Scones (Fried Bread)

 

       Until well into my teens, I had no idea that the British had laid claim centuries before I was born, to the "scone", a dry biscuit pastry that had to be served with tea just to wash it down.  How could this be, I wondered and assumed the English, from whom I am descended, were unfortunately mistaken but then when I considered that an entire British nation was confused, I confess, I had to question my assumptions about food origins.

      In my search for the truth, I looked inwardly to examine my own culinary heritage, a tradition that included pioneers crossing the North American plains in covered wagons with yeast and flour preciously stored in cushioned barrels.  My mother carried on the pioneer tradition and called these fried, golden yeast squares, "scones".  As her mother had done before her, she taught me how to stretch the dough a bit just before cooking, to ensure the scones rose with a pillowy puff in their middles as they cooked.  

     In my imaginings, I could make it work; the pioneers' encounters with Native Americans were for the most part friendly....perhaps even included exchanges of culinary techniques and recipes?  Regardless, stubbornly I continue to defend my heritage and proclaim scones to be thinly rolled yeast enriched dough, cut into squares or triangles and deep-fried until golden.  Versatility allows them to be served with butter or if in the mood for a sweet version with honey, jam, or powdered sugar.

     Often, my children's Sunday family dinners were scones and soup, the only variable being the kind of soup served (I confess to being a bit of a softy - preparing 2 - 3 different soups to satisfy 6 diverse clamoring appetites.)  Scones partner equally well with chili, stews, bisques, as a side bread and alone as dessert with ice cream and toppings heaped on top.

    And as to the British scone, we now have an amicable relationship and I have known a Brit or two to enjoy my scone version as well.  I just call theirs "tea biscuits" and they can call mine "Indian Fry Bread", but only to themselves.

Scones:

2 tablespoons dry yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

2 cups warm water

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

2 tablespoons soft butter

1 tablespoon salt

2 eggs

5 cups all-purpose flour, approximately

3-4 cups vegetable oil for frying

    -Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup water in small bowl.

      Set aside for 5 minutes.  In large mixing bowl,

     combine 2 cups water, sugar, shortening, 

     butter and salt. Mix with wire whip until smooth.

     Stir in dissolved yeast and eggs.  Mix well.  Add

      flour a cup at a time until dough pulls away from

     the sides of the mixer or comes together in a ball if

     mixing by hand. If mixture is too sticky add a bit

     more flour 1/4 cup at a time, until you can handle

     the dough. Knead for 5 minutes by hand or with

     electric mixer with the dough hook.

   -Place dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with

     plastic wrap.  Let sit in warm place or in the oven

     on "bread proofing" setting for about 1 1/2 hours,

     or dough may be refrigerated 8 hours or 

     overnight.  (This longer process allows dough to

     rise slowly.)  If you refrigerate your dough, let it

     sit out about an hour before rolling out to cut out

     the scones.

    -When ready to use, punch the dough down & roll

     dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface. 

     Let dough rest 10 minutes then cut into 3-4 inch

     squares or rectangles.  Let dough rest another 30

     minutes.

    -Heat vegetable oil to about 375 degrees in deep

      fryer or large, deep skillet or dutch oven.  Place

     dough squares carefully onto hot oil, pulling and

     stretching dough slightly just before adding to the

     oil.  Scones should float while cooking and not rest

     on the bottom of the pan.

    -Cook until golden brown on first side and

     scones puff up in the middle.  (Sometimes the

     squares do not puff....they are still delicious, so

     serve them anyway.)  Turn squares with tongs to

     the other side and continue to cook until golden

     (about 3-4 minutes total cooking time).  Place on

     paper towels. Serve warm or at room

     temperature    Makes about 3 dozen scones.

Shape dough into disc and roll on

well-floured surface

Cut dough into 3 -4 inch squares or

rectangles and let rest 30 minutes.

Place each square into hot oil and

fry until golden and puffy.

Serve warm scones with butter, honey, 

and jam or as an accompaniment to

soups and stews.

PERSNICKETY  NOTES:

**When rolling out the dough, be patient.  It has a tendency to shrink 

    back to its previous shape.  Roll it then walk way for a few minutes to

    let it rest, then roll again and give it another rest.  You will eventually

    coax it out to the thickness you want it to be.

**This scone is also similar to the Mexican sopapilla and can be served

    with Mexican food, dipped in salsa or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar

    as a dessert.

Potato Kibbeh

 

      The story of why I never learned to make Kibbeh:

           Kibbeh or kubbeh is a traditional Levantine dish from the Arab countries of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria made from lamb or beef and bulgur (cracked wheat).  The most popular version is basically a fried, stuffed meatball in the shape of a little football - at least the one that shall live on in my dreams is.  A shell is formed from ground meat and onions mixed with fine bulghur, a cavity created, then filled with more cooked ground meat, onions, spices and pine nuts, the outer casing pinched closed smoothed and then fried.

           Kibbeh is very difficult to get right.  It's one of the things I most wanted to learn to make in the Middle East so I approached the best cook I knew, the mother of a friend of ours. I asked my friend, the cook's daughter-in-law, if she would ask her if I could come and watch her make them which Um-Amar (the Syrian cook) agreed to. But when I got there she had already made them and presented a tray of them to me as a gift.  I just don't think she understood or wanted anyone to watch her make them.  

        Over the years, I have made many attempts at creating these glorious, crunchy, meaty snacks (including for weddings and parties - sometimes I'm more confident than I should be) but have always failed with cracks or shells that haven't been crispy or just fell apart.  I've studied numerous recipes. I know all the techniques, how to stuff and roll them, how to mix ice chips into the outer layer so it's really cold, how to keep your hands wet and smooth out all the cracks with ice water, freeze them before frying....I know it all, but they still don't work for me!

         So, while living in Jordan, I gave up and would buy them from the Lebanese cook who ran a catering company.  Those were our favorite but we always ordered them at any restaurant as part of the mezza.  While living in Israel and shopping in Jerusalem, we would always stop first at a shop owned by a Palestinian friend where he would insist we sit to rest and he would have his son run and get us fresh orange juice and the best kibbeh ever from an old man that made them in the market.  They were huge - 3 times the regular size.  We were in heaven!  Then the old man hopefully went there as he died.  That was the end of those kibbeh.

          However, I finally found a recipe that worked for me!  It was the recipe from a friend of my daughter's whose parents lived in the West Bank the same time we were in Israel.  However, I lost the recipe and was embarrassed to ask Jameela for it again as she was kind of miffed with us as we lost our dog while visiting our daughter in North Carolina and had to leave without the dog, to come back to Virginia.  Our daughter had to leave for a work trip to Africa when we left.  But happily, someone called us as soon as we arrived home to tell us they had found the dog (we had put flyers around) so we asked Jameela if she would get the dog and we would drive back down and get it "soon". 

          Well, she got the dog but wasn't happy about it as he was defiling her carpet but we just couldn't get down there right away.  We checked into kennels and doggy daycare there but could find nothing available.  So the dog stayed with her for 10 days until our daughter returned and we could get down there.  Jameela has not been our friend since and there went the only recipe for kibbeh that ever worked for me.

         The following recipe is the only silver lining to my rocky culinary relationship with kibbeh.  The bottom and top layers are replaced with mashed potatoes mixed with bulgur then simply layered in a baking dish and baked.  I could handle that, besides which, it is delicious in its own way.  Now, I will not say that I enjoy it more than fried kibbeh (the football shaped ones) but certainly more than kibbeh nayeh (the raw one which I forced myself to taste and found that it was smooth and silky and also delicious, but was too freaked out at the thought of "raw " to take another bite.) Then there is kibbeh saniyeh which is layered and baked in a pan and looks similar to the potato kibbeh.  You can master this one too!  And if you've already mastered fried kibbeh, let me know.  Meantime, I'll make the potato kibbeh but continue my quest to master the authentic kibbeh.  And when I do, I will share it with you!

Kibbeh Batata

Meat Filling:

     1 finely chopped onion

     1/4 cup butter

     1 pound lean ground beef

     2 teaspoons cinnamon

     1 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

     1 tablespoon tomato paste

     salt and pepper to taste

     1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

     -In a medium skillet, melt the butter and add        the onion. Saute onions over medium heat until soft.  Add the ground beef, breaking it up as it browns.  Stir in cinnamon, allspice, tomato paste, and salt and pepper.

       -Cook over medium-low heat stirring frequently, about 10 minutes to allow spices to meld.  Stir in 1/4 cup pine nuts.  If mixture is too oily, drain off some of the oil but leave a bit of the melted butter in the mixture.  Set aside.

Potatoes

     1 onion , cut in thin slivers

     3 medium-large  potatoes, peeled and cut into 8ths

     1/3 cup fine bulgur

     5 tablespoons water

     3 tablespoons olive oil

     1 teaspoon salt

     1/2 onion, chopped

     2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

     1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds

     paprika

      -Place the slivered onions into a microwave-proof mixing bowl and toss with 2 tsp. salt.  Microwave the onions for 5 minutes on high and then rinse in a colander.  Spread the onions out on paper towels or a clean dishcloth and blot out as much moisture as you can.  Let rest until cool.

    -In a medium skillet heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat.  Add the slivered onions and 1 teaspoon salt and stir for 2 minutes.  Lower heat to low and allow onions to caramelize, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.  Set aside.

     -Place the potatoes in a pot with salted water and cook over high heat until water comes to a boil.  Cover with lid and turn heat to medium-low and continue cooking for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Drain and mash the potatoes with a potato masher.

       -Add 5 tablespoons hot water to the bulgur and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Place 1/2 onion, olive oil and bulgur in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth.  Pour mixture over warm potatoes and mash and stir until smooth.  Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Stir in chopped parsley.

To Assemble:

        -Heat 2 tablespoons butter in medium-large cast-iron (or other) skillet over medium-high heat.  Layer half the potatoes over the bottom of the skillet.  Spoon meat mixture over potato layer and then cover meat layer with another layer of potatoes.  Cook for 5 minutes then reduce heat to medium and continue to cook another 10 minutes.  (Lift edge of bottom potato layer to check for doneness.  Potatoes should be browned and slightly crispy.)

       -Remove from heat.  Let kibbeh sit for 5 minutes.  Score top of kibbeh into diamond pattern if desired.  Garnish top with 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, toasted sliced almonds, fried onions and a sprinkle of paprika.  Cut into wedges to serve.

Layer of potatoes on bottom of skillet, 

covered with layer of meat filling.

Meat sauteed with onions and spices.  

Potatoes combined with onion and bulgur.

Garnish with sliced almonds, pine nuts

carmelized onions and paprika.

Chocolate Meringue & Mousse Cakes (Concord Cakes)

Chocolate Mousse Meringue Tarts (Concord Cake)

Meringue:

     8 large egg whites, room temperature

     1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

     1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mousse:

     12 ounces 60-70% dark chocolate, chopped in small

            pieces

     1/2 teaspoon salt

     2 eggs

     1 egg yolk

     1/2 cup granulated sugar

     1 tablespoon water

     2 cups heavy whipping cream

     garnishes:  piped chocolate decorations or leaves,

                            maraschino cherries, sugared rasp-

                            berries, powdered sugar

Meringue Instructions:   

  

       -Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit

  

       -Whisk the egg whites on medium-high speed

         until soft peaks form.   Slowly add the sugar

         while whisking, a tablespoon at a time and

         continue to whip until stiff, glossy peaks form. 

         Stir in the vanilla extract.

       -Place meringue in a large pastry bag fitted with

         a plain round tip or a ziplock bag with the

         corner cut off about 1/2 inch.

       -Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and

        pipe the meringue into 12 - 3 inch rounds, in a

        spiral fashion and about 48 rods 2 1/2 - 3 inches

        long.   Bake at 250 degrees until crips, about 1

        hour.  Cool completely.

Mousse Directions:

       Melt the chocolate in a plastic or glass dish in

       microwave oven on full speed for 30 seconds.

       Let rest 1 minute, stir then repeat in microwave

       for an additional 20 seconds.  Rest and stir.  If

       there are a few chocolate pieces unmelted, stir

       vigorously for a minute or two to see if chocolate

       melts.  If needed give it another 15 minute spin in

       the microwave. Set aside.

       -In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs and 

        egg yolk until frothy.  In a small saucepan, heat

        the sugar and water until it reaches 245 degrees

        F on a candy thermometer.  Pour the liquid

        in a small stream into the eggs as they are

        mixing and continue to mix on high until the eggs

       are light and airy, about 5 minutes.

        -Slowly pour the melted chocolate into the egg

         mixture and continue to mix on medium-high

         speed for another 5 minutes.

       -Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold into the

        chocolate mixture.  Chill for 20 minutes.

To Assemble:

       -With a large soup spoon, mold about 1/3 - 1/2

         cup mousse into a round ball and set on

         meringue rounds. Set about 8 meringue rods

         in a vertical pattern around the mousse, 

         anchoring each on the meringue round with

         a dab of mousse.

       -If there is extra mousse, pipe in a spiral fashion

        to top of the mousse in the tart.  Alternately,

        whip heavy cream to stiff peaks, adding 3

        tablespoons sugar as mixing.  Pipe to top off the

        mousse.  Add chocolate decorations, cherries, or

        berries as desired.  Dust with powdered sugar.

        Chill until ready to serve.

 

Pipe meringue into rods.

Pipe mousse onto baked meringue

 rounds or...

Place rounded scoop of mousse on 

each meringue round.

Place meringue rods vertically around mousse.

Top off mousse by piping more mousse

 or whipped cream on top.

Decorate with piped chocolate decorations

berries and dust with powdered sugar.

Buche de Noel (Chocolate Cake Roll with Creme Patisserie and Butter Cream)

    When pressed I proclaim this to be my favorite dessert and when I taste it each year at Christmas it is verified by my palette.  But then the  months come and go and there are so many wonderful desserts to be eaten that I lose sight of this champion and wonder why I only make it for Christmas Day!  Remove the holly leaves and branch and swirl the buttercream design into a fanciful pattern that fits your mood or the season and it would still melt you into submission.

    What is it about the buttercream, other than rich dark chocolate, smooth velvety butter that simply enrobes your taste buds with luxury?

I don't remember when I first made this - perhaps in a French cooking class I took many years ago, but that first taste of buttercream clasped me in its clutches and I was hooked.  I have since used the buttercream recipe for the Chocolate Buttercream Brownies featured on this site.  This is a French buttercream, not to be confused with Swiss or Italian and certainly no relationship to American buttercream.  The difference is the use of egg yolks that serve as the basis for the creamy texture.  Swiss and Italian buttercream use the whites.

      But this dessert is more than just the buttercream - the combination of the soft sponge cake with the mild vanilla and cream notes of the pastry cream with the buttercream is a match made in French culinary heaven.  The year our family spent Christmas in the Alsace region of France I was pleased to think that I could just buy our Buche de Noels there, which is a tradition on our Christmas day dinner table.  The local bakeries featured dozens of them in their shop windows, decorated with whimsical characters skiing down the length of the cake. or Santa with elves skipping along the the length of the rolled cake laden with gifts. One we bought was filled with hazelnut mousse the other a cherry vanilla combination - but the cakes were dry, the butter cream too little and somewhat brittle and I thought something must have been lost in translation - or that I had translated it differently.  I like my version of French though my French-speaking husband finds my French humorous.  But he does prefer my Buche de Noel!

     Christmas may be over and gone, but I think most would agree, there are always occasions for a delicious, show-stopper, chocolate dessert.  The steps are many but the results are.....C'est merveilleux et tres, tres bon!

 Buche de Noel (Yule Log Cake)

  Cake:

  3/4 cup flour

  1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1/4 teaspoon salt

  3 eggs

  1 cup granulated sugar

  1/3 cup water

  1 teaspoon vanilla

       -Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 15 x 10 inch baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper and

grease well then sprinkle with flour.

       -Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

       -In mixing bowl, beat eggs about 5 minutes until  thick and lemon colored.  Add eggs one at a time, beating briefly after each.  Gradually beat in sugar.  On low speed, blend in water and vanilla.  Gradually add flour mixture, beating just until batter is smooth.  Pour into sheet, spreading batter evenly to edges.

       -Bake 12 - 15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cake sit for 5 minutes then loosen from edges of pan with a knife and invert onto parchment or waxed paper, sprinkled generously with powdered sugar.  Carefully remove the paper cake was baked on.  Trim off stiff edges if necessary.

       -Let cake sit 5-10 minutes then roll cake together with paper from long end to form a long roll.  Cool on wire rack until completely cool, about 30 minutes. (If it helps, you may roll the cake up around a rolling pin sprayed with baking spray.)

Vanilla Pastry Cream:

3 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 cup boiling milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy cream

       -Place the 3 egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl.  Beat until light and mixture ribbons when the beater is lifted.  Add the flour and blend together.  Pour the hot milk in a stream into the egg mixture stirring with a wire whisk until smooth.

       -Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan set over moderate heat.  Stir constantly until the mixture just reaches a boil.  Reduce heat and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes longer.  Remove from the heat and pour into a plastic or glass bowl.  Cover and cool to room temperature.

       -Whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks.  Fold the whipped cream into the custard.  Chill until ready to use.

Butter Cream:

3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

3 egg yolks

1/2 pound butter (2 sticks) softened

glaceed or maraschino cherries, holly leaves or twigs of pine and (optional) meringue mushrooms for garnish

       -Place the chocolate in a small bowl and melt in microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring after each until chocolate is melted.

       -Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan.  Boil until the syrup reaches 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.

       -Place the 3 egg yolks in a mixing bowl and begin beating with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Pour the hot sugar syrup over the yolks a few drops at a time while beating at medium speed, to temper the eggs. Then increase speed to high and beat for 5 minutes until mixture is thick and pale yellow. 

      -Reduce speed to low and add the butter, a tablespoon at a time.  Beat until the mixture is smooth.  Add the cooled melted chocolate to the butter cream and beat until smooth, about 5 minutes.  Set in refrigerator for 10 - 15 minutes.

To Assemble:

       -Carefully unroll the cake.   Place vertically on a work surface in front of you.  Spread the pastry cream over the cake to within 1/2 inch of each edge and an inch from the opposite short edge. Roll the cake up rather tightly from the short edge closest to you to form a log, pulling the paper from the bottom away as you roll.

      -Cut a 3 inch long diagonal piece from one end of the cake roll.  Transfer the large piece of the cake roll to a long platter.  Arrange the shorter piece against the long side of the cake to form a branch.

      -After rolling the cake with the filling inside, set seam side down on baking sheet and keep it covered tightly to help keep the shape and chill for at least one hour before frosting.

       -Using a spatula, spread the chocolate butter cream over the log, covering all the cake completely.  Spread a small amount over the cut ends.  Pull the tines of a fork gently down the full length of the cake roll, creating swirls and "knots" to simulate bark on a tree branch. Pull the fork tines to create circular patterns on the cut ends of the cake. 

       -Decorate the cake with the cherries, holly leaves, pine twigs and/or meringue mushrooms to create a woodsy effect.  Dust lightly with powdered sugar.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Remove from fridge 15 minutes before serving to allow the buttercream to soften and cut into slices

       -Serves 12 - 15

Spread cake batter to edges of 

parchment lined baking sheet.

Roll cooled cake with paper into roll.

Roll cake around rolling pin, if desired.

Stir pastry cream over heat until it comes

 to a boil and thickens.

Cut off piece of filled roll and place

alongside the large piece to create a branch.

Cover cake completely with

chocolate butter cream.

Run tines of fork through

buttercream to create a bark effect.

Cover the cut ends of "log" with 

buttercream and with fork tines 

create a circular pattern.

Garnish log with pine twigs, cherries, holly

 leaves & sprinkle with powdered sugar

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**At times I find it difficult to peel off the baking paper from the cooked cake, but realize that the outside surface of the cake will not be seen.  Your cake may crack as you roll or unroll it but once again, realize that the cracks will not be seen.  Take a deep breath and proceed being patient and finding joy in creation!

**Although you do chill the buttercream after making, let it sit at room temperature until it is easy to spread.  Fluff it up again with a fork and it should spread easily to cover the cake and then decorate with the tines of the fork.  The buttercream recipe makes plenty to have a thick layer of chocolate cream.

**To give the decorative cherries an extra sparkle, dip in slightly whipped egg white and then in granulated sugar and chill for 1 hour.

**There are many variations the Buche de Noel can inspire for different occasions.  I will feature some of these in future posts.  For example:

      *For Spring:  leave the chocolate out of the cake to create a vanilla sponge.  Fill with pastry cream flavored with strawberry or raspberry extract with whole fresh berries slightly macerated and placed down the center length of the cream.  Then frost with white chocolate buttercream, which is made the same as the chocolate, but with white chocolate instead.  You can create a branch and a bark look and place edible or real edible flowers to decorate, chocolate robin eggs, in a nest made of dyed coconut and held together with whipped egg white, etc.  Alternatively, you can make the roll without the branch and decorate with frosting flowers or real edible flowers and twigs made of piped tempered chocolate. (Stripes of chocolate piped horizontally on the branches will give the cake the impression or a birch tree.)

     *For Fall:  Make a spiced cake sponge by leaving the chocolate out and using 1/2 brown sugar and half white and adding a teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves to the cake mixture (or 1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese 5-Spice powder).  The pastry cream could be the vanilla or you might switch it up by filling with cream cheese frosting instead.  For the buttercream I would recommend the white chocolate version and add 2-3 tablespoons real maple syrup.  Create a fall tree by creating the extra branch and running the tines of the fork down its length or keep it to one roll.  Decorate with white chocolate leaves dyed to fall colors, chocolate twigs, pumpkin candies, etc.

Chicken Cheese Chowder

 

      Most Sundays were "soup and scones" day when our children were growing up.  There was no debate over the scones.  Fried and puffy homemade bread dough was always welcome as long as the butter, honey and jam were served as condiments.  But the soup???   A matter for debate between distinct and differing palettes.  So to make it less of a tedious task of talking one child out of her favorite soup and convincing another that mulligatawny is delicious, I gave in.  Yes, I gave in and made two soups, sometimes three to keep peace in our home.  Perhaps that's what it takes - soup for peace.  But this soup was almost always the first choice and spread peace throughout the land!

       Discovered in a random cookbook, as a young cook I thought chicken couldn't hurt and would round the soup out into a full meal - and so the chicken was added to my version of the recipe  (along with some sort of bread - rolls, crusty French or ciabatta.)

      Cheesy, cheese soup is the over-riding theme and the slight crunch of the vegetables add a spark of contrast to the creaminess.  The chicken - keep it tender - swims flavorfully among the rest of the ingredients and the crunch and nuttiness of the garnish toppings are just the things to add interest to this simple but very satisfying soup.

Chicken Cheese Chowder

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup finely chopped or grated carrot

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cups rich chicken broth

2 cups milk

1/3 cup flour

8 slices American cheese (room temperature)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (room temperature)

1 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken

salt and pepper to taste

dash of cayenne pepper

dash of paprika

chopped chives or green onion and parmesan crisps

           for garnish

       -In a medium saucepan, saute carrot, celery and onion in melted butter until soft (5 minutes).  Stir in flour and cook over medium heat for 1 minute.  Add broth and milk and cook and stir frequently until thickened and bubbly.  Remove pan from heat.

       -Add American and cheddar cheese and let sit on top of soup for 5 minutes to temper.  Return pot to medium-high heat and stir cheese into soup until melted.  Add shredded or cubed chicken and heat soup through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add cayenne pepper to taste.  To serve, garnish with paprika, chives or green onion and paprika crisps.

To make Parmesan Crisps:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Place a heaping tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese on baking sheet and repeat with the remaining cheese, spacing them apart.  Bake for 3 - 5 minutes until golden and crisp.  Cool completely and crush crisps to garnish top of soup in their serving bowls.

Saute onions, carrots and celery in butter.

Let cheese sit on top of soup to slowly melt 

about 5 minutes.

Melt parmesan cheese in oven or skillet

 to make crisps.

Garnish soup with chives or green onion

 and crushed Parmesan crisps.

PERSNICKETY  NOTES:

     **You can use leftover chicken or packaged cooked chicken 

          pieces or rotisserie chicken for this recipe.  I most often 

         cook my own chicken and if you want to do the same, this 

         is how I do it: 

          Thaw frozen chicken pieces, 2 breasts, several tenders or 

         4 thighs (boneless), or any combination thereof.  (You will

         need 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken for this recipe) Heat 

         oven to 350 degrees.  Melt 1 tablespoon butter or place 1

         tablespoon oil in bottom of baking dish or pie plate.  Place 

         chicken in the dish, salt and pepper lightly then cover with

         foil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Chicken will remain moist and

         tender with this technique.

     **Try using cubed ham, smoked sausage or crumbled, cooked

         bacon to switch it up and give the soup a variation on flavor. 

     **As I always note for my soups, when using chicken broth or stock

         or bouillon, I suggest the following scale for the best flavor

         in your soup.  And boy, can a natural chicken flavor make a

         huge difference!

            #1 - Home made chicken stock

            #2 - "Better than Bouillon" stock paste

            #3 - Boxed chicken stock

            #4 - Canned chicken broth

            #5 - Magi Chicken bouillon cubes

            #6 - Knorr's chicken bouillon cubes

            #7 - Other chicken bouillon cubes