Baked Pesto Crusted Chicken & Strawberry Zabaglione

Main:  Baked pesto-crusted chicken with rosemary potatoes
Marie Claire – Cooking Pg 124

Dessert:  Strawberries with raspberry zabaglione
Dinner Party Cook Book No. 2 – Pg 84

“Cooking is like love.  It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” – Harriet van Horne

Hi Everyone, hope you’ve had a great week.

I wanted something simple and “clean” this week and Marie Claire is always a winner in that area. This menu is uncomplicated and super tasty.  MAV wanted to know what we were having for dinner before he went to golf and didn’t seem too impressed when I told him (I think it was because I mentioned the words “with salad”) however, he really loved the whole meal.  As I have said before, you must get nice young chicken breasts and not some old boiler.  Serving the chicken breast on a round of crispy potato slices flavoured with rosemary also really appealed to me.  It’s a nice change from the usual baked potato.  These can be done easily by placing them on baking paper which has been lightly sprayed with non-stick spray.  They will lift off with ease and can be placed on your plate topped with the chicken.  Not only is it easy but if looks spectacular.  Of course pesto is always a winner and can be blitzed up several hours (or even a day) ahead and kept in an airtight container waiting for you to bake your chicken breasts.  I served this with a light green salad and used one of Marie Claire’s salad dressings which I have included below.  This is a main meal that can be whipped up after work very easily, especially if you make up the pesto in advance.  Everyone seemed very happy with this meal and the average mark was 8.  Just a little tip here – if your chicken breasts are very thick, give them a little bash out between two pieces of baking paper.  That way the chicken will cook through and the edges will not be dry.  It’s an easy recipe to double also if you have more than four guests.

With all the gorgeous strawberries in season I have been doing a lot of desserts involving this versatile and yummy fruit.  Zabaglione is an oldy but a goody.  Actually it is harder to say the word than it is to make the zabaglione.  The recipe calls for soaking the strawberries in marsala, however, you could use whatever alcohol you have and I must say that next time I would use cointreau.  The reason for this?  The boys actually said they thought the flavour was and “acquired taste”!  I can only put this down to the grog because the texture and everything else about it was just yummy.  It was given an average of 7 – pulled down because of the “acquired taste”.  Making the zabaglione last minute may put you off but don’t let it.

It only takes about 10 minutes and yes, you have to stand there beating it but involve your guests and get one of them to take over from you for a few minutes holding the electric beaters.  It’s fun having people assist in some way in the kitchen and generally I find that guests like to feel part of the process – especially the washing up!!

Hope you give this menu a go.

Until next week,

from my table to yours with love.