Shallots Web

Fried Chicken

I fry chicken once a year, at most.  That said, I love it and could eat it every day.  When I was living with the girls (Stacey and Alexis), I decided that I wanted to perfect the art of frying chicken, since I had only ever had it from restaurants or from the box in the freezer case of the supermarket.  Stacey and I both fell in love with the batches I made and, if I remember correctly, we once ended up eating an entire fried chicken between the two of us.  Back then, I was frying in solid vegetable shortening, but since that time, the information about trans fat has come to our culinary attentions.  On Stacey and Alexis’ most recent visit to Chicago, Stacey requested a recipe of fried chicken at some point.  I decided to fry in pure peanut oil, which is what I’ve read and seen real southern chefs do.  The results were better than ever!  

One thing you need to learn right off the bat about making this recipe is that it takes time and there is really no rushing it.  The prep work takes awhile, so it is best if you can get all of the ingredients you need at least a day before you want to serve the chicken.  There are four major steps:  marinating, dredging, drying, and frying.  By far the longest step, I usually marinate the chicken overnight in the refrigerator in a big bowl; the Bun calls it ”Salmonella Soup.”  Dredging is simply coating the chicken pieces in seasoned flour, and drying is when you place the dredged pieces on a rack so that a crust forms on the chicken; this third step is very helpful in making crispy chicken with breading that sticks to the pieces through cooking and serving.  Frying is, well, where the magic happens.  You should feel free to adjust the seasonings in both the marinade and the flour to your tastes, whether you like more warm spices, or herbs, or heat, or simply salt and pepper.  I like a mixture of everything, with no prominent or dominating flavor.  Be kind to your arteries and don’t repeat this one too often:  Fried Chicken.

Fish Taco

Whenever I think about making tacos, I start to imagine what people from my childhood used to do for “taco night,” and I shudder a little.  I just picture walking into the supermarket, picking up a box of stale taco shells, a packet of seasoning, and some fatty ground beef.  Don’t get me wrong, I think my taste buds are doing a little dance right now thinking about that spicy grease dribbling down my chin, but my ticker just slowed a little at the prospect of that dinner.  Equally frightening and tasty are some of the traditional Mexican preparations of fish tacos, which often incorporate fried chunks of firm whitefish with soft tortillas and a spicy, creamy sauce.  When our lovely friend recently suggested we make Fish Tacos together for dinner one night, I envisioned the cast iron filled with peanut oil and admittedly balked.  I decided that there must be a way to make them without frying, surely.  On a whim, I reviewed some recipes on Epicurious and found a good number that used firm fish sauteed, then flaked into small pieces.  The key, it seemed, was a brief marinating period before cooking.  With a chunky Avocado-Mango Guacsa (not to get too Rachael Ray on you with the hybrid word), I didn’t think anyone would miss the creamy sauce, or the frying, for that matter.  The result?  A pretty incredible dinner.  Our party was quite pleased and it wasn’t long before we were making them again!

The Bun and I spent a weekend in Indianapolis visiting family and generally gorging ourselves on homemade treats that his sister-in-law Amy made for us, along with a few yummy things from other cooks in the family (thanks, Aunt Mary, for the Pie Crust Cookies!).  

Pie Crust Cookies!

Amy and I got to talking about making ice cream, and so I started to crave it, of course; along with the warm weather teases, I am likely to make at least one batch soon, and maybe more.  Some of the more creative flavors of ice creams and sorbets that we’ve tried are a twist on the traditional, including:  

Bees and Flowers Ice Cream (flavored with lavender and honey)
Peach-Bay Sorbet (using white peaches and fresh bay leaf)
Citrus-Basil Sorbet
Spice Cream (using many of the “warm” spices you might use in gingerbread)

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