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So this NICSA came along at the perfect time, as I just got the Food Lab cookbook and I've been looking for an excuse to make Kenji's fried chicken and build a southern-inspired menu around it. It's not the most original idea, and I'm already not the only fried chicken entry, but I love cooking southern food so what the hell, might as well still post it. Twice-Fried Chicken Start with a whole chicken...  and take it apart.  Mix together a spice blend of paprika, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, oregano and marjoram and add some of it to a couple cups of buttermilk, and beat in one egg.  Toss your chicken parts in the brine and transfer to a gallon ziploc bag and let it brine in the fridge overnight, turning occasionally to evenly brine the bird.  The next day, whisk together a cup and a half of flour with half a cup of cornstarch and some baking powder, then whisk in your remaining spice mixture along with a couple extra teaspoons of salt. Work a few tablespoons of the brine into the flour with your fingers, then toss your chicken parts to coat and transfer them to a wire rack while you heat up a quart of peanut oil in your dutch oven.  Once your oil is hot enough, add some chicken to the pot, being careful not to overcrowd it. Work in multiple batches if necessary (I heated my oil to 450 before adding my first batch, which may have been a little too high, as I wound up scorching one of the breasts.)  Fry your chicken until it's golden brown and then transfer to a wire rack on a baking sheet and then finish cooking in the oven at 350 degrees. Take out the chicken once it has finished cooking and allow it to cool, then transfer to the fridge and leave it for at least one hour. I left it overnight.  Once the chicken is sufficiently chilled and you're getting ready to eat, remove it from the fridge and heat up some oil (or reheat your old oil, although you should filter it first) to about 400 and give it a second fry for just a few minutes per side to get an extra crispy crust.  After it's done frying, transfer it to a wire rack and salt it immediately after you take it out of the oil. Then, promptly forget to take a picture of the finished product because you're trying to stealthily set up a back yard picnic to surprise your wife while she's watching Netflix in the next room. Pimiento Cheese Pasta Salad Probably my favorite southern dish is pimiento cheese and I wanted to find some way to incorporate it into this meal. I figured a pasta salad would be a good route to go to add it to the meal without it winding up feeling too heavy. To start, grate up a half pound of sharp cheddar cheese.  In a separate bowl, toss together twelve ounces of diced pimientos, one minced jalapeno and one bunch of thin sliced scallions.  Since we're going to make this a pasta salad with pimiento cheese flavors, but not actually pimiento cheese, we're going to be adding the requisite mayo, but skipping the cream cheese that would normally be included. Since this is a southern dish, there's only one mayo that's acceptable to use.  Into the mayo and veggie mixture, add in some garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt and black pepper to taste, then mix in the cheddar cheese.  Once this is all mixed together, toss in a pound of cooked pasta, cooked just a hair past al dente. I went with a cavatappi pasta, and then promptly forgot to take a picture of the finished product before plating the meal. Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey Butter Fried chicken and biscuits is a classic combination, so I couldn't not make them. Plus, I have extra buttermilk that needs to be put to a good use, so what better way to use it up. Start by mixing a couple of cups of flour with baking powder, a little baking soda and a little salt.  Next, take a stick of very cold butter and cut it into half-inch cubes, then toss them to coat in the dry ingredients before transferring the bowl to your freezer for ten minutes.  After the ingredients have chilled, cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender until you have a bunch of little pea-sized pebbles of flour and butter.  Stir in one cup of cold buttermilk, mixing until just incorporated. You should stir the dough about 15 times with a wooden spoon to get it to where you want to be without overmixing it.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat it down into a roughly half inch thick rectangle with your hands. Don't use a rolling pin, as that will develop the gluten more than you want in this recipe. Once you have it down to the appropriate thickness, fold the rectangle in half and pat it down again. Repeat this process until you've folded the dough five times, then pat it down to a half inch and proceed to cut yourself some biscuits. The folding will help to create flaky layers throughout your biscuits. Dip your biscuit cutter in flour before every cut to prevent sticking. Also, don't ever twist your cutter to help cut the dough. That will cause the biscuit itself to twist a little and will keep it from rising fully. Also, if you're like me and don't own an actual biscuit cutter, a straight walled drinking glass around two inches in diameter will suffice.  Place your cut biscuits on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, making sure to arrange your biscuits so they touch one another. This will allow them to support each other as they rise. Bake them in a 400 degree oven for around 12 to 15 minutes, taking them out when the tops are golden brown.  For serving, whip up a simple honey compound butter to put on those biscuits. Simply allow a stick of butter to soften in a bowl, then whip it with butter to taste. I wound up using a couple teaspoons of honey total. Also, always remember that the best honey always comes in a bottle shaped like a bear.  Coffe and Chocolate Chip Blondies These aren't really all that southern, but I was just in the mood to make some blondies for some reason. Start by melting together some butter and brown sugar.  Next, mix in a couple of tablespoons of strong coffee.  Remove your coffee, butter and sugar mixture from the heat and allow it to cool a bit until you can safely mix in an egg and some vanilla extract as well.  Next, whisk together some flour, baking powder and salt and mix it into your butter/sugar mixture.  Once mixed, fold in a cup and a half of chocolate chips.  Transfer to a greased 9 x 13 baking dish fitted with a parchment sling.  Bake your blondies at 350 for around 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Once they've cooled, cut them into squares and actually remember to take a picture of the finished product.  Once all of your components are complete, set up your meal on your favorite picnic blanket and serve with a seasonally appropriate beer.  
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Jun 22, 2017 03:02
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 16:12 |
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Apart from the abomination your nation has named a "salad", this looks great! I like the
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Jun 22, 2017 10:10
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That fried chicken, though. I thoroughly approve!
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Jun 22, 2017 11:39
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As a fan of both pimento cheese and pasta salad, I'm real curious as to how that turned out.
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Jun 22, 2017 14:40
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Ben Nevis posted:As a fan of both pimento cheese and pasta salad, I'm real curious as to how that turned out. It was good. Classic pimiento cheese flavor with just a little extra heat to it. I'll definitely make it again, although next time I might add something to give it just a little bit more depth to the flavor. Maybe a smokey element, like just a little smoked paprika, or replace the cayenne with chipotle powder.
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Jun 22, 2017 14:55
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Maybe use a smoked cheddar? Applewood, I'd probably go with.
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Jun 22, 2017 16:26
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Liquid Communism posted:Maybe use a smoked cheddar? Applewood, I'd probably go with. Maybe, but given just how much cheese there is in the dish, I'd worry about it winding up too smokey. I'm just looking for a little bit of smoke in the background.
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Jun 22, 2017 17:39
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Russian Guyovitch posted:It was good. Classic pimiento cheese flavor with just a little extra heat to it. I'll definitely make it again, although next time I might add something to give it just a little bit more depth to the flavor. Maybe a smokey element, like just a little smoked paprika, or replace the cayenne with chipotle powder. Something like 'nduja would be amazing.
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Jun 22, 2017 17:48
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Nicely done. It may be gilding the lily, but, that honey butter needs to also go on the chicken ....
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Jun 23, 2017 06:47
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Outstanding effort. I would happily eat all of your food. How's that beer?
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Jun 23, 2017 15:01
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Russian Guyovitch posted:It was good. Classic pimiento cheese flavor with just a little extra heat to it. I'll definitely make it again, although next time I might add something to give it just a little bit more depth to the flavor. Maybe a smokey element, like just a little smoked paprika, or replace the cayenne with chipotle powder. If you want to up your pimento cheese game try making your own mayo! I'm not gonna dog on Duke's it's fine but I think you'd be surprised at how good and easy homemade mayo is. Here's a video on how to do it in less than 2 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbPF_rLpd9o This is a great entry good job!
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Jun 23, 2017 15:16
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You did well. Fried chicken looks great. I take issue only with Russian Guyovitch posted:Since this is a southern dish, there's only one mayo that's acceptable to use. Because  
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Jun 25, 2017 00:05
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 16:12 |
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The Midniter posted:Outstanding effort. I would happily eat all of your food. It's tasty. It's a nice, light summery beer that doesn't have too much of a fruit forward flavor. You get a little watermelon, but it's not overwhelming.
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Jun 25, 2017 03:57
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