Continuing My Chicken Kick...

Okay, so this may not be the exact recipe for Caramel Chicken, made famous by The Slanted Door, a popular Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco. Theirs is actually made in a clay pot and takes much longer to prepare. Ain't nobody got time for that!  It’s been well reported that this dish is a favorite of Mick Jagger, who makes a point of ordering it when he’s in the city by the bay. This version is quick, easy, and delicious, and can be whipped up in just a few minutes on the stove top. No clay pot required.

The Slanted Door Caramel Chicken

Serves 4 to 6

¾ cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup water

3 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)

1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

1 teaspoon dry sherry

1 teaspoon tamari

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Thai chilies, sliced thin

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces

Freshly cracked black pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle, for garnish

½ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Steamed jasmine rice, for serving

In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, water, fish sauce, vinegar, sherry, tamari, ginger, garlic and chilies.

Season chicken generously with pepper. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil until shimmery and almost smoking; add the chicken and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 5 minutes total.  Adjust the heat as necessary. Push the chicken to the sides of the pan forming a well. Pour the sauce in the middle of the well and reduce until thick and syrupy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir to coat the chicken and finish cooking through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the scallions.

To serve, mound rice on a platter and pour the chicken over. Shower with peanuts and cilantro.

Note: Tamari is dark aged soy sauce.

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Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle the Easy Way!

There are all kinds of methods and theories for making perfect peanut brittle. There are those who insist you cannot make it without a candy thermometer. Some swear by the back of spoon trick, or the water test. Frankly, I find them all daunting and off-putting, even a bit scary. I need things to be easy, so I have always been happy to leave the candy-making to other people. My Aunt Harriett has been making the most delicious peanut brittle during the holidays for as long as I can remember. I just assumed she dragged out all of the same accoutrements everyone else did and stood by nervously staring at a candy thermometer trying to gauge the right temperature. “Not true,” she told me rather matter-of-factly one year. “Grandma never used a candy thermometer to make peanut brittle, so I’ve never used one. I go by the color. Light golden brown is the key.” She also told me she throws the peanuts in at the beginning because “it’s just easier.” Her words were a revelation and just like that, I’ve been undaunted ever since.

Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle

Yields about 2 pounds

3 cups sugar
3 cups salted, dry roasted peanuts
1 cup Karo syrup
½ cup water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for buttering pan
1 teaspoon baking soda

Butter the bottom of a large sheet pan; set aside.

Combine peanuts, sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture is the color of light brown sugar, about 5 minutes. Resist the temptation to push the browning past the point of “light golden brown,” as Aunt Harriett says, or it will undoubtedly take on the taste of burnt sugar, undoubtedly landing you somewhere on the other side of good. Remove saucepan from heat, and stir in the butter and baking soda; stir quickly as the mixture will begin to foam up. Pour onto the prepared sheet pan. Use a wooden spoon to stretch the brittle as thinly as possible over the sheet pan. Allow the brittle to cool completely, about 45 minutes, then break into bite-size shards. Brittle can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

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