Grapefruit & Wasabi Chicken

A few days ago I was sitting at my desk, listening to the storm that was raging outside.My phone was vibrating several times but I was lost in thought and did not feel like paying attention. Emails, I figured. Whatever it was, it could wait. The notifications persisted. I snapped out of daydream and reached for the phone. I did a double take as I peered at the Google alert in my notifications.

Tornado???

In Miami???


I headed to Twitter. And there I saw tweets from the National Weather Service urging people to take cover. I glanced outside again and froze for a moment. I know next to nothing about tornadoes. I can tell you all about the hurricanes that I have been in while in Jamaica and Miami. You know about approaching hurricanes days in advance. You can stock up on food and supplies. Barricade windows and doors. Move cars to secure locations. But tornadoes are a whole new world. There really isn't that much time between "TORNADO WARNING" and "RUN FOR COVER IMMEDIATELY!" And where do I run to?

Thankfully, this was a small tornado and did very little damage. My heart goes out to those affected by the tornadoes in Arkansas some weeks ago. I had only recently read the news article about the final text messages a man sent to his mother. Truly heartbreaking.

Are you prepared for potential disasters? Do you know what to do in case of hurricane, tornado, earthquake blizzard or even fire?

There is really no good segue from tornadoes to this chicken. It was just something that I had to get out. For the Crazy Ingredient Challenge this month, we are working with grapefruit and wasabi. I was pretty sure that I was going to make some form of wrap but somehow that evolved to this chicken. Good stuff. I will definitely make this with and without the wasabi. Be sure to scroll down to see what the other bloggers made below.

Grapefruit & Wasabi Chicken

  Ingredients

1 chicken breast (Mine weighed 325g)
salt & pepper

Coating
1/2 cup water
2 oz flour
1 oz cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg white
1 teaspoon oil
salt & pepper 
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs

Sauce

3/4 cup grapefruit juice
3/4 cup water or chicken stock
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 - 2 teaspoons wasabi paste
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

Directions

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and season with salt and pepper. Combine the batter ingredients (except the breadcrumbs) and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 F and grease a baking sheet.

Dip each chicken piece into the batter then into  the breadcrumbs and place on the prepared baking sheet. After all the pieces have been coated, bake for 15- 20 minutes or until completely cooked.

In a small saucepan, combine grapefruit juice, water, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic. Simmer and stir occasionally until all the sugar has melted. Let simmer for an additional 10 minutes so that it is reduced.Stir in 1-2 teaspoons of wasabi paste. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. In a separate bowl, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch with a tablespoon of water. Stir into the sauce. It should thicken. Turn off heat and coat the cooked chicken pieces with the sauce.

An InLinkz Link-up

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Flower Bread

I am not sure how I did not realise that Roxana Home Baking's Chocolate Party was a monthly affair. Me. A self-professed chocoholic missing out on a monthly chocolate baking/cooking event. Anyway, luckily an email from Roxana has me joining the party this month. This month, the secret ingredient is peanut butter.

I was never a big peanut butter fan. And I certainly never cared for the peanut butter and chocolate combination. I ate Reese's Pieces because there was chocolate involved and I was willing to "suffer" through the peanut butter for even a little taste of chocolate. Over the years I have started to eat more and more peanut butter - sometimes even with chocolate. It's still not my favourite but I am always bookmarking peanut butter and chocolate recipes for friends so it is almost inevitable that I will eventually appreciate it more.

In this flower bread (BlumenBrot), the combination was definitely a winner. This bread is easier to make than it looks. I was sure that I would mess it up and even though I made a wrong cut and did mess up the pattern a bit, it did not look horrible. I think I did very well for my first try. I can't wait to make this bread again with different fillings and of course to try other patterns.

I didn't take progress pics. I'm working on being able to snap pics while I work in the kitchen. It's hard. To help you remake this, I have linked to the video from which I adapted this (see the recipe below). Steve makes it easy for you to see how to shape the dough. That's a whole lot better than any progress pics that I could have taken.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Flower Bread

Recipe by:    Kelster  Adapted from: Steven’s Kitchen

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients Dough 450 g all purpose flour ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon active dry yeast 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs, separated 30 g melted butter ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons milk Oil for coating dough Filling 1/2 cup peanut butter ½ cup chocolate chips Powdered sugar, to taste

Directions Combine all the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, egg yolks, butter and milk in a large bowl. Knead in a stand mixer on speed 2 for 5 to 7 mins or until the dough in smooth and satiny.  Shape dough into a ball and coat with a small amount of oil. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Allow dough to rest until doubled (~ 2 hours depending on temperature of room). When dough has risen, divide the dough into four equal pieces and flatten each piece into a disk. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. While dough rests, prepare filling. Warm the peanut butter in the microwave for approximately 15 seconds or until just melted. In a separate bowl, warm the chocolate chips for 15-20 seconds or until just starting to melt Stir the chips into the peanut butter until combined. Add powdered sugar, to taste, if you want a sweet filling. Place bowl with filling in a larger bowl of warm water so that the filling will stay melted while you roll out each piece of dough. Roll the first piece of dough into a ~9.5” circle. Use a dinner plate or the bottom of a springform pan to measure/mark the dough and trim any excess. Place your first circle on parchment paper or a baking mat. Spread a third of the filling evenly onto your first circle. Roll the next piece of dough. Measure and trim any excess then place on top of the filling-covered first circle. Cover with another third of filling. Repeat with third piece of dough. Roll the fourth piece of dough and place on top of your stack. Place a small cup or jar in the center of your dough. Slice dough into 16 even wedges. IMPORTANT: the cup or jar will be at the center of your dough so that you won’t cut through to the very center. Take two adjacent wedges and twist twice in the opposite direction. Repeat with the other wedges. Hold two adjacent wedges and twist so that the edges are perpendicular to the baking mat. Pinch together. Preheat oven to 350 F. Allow dough to rest for 20 minutes. Brush the dough with the egg whites. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool before eating.

Notes I used crunchy peanut butter which can be a little trickier to spread than creamy. If you use crunchy peanut butter, be careful not to tear the dough.

#BundtBakers: Callaloo & Saltfish Mini Bundts

Growing up I was never a breakfast person. I would head to school without so much of a sip of tea. (I think every Jamaican who reads that sentence will immediately clutch his/her chest. No tea?! But everyone drinks tea every morning! Not I.) But on weekends when my mother would make ackee and saltfish (Jamaica's National Dish) along with fried breadfruit, you better believe that I was first at the table. Some weekends it would be callaloo and saltfish.

Let me pause. This post needs a glossary.

Source That's So Yummy

Ackee is a fruit that when ripened the outside is red and the pod opens up. The yellow fleshy inside is parboiled and then sauteed with saltfish, onions and peppers.Saltfish is salted cod. In the US, I have also seen salted pollock. It's either soaked in water overnight and then flaked and sauteed or boiled then sauteed. Some persons soak it overnight and also boil it. I find that to be overkill. You may find some really salty brands. But I prefer to rinse it well, do a quick boil and then saute.

Breadfruit is a starchy fruit that grows on a tree. It's delicious freshly roasted with lots of butter. After it cools, I like to fry it and sprinkle a bit of salt.

.

Roasted (Source)

Fried breadfruit (Source)

Now for Callaloo. Callaloo means different things in different Caribbean islands. In Jamaica it refers to a dark green leafy vegetable - a member of the amaranth family. In Trinidad, it's a soup made from dasheen/taro leaves. The similar soup in Jamaica (made with Jamaican callaloo) is called pepperpot soup.

Callaloo (Source)

So where were we? Yes, breakfast. I kept thinking about my favourite Jamaican breakfasts when Anne chose Breakfast as this month's Bundt Bakers theme. But could it work? YES. I actually first made mini callaloo and saltfish quiches with a puff pastry crust. But while they were delicious, they just didn't photograph well. So I happily ate those while I brainstormed these little cakes. All delicious. All bursting with the flavours of a Jamaican breakfast.

What would you make for breakfast in your Bundt pan? Need some inspiration? We have 15 beautiful Bundts (both sweet and savory) that would be perfect for your breakfast or brunch table.

• Banana Breakfast Bundt Cake from Varada at Varada's Kitchen
• Blackberry Chocolate Coffee Cake from Lauren at From Gate to Plate
• Breakfast Bundt from Jane at Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Callaloo & Saltfish Mini Bundt from Kelly at Passion Kneaded
• Cheesy Bacon Sausage Brioche Bundt from Tara at Noshing With The Nolands
• Cheesy Breakfast Sausage Bundt from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Feta Cheese and Sundried Tomato Breakfast Bundt from Maria at Box of Stolen Socks
• French Toast Bundt Cake with Maple-Bacon Glaze from Felice at All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Granola Cake from Renee at Magnolia Days
• Individual Breakfast Banana & Ginger Oatmeal Nutella Glazed Bundt Cake from Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
• Maple Bacon Bundt Cake with Bacon Pecan Streusel Swirl from Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker
• Mimosa Bundt Cake from Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Orange Blueberry Bundt Cake from Kathya at Basic N Delicious
• Sausage and Potato Bundt from Margaret at Tea and Scones
• Whole Grain Mini Blueberry Breakfast Bundts from Laura at The Spiced Life

Callaloo & Saltfish Mini Bundts

Recipe by:    Kelster

Yield: 4 Mini Bundts (1 cup mini bundts)

Ingredients 2 oz saltfish ½ small onion, finely diced 3 cloves garlic, minced Scotch bonnet pepper, to taste 3 oz callaloo 1 tablespoon oil 1 ½ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon dried thyme ¼ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1 egg ¾ cup milk 4 tablespoons melted butter

Directions Rinse saltfish several times and then place in a pot of water and boil for ten minutes or until softened. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion, garlic, pepper and callaloo and set aside. When saltfish has softened, use a fork or your fingers to shred the fish into small flakes. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the onions, garlic, pepper and saltfish. After the onions have softened, add the callaloo, saute until just wilted then turn off the heat and allow it to cool. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease the mini Bundts. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder and thyme. Whisk together the egg, milk and melted butter and pour into the center of the flour mixture. Gently stir until just combined. Do not over mix. Stir in the callaloo mixture. Pour into mini Bundt wells. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes Scotch bonnet pepper is one of the hottest peppers. Wash hands properly after handling.  Spinach may be substituted for callaloo.  Taste callaloo mixture. Add additional seasoning if necessary.

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.