Double-Post Monday

Besides being Meatless Monday, it's also Double-Post Monday. Here are six yummy recipes to help you through the day, including No-Bake Espresso Mud Pie and Craig Claiborne's Smothered Chicken. Enjoy!

MOCHA SHERBET FREEZE

Here’s a recipe from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.

Ingredients

2-1/4 cups strongly brewed coffee or espresso

3/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup whole milk

Preparation

Whisk together the coffee, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk.

Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Perfect Pairing: To make a Mocha Freeze, for each serving put 2 scoops of Mocha Sherbet (4 ounces, 115 g) in a blender along with 1/2 cup (125 ml) very strongly brewed coffee or espresso, 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar, and 3 ice cubes. Blend until almost smooth. Pour into a glass and top with Whipped Cream.

CRANBERRY ICE

Here’s another recipe from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. This one begins, “Lovely citrus lends flavor to tart cranberries in this refreshing sorbet that can be served up for dessert, as a palate cleanser between meals or to liven up turkey in place of cranberry sauce.”

Ingredients

2 (12 ounce) packages fresh cranberries

2 cups white sugar

1 1/4 cups fresh orange juice

1 cup fresh lemon juice

InstructioinsIn a large pot, add cranberries and enough water to cover. Boil until cranberries begin to pop. Drain and put through a food mill placed over a large bowl.

While still warm add sugar to dissolve in the warm berries. The amount of sugar may vary depending on the tartness of the berries, so if you decide to add more sugar remember that the mixture will be tarter when it has been frozen.

After dissolving the sugar in the berries, stir in fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pour in 8 or 9 inch square pan and freeze overnight. Take out of the freezer 5-10 minutes before cutting.

BOILED POTATOES WITH BUTTER AMD MINT

This is from Julia Moskin in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Julia wrote, "The chef April Bloomfield cooks from a place of profound hunger for good food: specifically, Birmingham in the Midlands of England, where she grew up in the 1970s and 1980s just as English food reached a low point. The childhood food she remembers most fondly: the hot buttered potatoes served in her school cafeteria. Her homage to that dish is this basic but stunningly good recipe for freshly boiled potatoes thickly glazed in butter and brightened with lemon, garlic, cracked black pepper and what she calls a 'five-fingered pinch' of fresh mint leaves, 'as much as you can grab with just the tips of all five fingers.'"

Yield: 3 to 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes.

This was featured in "April Bloomfield’s ‘A Girl and Her Greens’ Delights in the Details" and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 pound small potatoes, like fingerlings or creamers, all about the same size

1 tablespoon flaky salt, like Maldon, or kosher salt

4 tablespoons/2 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

1 small garlic clove, finely grated or shaved

A 5-finger pinch of whole mint leaves, preferably black mint (see note)

1/2 lemon

Coarsely ground black pepper

Preparation

In a medium pot, combine potatoes and salt. Add enough cold water to cover the potatoes by a generous 1/2 inch and set the pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a vigorous simmer. Cook potatoes just until tender and creamy inside, 10 to 25 minutes depending on size.

Reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid, gently drain the potatoes and return them to the stove. Add butter, garlic and reserved cooking liquid to the pot and set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, swirling the pan and basting as needed so that the liquid coats the potatoes until they are well glazed, about 5 minutes.

Tear the mint leaves into small pieces, stir them very gently into the potatoes, and take the pot off the heat. Squeeze on just enough lemon to add brightness, not sourness; taste as you go. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

BASIL AND TOMATO CHICKEN BREASTS

This is from Derrick Riches, who runs the Barbecue & Grilling site for The Spruce. Derrick wrote, “This is a great way to prepare chicken breasts. The combination of tomatoes, basil, and balsamic vinegar gives this dish a fantastic Italian-inspired flavor.”

Time: 24 minutes; Prep Time: 12 minutes; Cook Time: 12 minutes; Yield: Serves 4

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, skinless and deboned

4-6 tomatoes, quartered

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup fresh basil, loosely packed

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground

1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes, optional

Directions

Combine garlic, tomatoes, vinegar, oil, basil, black pepper, and salt in a food processor. Reserve a small amount of the chopped tomatoes and chopped basil for garnish.

In a large resealable plastic bag, add chicken and 3/4 of the marinade. Make sure chicken is well coated. Seal bag and allow to marinate for 2-4 hours in the refrigerator. In a small saucepan, bring the reserved 1/4 of the marinade to a boil for 1 minute, reduce heat and allow mixture to simmer for 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat grill. Place chicken on grill and cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken from heat, top with cooked sauce and garnish with diced tomatoes or chopped basil.

CRAIG CLAIBORNE'S SMOTHERED CHICKEN

This comes from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Craig Claiborne was a child of Mississippi who started as food editor of The Times in 1957 and did as much as anyone to help bring home cooking into the spotlight. The dish “belongs in the ‘comfort’ category,” he wrote in 1983, “a food that gives solace to the spirit when you dine on it.” You could give your smothered chicken some European flair with mushrooms and small onions in the gravy, as Claiborne did in his experiments with Pierre Franey, then his kitchen co-pilot. Or you could send yourself south to the Creole tastes of the Delta, with a blend of tomatoes, chopped celery, onion and green peppers added to the sauce. But sometimes the easiest way is the best. Try it.” Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Makes 4 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds, spatchcocked (split down the backbone, breast left intact and unsplit)

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth, ideally homemade

Preparation

Craig Claiborne believed a cast-iron skillet to be essential for the authentic preparation of this dish. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Select a skillet large enough to hold the chicken comfortably when it is opened up, as for broiling. Fold wings under to secure them.

Melt the butter in the pan and add the chicken, skin side down. Cover chicken with a plate that will fit comfortably inside the skillet. Place a heavy can, stone or brick on top of the plate to weigh it down. Cook over low heat, checking the chicken skin, until it is nicely browned, about 25 minutes.

Remove weight and plate. Turn chicken so skin side is up. Replace plate and weight and continue cooking for about 15 minutes more.

Remove chicken and pour off fat from the skillet, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the flour to the fat, stirring with a wire whisk over medium heat. Gradually add the chicken broth and, when thickened, return chicken to the skillet, skin side up. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with the plate and weight and continue cooking over low heat about 20 to 30 minutes longer or until the meat is exceptionally tender. Spoon the sauce over it.

Cut chicken into serving pieces, and serve with the sauce and fluffy rice on the side.

NO-BAKE ESPRESSO MUD PIE

This is from Jake Cohen, a food editor on Tasting Table. Jake wrote, “When we venture into dessert territory, summer is all about pies. But when we simply can't handle the heat of turning on our ovens, this no-bake mud pie saves the day. An Oreo® crust holds layers of chocolate ganaches and espresso whipped cream for a decadently sweet pick-me-up.

“This recipe is super simple but requires some wait time while you let the layers firm up in the fridge. It's a great one to make in advance and even keep in the freezer. This way, you can cut perfect slices before the pie tempers.

”To learn more, read ‘No Sweat.’”

This recipe stars off, “Turn your oven off for a slice of heaven.”

Yield: One 9-inch pie; Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus 4 hours chilling time; Cook Time: N/A; Total Time: 30 minutes, plus 4 hours chilling time

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Crust:

One 14.3-ounce package Oreos®

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

For the Dark Chocolate Ganache:

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon instant espresso

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Milk Chocolate Ganache:

12 ounces milk chocolate chips

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

For the Espresso Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon instant espresso

Pinch kosher salt

For the Garnish:

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon instant espresso

Chocolate-covered espresso beans

Directions

Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse the Oreos® into fine crumbs. Add the butter and pulse to incorporate. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a deep 9-inch pie tin. Keep in the refrigerator while you make the dark chocolate ganache.

Make the dark chocolate ganache: In a medium microwavable bowl, combine all the dark chocolate ganache ingredients. Microwave on high until the chips have melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Then whisk until smooth. Pour into the crust and chill until firm, 1 hour.

Make the milk chocolate ganache: In a medium microwavable bowl, combine all the milk chocolate ganache ingredients. Microwave on high until the chips have melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Then whisk until smooth. Pour over the dark chocolate ganache and chill until firm, 2 hours.

Make the espresso whipped cream: In a large bowl, combine all the whipped cream ingredients. Using an electric hand mixer, beat to stiff peaks. Spread over the chilled milk chocolate ganache. Chill the pie for 1 hour more.

For garnish: In a small bowl, stir together the confectioners' sugar and instant espresso. Remove the pie from the refrigerator and, using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the top with the sugar mixture. Sprinkle with chocolate-covered espresso beans. Then slice and serve.