June 2008

For June's Enrichment dinner, we had Chicken/Sweet Potato/Corn Chowder, potato rolls, and baby greens with balsamic vinaigrette, almonds and goat cheese. As we were finishing dinner, we played "Two Truths and a Lie" at each table, where women had been seated according to birthday month (May/June overflowed onto an adjoining table).

Chicken/Sweet Potato/Corn Chowder
serves 8-10
originally from Cook's Country magazine

3 C whole milk
1 C Jiffy corn muffin mix
2 T butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t dried oregano
2 qts low-sodium chicken broth
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I always use garnet "yams")
1 C shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
3 C frozen corn kernels (not thawed)
1/2 C chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix milk and muffin mix in large glass measuring cup (if you have to measure the milk anyway, why dirty another bowl?). Heat butter in dutch oven over medium heat until foaming. Sauté onion until softened and starting to brown. Add chicken and continue sautéing until chicken has lost most of its pink parts and the fond is building up on the bottom of the pan. Stir in garlic, cumin, oregano and about 1 t kosher salt (omit if using regular-sodium broth, like the organic chicken broth from Costco we used for the dinner) until onions and chicken are coated and spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and sweet potatoes, bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are just forkable, 5-6 minutes.

2. Stir in milk/muffin mix mixture and simmer another 10 minutes, until soup thickens. Remove pan from heat and stir in corn and parsley. Adjust seasonings, then ladle into bowls and topped with grated cheese to serve.

For dessert, we had a deconstructed rhubarb tart. For a smaller crowd, you could make a regular rhubarb tart like this one. For as many people as we were expecting, it worked better to make each component separately: shortbread cookies instead of pâte sucrée (sweet short pastry crust), and a rhubarb compote, simmered on the stovetop, instead of a baked rhubarb filling. The ice cream (or whipped cream, if you prefer) would be the same either way.

Rhubarb Compote

1 1/3 C diced & small pieces of rhubarb
2/3 C diced & small pieces of strawberry
1 T Cornstarch
2 T Water
Sugar
1 t orange zest (optional)
1 T grated fresh ginger root (optional) or 2 T chopped crystallized ginger

In a small pot combine the fruit and enough sugar to diminish the strong taste of the rhubarb (to taste). Cook on medium-high heat bringing to a boil.
Whisk cornstarch and water together in a separate bowl. Add this to fruit. Cook together for one minute, and enjoy.