Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe comes from my SIL Amy. She fixed it for us when we visited last year. It was amazing! We have made it several times since then. My cousin came to visit over the weekend and we served this. When she asked for the recipe I realized I hadn't ever posted it.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Marinade

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
• salt
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, ginger and salt. Stir in chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
• 4 tsp ground cumin
• 4 tsp paprika
• salt to taste
• 1 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Cook chicken on high in skillet until juices run clear
2. Melt butter in a large heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add cooked chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. 
3. Serve with rice and naan, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Chocolate Pomegranate Walnut Tart

This recipe was inspired by a dessert Aaron had at Epic in Wisconsin. They have the ingredients listed, but no recipe instructions. This one was pretty easy to figure out. Of course we scaled it back, and it still made a lot of servings. 

Ingredients
For crust

• 1 lb walnuts, finely ground
• 6 oz sugar
• 4 oz butter, melted

For ganache

• 2 lbs 6 oz chocolate chips
• 1 qt heavy cream
• 1/2 pomegranate
• dash of vanilla

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine walnuts, sugar and butter, mix well. Press into 10x15 pan with a lip. (half sheet)
2. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
3. Pour chocolate chips into microwave safe bowl. Pour cream over top. Microwave at 50% for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue to microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each time, until completely melted. Mix in vanilla and a bit of pomegranate juice if desired. 
4. Pour over cooled crust. Spread evenly tapping the pan if needed to smooth out the surface. Set aside to cool and set up. About 2 hours
5. When set, slice into several pieces. Place a pomegranate seed in the middle of each piece.

A few notes:

• we used the blender to juice about 20 seeds just slightly, and then put it through a fine mesh strainer to strain out the hard part of the seed. We added that to the ganache. 
• You may also use a double boiler to melt the chocolate and heat the cream. 
• We cut ours into about 35 pieces, and tried to give away as many as we could. 
• Oh, and it's gluten free, but certainly not fat free :)