Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

Every Holiday season, I find something that would be great for a party, or for a gift - but I find it too late, and have to save the idea for next year. The day before Christmas I found this beautiful 'Sunflower Spinach Pie':

There are many recipes for this on the web; I thought it could probably be done with prepared puff pastry, and people have done it that way, as well as with prepared bread roll dough. Here's a picture of the process, and then a link to a recipe:

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While shopping at Aldi's I found bags of milk chocolates wrapped in patterned foil, and with golden strings so that the little baubles can be hung on the tree. This picture doesn't do them justice but they're beautiful and the chocolate is excellent, especially considering the price. Look for them next year:

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My folks brought from Virginia the tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, and while I'm not sure why black-eyed peas are considered lucky, we've always continued the tradition. Here is a link to my favorite recipe for these little guys, from Sara Moulton (and if anyone wants to tell us that black-eyed peas 'taste like dirt', well: You don't have to eat them! and that's just more for the rest of us ;-):

I looked it up, and it sounds amazing! I will have to try it.

Tarragon Chicken

Ingredients
2 teaspoons garlic oil
2 fat scallions or 4 skinny ones, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon freeze-dried tarragon
2 chicken breast fillets, skinless and boneless
1/3 cup vermouth or white wine
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
Fresh white pepper, to grind over
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, plus a pinch more for sprinkling

Directions
Heat the garlic oil in a frying pan or Dutch oven that has a lid and in which the chicken breasts will fit pretty snugly. Add the scallions, stir, then sprinkle in the freeze-dried tarragon, stir again and cook them in the garlic oil for a minute, stirring some more as they cook.

Put the chicken fillets into the pan, curved side down, and cook for 5 minutes, watching the scallions don’t burn. If they look like they’re beginning to, scrape them from the pan and let them sit on the chicken pieces.

Turn over the breasts, and add the vermouth (or white wine). Let the vermouth bubble up, then add the salt. Put the lid on, turn the heat down low and leave it to simmer gently for 10 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked through by making a small cut into the thickest part and ensuring the juices run clear - if not, simmer for a few minutes longer and check again.

Remove the chicken breasts to warmed plates. Bring the remaining liquid to a boil, add the cream and stir well, then sprinkle in the fresh tarragon, stir again and give a good grind of white pepper.

Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts, and give a final scattering of tarragon to serve.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/tarragon-chicken-recipe.html

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