Sunday, May 16, 2010

It's Movie Night, Honey!


We are celebrating movies over at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week, such a fun theme. My husband and I were lucky enough to tuck the kids in and watch one of the newest romantic comedies, Leap Year. It was a cute movie, and even featured a cooking scene where the two main characters made a Coq Au Vin.

In honor of the movie I created a romantic meal featuring honey, to eat with my honey! I chose three recipes, all by Mark Bittman. For dinner, I made Mark's Panko Chicken with Grapefruit-Honey Sauce. To accompany the chicken, I served a light salad of Romaine lettuce and Mark's Orzo "Risotto". To go along with the citrus and honey theme, I made Mark's Lemon Mascarpone Mousse for dessert, drizzled with honey and topped with ladyfingers.

Panko Chicken with Grapefruit-Honey Sauce
Adapted from Kitchen Express by Mark Bittman
Pound chicken breasts to one-quarter-inch thickness; dredge them first in a beaten egg and then in panko breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil; cook the chicken on both side until golden and just done; about four minutes total. Wipe the pan clean and soften some minced garlic for a minute in some more oil or butter; add half a cup of grapefruit juice and a tablespoon or so of honey. Season with salt and pepper and reduce until syrupy. Serve chicken generously drizzled with the sauce and garnished with fresh grapefruit slices.

Orzo "Risotto" with Chives (or without chives in my case)
Adapted from Kitchen Express by Mark Bittman
Heat a mixture of butter and olive oil until foamy; stir in a handful or two of chopped chives and some salt and pepper and cook until the herbs are softened and fragrant (I omitted the herbs). Now stir in a pound of orzo and keep cooking and stirring until it begins to get translucent. Stir in chicken stock (or water), a ladelful at a time, waiting for the pan to get almost dry before adding another. Repeat until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed, about eight minutes. Add butter, grated Parmesan cheese, and enough stock to reach the consistency you like. Serve, passing more cheese at the table.

Now, for dessert.........................


Yum....Lemon Mascarpone Mousse!

Lemon Mascarpone Mousse
Adapted from Kitchen Express
Finely grate the rind of a lemon. Whisk together a cup of mascarpone, the lemon's juice and grated rind, and about a quarter cup of sugar (or more to taste) until smooth. Add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream to moisten if needed. If you have time, chill for a bit before serving in pudding cups; top with a drizzle of honey and serve with ladyfingers.


Notes/Results
: I loved the recipe for the Panko Chicken with Grapefruit-Honey sauce. The chicken turned out perfectly and the sauce was both tangy and sweet with little bits of minced garlic running through. It paired great with a light salad. The orzo "risotto" is total comfort food and is something that we will definitely make again. The lemon mascarpone mousse was the star of the show, especially drizzled with honey and topped with a ladyfinger or two. A fabulous, quick dessert that you can throw together in no time, definitely worth a repeat!

A quick, easy, super tasty meal featuring honey! I hope you all have time to grab your honey, your kids, your friend, or even your favorite blanket and relax with a great movie!

Click HERE to see what everyone else made for Movie Night!!

23 comments:

  1. Kim - I am loving all these recipes. The mascarpone gelato does not need an ice cream maker? A honey of a post!

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  2. I am soooo salivating over that chicken...Yum! And the dessert...fantastic picks! And this movie was adorable :D

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  3. Looking fantastic as usual Kim :) Your menu sounds and looks delish! We had movie night last night, but our 3 course meal was Chick-Filet Sandwich, fries and water!!

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  4. seriously the sweetest post ever. what a fun night! i haven't seen the movie yet, but i really want to now. i love everything you made, especially that risotto, mmmm.

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  5. Wow--I am not sure which dish I like best--they all look incredible! I have that movie in my Netflix queue--glad to hear it is cute. ;-)

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  6. Wow! I love your theme! I've got to try that mousse.

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  7. Wow! What a lucky honey you have! The entire menu looks and sounds delicious!

    Smile Bunches!

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  8. I love panko crumbs, it's always a hit with anything you coat.

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  9. Wow, movie night at your house is more impressive than most restaurant meals!

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  10. I love that you chose honey as a unifying theme for this meal! What a great idea. Maybe I should do that with some of my meals...kind of like Iron Chef.

    I love the sound of that chicken! And the mascarpone...oh my.

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  11. Delicious menu theme.. and honey such a wide variety of uses.. ;)

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  12. Oh wow, you eat so well at your house. The orzo risotto would be so delicious. Everything sounds perfect. I have been wanting to see Leap Year so I will have to check that one out soon.

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  13. I love this idea of dinner and a movie. That chicken looked fantastic. Haven't seen the movie, I'll have to check it out.
    *kisses* HH

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  14. Love the honey theme! All of the dishes look fantastic. I loved this movie too, made me want to jump on a plane and move to Ireland...

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  15. I like that you had honey incorporated throughout the meal. I also like why you chose honey for a movie night theme. Don't think I could have been that creative!

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  16. Wow! You went all out this week! EVerything looks WONDERFUL.

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  17. That chicken looks SO good! What a unique sauce :)

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  18. Kim, thanks for following my travels. It's good to be home and to be able to check in with you. I'm glad I did! This looks like a perfect meal for a date night! Lots of honey...

    Bookmarked!

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  19. Great meal. I still have grapefruit on the tree so this will be perfect for dinner tonight.
    Mimi

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  20. Kim you perfectly cooked that chicken! Yum. I want a date night.

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  21. Sounds like a triple winner here. Where do I start? The chicken.....that looks the best for my family.

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  22. Everything sounds really delicious Kim! The chicken looks so golden brown and crispy. I love the sound of the grapefruit sauce and the 'orzotto' - as Joanne would call it. The mousse sounds really special too!

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