to ¼ inch thick. Set aside.
Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket about 1 inch deep from the top of the breast to the bottom. Using your fingers, carefully push the meat aside to make a large pocket. Season the chicken inside and out with 1½ tablespoons Morton® Fine Sea Salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
Place one stuffing portion into each chicken cavity, pressing the stuffing firmly into place. Place a flattened tenderloin over the cavity. Tuck the tenderloin into the opening, firmly pressing the edges to make a tight seal.
Cooking:
Place the chicken breast, skin side up onto a non-stick cookie sheet. Roast the chicken 30 to 35 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked (170° F) and the stuffing is hot.
Nutritional Information (amount per serving)
Calories 321; Carbohydrates 4/1g; Cholesterol 105.4mg; Fiber 1.3g; Fat 11.8g; Sodium 396.4mg; Sugars 0.3g; Protein 47.4g
Difference between sweet and savory is that one reflects a sugar sensation and the other does not. A salad is savory, but it could include sweet slices of strawberries or a sweet salad dressing, which makes the salad both sweet and savory. For the home kitchen cook, you want to include a little sweet with savory flavors in the meal to satisfy the tastebud senses. That usually means dessert.
Take a bite of this home-made pie and feel how heaven feels. It's filling created by the angels -- lemony and sweet and tart at the same time. The meringue is light and tastes as fluffy as it looks. It's takes time, but your mouth will thank you.
Ultimate Sweet Lemon Meringue Pie
Serves 6 to 8
Graham Cracker Coated Pie Shell:
1 1⁄4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and frozen
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, frozen
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water, as needed
1⁄2 cup graham cracker crumbs
Lemon Pie Filling:
1 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup cornstarch
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
6 large egg yolks
1 1⁄2 cups water
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1⁄2 cup lemon juice (fresh from 2 - 3 lemons)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Meringue Topping:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1⁄3 cup water
1⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1⁄2 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Make pie shell: Mix flour, sugar and salt in a food processor, by pulsing a few times. Scatter the frozen butter pieces over flour mixture. Pulse in 1-second pulses about 5 times to mix in butter. Add frozen shortening; pulsing in 1-second pulses until mixture resembles cornmeal with pieces about the size of peas. Slowly add ice water through the processor feed tube, with motor running, one tbsp at a time. When dough forms a ball, stop processing. It should take about 2 or 3 tbsp of ice water to reach this stage. Shape dough into a ball in your flour coated hands, and then flatten into a 4 inch wide disk. Flour disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Generously coat your work surface or pastry sheet with a little flour and about 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs.
Place dough on floured surface, coat with some flour and graham cracker crumbs, and roll into a 9-inch disk. Lift, coat surface with more graham and flour, turn dough, add more graham and flour on top, and roll out to a 13 inch disk. Place into a 9 inch pie pan, and finish edges. Refrigerate crust until firm, about 30 minutes. Prick dough with a fork to prevent bubbling up in the oven.
While the oven is pre-heating to 375, put pie crust in freezer. Bake at 375 for 20- 25 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure it's browning evenly and not bubbling up.
Lemon Filling: Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large, nonreactive saucepan. Add egg yolks, then immediately but gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups water. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking regularly, 8- 10 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat, whisk in zest, then juice, and finally butter. Keep warm until meringue is made.
Meringue topping: Mix cornstarch and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally until thickened. Remove from heat when translucent and thickened.
Preheat oven to 325. In a large mixing bowl, mix cream of tartar and sugar together. Beat egg whites with whip attachment of mixer until frothy. Add vanilla. Beat in sugar mixture, 1 tbsp at a time. Then drop in cornstarch mixture, 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. Pour warm lemon filling into pie crust.
Distribute meringue evenly over the top, starting with the edges, and then the middle. Make sure it attaches to the crust. Lifting with the back of the spoon, create peaks in the meringue. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool completely before serving.
Sources: Food Sweet, Morton Salt
When meal planning choose a portion from each food group. Typically, most adults need 6 to 11 servings of grain products per day; 3 to 5 servings of vegetables; 2 to 4 servings of fruit each day; 3 cups of dairy products every day; and 2 or 3 ounces per day of meat which equals 2 servings.
Sensible portion sizes and limited number of servings keep even the most decadent sweet and yummy desserts part of a balanced diet.