Dark and Moody BBQ Chicken Skewers

When I saw the ingredient list of Dark & Moody BBQ sauce from Stuart & Co, I was intrigued by the coffee and dark beer.  It took me back to a few weeks ago when I had a pork chop rubbed in coffee, which was delicious and had a really nice deep flavor. So I thought I would try to make something with coffee. Of course I grabbed The Pancake Shop coffee - a robust, sweet coffee.  Instead of a rub, I decided to make a paste, which would stick to the chicken and give it a crispy coating when grilled.  I made skewers, but this paste could be used on a whole chicken or breast.   After the first rotation, I basted the chicken with the Dark and Moody Sauce.  

The dark and moody sauce is a deep flavor bbq, which is caused by the stout, coffee and molasses. It ends a bit warm, but not spicy.  

Dark and Moody BBQ Chicken Skewers

•  2 tablespoons softened butter
• 3 tablespoons Pancake Shop Brand Coffee
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic, or 2 cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon sea salt ground
• 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 2" pieces
• Stuart & Co. Dark & Moody Sauce

1. Preheat the grill.  If using gas, use medium heat.  If using charcoal, light the fire, let coals turn white, and spread coals to evenly distribute heat.
2. Mix the first five ingredients to make a paste.  Use your hands and rub it all over the chicken. Skewer chicken.
3. Place on grill.  Cook for about 5 minutes on one side.

4. Turn and baste with Dark and Moody BBQ sauce.  Cook 5 more minutes, or until juices run clear.

Classic Recipes: Sweet Potato Fries with Sea Salt & Chipotle Mayo Dipping Sauce

We've experimented with green bean and zucchini fries this week, but there's nothing like a good sweet potato fry.  Sure they're great at a restaurant, but if you ever try making them at home, they are usually soggy.  We refined the process to give you firmer fries every time.  The key to sweet potato fries is that every oven is different!  You need to keep an eye on them and check periodically because they can go from "not quite done" to "burnt" rather quickly.  Once you dip one of these into Sir Kensington's Chipotle Mayo, you'll see why they are worth babysitting.

Sweet Potato Fries with Sea Salt & Chipotle Mayo Dipping Sauce

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• Olive oil and sprayer or olive oil cooking spray
• Sir Kensington’s Chipotle Mayo (for dipping)
• Bourbon Barrel Smoked Sea Salt or your favorite sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Peel and cut potatoes into uniform strips, no more than 1/2" thick.  Allow to soak in water overnight if possible, or at least 1 hour.
3. Drain and pat the potatoes dry with a clean dishcloth.  
4. Add fries to a paper bag.  Add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and shake vigorously.  (You are aiming for a VERY LIGHT coating here.  The resulting fries should be a lighter shade of orange, but with no visible clumps of cornstarch. )
5. Place potatoes on a greased cookie sheet.  Make sure they are not touching each other.  Use an oil mister or olive oil cooking spray to lightly coat with oil.
6. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until just beginning to brown.  We suggest setting your oven timer to 25 minutes, checking them, and then adding 5-10 minute increments depending on their progress.  If you start to see a few black corners, they are DONE - take them out!
7. Sprinkle with Bourbon Barrel Smoked Sea Salt or your favorite salt.
8. Serve with Sir Kensington’s Chipotle Mayo for dipping.

Don't forget to check out our tutorial for folding adorable french fry cups!

Video Tutorial: How to Fold a French Fry Cup

We love the bistro look of french fries in a paper cone and a fancy stand, but it's not necessarily a practical presentation for the everyday cook.  However, we found that this super simple origami technique results in a more traditional french fry cup. You can customize the cups by using printed papers or decorating your own!  A standard 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper and a pair of scissors is all you'll need.  We made a simple text pattern available for download here >  

Pass out individual cups of fries at your next cocktail party, with a lazy susan for dipping sauce options.  Or, just serve them to the kids for a fun weeknight surprise!

If you prefer, see below image for a traditional origami illustration:

Recipe: Green Bean Dukkah Fries with Mango Chutney Dipping Sauce

or a unique flavor twist on traditional fries, we decided to try out green bean french fries which are all over Pinterest right now!  We thought that Gary & Kit's Classic Hazelnut Dukkah would make for an interesting seasoning paired with Virginia Chutney Mango Chutney as a dipping sauce.  These green bean fries are a vegetarians dream!  If you wanted to turn these fries into a more formal side dish, you could toss the cooked beans in mango chutney for a sweet coating.

Green Bean Dukkah Fries with Mango Chutney Dipping Sauce

• Fresh green beans, washed and trimmed  (or you can use frozen green beans, thawed)
• Dukkah Hazelnut spice mix
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Virginia Chutney’s Mango Chutney

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place washed and trimmed green beans on prepared baking pan, making sure they aren't touching each other. Sprinkle dukkah evenly over green beans.
3. Place green beans in the pre-heated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy! (For added crisp, broil for an extra 1-2 minutes before pulling them out of the oven).
4. All to cool for a few minutes, and serve with mango chutney as a dipping sauce!

Recipe: Parmesan Zucchini Fries with the Simplest Marinara

This week, we are exploring the vast world of alternative french fries - fries made out of something other than white potatoes!  We love this recipe for zucchini fries, but without a proper dipping sauce, what's the point?  Traditional ketchup didn't seem appropriate, but a marinara sounded just right.  We had some Sir Kensington Classic Ketchup on hand...after trying it we thought it was so close to a real tomato favor that with a little tinkering it could be transformed into a simple marinara dipping sauce - boy were we right!  This little dipping sauce is packed with delicious flavor and made from - that's right - ketchup. We wouldn't recommend trying this with just any ketchup, but Sir Kensington is rich enough in flavor that it works like a charm!

Zucchini Fries with Marinara Dipping Sauce

• 3 zucchini quartered lengthwise
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesean
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine parmesan, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Place zucchini onto prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan mixture. Place into oven and bake until tender, about 15 minutes. Then broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the crisp and golden brown.
4. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

For dipping sauce:

• 1/4 cup Sir Kensignton Classic Ketchup
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• tsp minced fresh basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and serve with zucchini fries.