Troy Restaurant Week

Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County has been named charity partner of Troy Restaurant Week, to be held August 22-27.

The event will feature 16 fine dining restaurants in Troy that will offer three-course lunch and dinner specials for $15 and $30, respectively.

For more information, click HERE .

Chicken Christopher Recipe

Courtesy of Morton's

Serves 6

4 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
3 to 4 cups Alexs Bread crumbs (page 232)
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 ¼ cups Clarified Butter (page 231)
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 cups Beurre Blanc (page 216)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh curly-leaf parsley

1. Cut the chicken breasts into eighteen 4-ounce pieces. (Slightly smaller pieces are acceptable if its tricky to cut as many 4 ounces pieces as you need.) Cover the chicken breasts with waxed paper or plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a small skillet, gently flatten the breasts to an even thickness of about ½ inch.
2. Spread the flour on a plate. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with 1/3 cup of water. Spread the bread crumbs on another plate. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dredge with the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip the chicken in the egg wash, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Coat the chicken completely with the bread crumbs. Set aside on a tray or large plate.
3. In a large sauté pan, melt 1½ cups of the butter over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 1½ minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Do not overcrowd the pan while sautéing the chicken.
4. In another large sauté pan, melt the remaining ¾ cup of butter over medium heat and sauté the shallots and garlic for 1 to 2 minutes, or until translucent. Add the Beurre Blanc and parsley, and stir well. Remove the sauce from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Serve the chicken with the sauce on the side.

Alexs Bread Crumbs

I cant emphasize enough how easy it is to make your own bread crumbs and how much better they taste than those dried-out crumbs you buy at the supermarket. Its a snap to make fresh bread into crumbs in the food processor or blender. And while this recipe doesnt call for stale bread, if you let the bread sit on the countertop for an hour or two, it will make great crumbs. I suggest you pat the garlic and shallot dry before adding them to the crumbs for more efficient mixing. We use these to bread shrimp, cod, and chicken - youll use them for all sorts of recipes that call for bread crumbs.

Makes about 2 cups

8 ounces firm white bread (4 to 5 slices)
5 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced shallot
2 teaspoons chopped fresh curly-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1. Slice the crusts from the bread and then cut the bread into large chunks. Discard the crusts or reserve them for another use.
2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, grind the bread to fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl.
3. Pat the garlic and shallot dry with a paper towel. Add to the bread crumbs and toss to mix. Add the parsley, toss, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well. Use right away or store the bread crumbs in a tightly covered container for up to 24 hours.

Clarified Butter

Once you get into the habit of clarifying butter, you will find it is not much of a hassle. Clarified butter can be heated to higher temperatures, and because the milk solids have been removed, it keeps very well. When refrigerated, it solidifies and turns a little grainy, but it melts easily and becomes a liquid again. We use it throughout the book because it does not burn easily.

Makes 1 cup

15 tablespoons unsalted butter
9 tablespoons unsalted margarine

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and margarine. Cook for about 5 minutes or until completely melted and simmering gently.
2. Remove from the heat and let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes, or until the solids settle on the bottom of the pan. Skim the foam off the top and discard.
3. Carefully pour or ladle the clear, liquid butter into a storage container and leave the milk solids in the pan. Discard the solids. Let the butter cool and then refrigerate the clarified butter for up to 1 week.