Chicken and dumplings

Lunch today was yesterday's chicken fricassee with dumplings added and the ooey gooey cake.  I guess I would describe the cake as a thick cake like crust with a thin cheesecake pie-like topping with pineapple juice used for the liquid in both top and bottom them topped with pineapple and cherry when cooked. The bottom of the cake I made was too browned so I cut it off for today's dessert.

Chicken Fricassee (Fricassee de Poulet a  L'Ancienne)

• 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), cut into 11 pieces (reserve back and wing tips for another use, such as stock) 
  
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 
  3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided 
  1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
  1 small yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup) 
  1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1/2 cup) 
  1 celery stalk, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1/3 cup) 
  8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered 
  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
  2/3 cup dry white wine 
  4 cups chicken broth 
  2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley 
  2 sprigs fresh thyme 
  1 bay leaf 
  2 large egg yolks, room temperature 
  1/4 cup heavy cream 
  2 to 3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh tarragon leaves 
  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
  

DIRECTIONS

• 1. Brown Chicken
  Season chicken on both sides with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Preheat a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the oil to pot. When butter melts and foam subsides, add half the chicken, skin side down, in a single layer; do not crowd pot. (If butter begins to blacken, lower heat.) Fry chicken, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken. 
   Saute Mirepoix
  Reduce heat to medium, and add mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery) to pot, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Saute mirepoix, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown in places, 8 to 10 minutes. 
  3. Cook Mushrooms and Flour
  Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms darken, become glossy, and begin to release liquid, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook until flour is absorbed by vegetables and is no longer visible, about 1 minute. 
  4. Pour in Wine and Broth
  Add wine to pot, and bring to a boil, stirring until liquid just thickens, about 45 seconds. Add broth, and stir. 
  5. Simmer Chicken
  Place chicken, skin side up, in a single layer on vegetables; pour juices that have accumulated on plate into pot. Tie parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine; add to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially. Cook until internal temperature of thickest part of chicken registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a clean plate. Simmer liquid, uncovered, until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Discard herbs. 
  6. Make and Add Liaison
  To make the liaison (sauce thickener), whisk together egg yolks and cream in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, pour 1/2 cup cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, into liaison to temper it. Stir tempered liaison into pot. 
  7. Finish with Tarragon, Lemon, and Butter
  Return chicken to pot. Add tarragon, lemon juice, and the remaining butter. Bring to a simmer, stir gently to combine, and serve. 
  

DUMPLINGS   from The James Beard Cook Book                                                  

2 C. sifted all-purpose flour                                      

3 teaspoons baking powder                    

1 teaspoon salt                                         

2 eggs

2/3 C. milk

Sift the dry ingredients together.  Beat the eggs and milk together lightly and blend with the flour mixture to make fairly stiff dough.  About 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the lid from the pot in which the chicken is cooking and drop rounded tablespoons of the dumpling dough over the surface of the liquid, spacing them a few inches apart to allow room for them to puff up. C###Oover the pan, keeping the liquid at a simmer, and cook the dumplings for 15 minutes, until light and cooked through.  Do not remove the lid while the dumplings are cooking.  Serve with poached chicken.

 Ooey Gooey Pineapple Cake

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes Nutrition facts: 765 calories 40.3g fat from Dude That Cookz

INGREDIENTS

Bottom Layer:

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Large Organic Egg
• 4 oz Melted Butter
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 cup Fresh Pineapple Juice
• Top Layer:
• 8 oz Cream Cheese
• 4 oz Creme Fraiche
• 3 Large Organic Eggs
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tbsp Almond Extract
• 1/4 cup Fresh Pineapple Juice
• 3 oz. Melted Butter
• 3 cups Powered Sugar
• 3 Pineapple Slices
• 3 Maraschino Cherries

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Begin by pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees. Coat the cast iron skillet with butter and set to the side.
2. In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, sugar, and brown sugar then slightly whisk together. Add melted butter and vanilla extract and whisk. Add slightly beaten egg and pineapple juice to bowl and whisk together until it begins to bind (to a smooth texture). Do not over whisk.
3. Evenly spread mixture over the over of the buttered cast iron pan.
4. In a separate large bowl, add cream cheese, Creme Fraiche, vanilla extract, almond extract, pineapple juice, melted butter. Blend with hand blender until smooth. Add each of the 3 eggs individually while continuing to blend. Add powered sugar and continue blending for 3 minutes until smooth.
5. Evenly add cream cheese mixture over the bottom layer mixture and spread until smooth.
6. Bake cake for 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees then allow to cool for 30 minutes when done.
7. Top off with baked pineapple slices, maraschino cherries,  sprinkle with powdered sugar then serve.