It's the month of Ramadan, which always brings back a rush of happy memories with my family. If there's one thing we all love to do, it's EATING. So breaking fast together usually means having some special treats and loading up on some favorite foods. At a recent iftaari at the mosque, I decided to make a dessert that would not only look pretty, but would also be fresh and delicious. And, let's not lie - I was dying for an excuse to purchase a trifle bowl :)
This dish has so many layers of delicious flavors. I lucked out with the strawberries and blueberries - they were at the peak of season and were incredibly bright and sweet. The buttery pound cake lightly flavored with vanilla and almond extract was a great touch. I could easily see this being a huge hit at any summer BBQ. Enjoy!
Berry Trifle (adapted from Sunny Anderson's Recipe here)
Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound cake, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature
2 pints blueberries
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
Directions
1. Heat 1/4 cup sugar, the lemon juice and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond and vanilla extracts. Dip the slices of pound cake on each side with the syrup. Cut the slices into 1-inch cubes.
2. Beat the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and light. Add the cream and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and the consistency of whipped cream.
3. Arrange half of the cake cubes in the bottom of a 13-cup trifle dish. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries. Dollop half of the cream mixture over the blueberries and gently spread. Top with a layer of strawberries. Layer the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries, then sprinkle with more blueberries and top with the remaining cream mixture.
4. Finish with the remaining strawberries and blueberries, arranging them in a decorative pattern. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
For me, there is a thrill that comes from cooking when I can open my pantry and my refrigerator and realize that I have the ingredients to make something truly delicious. Today's dinner was inspired by a box of orzo and some frozen spinach. Things started to get interesting when I realized I also had capers and chicken breasts. Bam! We have Chicken with Orzo, Spinach and Lemon, ladies and gentlemen.
I loosely based my meal on a recipe I found on Ciao Italia with Mary Anne Esposito, with some some slight changes. Enjoy!
Chicken with Orzo, Spinach and Lemon
Serves 4
30 minutes prep and cook time
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups orzo cooked according to package directions
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
One 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well squeezed
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Grinding coarse black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional - I like some heat!)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons capers in salt, well rinsed and minced
1/2 cup white wine or sparkling apple cider
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon zest
4 tablespoons fresh minced parsley (optional)
2/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (I used mozzarella but would have preferred parmigiano)
Directions
1. Combine the orzo with 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Stir in 1/4 cup of the lemon juice. Salt to taste. Stir in the chopped spinach and 1/2 cup of cheese. Cover, set aside and keep warm. Or make ahead and reheat in the microwave when ready to serve.
2. Meanwhile, place each piece of chicken between two sheets of wax paper and use a meat pounder to thin them to about 1/4 inch thickness. Mix the flour, salt and pepper together in a bag and place each breast into the flour mixture, coating well on both sides and shaking off the excess. Set aside.
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large non stick skillet and brown the chicken, adding more olive oil as needed. Transfer them to a dish as they brown, and set aside. However, do not stack the breasts on top of each other, as they get soggy.
4. Add the butter to the pan and stir in the onion; cook until the onion wilts down, about 3 minutes. Add the capers and cook 1 minute. Stir in the wine or cider, raise the heat to high and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in lemon juice and zest and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens slightly.
5. Return the chicken cutlets to the pan and heat gently until hot. Make a bed of the orzo mixture on a serving platter. Place the chicken breasts over the orzoand pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and parsley, and serve.
