Let's talk about food

This version of fried chicken is the best I've ever tasted. It is tender and juicy but not at all greasy.I call it "sorta-fried" because you'll do all the things you usually do when you make fried chicken, but you'll only fry it briefly. You can use whatever parts you wish or you can use a whole chicken. You will use the same breading mixture you would ordinarily use.The trick is to boil the chicken for 45 minutes in milk. Don't worry about scalding or curdling, just let it boil. Once done, remove the chicken and place on paper towels until cool enough to handle comfortably.From this point you do things pretty much as you usually would starting from scratch with two exceptions: first, you will dip the chicken pieces into the egg, then the breading mix, then the egg again, then the breading mix again. Then you will fry it as usual, but only long enough to brown the breading.I promise you'll love it!

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Keep America Safe AND Free!

crashfrog responds to me:

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Mash the avocado and mix in the tomato, scallions, and garlic. Start adding chili powder, coriander, and salt until its hot enough, smoky enough, and salty enough.

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Coriander? That's interesting.

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Yeah, and I mean the ground powder, not the leaves (often referred to as cilantro). The two do not taste the same and cannot be substituted for each other. You could add cilantro if you wish, but that's not the same as adding coriander.And while you could probably get away with just chopped chiles, I would probably add the chiles and consider adding some chili powder anyway. The powder will help maintain an overall level of heat that the chopped chiles can intensify with their other flavors.But as I said, guacamole is one of those great things that you can use to train your taste. "It needs something"...so start adding something that you think might help. There are obvious contributions to the basic dip such as lemon or lime juice. Try using just one and then on your next batch, try the other. Notice the difference. You'll eventually learn how individual flavors will add to the overall mixture.

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Rrhain
WWJD? JWRTFM!

Not to mention that the chili powder adds those smoky notes I love in a good guac. If you use chopped chilies its better to trim out the seeds and that white shit. Otherwise the heat is just over powering.Wear gloves, if you have them, or dip your fingers in a little vegetable oil, before you handle chilies. And for God's sake don't touch your eyes for like two days after handling them.

Use a dark (French) roast, as espresso beans are very darkly roasted. Also if you have something like a French press:that'll give you the boldest flavor from your beans short of an actual espresso machine (which are what, 30 bucks at Target?)

crashfrog writes me:

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...an actual espresso machine (which are what, 30 bucks at Target?)

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Good point, I should go out and buy one. I think I'll do it before I attempt the tiramisu. I want it to be the best it can be.

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Keep America Safe AND Free!

Unless you're looking at the fresh draw in a demitasse, I doubt you could tell the difference between espresso and good French roast from a press.In other words, don't rush out and get an espresso machine unless you like to drink espresso. If you just want a good cup of coffee pick up a french press.

crashfrog writes:

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If you just want a good cup of coffee pick up a french press.

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Just make sure you have a good carafe, too. A french press may be good for making coffee, but it is the worst thing in the world for holding it. Once the coffee is brewed, pour it out into something else. Do not let the coffee sit on the grounds after it's done brewing.

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Rrhain
WWJD? JWRTFM!

I watch Alton often. I respect Alton for correcting himself on a latter episode about noodles about a statement he made about oil being added to water in an earlier.I am disappointed that his website doesn’t have a forum.

Yes, I do like Alton's show.Thanks for the link on the book.While we're talking links. I've been wanting to give making home made cheese a try for some years now. One of those back-burner things. Have you tried that yourself, suggestions on where to begin? I was thinking maybe mascarpone and ricotta, then moving on from there.

Emeril, makes me blink quite often over historical cooking topics.I really underestimated Batalli the first time I caught his show. Just tonight, I was telling someone I would really like to make it back to one of his restaurants.

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While we're talking links. I've been wanting to give making home made cheese a try for some years now. One of those back-burner things. Have you tried that yourself, suggestions on where to begin? I was thinking maybe mascarpone and ricotta, then moving on from there.

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Have you ever made cream fraiche or yogurt? Those are very easy.I'm good friends with an artisan cheesemaker and he says that the things that most folks who want to make cheese as a hoby don't realize are...1) It takes a lot of milk to get a little bit of cheese, because milk is mostly water.2) You can only make really good cheese from really good milk, and most grocery stores don't sell really good milk.3) Cheesemaking is much more about sanitation and sterilizing containers and pots and utensils really well than it is about actually making cheese, a lot of the time.Ricotta would be a good sort of cheese to make at home, I should think, or any other unaged fresh cheese. I'll try to remember to ask him about his suggestions on good books for the beginner.Here's my cream fraiche method...Take a quart or so of the very best cream you can find. Get local stuff, just "pastureized" rather than "ultra-patureized" if you can, it'll tast much better and let it come to room temperature.Run a glass quart jar through the dishwasher to sterilize it, then pour in the cream. Add a tablespoon or so of cultured buttermilk and stir well.Leave in a corner of your kitchen counter at room temperature for a couple of days, loosely covered with a kitchen towel (don't seal it airtight).After a few days it will become thickened and tangy. When it is the level of sourness you like, seal it up and put it into the refrigerator. It will keep a long time, and you can use a little bit of it to start your next batch instead of the buttermilk.This is great instead of storebought sour cream because it is a lot frsher and doesn't contain all of those gums and stabilizers.

and it's also one of the simplest.Get a loaf of French or Italian bread, cut in think slices and toast with some butter and garlic (fresh pressed).Then the rest. Get a mess of different kinds of olives, both dried, oil packed and in brine. Put a bowl of olives where everyone can reach, a small plate at each person's seat.Pour a good olive oil and more fresh pressed galic onto each plate. Serve the bread so folk can eat olives, dip bread into the garlic olive oil and just enjoy.I like a beer with it but an Italian wine such as a Bardolino Superiore also works well.For those that need more than bread and olives to live on, add a Pappa al Pomodoro, a tomatoe and bread soup.This message has been edited by jar, 04-10-2005 03:43 PM

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Thanks, I had not concidered trying to make those.

I do something similar. Instead of cooing the chicken in milk, I marinate the pieces overnight in buttermilk.BTW, when you cook your thankgiving turkey or any other poultry, have you ever brined it?You will never have a jucier bird.The basic proportion id 1 cup kosher salt to 1 gallon of water. You can add other things to the brine like spices and aromatics, but the salt is the most important thing.Here's a guide for times:Whole Chicken (4 pounds).....4 to 12 hours
Chicken Pieces.................1 to 1 1/2 hours
Whole Turkey...................1 to 2 days
Turkey Breast..................5 to 8 hours
Cornish Game Hens............1 to 2 hoursYou can actually do all sorts of meats in brine but poultry benefits the most, I think.

You like to eat just like I like to eat, jar!That kind of meal is especially good in the summer.Here's what I like to do when I have people coming over and I don't want to cook much. It's a somewhat more elaborate variant on your meal. The antipasti is the perfect thing to pick at while enjoying great conversation because it's best at room temperature and everything can be done pretty far in advance. Make sure you have some warm crusty bread!Antipasi platter and pasta meal:The antipasti platter should start with some nice mixed greens on the bottom, or torn romaine, or whatever is nice at the market.Then choose a few or as many of the following list and arrange beautifully on the platter in groups. Note that this is a great dish to serve when there are vegetarians and meat eaters at the same dinner.You can basically open a bunch of jars to do this or do more of it from scratch, it really depends upon what you have time for and desire to do, and what looks good at the market. If the tomatoes aren't good, or you don't have any capers, just leave them out. This is a wonderful dish for entertaining, especially if you want to really wow anyone. Nobody will know it was so effortless.marinated artichoke hearts
roasted bell peppers (you can do orange and yellow too if you roast them yourself)
pickled pepperoncini
celery sliced into thin matchsticks
your favorite olives
roasted or grilled eggplant slices
red onion, thinly sliced or mincedcooked chickpeas or white beans (I almost always use a good canned brand), drained and rinsedfresh fennel bulb, sliced raw or roasted wedges
fresh tomatoes, sliced or cut into wedges, or whole cherry tomatoescheese--small chunks or shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano, a not-too-salty hard sheep's milk cheese, fresh mozzarella, or something semi-soft like Fontina val d'Osta or Taleggio. Basically, any Italian cheese you like
capers, rinsed and drained (soak salt-packed ones for 20 minutes)Sliced Italian-style salami and/or prosciutto, or a really good cooked ham in cubes or slices, mortadella if you can find it, slicedvery good Italian or Spanish tinned tuna or anchovies in olive oilfresh herbs, especially basil
toasted pine nuts
hot pepper flakesArrange everything in neat piles or rows, remembering to use contrast; put something dark, like the grilled eggplant, next to something pale or bright, like the sliced celery or roasted red peppers.Then drizzle everything with a healthy dose of the best grassy, fruity, peppery extra virgin olive oil you can find, followed by the juice of a fresh lemon, and a grinding of fresh black pepper and a sprinkle of sea salt.+++++++++++++++Fettucini with gorgonzola and cream-serves 4 (probably 6 when preceded by the antipasti)Meanwhile, you will have prepared a large pasta serving bowl by pouring in a half-pint of best-quality cream and crumbling in about 4-6 ounces of gorgonzola.Bring a pot of water to the boil and add your salt and cook about a pound of pasta until al dente. Reserve about a cup of pasta cooking water, and drain. Transfer the cooked pasta to the bowl with the cream and cheese. Toss well. If it seems a little dry, add a little of the reserved pasta water to make it creamy but not runny. Grind in lots of black pepper, and toss again, and serve in warmed bowls.This is very rich, so small portions are plenty.+++++++++++++Generally, I serve something light and tart and fruity, like a sorbet, for dessert after this meal, maybe with some small plain butter cookies (often store bought) and strong coffee.This message has been edited by schrafinator, 04-11-2005 08:44 AM