A few of my favorite things....

I left Texas over 12 years ago when I moved to Washington, DC, for a work assignment. Except for a couple of years as a baby, I had lived in the Houston area my entire life. I knew that living in DC would be different than living in Houston, I was prepared for the big culture shock, and in fact loved the change. What surprised me, though, was the absence of the little things that I had always taken for granted growing up in southeast Texas. For the first time, I came to truly appreciate the regional cuisine, food, and ingredients of my home state.

Growing up, I never understood why so many recipes called for the use of walnuts. Pecans were so plentiful, but so rarely called for in recipes. Of course, I now understand why. Pecan trees were everywhere in Houston, folks even used them as landscape trees in their yards. I lived in the outer suburbs of Houston, much of the area round our subdivision was still used for agricultural purposes, and there was even a pecan orchard. I remember my mom going to the roadside farm stand at the orchard and bringing home bushel bags of pecans. We'd then sit around the kitchen table, cracking the shells and removing the nut meats. Even now as I sit here typing this, I can smell the fresh pecans and feel the shell shards in my hands. We always had bags of pecans in the freezer. They are still my favorite nut for baking and desserts.

Speaking of roadside farm stands, you knew it was winter in southeast Texas when the citrus stands started popping up. The Rio Grande Valley in the southernmost part of Texas along the border with Mexico is prime citrus farm country. Oranges, lemons, limes--but the star of the show was the Texas Ruby Red grapefruit. The skin is a delicate orangish-pink, the flesh a deep pink, and the flavor was heavenly. Grapefruit is so often sour, but not the Texas Ruby Red. They are so sweet that you can peel them and eat them like an orange. Most of the grapefruit available at the markets here in the northeast comes from Florida, and you can find pink grapefruit, but it's just not the same as the Texas Ruby Red.

So, this week's recipe is inspired by these two of my favorite things from Texas, the pecan and the grapefruit:  Pecan Crusted Chicken with Grapefruit Beurre Blanc and Sautéed Winter Greens.  

One of the challenges with cooking chicken breast is that the meat is thick at one end and tapers. The thinner section is almost always over cooked to ensure that the thicker section is cooked through. I recommend cutting the chicken into medallions, simply slice at an angle across the breast and then use a meat mallet to gently pound and flatten the pieces to an even thickness. (If you place the chicken pieces inside a large zip-top bag, you minimize the chances of splattering chicken juices and other bits all over your kitchen.) Not only will the chicken cook more evenly, it will cook more quickly, and it takes most of the guesswork out of the cooking process--when the chicken is golden brown on both sides, it is done.

The sauce is a variation on the classic French sauce, Beurre Blanc. Beurre blanc literally translates to white butter. It is a reduction of white wine and white wine vinegar emulsified with butter and is traditionally served with fish.  In this version, I substitute fresh squeezed grapefruit juice for the vinegar. Please note, it is important to that the butter is cold when you whisk it into the sauce. The butter must melt slowly into the sauce. If it melts too quickly, the butterfat will separate from the milk solids, resulting in an oily, broken sauce. By keeping the butter cold (and the saucepan burner on low), the butter will melt slowly and not separate, resulting in a silky, creamy, luscious sauce.

I serve this dish with sauteed winter greens, usually kale or Swiss chard. The slight bitterness of the greens is a nice counterpoint to the tangy sweetness of the sauce. The recipe is written assuming you're buying traditional mature kale or chard--the center ribs of the leaves can be tough and will take longer to cook than the leaves. However this time, I used a box of baby kale--so much easier and faster! Just add the leaves to the pan after sauteing the shallots and proceed as the recipe instructs.

Pecan Crusted Chicken with Grapefruit Beurre Blanc and Sautéed Winter Greens

Serves 4 - 6

For the sauce:

1 cup   white wine

1 cup   chicken stock

2          shallots, diced

1          sprig fresh thyme

1          bay leaf

5          whole black peppercorns

½ cup  grapefruit juice

8 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces

            Kosher salt and pepper to taste

For the chicken:

2 cups  pecans

1 cup   panko bread crumbs

1 cup   all purpose flour

4          boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2          eggs, beaten

vegetable oil

            Kosher salt and pepper to taste

For the winter greens:

2 lb      Swiss chard, kale or a mixture

2 Tbsp olive oil

1          small shallot, finely diced

1          clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp chicken stock or water

            Kosher salt and pepper

Chopped parsley and grapefruit segments to garnish

For the sauce:  Add the wine, stock, shallots, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and reduce until thickened and syrup-like. Add the grapefruit juice and continue to cook and reduce until again thickened and syrup-like, about ¼ to ½ cup of liquid. Strain the sauce and discard the shallots, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Return the sauce to the saucepan over low heat.  Add the butter in small pieces, whisking to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid and turn off the heat while preparing the chicken. 

For the chicken:  Pulse the pecans in a food processor or chop with a knife until finely chopped. Mix the pecans with the panko and transfer to a plate. Place the flour on a second plate. Place the eggs in a shallow dish, such as a pie dish. 

Slice each of the chicken breasts into about 4 or 5 medallions. Place the medallions between two sheets of plastic or inside a ziplock bag and gently pound with a meat mallet to an even thickness. Sprinkle the chicken medallions with salt and pepper.

Dip both sides of each medallion into the flour to coat and shake off the excess, then dip each medallion into the beaten egg to coat. Place the fillet onto the pecan/panko mixture and press to coat each side. Transfer the filet to parchment or waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining medallions.

Fill a heavy, large skillet to a depth of about ¼ inch with the oil and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place the medallions into skillet and cook until each side is golden and crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. (Do not overcrowd the pan; cook in batches if necessary). Transfer to wire rack set over a sheet pan and keep warm in a 200°F oven.

For the winter greens:  Cut the stems and center ribs away from the chard/kale leaves. Thinly slice the stems and center ribs and set aside. Coarsely chop the leaves and set aside. Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and sauté the shallot and sliced stems until the shallot is translucent. Add the chopped leaves and sauté until beginning to soften and wilt. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock or water and cover the pan with a lid.  Allow the chard to cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and allow the liquid in the pan to cook away. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper.

To finish:  Whisk the sauce over low heat to rewarm as necessary (do not boil). Place the sautéed winter greens on each plate and top with two to three pieces of the chicken. Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken and top with grapefruit segments. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.