Episode 1: Chicken and dumplings
"Hello everybody and welcome back to the third season of our show cooking with Astrid and Hiccup. I'm Hiccup and this is my lovely co-host and girlfriend Astrid." Hiccup introduces as he and Astrid take the stage side by side.
The set was decorated with a Christmas tree and various other baubles and garland. In the middle of the set hung a red velvet cord with a note on it. Hiccup went up to the cord, read the note, and then pulled it.
There was some rumbling from above and then a mountain of envelopes fell on Astrid. This caused the entire audience to laugh hysterically. When Astrid finally emerged from the pile she was glaring at Hiccup.
"Astrid I was just doing what the note said." Hiccup said quickly while showing the note to the audience. On the note everyone could see written 'Hiccup please pull cord. –Your lovely Producer :) '
"One of these days I'm going to get that producer." Astrid mumbled while pulling an envelope from her hair.
"These must be the reviewer's recipe requests." Hiccup said excitingly as he opened the envelope Astrid had in her hand. "Let's see, our recipe for today is Chicken and dumplings sent in by ariatheguardianangel106."
Hiccup and Astrid moved behind the counter as Ruffnut and some stagehands took care of the mountain of envelopes.
"This recipe has three parts. The house seasoning, The chicken, and the dumplings. For the house seasoning we'll need 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup black pepper, 1/4 cup garlic powder." Hiccup said as Astrid took out the utensils.
"For the chicken we'll need 1 (2 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces, 3 ribs celery, chopped, 1 large onion, chopped, 2 bay leaves, 2 chicken bouillon cubes, 1 teaspoon House Seasoning, recipe follows, 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of celery or cream of chicken soup." Hiccup looked around confused after summing up the ingredients because he couldn't find the chicken. Looking towards Ruffnut, silently asking her what was wrong, only got more confusing.
Ruffnut came on stage looking a bit nervous. "The chickens have formed an Union and are now protesting the use of too many chicken recipes."
"The... chickens... have... formed.. a.. union." Astrid said slowly trying to process the sentence. "And who is their leader?"
"Eh…Chicken." Ruffnut stated after hesitating for a bit.
Astrid took out her butcher's knife, kissed Hiccup on the cheek, and then headed backstage shouting "Don't worry babe, I'll get you your chicken!"
"ASTRID!" Tuffnut yelled running after her. "MY BABY!"
"Fishlegs, cut to commercials." Hiccup quickly said as sounds of a scuffle and feathers could be seen from backstage.
When the show returned we could see a satisfied looking Astrid behind the counter. A prepared chicken was now sitting in front of Hiccup and Astrid.
"Astrid, this isn't Chicken is it?" Hiccup asked while looking at Tuffnut who was covered in bruises.
"No, the little demon-bird managed to run away." Astrid muttered. "When I get my hands on that bird….."
"Let's just continue." Hiccup quickly said. "For the dumplings we'll need 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and ice water."
"For the house seasoning, mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months." Hiccup said while taking out a container from the fridge.
"Where did that come from Hiccup?" Astrid asked.
"Don't know, the twins must have prepared it beforehand." Hiccup said with a shrug.
"To start the chicken, place the chicken, celery, onion, bay leaves, bouillon, and House Seasoning in a large pot. Add 4 quarts of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat." Hiccup explained as Astrid began the process.
"Simmer the chicken until it is tender and the thigh juices run clear, which would take about 40 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and, when it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and separate the meat from the bones." Hiccup said as Astrid ecstatically went to work on the chicken.
Astrid was nearly done when Hiccup commented "You're enjoying that, aren't you?"
Astrid gave Hiccup a wicked smirk before replying "You have no idea."
At this point many in the audience must have thought 'Poor Poor Chicken.'
"Next we return the chicken meat to the pot. Keep warm over low heat."
"To prepare the dumplings, mix the flour with the salt and mound together in a mixing bowl. Beginning at the center of the mound, drizzle a small amount of ice water over the flour. Using your fingers, and moving from the center to the sides of the bowl, gradually incorporate about 3/4 cup of ice water. Knead the dough and form it into a ball." Hiccup said but turned as Astrid grumbled. He saw that she had shaped the dough to resemble a chicken and was squashing it furiously.
"PSSTTT, Tuffnut." Snotlout whispered to their director. "You might want to have Chicken lay low for this season."
"Dust a good amount of flour onto a clean work surface. Roll out the dough (it will be firm), working from center to 1/8-inch thick. Let the dough relax for several minutes." Hiccup said while he quickly began to roll out the dough himself.
"Next add the cream of celery soup to the pot with the chicken and simmer gently over medium-low heat." Hiccup explained as Astrid proceeded to pour the soup.
"Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. Pull a piece in half and drop the halves into the simmering soup. Repeat. Do not stir the chicken once the dumplings have been added. Gently move the pot in a circular motion so the dumplings become submerged and cook evenly. Cook until the dumplings float and are no longer doughy, which should take up to 3 to 4 minutes." Hiccup stated as Snotlout moved in for a close up.
"To serve, ladle chicken, gravy, and dumplings into warm bowls."
"That was it folks for this episode. We hope to see you next time." Hiccup said as he and Astrid waved to the audience.
Producer's note: (on the phone)… "Tuffnut why is Chicken sitting on my head?"
Tuffnut: "My baby needed a safe place to hide, and what is a safer place than with the person who controls Astrid's salary."
Producer: "Tuffnut if Chicken lays one more egg on my head then Astrid will be the least of your problems."
