…where Tara and Friends make food and play appropriate music!
This is a proto version of what should, sometime soon, become a live radio show and a series of videos. As soon as we find a camera. And fix the phone-in thing at the radio station. But for now, you can see a few shots, cook the recipes, and enjoy the playlist (see footnote 1)
Our first Cooking with Playlists began like this: after work, I went to Molly’s house (remember her from the baked alaska dinner party?) and we made my very favorite chicken marsala, with purple mashed potatoes.
Look how purple!
Then, because our friend had left his Nutella in Molly’s fridge, we made crepes. The music began when I began telling Molly we had to whip our crepe batter a lot so the resulting crepes would be light and lovely. Molly asked, Isn’t there a song that goes “whip it?” And after we whipped it, we wondered if there wasn’t a song called “Flip It” and then things got French and we ended up at creepy Serge and Charlotte Gainsbourg on a bed together….
…Thus Cooking with Playlists! was born!
Recipes:
Chicken Marsala
This is based somewhat off this Real Simple recipe. What’s really special (and non-traditional. and delicious.) about this recipe is the use of capers. When it comes to capers, I’m not sure you can have too many, and my version reflects this. I’ve used the proscuitto once and it is really delicious, but never felt the need to run out and get fresh sage (who has fresh sage?) and can say that the fresh parsley made little difference. Additionally, I think the mushrooms and cream I add are just extra happiness. Who does not need extra happiness?
What to do:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Put the flour on a plate and dredge the cutlets.
- Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet. Once the butter is foaming, add 4 of the cutlets. Cook over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking dish. Add another tablespoon of the butter to the pan and brown the remaining cutlets. Transfer to the baking dish, then cook in oven for 8 minutes.
- Reduce pan heat to medium-low AFTER adding the Marsala. This will allow you to enjoy a loud SHHHHH! sound and helps to deglaze the pan. Stir, scraping up the browned bits. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the capers. Stir in the remaining butter and cream (see footnote 4).
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.
Whole Wheat Crepes
We used this recipe and trust me, despite all the bad-talking you’ve heard about whole wheat flour, these are really, really delicious. And don’t worry– making crepes really isn’t hard. Once you get the hang of how hot the pan should be and how and when to flip them, it’s nothing. You want a hint? Flip them when there are bubbles.
Playlist:
Whip It by Devo
Flip It Like a JD by Joey Moe
Tout les Garcons et les Filles by Francoise Hardy
Je T’aime Moi Non Plus by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg
Lemon Incest by Serge Gainsbourg with Charlotte Gainsbourg
Footnote 1- The playlist totally does not play for full cooking time. …But it’s not called “Playlists and Cooking,” is it?
Footnote 2- You know, season your flour however you want. Salt and pepper are good. I usually add a little cayanne (to everything.) Lawry’s is awesome. Garlic powder, onion powder, paprika are all good, too. The main point is to season your flour.
Footnote 3- Cooking lesson time! Using a combination of olive oil and butter is the very best way to panfry things. It has a scientific explanation. I may look it up later, but for now, just believe me.
Footnote 4-Sometimes the cream looks curdle-y. I think if you stir quickly, you can avoid this, but the truth is that it tastes good anyways and when spooned on the chicken isn’t so noticeable. I imagine the obscene amount of capers I use has something to do with it.
