Celebrity Chefs Challenge: Emeril's Chicken Salad with Fresh Herbs

Last week, I made Aarti's Lady Marmalade Chicken Salad for The Celebrity Chefs Challenge, and the other night, I made Emeril's take on Chicken Salad.

I've never made an Emeril recipe before.  I sort of have this bias against poor Emeril, and it's not even his fault.  In college, I waitressed at the now defunct Chi Chi's restaurant.  The GM decided to spice things up, I guess, and wanted every server to take a handful of something (cilantro maybe?  I have no idea; it was green), toss it on the plate, and say BAM!  He wanted us to yell it.  What the point was, or how this at all improved anything is beyond me, but it's all Emeril's fault.

At any rate, this was my first Emeril recipe, and gosh darn it, it was freaking awesome.  I omitted the celery seed, because seriously?  That $4 bottle would sit in my cabinet, crowding it even further, and only get used for this one dish.  No thanks.  I also no longer keep Dijon mustard on hand, instead following this recipe for Dijon at home.  I also used dried herbs de Provence in place of the fresh herbs.

This was even more awesome the second day.  I served on ciabbata rolls, which was an awesome choice, and served tomato mozzarella salad with basil on the side.  Yummy lunch and dinner!

Chicken Salad with Fresh Herbs courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, published in Food Network Magazine, April 2011

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup finely diced celery stalks, plus 1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs (such as parsley and tarragon)
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 to 3 avocados, halved and pitted (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse the chicken briefly under cool running water, then pat dry with paper towels. Season on both sides with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch ovenproof saute pan over high heat. Add the chicken and cook 2 minutes. Turn the chicken over and immediately place the pan in the oven. Roast 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F when tested with an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, celery, celery leaves, red onion, herbs, celery seeds and cayenne pepper. Mix well.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut it into a 1/2-inch dice, add it to the mayonnaise mixture and mix well. If not serving immediately, transfer to the refrigerator to chill. Serve in avocado halves, if desired.

Celebrity Chefs Challenge: Lisa Cooks Burgers!

VS

Lisa was the first participant to make something using two chef's interpretations, according to The Celebrity Chefs Challenge, and chose to make burgers following the recipes of Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay.

First, Lisa made Rachael Ray's Pub Patties with Horseradish Sauce and Cress.

Lisa didn't comment on this recipe, since she posted her thoughts about it as compared to the second, so see what she thought about it below!




She made Bobby Flay's Napa Burger second.

Here's what she had to say about this burger:

I LOVED this hamburger.  The Rachael one was really good, and I would definitely make it again, but this one was just as good as the one in the restaurant and it was so much fun to be able to replicate it at home.  I would say this is the winner.  [My husband] disagreed and liked the Rachael burgers better.  This was a little surprising since I overcooked the Rachael ones (to medium well, which is perfect for me but [he] likes rare, which I pretty much refuse to do) and took his off the grill pan tonight at medium rare, but he says he looked past the chef's error.  Ha, so funny.

So it's a tie, I guess -- but I am the blogger, so I can say that I give the edge to Bobby's Napa Valley Burger.


So, for Lisa, Bobby Flay is the winner!   Thank you for being such an enthusiastic participant in my silly little challenge!  Go check out Lisa's blog and all the tasty looking meals she's made!

What recipe will you try two interpretations of?  I'd love to have you participate and share your thoughts!

Bobby Flay's Napa Valley Burger

I love watching Bobby Flay's shows.  He's got such a great presence on tv, and his food always seems so yummy.  That said, I've never made one of his recipes before.  They always seem so complicated that I don't even try.  I'll just stick to watching yummy Bobby Flay...  wait!  Scratch that, reverse... Bobby Flay's yummy food.... on tv.

But when Lisa at Lisa's Cooking Adventures posted a rave review (for the Celebrity Chef Challenge; her thoughts on that in a minute!) for Bobby's Napa Valley Burger, I changed my meal plan for the week and added it.

Wow, all my pictures came out poorly.

Clearly, I forgot to melt the goat cheese.  I really can read, I promise.

My first bite was...  weird.  I think it was a bit too heavy on the Meyer lemon, but the burger itself was pretty good in all the other spots.  I did think it was strange that the burger was so simple; it was ground turkey sprinkled with salt and pepper, that's it.  It seems that there could have been more complexity or interest if there was more to the burger itself, though I guess doing so might distract from the other flavors.  Hubby complained that when he got a bite of just burger, it was plain because it was just turkey.  He went on to say the burger was good, but way more "sophisticated" than he typically likes.

I was a little disappointed in the process of the burger itself.  Not only was it just ground turkey, but there really aren't any instructions for cooking it.  I'm an inexperienced burger fryer, so really had no idea how or how long to cook these buggers.  I guess it came out ok, since they were juicy but brown throughout.

So, we enjoyed this, but probably won't go to the effort of making it again.  Thanks, Lisa, for bringing this one onto my radar!

Napa Valley Burgers
Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries and Shakes, via Lisa's Cooking Adventures

Meyer Lemon-Honey Mustard
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 heaping tablespoon Clover honey
1-1/2 teaspoons grated Meyer lemon zest, or 1 teaspoon grated orange zest and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1-1/2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice, or 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Burgers
1-1/2 lbs ground chuck (80% lean) or ground turkey (90% lean)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons canola oil
8 round slices fresh goat cheese, each 1/2 inch thick
4 sesame see hamburger buns, split, toasted
1 handful of watercress

To make the Meyer lemon-honey mustard, whisk together the mustard, honey, lemon zest, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours before serving to allow flavors to meld.

Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 6 oz each).  Form each portion loosely into a 3/4 inch thick burger and make a deep impression in the center with your thumb.  Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper.

Cook the burgers, using the canola oil, and topping each one with 2 slices of goat cheese and a basting cover during the last minute of cooking.

Place the burgers on the bun bottoms, drizzle with some of the Meyer lemon-honey mustard, and top with watercress.  Cover with the bun tops and serve immediately.

Celebrity Chefs Challenge: Aarti's Lady Marmalade Chicken Salad

I've followed Aarti Sequeira's rise to Food Network stardom because hers was the first season of Next Food Network Star I watched.  I enjoy watching her show, Aarti Party, but have never gotten around to making any of her recipes.  When I saw the article in Food Network magazine "He Made, She Made," I decided to go for it and host another challenge, The Celebrity Chefs Challenge (and I'd love to have YOU participate too!).

I made Aarti's Chicken Salad for dinner on Sunday because weekend meals aren't the fancy occasions around here that many others have.  We're usually running around, and so smaller easier meals are more likely to happen on the weekend than a weeknight!  Since we were running around, I had a few mis-steps and made a few errors.

The first problem was that I didn't realize I was out of Greek yogurt!  I improvised by straining some regular yogurt, but that only yielded about 1/2 a cup.  I used sour cream for the rest.  I also used too big a pan (See, I really do belong on Worst cooks in America.  They always say, use the right equipment for the right job), and so the mustard seeds may or may not have cooked properly.  But then I forgot to add the curry to that pan, and added it uncooked.  This may or may not have contributed to the overly curryliciousness of the chicken salad.

My husband said the chicken salad tasted strange, but that he likes mayonnaise in his chicken salad, so it's probably the yogurt.   As if he would've noticed had I not mentioned the yogurt.  And yes, he seriously is this much a pain in the butt when it comes to food.  The Boy ate his, but only because he wanted at those grapes!

So, Aarti's take on chicken salad was good, but a whole lot of work.  I'm not sure it's worth so much work for an ok dish, though it's entirely possible the dish is better without so much user error!

Lady Marmalade Chicken Salad, courtesy Aarti Sequeira

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 1 green apple, diced
• 1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt, mixed well
• 1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds or cumin seeds
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 tablespoons roasted salted cashews, chopped
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Put the chicken breasts on the foil and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and rub until coated. Pop the chicken in the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 150 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes.

Switch the oven to the broiler setting. Brush 1 tablespoon marmalade on each chicken breast. Broil, brushing occasionally with the pan drippings, until the chicken is cooked through and golden, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Meanwhile, build the salad: Toss the shallot, apple, grapes, lime juice, yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon marmalade in a large bowl.

Heat the canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the mustard seeds and garlic; cook until the seeds stop popping (cover if they're popping out of the pan). Quickly add the curry powder; cook, stirring, 30 seconds, then pour the spiced oil over the yogurt mixture. Stir until combined.

Once the chicken breasts are cool, thinly slice them. Fold into the salad and adjust the salt and pepper. Top with the cashews and cilantro.

I challange you... to a duel!!

I recently subscribed to Food Network magazine, and having received one issue, am very happy with my purchase.  In my first magazine (April 2011,) there was a spread called "He Made She Made," in which they "asked Emeril...and Aarti... to make their best chicken salad.  Whose dish comes out on top?"

The chicken salads offered both look delicious, and so I plan to make both and see which we like better; is Emeril's Chicken Salad with Fresh Herbs the winner, or is Aarti's Lady Marmalade Chicken Salad (she certainly gets bonus points for a creative name!)

So here's the challenge, if you're willing to play along:  Choose a classic recipe and make the interpretations of two different celebrity chefs (you can certainly do these two if you'd like).  Which is the winner?

With your permission, I'd like to make you a guest blogger, either taking pictures and words from your blog post, or have you write one here if you don't have a blog.

Let me know if you want to participate or if you have any questions!