Author: mikeshann

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Pretty close to the real deal without leaving home.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Marinade 6 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine Jamaican
Servings 5

Equipment

  • Food processor or blender
  • 1 shallow dish that will hold the chicken and marinade.
  • Grill
  • Gloves to handle the peppers. Trust me you need them for the peppers and to massage the marinade into the chicken.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 TBSP Vegetable Oil–not Olive oil I use either Canola or Avocado Oil
  • 1 TBSP Brown sugar or honey
  • 1/2 Cup Soy sauce We use low sodium, and add a 1/4 tsp additional
  • 1 TSP Coarse Salt
  • 1 TSP Freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 TSP Dried thyme, crumbled to release the oils
  • 1 TBSP Fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 TBSP Allspice berries, coarsely ground I use a mortar n pestle
  • 1 TBSP Five-spice powder there are recipes on line if you want to make your own. I made mine own.
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 Scotch Bonnet chiles, chopped You can use a habanero- i removed the seeds from one, left them in the other. WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING THESE PEPPERS ALWAYS.
  • 3 Medium Scallions, chopped
  • 1 Medium Onion, coarsely chopped
  • 3-4 LBS Chicken, quartered You can legs, thighs or breasts if you choose

Instructions
 

  • Combine onion, scallions, chiles, garlic, five-spice, allspice, pepper, thyme, nutmeg,and salt in your food processor/blender. Process until a coarse paste like consistency. While the blender is running on low, add in the soy sauce and oil slowly. It should be coarse, not pureed.
  • Pour the mixture into a large, shallow dish, add the chicken and coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring the chicken to room temperature before proceeding. If you want a little extra flavor, try to rub some of the marinate under the skin but be careful to not tear or rip the skin.
  • NOTE: If you are using boneless chicken, limit the time to 6 hours.
  • Remove from the refrigerator and allow to sit for 30 minutes or until room temperature.
  • Depending on your grill, you'll want to have it ready to go when the chicken reaches room temperature. You want to grill the chicken over a medium hot fire until well browned and cooked through. Cover while cooking to get a more smokey flavor. Transfer to your serving dish when done

Notes

What to Serve with Jerk Chicken

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Roasted Peruvian Chicken with a Cilantro Green Sauce

Oven-Roasted Peruvian Chicken with a Cilantro Green Sauce

A simple chicken dish packed with great favors.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Rest Time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine South American
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Blender/Vitamax
  • Mixing bowl
  • Small wooden spoon
  • Baking pan with rack

Ingredients
  

  • 1 2-5 LB Whole chicken–Bell and Evans, Organic, etc Buy good chicken if you can.
  • 2 Tsp Sugar
  • 1 Tsp Oregano-dried
  • 1 TBSP Cumin
  • 1 TSP Black pepper
  • 1 TSP Smoked Paprika
  • 1 TSP Paprika USE TWO if you don't have smoked paprika.
  • 1 TBSP Coarse salt
  • 4-5 Large Cloves of garlic–bigger chicken, more garlic
  • 1/4 Fresh Lime juice
  • 3 TBSP EV Olve Oil I buy California Olive Oils.

For the Sauce

  • 2-3 Large Jalapeno's, washed, partilly seeded. Less seeds, less heat. Give a rough chop.
  • 3/4-1 Cup Fresh Cilantro, washed, trimmed, packed, rough chop.
  • 2 Large Garlic cloves
  • 1 1/8 TBSP Fresh Lime juice
  • 1/8 TSP Black pepper-coarse ground
  • 1/3 Cup Sour cream We prefer mayo.
  • 1/2 TSP Coarse salt
  • 2 TBSP EV Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Cup Mayonaise Use a good brand.

Instructions
 

Chicken

  • Please combine all the ingredeiant, except the chicken into a blender or food-processor and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl.
  • Prepare chicken, remove any giblets, dry off and gently, with the breast side facing upward, begin working some of the marinate under the skin (be careful not to rip/tear the skin.) You want to work that under the skin as much as you can, getting the legs, thigh area, breast, etc.
  • Tie or truss the chicken legs as best as you can to hold them together and help keep the marinade under the skin. Spoon any remaining marinade over the chicken.
  • Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 12 hours.
  • Remove chicken from the refrigerator and uncover.
  • Set oven rack to the middle of the oven, pre-heat oven to 425F. Lay chicken onto a roasting pan with a rack so the drippings are collected in the pan.
  • Once the oven is at temp, put the chicken in and roast for about 20 minutes. You want the skin to be golden-brown. Once you're there, turn the temp down to 375F and finish cooking until done. Check the chicken about every 20 minutes or so. If it's browning too quickly, tent some foil over it. It should take about an hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or so to finish. Use your temperature gauge to determine internal temp. You are looking for 160-165F. Juices should run clear from the thigh/leg area.
  • Once done, remove from the oven, drain out any juices, and place on a carving plate. Tent with foil to rest for about 20 minutes.
  • While the chicken is resting. Congratulate yourself with a drink of your choice whether it be water, seltzer or something else. Take the break. Cooking should be fun.
  • For the sauce, combine everything except the olive oil, into a blender.
  • Once the sauce is smooth, turn it down to low and very slowly pour in the olive oil through the top of the blender. Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • Once the chicken has rested for ~20 minutes, you can carve. Serve with a green sauce over it. This dish goes well with rice, mashed potatoes, beans and rice or roasted vegetables.

Video

Notes

This recipe is a combination of other recipes and my own additions. 
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Mike’s Bananas Foster

Mike’s Bananas Foster

Bananas Foster is a decadent rum-laced dessert created in New Orleans and is made with sliced bananas, brown sugar, rum and butter.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 2

Equipment

  • 12 inch frying pan/skillet

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Medium Bananas–sliced
  • 4 TBSP Brown sugar packed–you may use less if you like
  • 3 TBSP Butter
  • 1/4 TSP Cinnamon
  • 3 TBSP Dark/Amber/Gold Rum also take a shot of it to make sure it's good! haha
  • 2-4 Big scoops Vanilla ice cream Buy the good stuff.

Instructions
 

  • NON-FLAMBRE RECIPE
  • Over low heat melt butter in your skillet.
  • Add in brown sugar and cinnamon, stirring continously, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add in bananas and saute about 1-3 minutes until warm, softened and lightly browned.
  • Carefully add rum, continue cooking about 1 minute. I like to remove the pan from the burner when i add the rum, then put it back on the burner to continue.
  • Pour over ice cream and enjoy immediately.

 Flambé Bananas Foster Recipe–alcohol burns slow and not very hot. Use less rum if you are nervous about doing a Flambe.

  • Follow the above recipe until you add the rum, then remove pan from stove and ignite the rum with a long tapered lighter/match. Or, if you cook with a gas stove you can tilt the pan towards the stove flame to ignite the rum. Whichever method you choose keep a fire extinguisher and the pan lid handy in case you need to extinguish the flame.
  • Let the fire burn and go out, and then spoon the sauce over bananas and pour over ice cream. Enjoy immediately.

Video

Notes

This is not a fat-free recipe.  
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Bermuda Fish Cakes

Bermuda Fish Cakes

If you’ve never dined on a good fish cake, you’re missing out, big time.
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Prep Time 32 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Steamer Basket
  • Large Pot for the steamer basket
  • Pot to cook the potatoes
  • Frying pan
  • Large Mixing bowl

Ingredients
  

  • 1 LB Fresh Cod Filets I like the captains cut if available
  • 1 Cup Diced Bermuda onion
  • 2 Cloves Garlic thinly sliced
  • 1 Lime – quartered
  • 2 Yukon Gold Potatoes – peeled and coarsely sliced
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1-2 Tsp Hot sauce – Franks, Tabasco, etc.
  • 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
  • 2 Tsp Minced Thyme
  • 2 Tsp Coarse Salt
  • 1/2 Tsp Fresh ground pepper
  • 1/4 Cup Flour
  • 2 Cup Dried Breadcrumbs I used unseasoned
  • 1/4 Cup Olive oil
  • 2 TBSP Butter I use unsalted for recipes
  • 1 Lemon – Cut into wedges

Instructions
 

  • Set up a steamer basket in a large pot and add the cod, onion, garlic, lime quarters, and 1 inch of water. Cover and steam until the fish is opaque and flakes into chunks, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a separate pot until soft, about 15 minutes. 
  • Drain the fish in a colander, then remove and discard the lime quarters. Drain the potatoes, then return them to the pot on low heat and cook for a few minutes to evaporate any excess liquid.
  • Smash the potatoes, then mix in the cod, garlic and onions. Do not overmix!  Cod fillets are fragile and will turn to mush if you overwork the mixture. You want to see nice chunks of cod in the finished product.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, hot sauce, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper, and flour stirring well to blend. Gently fold the egg mixture into the codfish mixture. 
  • Scoop ½-cup servings, forming the mixture into patties, approximately ½-inch thick. Spread the bread crumbs on a plate and press the patties into them, coating both sides. 
  • Next, refrigerate the patties for around 15 minutes. This will firm them up, and make them hold together better when frying.
  • Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Fry the patties for about 5 minutes per side, or until the crust is golden brown. Dust with a bit of salt and pepper, and serve with lemon wedges and a dipping sauce of your choice.

Notes

Basic Tartar Sauce – combine and mix in a bowl and serve along side the fish cakes. 
Here are a few dipping sauces you can use if you want to try something beside tartar sauce.
  • Lemon-Garlic Sauce
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Rounded 1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Sriracha Aioli Sauce
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Garlic clove – minced
1 Dash Salt
1/4 TSP Lemon Juice
1/4 TSP Olive oil
1/4 TSP Sriracha sauce – a little more if you like it spicier
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Pumpkin Looking Rice krispy treats

Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

These Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats don’t have any pumpkin in them but rather they’re just shaped to look like a pumpkin so you still get that same sweet vanilla marshmallow flavor.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 10

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups 6 cups rice krispies cereal
  • 3 TBSP Salted butter, If you only have unsalted, add a pinch to the melted butter.
  • 10 ounces mini marshmallows Or, 40 large
  • 5 Pretzel Sticks–use broken ends about 1 inch or so
  • 10 Green Airheads, or Green Fondant
  • 1 Spray Non-stick cooking spray I use gloves and spray them first.
  • TBD drops Orange gel food coloring to desired color I used a mix of red and yellow to get the color i wanted as I did not have orange.

Instructions
 

  • Measure out rice krispies cereal and pour into a bowl. Melt butter in a 4 quart non-stick saucepan or pot over medium-low heat. 
  • Add marshmallows and stir and as they begin to melt start adding in the gel food coloring until desired color is achieved. Stir constantly until marshmallows have melted. 
  • Remove from heat then immediately pour in rice krispies cereal and gently stir and fold with a spatula until cereal is evenly coated. Let mixture cool slightly (until it's cool enough to handle with your hands).
  • Spray hands with non-stick cooking spray then shape rice krispie treat mixture into balls about the size of a baseball, then insert 1 piece of the pretzel rod into the top center and reshape the pumpkin as needed. Transfer to a plate or dish sprayed lightly with cooking spray.
  • Beginning on one side of the airhead candy cut out a leaf shape with clean scissors then use the remaining portion of the piece of candy to roll and shape into a thin rope shape then twist into a vine shape (or just shape the fondant accordingly, no cutting required).
  • Place candy on the sides of each pretzel on the pumpkin (as pictured). Repeat with remaining candy. Store in an airtight container.
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