Recipes from My Dad's 60th Birthday Dinner Part one (chicken leg curry in a crockpot and carrots au gratin)

hello readers on wedensday I made my dad a very special 60th birthday dinner this is part one of the recipes the dessert will come up in the next post, but I will share 2 recipes in this post for chicken leg curry in a crock pot and carrots au gratin so I hope you enjoy the recipes I made for the special day and thanks for saying happy birthday to the great man!

Chicken Leg curry in a crockpot

for the garam masala
4 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
6 green cardamom pods
10 whole cloves
1/8 cup fennel seeds
method
in a small skillet dry toast the spices until it infuses and turns fragrant make sure you don't burn the spices, it only takes about a few minutes. then add them to a coffee grinder and grind until it turns into fine powder and you have garam marsala already made yourself

for the curry marinate
5 chicken legs bone in skin on, I use trader joe's it has great flavor
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3/4 black pepper
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground ginger
3 large cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp kosher salt
juice of an 1/2 lemon
method
make the paste with the spices in a bowl. add the chicken and rub with your hands and massage it a bit. then let it marinate for 2-3 hours in the fridge

for the sautéing and gravy
2 onions, sliced
4 shallots, sliced
1 tsp curry powder
2 Serrano peppers, seeded and diced
leftover marinade from the chicken
1/4 tsp each hot sauce, turermic and pepper
1 tsp garam masala
canola oil 1/2 cup plus 1 tbl divded
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
2 tbl tomato paste
1/8 cup water

heat a pot on medium high heat, heat some canola oil once oil heats up add the chicken in a single layer and fry until you get a golden brown crust. then you transfer to a 5 quart crockpot and set aside
add more oil to the same pot and once it's hot add the onion, shallots and serranos and sauté until softened for 5-8 minutes. then add in the marinade and cook for additional minute. then add the spices,and water and cook for additional 7 more minutes and then at this point add in the garam masala and tomato pasta stir and then transfer on top of chicken add a little water to help moisten the chicken. cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4 hours. then its ready. serve with rice

Carrots Au Gratin
From Dr Oz The good life magazine
2lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch coins
1 1/2 tbl olive oil
2 tbl flour
1 1/2 cups milk or low fat milk, heated
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch of nutmeg
2/3 cup grated gruyere cheese
method
preheat oven to 350 degrees in a large pot bring water to a boil add carrots and cook for 5 minutes don't cook all the way, they just need to be precooked. drain and use the same pot for the sauce. add carrots to the casserole dish and set aside
in the same pot over medium low heat add oil and shallot*see note and cook until softened for 5 minutes. stir in flour raise to medium cook stirring frequently until mixture is lightly browned about 3 minutes. slowly add the warm milk whisk often until smooth. bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes until thickened  stir in salt pepper and nutmeg
pour milk mixture over the carrots and toss gently to coat. and sprinkle with gruyere cheese. cover light with foil coated with cooking spray to help keep cheese from sticking. bake 30 minutes covered
uncover and bake additional 30-35 minutes until top is bubbling and brown. enjoy and its a good dish to eat!