Recipe Roundup: Nibbles and Bits

Whether you're putting out a huge spread for the big game, hosting a cocktail party, or just having a few friends over for drinks, make sure you have a few tasty morsels on hand to round out the rest of your menu!

The Union Square Cafe's Bar Nuts: You can't go wrong with this little nibble—easy to make, and even easier to eat, these will please your guests to no end (or at least until the end of the evening).

Cheddar Buttons: Who says you can't make your own cheesy crackers? Customize these by using your favorite cheese, and add herbs and spices to suit your palate (pepper jack would be a great cheese option here).

Cheese and Dates: Simple, yet effective. Again, the choice of cheese is yours—or make several kinds if you can't decide. Try using dried figs or apricots in addition to dates as well.

Pistachio Bars: Don't forget dessert! Use your favorite roasted, salted nuts in place of the pistachios, or a combination of nuts for even more flavor. Either way, the salty-sweet combination is sure to be a (dare I say it?) touchdown!

>o<

How to Milk a Chicken: Chicken Butter

There's a long-standing joke among some friends about "chicken butter"—a substance which makes perfect sense after a good meal and several glasses of wine, but obviously doesn't exist. Yet truth is stranger than fiction, and one of those friends eventually stumbled across this recipe for (what else) Chicken Butter. The legend was now reality. Plus, I knew I wanted to try making it myself! So when I had those two Tablespoons of rendered chicken fat, I put them to use to make this intriguing little spread:

I've paired my chicken butter with slices of radish as the French would do, but it would certainly be wonderful on a sandwich, smeared over cornbread, or swirled into cup of butternut squash soup. The sweetness would pair well with other raw veggies like carrots and cauliflower, too. So the next time you laugh at something and think, "Now, that was silly", think again. You never know what you might find!

Chicken Butter

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons rendered chicken fat
4 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon (heaping) real maple syrup

Have a all ingredients at room temperature. Mix together in a small bowl until completely smooth and very creamy. Store any leftover butter in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to three months.

Notes: I used regular, salted butter for my recipe, so did not use additional salt as indicated in the original recipe. The rendered fat by itself has a lovely, delicate flavor, which is what must make it so wonderful for cooking. In fact, my research revealed that New York delis used to have jugs of liquid schmaltz on their tables for customers to pour over their food, much like syrup in a pancake house :-)

>o<

Beautifully Rendered: Rendering Chicken Fat

As you already know, I like to make use of as much as possible—and I can definitely do more. Getting the most out of everything you grow and buy not only saves you money, but gives you more delicious options to enjoy as well! One easy thing I tried recently was rendering the fat from some chicken skins. You can ask your butcher or farmer for chicken skins and fat on their own, but on this occasion I was already buying chicken thighs and used their skins for this little project.

Technically, this is not schmaltz, but it's the same idea. I followed this process using the skins from four decent-sized thighs (about 2 lbs. total). After removing the skins from the thighs, I snipped them into smaller pieces with a pair of scissors. I added them to a heavy-bottomed saucepan with one bay leaf, a splash of water, precisely four peppercorns, and got to simmering:

Showing some skin.

Even though it was only a small amount of skin, it did take about an hour and twenty minutes to finish rendering. The pieces of skin did stick to the bottom of the pan during the process, but I VERY carefully nudged them around with the tip of a spoon from time to time. I knew the end was near when the bubbling started to die down significantly. The skins eventually turned into crackling (cook's treat!), and I was left with about two Tablespoons of that lovely golden liquid to use for another time:

Crackling good.

Now, I know what you're thinking: two Tablespoons isn't exactly an embarrassment of riches. But I have a plan! That two Tablespoons is exactly enough for me to make... well, in the words of the Prime Minister, wait and see :-)

>o<