I participated in my first ever Cook-Off!! I thought it would be fun to take part in this cook off. It is fun to take a group of cooks/chefs, give them all the same ingredients and to see what everyone creates. Everyone partaking in the cook off is from different parts of the world so you have all different types of cooking styles/techniques. We were given an ingredient bag with a list of ingredients that you needed to use in your dish. Our ingredient bag for this cook off was:
- Chicken
- Coconut
- Spring (green) Onions
- Coriander (a.k.a. Cilantro)
- Peas
- Cauliflower
- Raspberries
A great, well-rounded ingredient bag! You have your lean protein (chicken), your veggies (cauliflower, peas & Spring Onions), fruit (raspberries & coconut), some fresh herbs (Coriander), also a carb (peas). I thought I would create an entire dinner using all of these ingredients together on 1 plate. So, I made a Coconut Crusted Chicken which I baked until the coconut got nice and golden brown. I then made a Cauliflower and a Pea Puree which I plated and swirled together. I then garnished the plate with some of my homemade Raspberry Sauce and Vanilla Coconut Crisps. The dish had the right balance of sweet and savory and amazingly all combined very well together. Check it out! Here is my recipe:
Coconut Crusted Chicken w/Cauliflower & Pea Swirled Puree
Makes approx. 4 servings
Ingredients
Chicken:
2 Chicken Breasts
3 Eggs
1 Cup, All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup, Shredded Coconut, mix of sweetened & unsweetened
Olive Oil
S&P
Cauliflower Puree:
1/2 Head, Cauliflower
1 Teaspoon, Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon, Fresh Ginger, minced
2 Tablespoons, Chicken Broth, low-sodium
1-2 Tablespoons, Coconut Oil, melted
S&P
Pea Puree:
1 Bag, Frozen Peas, thawed
1/3 Cup, Coriander (a.k.a. Cilantro), rough chopped
2 Scallions (Green Onions), rough chopped (white and green parts)
1 Tablespoon, Coconut Oil, melted
1 Teaspoon, Garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons, Chicken Broth, low-sodium
1/2 Lemon, Juice
1 Shallot, finely minced
Olive Oil
Vanilla Coconut Crisp:
1 Egg White
3 Tablespoons, Sugar
1 Teaspoon, Pure Vanilla Extract
Pinch, Salt
2 Cups Coconut, Shredded *(I did equal parts of sweetened & unsweetened coconut)
Raspberry Sauce:
12 oz. Fresh Raspberries
1/4 Cup, Sugar
1/4 Lemon, Zest and Juice
1 Teaspoon, Corn Starch
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 Degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat Sheet. Set aside.
Vanilla Coconut Crisps
Make the Vanilla Coconut Crisp: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the coconut and toss all together. Spread out onto the baking sheet, gently pressing the mixture down to spread it out. Bake in the oven for approx. 20 minutes or until nice, light golden brown. About every 5 minutes during the cooking, turn the baking sheet to ensure even cooking. Remove from oven, set aside to cool. Once completely cooled, you can break apart of cut into pieces.
Coconut Crusted Chicken
Coat the Chicken: Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, set aside. Cut chicken in 1/2 and then butterfly each chicken breast (if they are thick pieces) and cut them completely open and in 1/2 again. Crack the eggs into a bowl. On a separate plate, add your flour with some S&P. On a 3rd plate, add the coconut. Dredge each piece of chicken into the flour, then the egg and finally the coconut. Place each piece onto the baking sheet. Repeat until all pieces are done.
Once the Vanilla Coconut Crisp is done turn oven up to 400 Degrees.
Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and bake for approx. 15-20 minutes or until done.
Raspberry Sauce: On the stove, in a small sauce pan add 12 oz. of fresh raspberries, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir and cook over medium-low heat for approx. 7 minutes. Remove from heat, strain the berries (get rid of the seeds). Return the raspberries to the stove.
In a separate bowl, whisk the corn starch with equal parts water. Pour mixture into the raspberry sauce and stir well. Simmer until nice and thick.
Cauliflower Puree: Cut the Cauliflower and place into a steamer, adding water to the bottom of the pot. Steam cauliflower just until it becomes tender. Transfer the cauliflower to a blender and add the rest of the ingredients for the puree. Puree until nice and smooth. Transfer back to a pot on stove over low heat and keep warm.
Pea Puree: On the stove, over Medium-High heat, saute the shallot with 1 teaspoon of Olive Oil until nice and tender, about 3-5 minutes. Place the peas into the steamer and just heat through (about a minute or two). Remove peas and transfer to the blender. Add all the pea puree ingredients and blend until nice and smooth. Transfer back to a pot on stove over low heat to keep warm.
Cauliflower & Pea Swirled Puree
To Plate: Place a small amount of the Cauliflower Puree onto the plate (off to the side), about 3 Tablespoons. In a circular motion, gently press the mixture down on the plate (keep it in a circle). Add about 1 teaspoon of the pea puree right on top of the cauliflower (add it to the side of the cauliflower). Using the end of a chop stick drag it through the pea/cauliflower in any pattern you like, to swirl the two together.
Place about 1-2 Teaspoons of the Raspberry Sauce onto the plate and using the back of the spoon, drag it quickly from the sauce across the plate. Cut the chicken and fan out onto the plate. Top with a couple of pieces of your Vanilla Coconut Crisps.
Mangia! Enjoy!
Tips
The Chicken breasts that I buy tend to be very large. When making a dish like this I can stretch it to go much further by cutting them in 1/2 and then butterflying the chicken. If you find that your chicken is not quite as large, then make sure you use more than 2 Chicken Breasts in this recipe.
Raspberry Sauce: I had leftover sauce so I stored it in a mason jar. This sauce would be great over some ice cream too!
The Cauliflower doesn’t have a strong flavor so you can really transform this veggie with any of your favorite seasonings. It will really take on the flavors of anything you add to it. The cauliflower was also a nice thick puree. You don’t want to thin this puree out too much so that it is easier to plate and hold its shape.
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