Nothing Special Chicken and Pasta

Last night I was looking through my "Everyday Pasta" cookbook by Giada de Laurentiis trying to decide what to cook for dinner tonight. I found several pasta dishes that looked good, so I let Russ pick. He went with the Chicken in Lemon Cream with Penne. Since my Mom is out of town we asked Dad to join us for dinner tonight. I never seem to hesitate to cook a new to me dish for company since I always think we'll if it doesn't turn out we could just order pizza. So, tonight was no different. Despite Dad coming I still planned to try the new pasta dish.

To make the chicken and penne you start by cubing the chicken and sprinkling it with herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper. It seemed a little weird to me to use a French spice blend in an Italian recipe, but I decided to go with it since most all of Giada's recipes I have tried have been tasty. You then saute the chicken in olive oil. I happen to have some lemon olive oil that Jess and Scott back Russ and me from Italy, so I used that instead. Once the chicken has cooked through you remove it and add the chicken broth, cream (I used half and half), lemon zest, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. This simmers for about 10 minutes. Once it has simmered you add the cooked pasta, chicken, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

While it is hard to go wrong with a cream sauce this dish left us all feeling like it fell short. Russ described it as having no complexity and he is exactly right. While I liked the combination of the cream and lemon flavors the overall flavor was too simple and the chicken added nothing to the overall dish. I thought shrimp would have been better and Dad mentioned that veal would have been good with it. Veal especially would have added some extra flavor and complexity that it was lacking. While not bad it was nothing special. I don't think I'll make this one again as Giada has too many good recipes to repeat one that was not a winner. I guess I should learn my lesson not to try new recipes out on company even if it is family, but I am sure I will do it again however next time Dad comes I am thinking Russ' plank salmon.... Russ rates the dish a 8.

Tonight I also tried a recipe for Blueberry Ice Cream. I love blueberries and eat them by the handful during the summer, so when I ran across a recipe for blueberry ice cream I was sold.

To make the ice cream you boil the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice for about 35 minutes. This mixture is then pureed. Next you scald the cream and half and half. You add 6 egg yolks (beaten) to the cream mixture and then stir in the vanilla. Both pieces then cool in the refrigerator. Once cooled you put them in your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

I followed the recipe with one major exception. While it calls for dry fresh blueberries, I used some of my coveted frozen Mentone blueberries. I also tried to boil the blueberry mixture while I cooked dinner... Between these two factors my blueberry mixture turned into a super thick blueberry cement (as Russ aptly named it). When I added it with the cream mixture to the ice cream maker the blueberries didn't incorporate as they should have since they were too thick. All in all the ice cream had great flavor, but the clumps of blueberry cement left gave it a rough texture. Next time I will use fresh blueberries and not multi task while making it. As much as I love blueberries I would give this recipe another try. Russ rates the ice cream a 9.

Chicken in Lemon Cream with Penne
Giada de Laurentiis "Everyday Pasta"

Serves four to six.

1 pound penne pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, diced into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
Pinch of salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
Zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season the cubed chicken breast with the herbes de Provence and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and set aside. Pour off any excess oil from the pan. Add the chicken broth to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, using a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the cream, lemon zest, and cayenne. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the pasta, chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chopped parsley, and lemon juice. Toss to coat the pasta and chicken with the sauce and serve.

Blueberry Ice Cream, Ann Hodgman

1 dry pint blueberries (2 1/2 cups) rinsed and picked over
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup half and half
6 large egg yolks, well beaten
1 tsp vanilla

In heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, bring blueberries, lemon juice and sugar to a boil, stirring frequently. Let it continue to boil slowly for 35 minutes. Cool the mixture and puree it in a food processor or blender. Scald the cream and half & half together, lower heat to very low. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl and pour a little jolt of the hot cream into them, whisking constantly, to temper the yolks. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the cream and cook over low heat, stirring, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, transfer into a bowl, stir in vanilla and refrigerate until cold (I left it overnight). In the morning, combine the blueberry and the cream mixture and freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions. Makes approximately one very purple quart.