Crockpot works for dinner and dessert
A crock pot is an essential piece of equipment in the kitchen,
especially during winter when I want a hot, slowly simmered meal to
be ready when I get home from work. Since it’s a tool I use so
often, I recently gave a crock pot to a friend who in turn used it
to make dinner for me.
Crockpot works for dinner and dessert
A crock pot is an essential piece of equipment in the kitchen, especially during winter when I want a hot, slowly simmered meal to be ready when I get home from work. Since it’s a tool I use so often, I recently gave a crock pot to a friend who in turn used it to make dinner for me.
The crockpot chicken and apples recipe required little preparation so I didn’t feel bad sitting back and watching my friend do most of the work. We agreed to cut down on the curry powder called for in the recipe and used just ¼ tsp. because I don’t really like the smell of it. Other than that, we followed the recipe closely. We did find that since there was only the liquid from the juice concentrate with the chicken for most of the cooking time, the meat got a little dried out. In the future, I would add in the chicken broth early on, reserving just a little to mix with corn starch if needed to thicken up the sauce. With more liquid, I think the chicken breast would stay moister. We served the meal over brown rice, and it was tasty. With the leftovers my friend made a sweet chicken salad with chunks of apple, mayonnaise and some seasonings.
While I’ve cooked plenty of main course dishes in the slow cooker, I had never tried a dessert so I decided to find something that would make cooking a three-course meal that much easier. The plan was to put together a dessert that would cook on its own while I prepared baked ziti and a green salad for a Saturday night dinner. At the Crockpot website there are lots of options, some of them dessert-style fondues and sauces. I found a recipe for a bananas Foster that seemed tasty.
I’ve never actually had bananas foster, which is a fancy dessert that is lit on fire at fancy restaurants, but I’ve tasted the general flavors in an ice cream recreation of the sweet. For this recipe, fresh bananas are mixed with coconut, lemon juice, dark corn syrup and some dark rum. The prep work included slicing the bananas and juicing the lemons. The rest of it was just putting it all together in the crock pot for two hours. When the bananas were cooked and the sauce had simmered long enough, I turned the crock pot down to warm as we finished dinner. The sauce was served with store bought loaf cake and vanilla ice cream. The warm topping paired well with the cold ice cream.
Crockpot chicken and apples
Recipe courtesy of About.com
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours, 10 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours, 30 minutes
6-oz. can frozen apple juice concentrate
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1-3 tsp. curry powder
2 tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Granny Smith apples, cored and thickly sliced
1/3 c. chicken broth
1 tbsp. cornstarch
In small bowl, combine thawed apple juice concentrate, nutmeg, and curry powder.
In small microwave-safe dish, combine butter, onions, and garlic. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes until onion is softened. Place mixture in bottom of 3-4 quart slow cooker.
Dip each chicken breast into the juice mixture to coat and place in crockpot over onions. Pour any remaining juice mixture over the chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours until chicken is almost cooked. Add apples and cook 40-50 minutes longer on low until apples are tender and chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Mix together broth and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir into the liquid in crockpot. Cover and cook on high heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and bubbly, 10-15 minutes. Serve with some hot cooked brown rice. Makes 6 servings.
If you have a new hot crockpot, check the chicken after 4 hours on low. If the sauce doesn’t get thick enough, just add more corn starch mixed with chicken broth or apple juice.
Slow cooker bananas Foster
Recipe courtesy of www.crock-pot.com
12 bananas, quartered
1 c. flaked coconut
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. dark corn syrup
2/3 c. butter, melted
2 tsp. lemon zest, grated
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 tsp. rum
12 slices pound cake
1 quart vanilla ice cream
Combine bananas and coconut in slow cooker.
Combine cinnamon, salt, corn syrup, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and rum. Pour over bananas. Cover; cook on Low 1-2 hours.
Pour sauce over pound cake and ice cream.
