Guest Blog: Fine Dining at Home with Kirhan Cheng

White wine risotto & Chicken picatta. Made by Kirhan Cheng.

As with most of my concoctions, this meal was inspired by what I already had in my fridge and pantry. But staying true to my culinary point of view, I wanted to make it a fine dining experience that can be enjoyed from home.

To start off the meal, we have a white peach sangria. For the ignorant college students that only drink cheap crap like Bud Light and Smirnoff, sangria is basically an Iberian fruit punch spiked with wine and sometimes other spirits. I made it with orange and pineapple juice, peach nectar, fresh oranges, lemons and peaches, some simple syrup, and about 1/3 of a bottle of Pinot Grigio. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours to allow the flavors to marry. You can substitute any other fruit you like and you can also adjust the amount and the type of alcohol. If you’re not a big drinker (like me :)), 1/3 of a bottle of wine is just enough to know that it’s there but not enough to taste the bitterness or the burn.

White peach sangria by Kirhan Cheng.

For the starch, we have white wine risotto with spears of asparagus. The preparation is a bit of a process, so impatient people might want to stick to fried rice =p. First, toast any medium-short grain rice (I used white Arborio) in a sauté pan with some butter and onion (you could also use shallots for a milder flavor). Then add the alcohol and let some of it cook out. Next, add HOT chicken stock in small batches and let the rice slowly absorb the stock and release its starches. This step is important to achieve rich, creamy risotto. If you add all the liquid at once, you will just have congee =.= Lastly, add in the blanched asparagus spears and season with salt, pepper, parmesan cheese. Top with crisped prosciutto for a nice salty crunch. This risotto is awesome if you want to impress your friends or boy/girlfriend, but if you’re cooking for one, I would just go with some rice porridge and preserved salted egg and save yourself the labor.

White Wine Risotto by Kirhan Cheng.

Another shot! :)

For the main course, we have chicken picatta. I didn’t have to pick up a single thing from the store to make this recipe because all you need is flour, an egg, bread crumbs, and chicken breast. You’ll want to start by butterflying your chicken breasts. Just take a sharp knife and slice the breast in half with your blade parallel to the cutting board. An alternative would be to use a tenderizing mallet to pound out the breast to ¼ of an inch thick. Next, prepare your flour, egg wash, and breading stations. I highly suggest you use seasoned bread crumbs, but if not, just salt and pepper your plain bread crumbs. Heat up about 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium high heat and add your floured-egged-breaded (in that order) chicken and fry until golden brown on both sides. For best results, only fry one piece of chicken at a time. Serve with slices of lemon.

Chicken Picatta up close. Made by Kirhan Cheng.

And last but not least, we have super easy homemade mango ice cream! The recipe is so easy, it’s impossible to fuck up- and you don’t need an ice cream machine. In a large bowl, mix together mango puree (fresh or frozen), a can of condensed milk, and a tub of cool whip. Freeze for about 2-3 hours and then stir in fresh cubes of mango. Freeze for another 2-3 hours and it’s ready to eat! Cool whip can be substituted with any other non-dairy whipped topping, but don’t substitute with whipped cream or any other dairy product or you’ll end up with a rock hard mango creamsicle. 

Homemade Mango ice cream by Kirhan Cheng.

Aside from maybe the risotto, all of these dishes are super easy and super accessible for any college student to prepare. The sangria and ice cream are great for entertaining b/c they can be made in advance, and the chicken can be whipped up in less than 20 minutes. And if you’re a fatty like me, sometimes you just like treating yourself to a gourmet meal w/o having to go out. xP Happy eating everyone!! :D