Ronald's Saturday Off: Quick, Chicken Croissant Paninis.

My love for Croissants is out of this world. Last semester when I had made my Curried-Moroccan chicken Salad, I picked up a case of Croissant sandwich bread. Basically, the same ingredients use to make the croissants are basically the exact same ingredients to make these rolls. The only difference is, instead of being rolled, it’s flattened out like Ciabatta bread.

My only frustration is this, one, it only comes in four to a pack. Two, I can only find them at the local Wal-Mart in Manhattan. Junction City? I don’t think so. Do any other supermarkets have them? Perhaps. But, they’re very hard to find. If however you cannot find them, perhaps make the croissants from scratch, and then lay them down as if you’re baking biscuits, or you can buy croissant pastry dough and bake them accordingly.

Paninis are a sandwich hit amongst local eateries, coffee shops, bakeries, and hotels. These are quick, easy, and something that everyone who is tailgating will enjoy. Not only will adults and college students enjoy them, but the kids will too.

You’ll need,

            A frying pan (or cast iron skillet)

George Foreman Grill (With a Bread Warmer)

Microwave (If needed)

Charcoal grill (If needed)

·      Oven Roasted Chicken Sandwich Meat.

·      Muenster Cheese.

·      Pepper-Jack Cheese.

    Mayo.

·      Croissant Sandwich Bread.

Each sandwich should have two slices of chicken, and one slice of each cheese.

1.         Heat your George Foreman Grill as followed. If you’re using one, be sure to have an extension cord to where it’s plugged into your car outlet.  If you also have a portable stove, use a pan to heat your chicken. If not, use your George Foreman Grill as shown below. 

2.         In a medium hot pan, place a small slice of butter in your pan to prevent your chicken from sticking. Place your two slices of chicken patties in the pan and allow them to cook on each side for about roughly two minutes.  

3.         While you’re cooking your chicken patties, warm your croissant bread in the bread warmer. If you do not have a bread warmer, you can use your outdoor grill, making sure that it’s away from the coals.  I also suggest that you use a microwave by heating them for 20 seconds. Make sure that your bread isn’t crispy hot. You want to make sure that it is lukewarm.

4.         Once your bread is semi-warm, take any spread of your choice, and spread a thin layer on the bread. My choice is mayonnaise, but you can choose any condiment that you want.

5.         Place your Muenster cheese on top of your spread, and place your Pepper-Jack cheese on top of the patties.

6.         Next, Double stack the chicken, remove them from your pan, and place them on the sandwich bread. As you place them on the croissant bread, place the sandwich on the George foreman grill. Cook for two minutes, Cut in triangles, and enjoy. I suggest that you press down on your George Foreman grill so that you’re flattening them out.

Tips:

If you’re making them ahead of time, I would suggest that you cook them before, and place them in a crockpot warmer. If you want, you can wrap them in printing paper to be extra creative. You can also add vegetables if you want.

To prevent your chicken from overcooking, take your pan off the heat.

Burger Cooking Tips.

Let’s just talk about burgers. Everyone loves a great, tasting burger. Whether it’s yours on the grill, or simply at a restaurant. There are many combinations of burgers. For example, venison, ostrich, deer, elk, chicken, salmon, pork, or beef, would just about do for any burger. Does it matter what type of meat you use? Yes and No, depending on if you’re just buying ground meat from your local butcher shop, or simply grinding meat on your own. It’s important to know the cuts of meat. What’s also unique about burgers, is that you can season and dress it up however you would like.

For example, in America, we are very familiar with putting an egg, bacon, or some sort of cooked vegetable on top. Being a college student, we call that “The Hangover”. Sometimes, if you were to ever make a southwestern-inspired burger, you might be thinking things such as, poblano peppers, guacamole, salsa, and pepper-jack cheese. Then again, you also have the typical “Luther” Burger. The Luther Burger is a burger in which you use two glaze donuts (preferably Krispy Kreme), as the buns.

There are numerous types of burgers, and in fact, a burger doesn’t always have to be ground meat. As a matter of fact, down the street from where I live, I know a local bar that makes a Pork Belly Burger.  Back in my hometown, a local Korean restaurant makes a Bulgolgi Burger. If you go to Salina, Kansas, stop by the Cozy-Inn Hamburger shop, and you will see the history of how their famous sliders are still out of this world, since the 1940’s. I thought of at least a few burger creations myself, in fact, I cannot reveal what they are until I have fully tested them out.

So what are some common secrets of making “the perfect burger”? It all depends on how you cook them. Grilling, steaming, pan-frying, or deep frying (Dyer’s Burgers). However, let’s begin with the basics.

o   I have ate at a few restaurants where burgers “Looked” delicious and fancy, but have tasted bland. Seasoning your ground meat is like seasoning a meatloaf. Adding it with Salt, pepper, onions, peppers, seasonings (any kind of your choice), breadcrumbs (optional), and ALWAYS, a hint of a liquid seasoning. Make sure to mix it very well.

o   When pressing your patties, make sure that they are not too thin, or else you will dry out your patties. When you’re pressing your patties, leave a thumbprint in the middle to avoid plumping.

o   Whether you are cooking in or out, place the already pressed patties in the fridge, leaving them covered so it doesn’t dry out. This will allow the flavors to come together.

o   In a hot pan, about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the pan with salt and pepper, and place your patties in the pan. When patties are in the pan, season them again with salt and pepper.

o   With the juices in your pan, spoon the remaining of the juices on top of the burgers as they cook. To speed up the process of cooking, place a lid over the pan for indirect heat.

o   For the [Outdoor] Grilling Method, the same techniques from above, apply. However, have you ever been to a cook-out, and many people use the frozen patties? Not the flavor stuff that comes in a box, but frozen ground beef patties. Here’s where the problem lies, people tend to over cook them. Once people are done cooking them, they leave the patties stored in a cold tinfoil case. The problem with that, is once burgers settle, they start to dry out, and become tasteless.  Here’s my tip, don’t over cook them. Allow your burgers to be at a medium temperature, place them in a heated tinfoil, and allow them to continue to cook within its own juices.

When cooking your burgers, do NOT take a spatula and press on the patties, unless you want your hamburger to be well done. When that happens, you let the juices come out.

o   Another tip, when you leave a burger on the grill, do not keep flipping it. LEAVE IT ALONE!! My tip is this, five minutes per side would do. Sometimes it may vary depending on the size of your burger. Let me add this, some people don’t like to eat a “raw” burger, but you can always choose your temperature range from being medium-rare, to medium, to medium-well, and well done.

o   My last tip is this, if you’re thinking cheese, I suggest placing the cheese directly while it’s still cooking. Let the cheese melt while it combines with the added flavors of the burger. If you’re grilling, take the burger away from the coals, yet cover the grill for a few seconds to a minute.

o   A Burger is about being juicy. What’s most important is the fat content. I suggest about 20%. If you’re thinking lean meat, it will be dry.

·      Condiments: You can put any condiment on your burger of your choice. Go beyond the ketchup, mustard, and mayo. Think of horseradish, habanero BBQ, aioli, coleslaw, bacon, mushrooms or even Mozzarella sticks. Think what type of delicious vegetables and fruit would best suit your burger. Select your styles of cheeses. Be creative, and think outside of the traditional "American" burger.

·      Bun Tip: Butter your buns. Buttering your buns will keep them from being soggy once the burger and all of the condiments are on there. It will pack a great crunch, and much added flavor. If you do not have any buns, you can simply use regular texas toast. What I like to make, are patty melts, just like the picture to the right.

Ronald's Saturday Off

One of my favorite television chefs is Alex Guarnaschelli. Alex Guarnaschelli is an executive chef a New York's Butter restaurant, and The Darby restaurant. She has appeared in several television shows such as, Iron Chef, Chopped, All-Star Family Cook Off, and The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Even though her fame is seen on those shows, she also is the host of her own television show, Alex's Day Off. Basically this blog is similar to her show “Alex’s Day Off”. In fact, since I absolutely love that title, I thought about creating a Saturday blog post in spite of college football season coming up.  During the past three years as a student, my Saturdays have been much devoted to Marching Band. However, this year I am not in Marching Band. I remember the times I had to sell fundraising cards to the fans in the parking lot. When I was walking to different tailgating spots, I was amazed at the different kinds of dishes prepared. With those dishes, it was beyond the ordinary.

So then I thought to myself, what are some great tailgating ideas for those Saturday football games? Perhaps those away game parties, or simply “Bar food” that can be enjoyed when watching the games with a cold beer? Well that’s what this new Saturday Blog series is all about.  Each Saturday, I will roll out a new blog that will feature recipes, tailgating experiences, ideas, Pinterest favorites, and all sorts of things.

When it comes to Tailgating, Food is the most important part. When we think of tailgating, we think more of hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken wings, chips and dip, and pigs in a blanket. But with Pinterest, we can find all sorts of new ideas.  I want to go ahead and create some things, but put a little twist to them.

My ideas begin with "Time". Each game, there's always a different time of the day each game begins. Some games will either begin in the morning, afternoon, or the evening. This menu below will feature a mixture of a “Brunch” style menu. For example, recently BK just brought back their Chicken Fries.

A delicious Tailgating menu for an “AFTERNOON” game I thought about, would be centered around a brunch menu. In the next couple weeks, I will feature a menu such as,

            Southern Style-Cajun Chicken fries: A mixture of thin cut all white and dark meat, sliced in fry-like strips, seasoned in a Cajun flour batter. On the side, a signature honey-maple dipping sauce.

            Latin-American Fruit Kabobs (non-grilled): Fruit Kabobs spiced in a chili seasoning.

            Biscuits and Gravy Casserole: A twist on the classic comfort dish of the “sausage, egg, and cheese” casserole. I might throw in the “Apple-Sausage-Cheddar” Bake. Either or, it’s going to be one of these two.

Then when we tailgate, I also think about not only themes depending on time, but sometimes themes depending on the region you live, or perhaps the opponent team. For example, if K-State was going against KU, Chicken would be the main course. If I was at LSU, I would feature a Cajun style tailgate menu, or perhaps a BBQ Bison Burger for those Buffalos.

It’s all about taking comfort tailgating food to a whole new level.

Not only will I feature my recipes, but recipes from people who are wishing to submit and share.

           

I present to you “Ronald’s Saturday Off”