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Thomas
Keller
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Ad Hoc at Home
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Buttermilk Fried Chicken, December 7, 2009
For all the years I've been cooking I've been complaining to my
husband about the quality of chicken breasts and how they don't
cook up well and end up being stringy and tough. Well I've
finally been introduced to "brining" which takes your
cooking to the next level. Never in my life have I tasted such
succulent chicken. Sure it took 12 hours of brining (salt water
plus herbs) to get the right flavor but it was so worth the
effort.
It might seem like a lot of work and where do you find space in
your refrigerator? Well I solved that problem by cutting off the
tops of two milk jugs. It was just enough room for one cut up
chicken. I halved the recipe for the brine and divided it up
between the milk jugs. Then I added the chicken and left it in
the refrigerator overnight. The next day I rinsed off the
chicken and left it in the refrigerator until about an hour
before dinner.
When I made the flour coating (I made half the recipe) I didn't
use the garlic and onion powder or the salt. Instead I just used
2 teaspoons of garlic salt, which worked out quite well. My
husband did say he wanted the coating to be a bit more spicy or
at least have herbs and spices in it so I'll try that next time.
The most difficult part of the recipe for me at least is the
actual frying of the chicken. Keeping the temperature at 320
degrees was a daunting task. It seemed I could get the
temperature higher or lower and couldn't get it to remain at the
recommended temperature.
So instead of stressing about it I remembered a tip from another
cookbook that said to just fry the chicken until golden brown
and then to put it in the oven. I tried a 350 degree oven for 30
minutes and it worked perfectly. Some of the oil did seep out of
the chicken coating onto the pan but it didn't make too much of
a mess. I think if I had a deep fryer it would have been easy to
cook the chicken properly at the right temperature. You will
need two (24-ounce) bottles of peanut oil for this recipe and
expect to throw out the oil after you are finished because it
will be very cloudy. Once we were eating the chicken we decided
that maybe I should use half the salt in the next brining. While
delicious it might have been just a tad too salty for our
tastes.
Now that I tried one recipe I want to try more. The "Lemon
Bars with Meringue" look very tempting. It does look like
it will need a bit of adapting for a home cook unless you want
to go out and buy a quarter sheet pan which can be purchased at
amazon: Nordic
Ware Bakers Quarter Sheet, 13 X 9 X 1. I might buy it
because it looks like I'll make the recipe more than once.
What I liked about this cookbook the most was the careful
attention to detail. Everything is considered so you get the
best results possible. I like the idea of putting a damp cloth
under a cutting board to prevent it from slipping.
One idea that didn't work for me at least was the idea to salt
steaks twenty minutes before frying. I found it dried out the
meat a little too much and didn't taste as good as when I salt
it while frying. I wouldn't doubt that the steaks Thomas Keller
uses are of a much higher quality than I can get at my local
grocery store.
Some of the other recipes I want to try sooner than later
include:
Chicken Potpie
Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup
Marinated Feta with Olives
Leek Bread Pudding
Scallion Potato Cakes
Plum Zinfandel Jam
Apple Fritters
Some of the recipes require you to make a jam or a bouillon
before starting the recipe so reading through each recipe
carefully is a must. Like for the "Fig-Stuffed Roast Pork
Loin" you need "Pork Brine" and "Fig
Jam." When making the "Poached Salmon" you will
need to make a "Court Bouillon." The extra recipes are
mostly at the end of the cookbook. These seem essential to your
success.
Thank you to my best friend in the world who bought me this
cookbook! One of my dreams in life is to learn to cook like a
chef and with this book I'm well on my way to achieving my goal.
~The Rebecca Review
12/8/2009 - Today I made the Lemon Bars with Meringue. They are
extremely lemony
and the meringue is easy to broil under a 400 degree broiler for
ten minutes. Keller recommends that you use a kitchen torch or a
propane torch but I found that wasn't needed. Just broil for 10
minutes and you're done. I'd suggest refrigerating the lemon
bars right up until serving time and then making the meringue
right before serving as the meringue tends to weep a little. I
might try the recipe again but with less lemon juice. Like maybe
¾ cup instead of one cup. To make the recipe you do need a
candy thermometer and a double boiler. One thing about the crust
- It needs about three tablespoons of water near the end to help
the crumbs stick together. I was able to press the crust into a
13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish and it worked great. So no
need to buy anything extra.
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