Barrister Bites

BARRISTER BITES By: Angelia Morie Nystrom, JD, LLM

UT Foundation – Institute of Agriculture

RAISE A GLASS TO NORMAL AGAIN: EASY AND ALMOST HOME-MADE FOOD TO SHARE WITH FRIENDS

In March 2020, Hugh and I were looking forward to a trip to France and Belgium while Trace was in Paris as part of an exchange program. We were also looking forward to hosting friends for dinner at our longplanned “Supper Club” where we wanted to bring together diverse groups of friends for a meal and good conversation. It was going to be a great year. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic ruined all of that.

Our trip to Europe was canceled, and Trace did not get to go on the French exchange. Our plans for lively dinner parties with friends quickly became dinner for three for months on end. As Robert Burns once wrote, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” He wasn’t kidding-- 2020 was not what we had planned, and 2021 was not much better.

This year, though, we are finally getting to do some of the things we had planned in 2020. We are cashing in the airline tickets and heading to Europe. We are spending more time with family and friends. And we are finally in the planning stages of our long-awaited “Supper Club.”

With that in mind, I have been working on menu ideas for when we finally get our gatherings off the ground. When Trace was a baby, our “goto” for family get-togethers started with boursin-stuffed chicken breasts, accompanied by a salad and rosemary roasted potatoes. For dessert, I always made an “almost homemade” lemon poppy seed cake. I’m thinking that this may be a good meal to try out on our guests.

I have always loved it because it is simple to make and tastes really good; however, it had been a while since I had made it. Since I am thinking about making it for friends, I decided to practice on our family to see if it was as good as I remembered. It was, and I thought I would share.

For the salad, start with fresh spinach. Top with mandarin oranges (I like the ones from the snack packs, drained), crumbled feta cheese, and toasted almonds and toss with Brianna’s poppyseed dressing. It is simple and tasty.

To prepare the boursin-stuffed chicken breasts, you will need 4 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 cup melted butter, 2 cups white wine, 2 cups Italian bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste, 8 tablespoons boursin cheese, 8 sprigs fresh parsley, and a dash of paprika.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Cut each chicken breast into halves. Pound each piece of chicken with a mallet until of even thickness. Pro tip: ask the butcher to run the chicken through the meat tenderizer. The first time I prepared this dish, I hammered the chicken with a mallet and ended up with chicken pieces all over the kitchen.

Combine the melted butter and wine in a shallow bowl. Place the chicken in the bowl and refrigerate for around an hour. Place the breadcrumbs on a plate. Remove chicken from wine and butter mixture and coat with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place 1 tablespoon of boursin cheese in the center of each piece of chicken. Roll chicken to enclose cheese; secure with wooden toothpicks and place seam side down in a buttered baking dish. Drizzle with a little of the wine mixture.

Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until chicken is tender and golden brown. Top with parsley and paprika. Serve immediately.

The boursin-stuffed chicken pairs nicely with roasted rosemary potatoes. To prepare, I use red potatoes (cubed) tossed in olive oil, coarse kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and lots of chopped fresh rosemary. I bake them in the oven at 350° until they are crispy on the outside.

While the chicken is amazingly good, the dessert is the star of the meal. One of my favorite all-time desserts is my “almost homemade” lemon poppy seed cake. To prepare, you will need, 1 (18.5 oz) package yellow cake mix, ½ cup sugar, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup water, 1 cup plain non-fat yogurt, 1 cup egg substitute, 5 TBS lemon juice, 3 TBS poppy seeds, and a home-made lemon glaze.

To prepare, combine the cake mix and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add vegetable oil, water, non-fat yogurt, egg substitute, and lemon juice. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer for 6 minutes. Stir in poppy seeds.

Pour the mixture into 10-cup Bundt pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and drizzle with lemon glaze. For the lemon glaze, combine 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons lemon juice, stirring until smooth. Be sure that the consistency is such that it can be poured but is not runny. I like to serve it with a dollop of whipped cream.

This meal reminded me exactly why it was my “go-to” for family events for many years. It is easy, yet tasty. And it is best shared with friends.