Toss up a fresh salad and gift-wrap tangy chicken
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A cucumber-cabbage salad and chicken breasts in pastry are the perfect combination for those looking for bright, fresh flavours.
PHOTO: DAVID MALOSH/NYTIMES
David Tanis
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UNITED STATES – The craving for vibrant produce is intense this time of year, as the wait for asparagus, peas and tender greens drags on. So, here is a menu for anyone looking for those bright, fresh notes.
It begins with a colourful salad that takes cues from Vietnam. Made with reliable hothouse cucumbers, smaller and sweeter carrots, cabbage and herbs, it can even be slightly garish in appearance if you use purple cabbage. Ordinary cabbage is just fine, but if you can find napa, so much the better.
The dressing – a zippy mixture of garlic, ginger, sesame oil, fish sauce, lime juice and chopped jalapeno – makes it all shine.
It is not the kind of salad that is best eaten separately. Instead, it is an ideal spicy accompaniment to roast chicken, grilled meat or fish, or baked sweet potatoes. For this meal, it pairs beautifully with chicken breasts baked in pastry, which sound impossibly fussy but are, in fact, quite simple to prepare.
I recommend using store-bought puff pastry, but if you want to make your own, any flaky pastry or pie dough works well.
The only tedious part is making sure the chicken breasts are the same size and thickness.
Season the breasts generously – I use five-spice powder – and coat with a mixture of creme fraiche and mustard. Then, wrap them in pastry, paint with egg wash and bake the packages until golden. This method, in addition to looking lovely, guarantees perfectly juicy chicken breasts, often not easy to achieve. They are a gorgeous sight alongside the spicy salad.
Cucumber-cabbage Salad With Sesame
Ingredients
For the dressing¼ cup lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs fish sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp finely chopped jalapeno or serrano chilli
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
½ tsp grated garlic
2 cups thinly sliced hothouse cucumber (lightly peeled)
2 cups chopped cabbage or napa cabbage
2 carrots, peeled and julienned (1 cup)
Salt
½ cup tender cilantro sprigs
2 Tbs roughly chopped mint
2 Tbs roughly chopped dill
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Method
1. Make the dressing: In a salad bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust seasoning.
2. To the bowl, add cucumber, cabbage and carrot. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and toss everything together. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Just before serving, add cilantro, mint, dill and sesame seeds, and toss lightly.
Serves four to six
Spiced Chicken Breasts In Pastry
Ingredients
1 to 2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed
4 small (170g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp five-spice powder
Salt and black pepper
¼ cup creme fraiche
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
Pinch of ground cayenne
1 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and pale green parts, plus 3 Tbs slivered scallion tops, for garnish (about 2 large bunches)
1 egg, beaten, for glazing
Thinly sliced red Fresno chilli, for garnish (optional)
Method
1. Roll out pastry as necessary and cut into four 18cm by 18cm squares. Allow to soften slightly.
2. Heat oven to 200 deg C. Trim the chicken breasts or pound them with a mallet, so they are about 1.2cm thick. If you have leftover scraps, save them for another use. Season chicken breasts with five-spice, salt and pepper on both sides. Lay them on a large plate.
3. In a small bowl, stir together creme fraiche, Dijon mustard and cayenne. With a spoon, smear mixture evenly on both sides of breasts.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Lay a breast diagonally on each pastry square and sprinkle each with ¼ cup scallions. Wrap pastry around chicken, then lay on the baking sheet, seam side down. Paint dough generously with egg wash, then make two diagonal slits on top.
5. Bake until pastry is nicely browned and chicken is firm, for 30 minutes. Serve pastries garnished with scallions and thinly sliced Fresno chillies, if desired.
Serves four
NYTIMES
