(Jamie Ford, on my Kindle). A poignant story about a Chinese-American, growing up in Seattle at the beginning of World War II. Henry falls in love with a young Japanese girl before her family is interned in a relocation camp. It a very secretive relationship because his parents would highly disapprove. The story goes back to the 40’s and forward to the 1980’s when Henry is in his 50’s and his wife (not the Japanese woman) has just died of cancer. The story pulls you in from the first page, especially when some artifacts are found in the basement of an old hotel which contain personal belongings from several Japanese families who were suddenly taken away back in 1942. You can see where it’s going, can’t you? I heard criticism of this book that it was just a little bit contrived. Halfway through I’m enjoying it very much.
(Kathryn Stockett on my Kindle); if you haven’t heard about this book, you should! It’s a novel written from the voice of the black servants and some of the people they work for, all residents of Jackson, Mississippi. In the 1950’s. The maids generally are disrespected, still have to ride in the back of the bus, and some are prevented from using the bathroom in the houses where they work. The story is about a young woman (daughter of one of the society ladies) who decides to write a book about the stories of the maids. Anonymously. But not quite, of course. So it’s not only the stories themselves, but about the society-ladies’ relationships, and about the stealth required to interview the maids and write the book. And the repercussions when it’s published. A fantastic read.
by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition); 
by Susan Richards (Kindle edition); 
by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition)
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(Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); 
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This recipe has been living in my to-try file for . . oh, gosh . . . since 2003. It came from a Phillis Carey cooking class that I didn’t attend, but my friend Cherrie did, and she photocopied the recipe for me to try. It was a class utilizing citrus, and wow, does this recipe every qualify (orange juice, orange segments and lemon juice). I bought some citrus (blood oranges, Naval oranges, yellow limes) at a farmer’s market in Carlsbad the other day. The blood orange segments were so beautiful on this finished chicken dish. And they made for a lovely-colored sauce too.
I can’t tell you this one is easy or quick. There are several steps, all requiring different pans and a bit of food prep too. But I’ll tell you for sure, this was gosh-darned good. My DH wanted to know all about what was in it (something he ordinarily doesn’t ask). He did grumble a bit when he got to the sink after dinner and saw the rather large mound of plates, bowls, pans, lids, knives, measuring cups, whisks, juicer, etc. he had to wash. And that was just for the entree alone.
For a variety of reasons I did change the recipe somewhat. Read down below the recipe for my Notes. But I’ll definitely make this again – if you were to do it for guests, it does require some prep at the last minute. I served this with fresh steamed broccoli florets and drizzled just a bit of the orange rosemary sauce over them too.
Pecan-Crusted Chicken with
Orange-Rosemary Sauce
Recipe: Phillis Carey cooking class
Servings: 4
PECAN CRUST:
1 cup pecans — toasted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 whole egg whites — beaten
Salt & pepper to taste
CHICKEN:
4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 whole orange — peeled, sectioned, segments only
ORANGE SAUCE:
1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
1 cup vermouth — or dry white wine
1/3 cup shallots — minced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
6 sprigs Italian parsley — minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh thyme — minced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary — minced
1/2 cup unsalted butter — cold, in small pieces
1. Toast the pecans in a 400 oven for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Cool.
2. In a blender or food processor, finely grind pecans with 1 T. flour. Transfer to a flat plate. Place remaining flour on another plate.
3. Trim chicken and pound to an even thickness (about 1/2 inch) between two sheets of plastic wrap. Season chicken with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Coat chicken with beaten egg whites and dredge them in the pecans.
4. Melt butter and oil in a large NONSTICK skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and saute 2 minutes per side, or until pecans are golden brown and crisp. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet and bake at 375 for 5-8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with the orange segments draped across the top, garnish with chives, and drizzle with the orange sauce.
5. SAUCE: Combine orange juice, wine, shallots, vinegar, parsley, lemon juice and thyme in a small saucepan and boil for about 10 minutes. Add the rosemary and continue to simmer (boiling) until the liquid is reduced about half, about another 10 minutes. Strain the mixture and reheat over medium-low heat and slowly whisk in the butter pieces until thoroughly incorporated. Taste for seasoning. The sauce can stand at room temp up to 2 hours; reheat it carefully over low heat, without boiling.
Notes: I couldn’t get the chicken to hold all the pecan meal, so have halved the quantities there. I reduced the amount of butter in the sauce by half. I happened to have chicken thighs, so that’s what’s in the photo. I forgot to add the white wine vinegar during the sauce reduction process, so I just added a little splash of pomegranate balsamic to it. It’s a good thing I didn’t run this recipe through my software program to see the calories in this beforehand. I’d have never followed through to make this recipe. But it’s so GOOD. The recipe assumes you use all the pecan/flour mixture, and that you eat all the sauce (you may not). Next time I’ll probably thicken the sauce just a little bit with some flour (rather than butter).
Per Serving (assumes you use all the crust ingredients, and consume all the sauce): 858 Calories; 53g Fat (59.3% calories from fat); 38g Protein; 44g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 146mg Cholesterol; 192mg Sodium.
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A year ago: Monterey Scalloped Potatoes (a perenial favorite, with Jack cheese)
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