Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Special Treat –  Jennifer Oliver

December 10, 2007

Pink Peppercorns

Jennifer Oliver

Written by my mother...

I'd been feeling guilty about not using the beautiful cookbook that my daughter, Jackie, gave me for Christmas, so I thought, what the heck -- it's a nice Wednesday morning, and don't we all want to prepare a lovely luncheon for hubby on Wednesday morning?

I'd been scanning the recipes for days and had to decide what would not be too heavy nor too hot for a hot summer day.

Aha! Peppercorn Chicken Breasts. Perfect.

Started the grocery list. The only thing I had on hand was the chicken breasts. Pink peppercorns? That's a new one on me.

Before I finished the list, I had to decide on a dessert. Both my husband, Joe, and I loved desserts--unfortunately. Scan, scan, scan. Aha! Apricot Delight. Now doesn't that sound refreshing? The list grew longer but what the heck.

Off I go to Wal-Mart where they had everything, right? Not! What?! No fresh tarragon? And what's this? Whipping cream for a dollar- ninety-five for just a half-pint? And no pink peppercorns?

Maybe I should have gone to my aerobics class instead. After all, I was already missing Regis and what's-her-name, but I wanted to catch "The View." This seemed like a good idea at 8:30 a.m., and now it's nearly 9:30. Oh, well. Lunch at noon was still possible.

Off to Albertson's--that's a good store. Albertson's had no fresh tarragon or pink peppercorns (guess I had to settle for the black ones at home). The whipping cream was about the same price as it was at Wal-Mart, so I had to cave in. I threw a bag of almonds into the cart. The recipe called for a half cup of tarragon for the chicken. What to substitute? The clerk suggested a nice grocery store on the west side of town for fresh tarragon. Having lost a good chunk of time, I decided to forego that.

I set up the ingredients on my kitchen counter. The first order of business was to crush almonds. Joe loved almonds, and he was going to be quite surprised to see them on the cake.

But have you ever tried to crush OR chop almonds? Those little monsters are hard as rocks. I got out my nut chopper with the little handle. It works like a charm on pecans, but it couldn't even begin to chop the almonds.

I remembered the neat nut chopper that came with my Krups mixer. I dug it out of the cupboard in the garage but no dice (pun intended). My last resort was the food processor. I had to stand on my head to find it in the back of the corner cupboard. It was wrapped in a plastic bag since we never used it anymore. Well, those sharp metal blades didn't make a dent in the almonds either. Have you ever tried to chop almonds with a knife on a cutting board? That's exactly what I ended up doing with those nuts.

In the meantime, tempus was definitely fugiting.

Missed most of "The View." Because these recipe directions were rather complicated, I had to mute the TV. This cake had better be good was all I could say.

The almond topping was a nice touch after all.

Popped the potatoes into the oven and had to finish them in the microwave since noon was encroaching upon us. Joe had been home from golfing for a while but claimed he wasn't hungry "just yet."

Thankfully the chicken breasts took only minutes and smelled delicious. Where did that jar of dried tarragon come from in the cupboard and how long had it been there? Upon re-reading the recipe, the chicken only called for a half teaspoon, not cup. A lovely orange juice/cream/tarragon sauce topped off the chicken. Warmed up the peas and hard rolls, opened that wonderful bottle of wine, and we're all set!

Joe said, "Boy, what's the occasion? Looks like you went through a lot of trouble!"

"Oh, it was nothing."

PEPPERCORN CHICKEN BREASTS

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 tablespoon crushed whole pink, green, or Szechwan peppercorns

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup dry sherry or orange juice

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap. Flatten to ?-inch thickness using a meat mallet. Sprinkle with peppercorns. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook, turning once, until chicken is done, about 10 or 12 minutes. Remove chicken and keep warm.

Increase heat to high. Add sherry or orange juice to pan. Whisk in cream and tarragon. Boil, stirring constantly, until sauce is glossy and reduced to one-half its original volume. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve immediately.

Bon appetit!