Kitchen Klutz: Sunny Anderson schools Michèle

By Michèle De Meglio

A Food Network star is in my kitchen!

Sunny Anderson, the delightful host of not one but two shows on the TV channel — “Cooking for Real” and “How’d That Get On My Plate?” — visited me (yes, me!) to save me from my klutzy ways.

Armed with a long wooden spoon, a sense of humor and a beaming smile (Food Network stars’ smiles are just as bright in real life), Sunny and I set out to make her recipe for Corny Mango Salmon.

Sunny told me, “When we dredge it with the cornmeal and the flour, you’re going to get a little bit of a crunch. It’s taking care of my palate and that’s what I like. I like squishy and crunchy. Like opposites, they attract.”

The pressure was on. Seriously, I couldn’t massacre Sunny’s dish right in front of her. That’d be rude.

So I prepared. Before Sunny’s arrival, all the ingredients were diced and sliced and secured in their own little containers. It was almost like a real Food Network kitchen!

I had planned ahead and was totally ready!

Then I screwed up.

Sunny needed a sauté pan to reduce mango nectar and chunks of the fresh fruit. Apparently, I provided a frying pan. What? I thought it was a sauté pan.

Since I didn’t have the elusive sauté pan (damn you pan!), I shamefully took out a wok. Sunny was a sport and assured me it would work. She’s so nice!

Anyway...

A couple steps later, we prepared to pour oil into a frying pan (see, it came in handy!). But I had the wrong kind. Strike two.

After that, we discovered that the cornmeal was too coarse.

All my planning was going to waste!

And that giant wooden spoon was lying in wait like my very own culinary menace.

But Sunny eased my anxiety by offering these comforting words: “It doesn’t matter. That’s the thing about cooking, don’t stress out. It’s all going to be a texture thing anyway.”

She’s nice and smart!

Ignoring that dumb spoon and refocusing on the stove, Sunny and I prepared to place the salmon fillets, which were coated in flour and the evil cornmeal, into the frying pan — full of the wrong oil.

Now, if I had been on my own, I probably would have taken the whole fillet, held it six inches above the pan and dropped it right in. Hot oil would have surely splashed all over me and I would have surely screamed in pain.

But since Sunny was here, she taught me a way to get the salmon in the pot without suffering third degree burns.

It’s actually rather simple. Take the fillet and slowly place one corner in the pan, then continue to roll it in (away from your body!). Voilà! Super simple and yet gave me a massive sense of accomplishment.

And even if I do get burned, apparently my pain threshold, which is currently at a negative four, will eventually increase.

Sunny joked, “I have asbestos arms. I get burned but I never jump, I never feel it.”

There’s probably a lot more kitchen mishaps in my future before I’m that tough.

After a few minutes on the stove, the salmon was placed in a serving dish and covered with the gorgeous mango puree.

Verdict: Sunny is really smart! Corny Mango Salmon is sweet, crispy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

An extra tip from Sunny — any leftover mango sauce can be used as a topping on ice cream. Sweet!

“Ice cream is where it’s at for this,” Sunny said with a smile.

Oh, if you’re wondering, Sunny never whacked me with the spoon. Instead, she hugged me!

Have a recipe for the Kitchen Klutz? Want to share a tip? Send ’em to MDemeglio@CNGLocal.com.

“Cooking for Real” airs on the Food Network at 4 p.m. on weekdays, noon on Saturdays and 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. “How’d That Get On My Plate?” is a special primetime series. Check your local listings for airtimes.

Recipe: Corny Mango Salmon

(Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson, 2008)

Ingredients

1 cup mango nectar

1 mango, peeled and flesh diced

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning

4 (6-ounce) center-cut salmon fillets with skin

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

Directions

In a small saucepan over high heat, bring mango nectar and mango to a boil. As mango begins to break down, press with a fork or potato masher to mash it. Continue cooking until mango cooks down and forms a chunky puree, about 15 minutes. Remove and reserve half of the mixture to serve as a sauce. Set the other half aside for glazing.

On a large plate, mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt. Preheat a large skillet over high heat. Season salmon with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Brush glaze over the top of the salmon, then dredge in cornmeal mixture. Add oil and butter to the skillet. Over high heat, sear salmon cornmeal side down until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes for medium rare, flipping halfway through to crisp the skin. Place on serving plates and serve with reserved mango sauce.

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 to 20 minutes

Ease of preparation: easy

Kitchen Klutz follows 20-something Michèle De Meglio as she burns casseroles and her fingers, all in hope of trading frozen dinners for home cooking.

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The Kitchen Klutz: Attack of the midnight peanut butter pancakes!

I’m no longer a third-grader but I enjoy a smooshed creamy peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich. And there’s definitely nothing better after a late-night revel than a warm stack of pancakes from a dingy diner. So combining these two delightful dishes should be a cinch, right? Wrong.

I was following what appeared to be a rather simple recipe for a confection called PB & J Pancakes when all of my Kitchen Klutz mojo fell to pieces over a sinister saucepan.

This particular recipe called for peanut butter laced batter and a gooey berry syrup made fresh with $5 worth of blackberries from Waldbaum’s.

The batter was relatively simple (even for me!) to prepare — add flour, milk, eggs, baking powder and other pancake necessities to a bowl and stir. Toss in half a cup of creamy peanut butter already melted in the microwave and voilà — the batter is ready.

Actually, it wasn’t that simple. I might have overdone it on the stirring part. Is it bad when thick batter transforms into a thin liquid?

Some of you might be saying yes but that wasn’t the main fiasco of the evening. (Yup, I made these pancakes on a late Friday night.)

When it came time to add nearly a cup of sugar, lemon zest, water and the two packages of blackberries, the sweet ingredients seemed to mesh merrily in the hot pot.

The recipe said “mash the blackberries as they cook.” Okay, I took out a shiny potato masher and went to work on those berries. Yes, they did mash but those pesky seeds went everywhere. I didn’t worry too much, I mean, they’ll dissolve, right?

Well, not so much. After the watched pot sat on the stove for a good 20 minutes - and still didn’t have a sticky syrup consistency - I gave up and decided to serve it as is, seeds and all.

As my stomach grumbled in need of midnight munchies, I coated a frying pan with butter and slid it onto the stove completely excited about grilling up some grub.

I spooned the batter into the pan in horrifically misshapen monstrosities. Yes, there was burning. Yes, there was oozing. No, I can’t flip a pancake without having the batter explode everywhere. Maybe there was a scream or two. Okay, there were three.

Verdict: Peanut butter pancakes are weird. Once I tossed away a few black pieces and tried to disregard the funny shapes, I realized that the pancakes came out somewhat light and fluffy. But the peanut butter was overwhelming and failed to blend with the classic taste I expect from a yummy stack of flapjacks. Dousing the hotcakes with the rich blackberry sauce (even with the seeds) helped kill the peanut butter bully and make the dish somewhat edible.

Pancakes and fresh blackberry syrup: thumbs up. Pancakes and peanut butter: pass.

Have a recipe for the Kitchen Klutz? Send it to MDemeglio@CNGLocal.com.

PB and J Pancakes

(Recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson)

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, plus extra if needed to thin
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, melted
2 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons butter
Blackberry Syrup, recipe follows

Directions
Preheat a griddle. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Slowly mix in egg, milk, peanut butter and oil until combined. Add a little extra milk if batter feels too thick. Let mixture sit 5 minutes. Melt 1 tablespoon butter on griddle and move around to coat entire griddle. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake on griddle to form 5-inch pancakes. The batter spreads as it cooks. Fill griddle without crowding pancakes. Flip when air pockets start to pop on the top and a quick peak on the underside reveals a golden pancake. Repeat with remaining butter and batter. Serve pancakes with Blackberry Syrup.

Blackberry Syrup:
2 pints fresh blackberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 lemon, zested

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until liquid is reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break up blackberries as they cook. Strain syrup to remove seeds and serve warm.

Yield: 1 cup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

--Michèle De Meglio

(Published in the 5.21.09 issue of 24/Seven)

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Kitchen Klutz: Lost among the post and pans -- send help!

On the menu: apple cider chicken

By Michèle De Meglio

Here’s the deal – I can’t cook.

Sure, I’m a 20-something who can prepare salmon on a George Foreman Grill, but my crazy hours as a hard-hitting journalist have created a strong reliance on Lean Cuisine frozen dinners and late-night takeout.

But that all stops now!

Each week, I will tackle a tasty-on-paper recipe in my own unique way – lots of screaming in fear of the boiling pots on the stove.

For my first tricky endeavor, I attempted a dish dubbed apple cider chicken. I had never heard of such a combination before but I figured I like chicken and I like apple cider so what could go wrong, right?

Well…

The chicken attacked me! As soon as I put it in a sauté pan, the olive oil shot out like a bullet – right at my bare arms. Can you say ouch?

In spite of the aerial assault, the thin boneless chicken breasts appeared to brown quickly, actually in half the time that the recipe said. With a few panicked cries, I stuck each piece of chicken with a fork and shakily removed it from the boiling pot.

Now, it was time to fill the pan with minced garlic, sliced Granny Smith apples and chopped Vidalia onions. I still don’t understand how to tell when the onions are soft but not too soft. Oh well.

Following the Food Network recipe, I had to nestle the chicken back into the pan (seriously, nestle?) and pour in a few cups of apple cider. That should have been easy but my appointed kitchen helper was off styling his hair instead of pouring the cider.

Once I dug out the juice and the “Where’s the cider?!” catastrophe passed, all the ingredients were nestled (yes, nestled!) in the hot pan.

A few minutes to simmer and then dinner was ready.

Verdict: It was good! Served in the apple cider bath, the dish had a dark coloring that seemed unappealing but soon proved otherwise. As I, two pals and the naughty kitchen helper put slices of chicken, apple and onion on the first bite, we were all pleasantly surprised that it was actually yummy. Score one for the Kitchen Klutz!

Have a recipe for the Kitchen Klutz? Send it to MDemeglio@CNGLocal.com.

Bon appetit!

Apple Cider Chicken

(Recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch wedges
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups apple cider

Directions

Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, add to pan and sear until golden, about 4 minutes each side. Remove chicken from pan, and set aside. Add remaining butter and onion, apple, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Saute until apple begins to get color and onions soften, about 6 minutes. Add flour and stir 2 to 3 minutes. Nestle chicken back into pan, add cider, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes.

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