Alton Brown's Swedish Meatballs

If you are a Food Network groupie like me, you know who Alton Brown is. He is a food scientist that teaches me alot about the chemistry of food and cooking on his whacky and entertaining show, Good Eats. Being a biology major and a laboratory rat, I love his approach to cooking- why proteins bond at what temperature and breakapart with certain methods of mixing, etc. But more than that, he is a great chef with good recipes, and from the South.
The following is his recipe for Swedish Meatballs. If you do not have clarified butter, use cannola or olive oil, regular butter might burn. I would probably not weigh out the meatballs, just use a scoop or spoon the size that you would like your meatballs to be. They can be served as a main dish with rice or noodles, or as an appetizer in a bowl with toothpicks to serve. Enjoy!

Alton Brown's Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients:
2 slices fresh white bread
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons clarified butter, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 pound ground chuck
3/4 pound ground pork
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups beef broth
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.


1. Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.


2. In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.


3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.


4. Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds.


5. Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.


6. Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.
Taken from The Food Network's Recipe of the Day, October 11, 2011. Alton Brown.

Chicken Breasts with Raspberry Sauce

Our household is now back to three people. Our wonderful friends from Ivory Coast, the Djaos, have started their trip home today. I will miss them all. Alphonsine is an amazing cook and has shared many great meals with us while here.
But now back to blogging and cooking again. I love to cook in the fall as the weather gets cool. The recipe today is a baked chicken with a sweet raspberry, tangy vinegar sauce. You can double the raspberry sauce if you want more to put over rice. If you do not have seedless jam, then stir regular jam to soften and put through a seive to remove the seeds. If you have fresh thyme and sage, us 3 times more than the dried one.

Chicken Breasts with Raspberry Sauce

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp. dried sage, crushed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Nonstick spray coating
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 Tbsp. orange juice
2 Tbsp. wine vinegar

1. Rinse chicken, pat dry with a paper towel.

2. Combine thyme, sage, salt and pepper then rub it evenly over the chicken pieces.

3. Spray 10-inch skillet with nonstick coating. Add the chicken and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or till tender and no longer pink, turn once. Remove from skillet and keep warm.

4. Stir together jam, orange juice and vinegar; add to skillet. Boil gently, uncovered for about 2 minutes or til sauce is reduced to desired consistency.

Serve chicken with sauce, rice and baby carrots. If you happen to have a few fresh raspberries, use them for garnish. Makes 4 servings.