40-Clove Garlic Chicken

April 19: National Garlic Day

Vampires, beware! April 19 is National Garlic Day. While we aren’t so much fans of vampire pop culture, we are fans of the “stinking rose.” We have a ceramic garlic keeper, silicone garlic peeler, metal garlic press and a garlic cookbook, “The Great Garlic Book: A Guide with Recipes” by Chester Aaron, from which our blog recipe post is adapted.  The cookbook features “40-Clove Garlic Chicken with Cabernet Sauce” from the appropriately named restaurant, The Stinking Rose (they also have another version of this recipe on their site). Perhaps by eating this aromatic and flavorful dish, we can scare away vampires with our breath.

Recipe

(Adapted from The Great Garlic Book by Chester Aaron)

Ingredients

• Chicken (we used 6 chicken drumsticks; the original recipe calls for 1 frying chicken, about 4 or 5 pounds, cut into pieces)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste (we used sea salt)
• 1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
• 40 cloves of garlic

Directions

In a large bowl, toss the chicken in olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and 40 cloves of garlic. Cover and marinate the chicken for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the chicken in a baking dish surrounded by the garlic cloves. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes to cook the garlic. Remove the foil and bake for 20 more minutes or until the chicken and garlic turn golden brown.

Notes

• Peel the garlic cloves with a silicone garlic peeler. Or purchase peeled garlic cloves from the fresh produce section of the grocery store.
• The pungency and bitterness of the garlic is cooked out of this dish, leaving the cloves soft and slightly sweet.
• To get rid of garlic breath naturally, chew on rosemary or parsley. Also freshen your breath with cardamom, fennel, a lemon wedge or mint.

Mohawk Milk Cake

April 17: Feast Day of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, “Lily of the Mohawks,” who is in the process of canonization, has two feast days and two tribal affiliations. So we doubly honor her with blog recipe posts as well. Firstly, since Highlander is a Canadian, we are featuring Mohawk milk cake for her Mohawk heritage on April 17, her Canadian feast day. And secondly, since Islander is an American, we will feature paganens (Algonquin wild nut soup) for her Algonquin ancestry on July 14, her American feast day. It is twice as nice to celebrate biculturalism!

Recipe

(Adapted from All Recipes)

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar (granulated white)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Sift the flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Heat the milk and butter in a pan over a stove top, stirring the mixture until the butter is melted. Set aside to cool slightly. Whisk the eggs with sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Add both the flour and milk mixtures and combine thoroughly into a smooth batter.

Pour into a well-greased Bundt, loaf or baking pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, testing for doneness. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Slice and serve.

Notes

• Thanks to RB, who is part-Cherokee from Oklahoma, for the Native American shawl used as a prop for the main photo. He presented it to Islander as an appreciation gift for being his first communion sponsor many years ago.
• The other props, the Native American wedding basket and dual-spouted jug, are treasured souvenirs from Arizona where Islander attended a conference for work.
• The Mohawk milk cake is like a pound cake/corn bread blend.

Pecan Tassies (Pecan Tarts)

April 14: National Pecan Day

Pecan trees grow abundantly in Texas—it is the official state tree. There is even a grove on the college campus in Texas where Islander’s brother works.  When she visited his university, Islander gathered some raw nuts, hoping to use them as an ingredient in a recipe. But it was time consuming and messy to crack their tough shells.

Instead of picking pecans from a tree, picking up a package of pecans at the local grocery store is easier and convenient. The nuts are recipe-ready, like for this blog post about pecan tassies (also known as pecan tarts) in observance of National Pecan Day and National Pecan Month.

Recipe

(Adapted from The Pampered Chef)

Crust

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup flour

Filling

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup pecan pieces

Directions

To make the crust, mix the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the flour to make a soft dough. Roll into a ball, cover with a plastic wrap and chill it for at least an hour to harden. Then divide the dough into one-inch balls. Flatten, press and shape the crusts in the wells of an ungreased muffin pan.

To make the filling, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, beaten egg, vanilla and pecan pieces. Fill each crust with the pecan mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until light brown. Remove from the oven and cool for five minutes. Transfer the pecan tassies to a wire rack and cool completely.