Thomas Keller's Buttermilk Fried Chicken. Sort of.

Okay. Newsflash. Fried chicken is bullshit. Every time I make it... the innocuous pie plates of seasoned flour, the quaint bowl of buttermilk, the pile of harmless chicken parts and pieces... an hour later I am cursing myself as perspiration drips down my face into a vat of boiling hot oil. Why? Because, OH, I'm sorry, let me correct myself, Making fried chicken is bullshit. And, the people who say it's not have never made it. Or, they are the kind of people who have all the time in the world or have a deep fryer. Here's some advice: pan roast your skin-on chicken parts. Sear the skin, flip and stick in a 400 degree oven until cooked through and skin is crisp. Season with salt and pepper. End of story. Just as good. No, even better than that. If you love yourself, do not get involved in buttermilk or dredging, hot boiling 300+ degree oil or seasoned anything except directly on chicken or possibly in a brine.

Trust me on this one, please. And, don't get seduced by those people who tell you the best way to fry chicken is in a cast iron skillet (you know who you are Alton Brown). It's just as messy as a deep fryer, a thick bottomed dutch oven or a $300 Le Creuset cast iron enameled pot which is what I used tonight. To no avail. There was nothing special about that fried chicken except I undercooked the first piece like I always do because how can you really tell that the chicken is cooked all the way through when there is a thick-ass crust covering all that uncooked meat? You cut into it. That's how. And, then, you have that piece of chicken that will get cooked but now since you've knifed into it, it can't be plated for your presentation perfect photo-op dinner plate.

And, you have to take of pic of dinner, especially if you've gone through the hell of frying chicken. OH, and of course, it tasted good. Like family reunion summer picnic with a down home crunch type good. Don't forget, this Spicy browngirl CAN cook--even if it's the dreaded fried chicken. Having Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook by my side helps. With straight-up recipes and manageable lists of ingredients, there's lots of food love for the home cook in those pages.


By the way, here's a great place to BUY kickin' fried chicken (and waffles):

The Little Skillet, San Francisco

And, here's a great place to get whole-roasted and rotisserie chicken:

Good Frikin' Chicken, San Francisco


peace and grits and fryin' legs,

Spice-E

Big Valley Buffalo is Back!

In case you hadn't already heard... Prather Ranch has revived its buffalo trade ("bison" to you rancher types). Almost a year ago, they were having distribution problems and their tasty, grass-fed buffalo trade was stopped. That meant no more buffalo burger breakfasts after my Saturday morning runs along Embarcadero.

However, after today's run (in a shiny, new pair of Asics, I might add), I was thrilled to see buffalo burger on the menu at Prather Ranch's outdoor grill pit at the Ferry Plaza market. The price has gone up--the economy of scale for pristine, grass-fed game meat being what it is--about two bucks a pound more from the last time they had it. And, they're no longer doing a flat rate for 5 lbs of meat. But, Big Valley Buffalo is so worth it. Take it from this foodie...

See you at Prather,

Spicy
SPICE-E

"Food, food, food. Food, food, food."

Hello, Friends!

I'm currently working on a post about Giant Sous Chef, but things have been extremely busy around here... I'm working on a food web series, taking a couple classes and waging a silent war against comma and participle abuse. SO, it's been hectic. Chaotic even.

A Taste: Giant Sous Chef calls himself the Big Dog--you know those friendly, dopey dogs that stick their bums in your face while you're watching television. But, mostly, Big Dog's (just like GSC) want your food. You can see it in their big, round eyes and hear it in their sly panting. You may think dogs crave your constant companionship, but don't be fooled. They're 'sessing out your food and your potential to give them food (or drop it near them). Big Dogs have one thing to say to you and anyone in their immediate vicinity, "Food, food, food. Food, food, food."

- Big dogs nuzzle your legs if you smell like bacon. No, they do not love you.
- Big dogs pad into a roomful of diners and size-up the defenseless by staring at them.
- Big Dogs appear the moment they hear a potato chip bag unfurling or cereal hit a bowl.
- Big Dogs are not afraid to drool. They think this will convince you to feed them faster.
- For Big Dogs, FOOD=LOVE.

The same rules apply for Giant Sous Chef. But, he also does lots of human things like cook, clean Spicy's kitchen and fund crazy food adventures. And, of course, Giant Sous Chef Eats...

Want to learn more about him? Check back soon for update.

peace and corn grits,

SpicyB

Robbie Burns, eat your sheep's heart out!

Slàinte! (Eating Scotland.)

The New York Times tale, 36 Hours in Glasgow, recently reminded me that Giant Sous Chef had toured me 'round his homeland and I still haven't blogged bout it. Glasgow, on top of having the most genuine, friendly locals east of Lake Michigan, has several tasty finds. The Ubiquitous Chip, off a cobblestone lane in the West End serves a warm, huggy cockaleekie soup. The chicken and leek soup with barley, cleverly named by a people that truly relished their gift for gab, was perfect for the city's rainy, clammy climate. (barley freaks like chef sleeping draco will love it)

I don't agree with the Times' assessment that Ubiquitous Chip's "something of a Scottish Chez Panisse." Having eaten at both, UC cannot touch the level of technique and organic integrity maintained at CP. And, Watters would never serve leaden sauces like the greenish, grainy one that came with my salmon. Fortunately or not, UC was certainly the best dining experience I had in Glasgow. The organic Orkney salmon was tender with good, clean flavor. If you find yourself on that side of the Atlantic, you MUST indulge in the local seafood. Geoduck, anyone?

During this British food excursion, I discovered my love (cue the pipers, please) for Haggis. Anywhere, anytime, I am down. I especially love the spices. And, that you can make it veggie. UC's vegetarian haggis, served with mashed turnip and carrot, was reminiscent of Jamaican jerk sans heat and a dash of American Thanksgiving. Add nubbly, boiled Scottish oats and earthy lentils or nuts (for veggie version). Or, iron-rich organ meats (with a nod to conscious, whole animal eating) for haggis carnivorous. N.B.: The haggis on the Glasgow Grosvenor Hilton's brunch buffet was also tops.

...the Bad and the Ugly.
I would be lying if I didn't say I had a few straight-up whack food encounters in Scotland. First off, definitely question anything and everything sold as edible at the Glasgow airport. Edible does not always mean consumable. What if I told you I witnessed a man order "bruschetta" and in return he received pre-sliced baguette (pre-frozen, too?!) topped with rubbery shards of "melted" cheddar cheese? How about a full-on declaration: DO NOT ORDER A SALAD IN THE GLASGOW METRO AREA! Unless you want your baby lettuces tossed with greasy, flavorless pesto. Or, a platter of whitish romaine crowned with a full half of browned avocado? Yes, people, BROWN SALAD. Is an inverse culinary logic at work in Scotland that transforms sheep's blood oatmeal to an incredibly appealing and tasty dish?!!? Play it safe, stick with sausage-y and/or fried things and heavy, buttered carbs.

But, nearly all of the gustatory missteps are made-up when you stop for petrol. Enter left, drive up, park right--Marks and Spencer's Simply Food...Britain's culinary BINGO! The British equivalent of the WAWA Grill. 7 Eleven gone to culinary heaven. Someone at M&S corporate thought, Mmm... if you're going to get petrol why not get more than a pack of crisps and the odd litre of milk? Why not raw breakfast meat? Why not fresh prawn sandwiches? At a BP station between Blantyre and East Kilbride, they had three types of take-away haggis, four shelves dedicated to meat sausages...a line of fancy, fresh sandwiches ready-packed and handy, racks of wine and boxed & ribboned chocolates. It was like a Madison Avenue micro-grocery!

Post-Script: At the Chippy in Stirling. Here's the deep fried haggis Giant Sous Chef smothered in brown sauce. We ate this with battered cod, deep-fried black pudding, smoked sausage and malt vinegar doused chips sitting inside his mate's Mercedes while watching and listening to that soft Scottish rain pelt the windshield like poetry.

Junk Food, Tony and B-more...

I got a TIVO!

I'm not 100% on how to use it, but it's here, and Giant Sous Chef has set-up a season pass for some of my favorites-- No Reservations, Everyday Italian, 30 Rock... However, Comcast's programming guide is more than a little screwed up, and listed the wrong episode titles in the wrong hours for No Reservations. Luckily, it still managed to record NR "Rust Belt" in which my beloved Tony breaks bread with two actors from my favorite-of-all-time crime series, The Wire.

Tony is as obsessed with The Wire as the rest of us stating that the series and John Watters are the two things that brought him to the Charm City. He endures rain, clouds, long lines, blight and more blight. Tony is also accompanied by the infamous Samir (made infamous in the Romania episode). Their stops in Baltimore specifically are not slow-food-inspired and probably not organic, but untensil's-not-required meals of "pit beef" sandwiches, "lake trout" and grapefruit-sized crabcakes play soulfood's sweet, low songs as good as any other.

(As a fellow NY'er who's never been to B-more, I'm not completely ignorant of the place. An old friend--San Francisco's very own Chef C Double, in fact-- has apprised me of crab cakes and Lexington Market fried chicken and the many opportunities for bleak urbanscape photography.)

To get into the spirit of low-budget lifestyles in the Rustbelt, I had Giant Sous Chef pick up a bag of Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream chips for me... YES, Spicy eats junk food. Not always, not often, but it does call to crave. In the spirit of the recession, I'm gonna start thinking of the broken days of yore--college years, pre-organic, decidedly vegetarian AND growing up in the Reagan 80's--to reflect upon what would make my list of... Junk Food Delights!

More to come...

Peace out,

SpicyB

Kicking off the Season with Tony and El Lomito...

The fluffy, golden bun looked especially good on my TV last night, as I watched Tony Bourdain devour EL LOMITO:

"A monstrous sandwich of pork, avocado and mayonnaise"

As you know, Spicy advises balance in all things sandwich even if, in this case it means a hefty portion of pork must be heaped with nearly a whole avocado and a generous ladling of soupy-looking mayo. And, of course, there's the bread. Pay special attention to the bread. It's not just a vehicle, nor a canvas for sandwich ingredients. It is an ingredient. At Fuente Alemana, where Bourdain confronted this local delight, they bake their own buns--a 6-inch round.

The El Lomito's marinated, slow-cooked pork is shaved, submerged and served steeping from its own jus, looked tasty and delightful. Like the "Three Little Pigs" in No Reservations Chicago episode -- another porcine-based creation featured at right angles to Bourdain's gullet -- I'll give this one a try at home and let you know how it goes...

It's a 'Sandwich Recession,' afterall!

Buen Provecho!

Bourdain is back!

Yes, I am free advertising for the Travel Channel, but my favorite food host and virtual travel companion, Tony Bourdain, is back for a fresh season of No Reservations. Tonight, he's doing his thing in Chile. I'll be following each new episode this season, providing worthwhile highlights. And, if I'm moved to comment, I most certainly will. (Just like last season: See posts 1/6/09 and 2/4/09)

With so much television programming out there, you might as well watch the good stuff.

(mouth watering at the thought of street food and adventure!)

Spice-E