Are you hungry yet?
The first time I attempted that delicious dish, it turned out like this:
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| [Insert sad trombone sound effect.] |
I even wrote a post about it. I was so disappointed because my niece Diane's braid looked just stunning, and I was trying to show off. But I forgot about it until yesterday, when my niece posted it again on Facebook, along with a link to the recipe on her blog.
I decided I would try again today. And this time, it actually turned out and got rave reviews from my family. I made very few changes from Diane's recipe, but did snap some in-progress pictures (in case you have the same difficulty I do when it comes to following instructions).
INGREDIENTS
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
4 oz. (1cup) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mayonnaise [I used 1/4 cup mayo and 1/4 cup Greek yogurt]
2 tsp. all-purpose dill mix [I've never heard of "dill mix" and, since dill is my least-favourite herb, I only used 1/2 teaspoon of dried dill. I should have used more.]
1/4 tsp. salt
2 pkgs. (8oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, lightly beaten [Can anyone tell me why it needs to be beaten?]
2 tbls. sliced almonds
2 tsp hemp hearts [My addition.]
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375F.
As Diane instructed, basically chop/shred/measure everything and throw all of it except the crescent rolls, egg whites, slivered almonds and hemp hearts into a large bowl and mix. [I reserved some of the cheddar cheese for an additional garnish.]
The "braid" is the part that had me confused. Here's a picture of how I laid out the crescent-roll triangles.
If I'd paid closer attention to Diane's blog, I would have known that, at this point, I should grab a rolling pin and press the layered triangles together. I did not do that. You should.
Then I placed the filling on top of the dough.
It's starting to look appetizing, isn't it? It occurred to me that this looks a lot like broccoli salad, which made me think that bacon would not go amiss. I may do it next time, but I was too lazy today.
And now -- the moment of truth! What would it look like when I draped the pastry over the top?
You can see that I kind of had to shove the droopy ends of the triangles under the filling. I might have had less droop if I'd twisted the dough as the original instructions indicated or if I'd overlapped the triangles more.
Next, brush egg white over the dough and sprinkle with almonds. I also sprinkled a little grated cheddar and a wee bit of dill. Oh, and some hemp hearts.
I prepared it this far and then tucked it into the fridge until Steve got home. If you have company, you could probably prepare it this far the day ahead, or at least prepare the chicken filling.
Bake 25-28 minutes. And this is the pièce de résistance!
I served it with a simple green salad, and it fed five adults, with leftovers. (Emily has already claimed dibs on one "slice" for breakfast.)
I decided I would try again today. And this time, it actually turned out and got rave reviews from my family. I made very few changes from Diane's recipe, but did snap some in-progress pictures (in case you have the same difficulty I do when it comes to following instructions).
INGREDIENTS
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
4 oz. (1cup) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mayonnaise [I used 1/4 cup mayo and 1/4 cup Greek yogurt]
2 tsp. all-purpose dill mix [I've never heard of "dill mix" and, since dill is my least-favourite herb, I only used 1/2 teaspoon of dried dill. I should have used more.]
1/4 tsp. salt
2 pkgs. (8oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, lightly beaten [Can anyone tell me why it needs to be beaten?]
2 tbls. sliced almonds
2 tsp hemp hearts [My addition.]
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375F.
As Diane instructed, basically chop/shred/measure everything and throw all of it except the crescent rolls, egg whites, slivered almonds and hemp hearts into a large bowl and mix. [I reserved some of the cheddar cheese for an additional garnish.]
The "braid" is the part that had me confused. Here's a picture of how I laid out the crescent-roll triangles.
 |
| Not the most appetizing thing I've ever seen. |
Then I placed the filling on top of the dough.
It's starting to look appetizing, isn't it? It occurred to me that this looks a lot like broccoli salad, which made me think that bacon would not go amiss. I may do it next time, but I was too lazy today.
And now -- the moment of truth! What would it look like when I draped the pastry over the top?
 |
| Not cooked yet. |
Next, brush egg white over the dough and sprinkle with almonds. I also sprinkled a little grated cheddar and a wee bit of dill. Oh, and some hemp hearts.
I prepared it this far and then tucked it into the fridge until Steve got home. If you have company, you could probably prepare it this far the day ahead, or at least prepare the chicken filling.
 |
| You should probably cover it if you're going to leave it for more than half an hour. |
I served it with a simple green salad, and it fed five adults, with leftovers. (Emily has already claimed dibs on one "slice" for breakfast.)
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| You can see the hemp hearts well in this picture - they're the tiny specks that look like sesame seeds. |
I use to make this all the time -- and yeah, I always ended up with some droopy ends. LOL
ReplyDeletebut nothing can beat the taste! and it usually looks amazing when it's done even if not quite perfect. I always found it was a perfect brunch dish.
It really was delicious. And I think I'll include bacon next time because -- why not?
DeleteI originally thought the hemp hearts were sesame seeds in your picture. Do they taste similar? I think I may try sesame seeds on mine tomorrow, and bacon is a great idea. :)
ReplyDeleteLaura, hemp hearts taste a little like almonds-- very mild flavour. They're a little meatier than sesame seeds, to the tooth. But they're also more expensive because they aren't as popular, I suspect.
Delete