As promised here I am with my first Quarantine Cooking Recipe.  Chicken with Wilted Baby Greens, Sauteed Pears & Blue Cheese.

I have given quantities for one serving.  There may only be one of you isolating, but if there is more than one person you can very easily multiply this simple dish to serve more!

I only have salt and pepper here in the hotel with me, so there is not a lot of choice when it comes to seasoning. You really don't need much more. You could certainly add your favourite herbs or seasonings to the chicken if you wish.

You just need to think about what will go with the flavours of blue cheese (or whatever dressing you decide to use), chicken and pears!  Rosemary would be excellent!  As would any of the soft herbs. 

I would think also that hot sauce would be a great addition, or cayenne pepper.  This is so simple and quick to make. You will be surprised.  Cooking quarantine style need never be boring! 

I love cooking like this. I call it cooking by the seat of my pants. One of my favourite shows when I moved over to the UK was a show called Ready Stead Cook.

 When the chicken is almost done you will want to add the pears to the pan. I did not bother to peel them.I simply removed the centre, and trimmed off the stem end and base. I then cut the pear into largish wedges. 

I only browned them briefly in the pan juices on each side until golden. You want them to maintain some of their crispness, so don't overdo it.  Its funny how cooking fruit helps to enhance their natural sweetness.  So good!

 Once the chicken and pears were done it was a simple matter to saute/wilt the greens. You could use a mix as I have, or even spinach on its own or rocket, or baby beet greens. Escarole. Arugula. Kale.

Any or all.  Greens cook really quickly. Just toss them in the pan and just keep turning them over and over until you get them as wilted as you want. They will soak up all the chicken and pear juices giving them some nice flavours as well.

We eat first with our eyes, so presentation is everything.  I thought this looked really nice. I set the golden brown chicken on top of the greens.

Don't overcook your chicken. This was done perfectly so that it was golden brown on the outside, but still tender and juicy in the middle.

I flanked the chicken with the sauteed pears.   They were beautifully golden brown. Sweet and juicy.  I think a sprinkle of cayenned would be wonderful on them.

Sweet and spicy. Yummy!

My final addition was a drizzle of that lush rich blue cheese dressing. I happen to really love blue cheese. It wasn't always so.

When I was younger I thought cheese had to be bright orange and come in a cardboard box! 😂😂 Yep, plastic cheese. My mother could never get me to try anything else except for the Parmesan that came in the green plastic container. 'Nuff said.

 Just look at how juicy that chicken is.  It is so tender, and despite only being seasoned with salt and pepper, browning it well in the pan helped to caramelise the juices and give it a lush flavour. 

And those pears  . . .  perfect!!!

 Altogether this was perfectly delicious.  Moist and tasty chicken. Sweet crisp pears. Wilted greens with just a touch of bitterness. Rich creamy dressing.

What more could a body want?  I served it with some boiled new potatoes, and a mix of cauliflower, broccoli and carrot.  Win/win!!

I know that I am really lucky being able to quarantine in a place where I have family nearby.  They are a real God send and taking very good care of me!  I am truly blessed.

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again! 

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As most of my readers are aware, I recently made the decision to return to my home country of Canada to live.  As you can imagine, this was not easy amidst a World Pandemic!!  Only I would make a decision like that at a time like this! haha

•  1 loaf of whole wheat bread
• some kind of butter spread (I am watching my cholesterol so Benecol with olive oil was my choice)
• 1 small jar of peanut butter (a great source of protein)
• A box of breakfast cereal (I like cheerios)
• Eggs
• Milk
  
• A carton of Orange juice
• A carton of Prune juice (don't ask, lol)
• A package of luncheon meat
• Dijon mustard
• Salad stuff (mixed greens, cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions)
• A packet of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Fresh vegetables (not a huge amount, some broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
• Baby new potatoes
• A bottle of good salad dressing (my choice was blue cheese, but pick your favourite one)
• a small block of good cheddar
• dried figs
  
• a few apples
• a few pears
• Vanilla pudding pots, or yogurt
• Plain pretzels to snack on 
• Plain sparkling water 

My sister very kindly asked me ahead of time were there any treats that I missed from home that I might enjoy when I got here.  Of course there were!  She picked me up some of my favourite Coffee Crisp Bars, a package of Crunchy Doritos, a bag of Dill Pickle Chips (yumm!!), some Bran Muffins,Diet Coke and she threw in a few surprises, including some ordinary plain bottled water.  Plus I had a lovely bouquet of flowers waiting my arrival. She even had the fire turned on. 

One thing I did not think of, and you might want to consider is Salt and Pepper.  DUH!  Such a simple thing. 

You won't be having any herbs in your room/flat and if you are going to cook anything at all a little bit of seasoning would go down well. Of course it is not practical to have a whole assortment of seasonings and spices. 

Last night my sister brought me over some salt and pepper and a slice of leftover pizza for breakfast. BONUS!! (Isn't she sweet!) 

So, don't forget some seasoning!

If you are really lucky you will be in an area that has good takeaway/delivery meals. I am not in one of those aareas,  so I will very much have to rely on my own abilities to provide for myself. 

My daughter did drop me off one of my favourite Sour Cream Doughnuts on her way back from Tim Hortons yesterday which was a real treat! 

A few things you will want to bear in mind: 

1. You will not have top cooking tools/knives/eating utensils/pots/pans. Prepare for bare bones cookery.

2. You will need to be somewhat inventive with what you cook and eat. 

3. This is not forever. Its only for two weeks.

4. Keep it simple.

With all of that I managed to cook myself a fairly delectable main meal yesterday, which I will be sharing with you next time. In the meantime, here is a photograph of just what you can do with a minimum of ingredients and equipment. 

Do take note that cooking in quarantine from a hotel room will be vastly different from cooking in quarantine from home.  This is a completely different experience, but can be just as delicious!

See you tomorrow with the recipe from above! 

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again! 

 Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I have had a long and hard think about this in recent weeks, and I have to say that I have decided unequivocally that my favorite pie is Lemon Meringue.  This was not an easy decision for me to come to because . . .  well . . .  I love pie.  

IF its in a crust I am all over it . . . sweet, savory and in-between! Lemon is absolutely my favorite however. Classic Lemon Meringue Pie.  No if's ands or in-betweens! 

So what is it about Lemon Meringue Pie that gives it that edge, albeit a tiny one, above all the other pies? What is it about Lemon Meringue Pie that I love so much.

Even more than Chocolate or Butterscotch. Coconut Cream. Banana Cream.  Not even Apple Pie comes close to my love for Lemon Meringue.

 That quivering, mouth puckering and yet sweet, almost translucent filling. It is almost like a jelly, but more unctuous and richer . . . like a golden jewel.  

When we were children, my mother used to keep out some of the filling without the crust, and add a big of milk to it for my brother.  It was thought that pastry was hard for small children to digest.  It looked delicious that way but  . . .

 

Then there is the pastry.  What is a pie without pastry?  I favor my recipe for Butter Lard pastry.  It is crisp and flaky.  

Yes, it does make two crusts, but you can always freeze one disc of pastry for future use.  Wrapped up tightly it will keep for several months.  Simply bring to room temperature when you want to use it and roll out as desired.

 

Lets talk about meringue.  I was awfully tempted to add an extra egg white to mine the other day so that it would be piled gloriously on top of the pie, but I did not.  

If you have your egg whites at room temperature they will whip up with more volume than if they are cold, so always bring them to room temperature first!

 

You want to beat your egg whites stiff, but still moist before you start adding the sugar.  Add the sugar slowly, beating them constantly until you have a thick, stiff, glossy billowing mixture. 

You should be able to hold a perfectly whipped bowl of egg whites upside down over your head without fear of it pouring out.  I have never been brave enough to put that to the test. How about you? 

 

And, oh . . .  I know the temptation is oh so great to want to cut into it almost right away. Do chill it for at least two hours and preferably overnight in the refrigerator if you can resist it that long.  It is really worth the wait. 

Another tip, let it come fully to room temperature before chilling it.  That way the meringue shouldn't shrink back from the edges or weep. 

Those little beads that often form on top of the meringue . . . mom always said that was vitamins. That was her answer to everything bless her.

You will get lovely straight edged, shimmering wedges of pie.  Use a sharp knife and dip it into hot water with each cup and the meringue won't stick to the knife and tear. 

You will get perfect slices. Trust me on this.

Thi sandwich I am sharing with you today is not a supper dish for the faint of heart. It is loaded with fat and calories.  Every once in a blue moon, however,  it's nice to treat yourself to something special like a Croque Madame.  

  

Fingers scratching across a chalk board has to be about the worst sound on earth. It makes me cringe just thinking about it.  

Not all apples are create equally. There are apples which are really good for eating out of hand, or dessert apples as they are called over here.  Some good examples of those would be Fuji Gala or Honey Crisp. You can also eat Granny Smith's if you are fond of apples that are a bit more on the tart side. 

 

 A short crust type of pastry works best in this recipe. I favour my Butter Lard pastry. It makes just the right amount for this recipe and works very well for either savoury or sweet bakes. 

It has a really beautiful texture. 

  

The peeled and cored apples get rolled in some lemon juice before rolling the in cinnamon sugar.  The lemon juice helps to preserve their colour and the cinnamon sugar gives them flavour!  

They also get stuffed with a mixture of brown sugar and butter for even more flavour. 

 

You place the coated apples onto squares of the pastry and stuff them with the brown sugar and butter. I sometimes will cut the squares out with a fluted cutter for added interest. It makes them prettier. 

The four corners are them brought up to cover the apples in their entirety. Make sure you crimp the edges tightly together to seal them completely. 

 

These delicious dumplings have to be just about my most favourite thing on earth. If it's in pastry then I am all over it. I always find one of these very difficult to resist. What is your impossible to resist dessert?