FoodB

We tried a new fried chicken recipe last night and I think we have a new favorite ladies and gentlemen.

Back in August, Jenn learned how to make her mom's fried chicken. The recipe is really good and I must say that I have enjoyed it every time it has been made for me. But Jenn and I were watching Tyler Florence, who is becoming one of our favorite TV chefs at the moment, and he made up some fried chicken that we just had to try. He used a different approach than the one we used for Jenn's moms recipe and he submerged the chicken in oil instead of pan frying it. Also he added some flavor to the flour and buttermilk to thicken the skin. Here's the recipe:

Fried Chicken

1 (3 to 4 pound) chicken, cut up into 10 pieces
Kosher salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne
Freshly ground black pepper
1 quart buttermilk
2 tablespoons hot chili sauce
Peanut oil, for frying
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
3 big sprigs fresh rosemary
1/4 bunch fresh sage
1/2 head garlic, smashed, husk still attached
Lemon wedges, for serving

1. Put the chicken pieces into a large bowl. Cover the chicken with water by 1 inch; add 1 tablespoon of salt for each quart of water used. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. In a large shallow platter, mix the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne until well blended; season generously with salt and pepper. In another platter combine the buttermilk and hot sauce with a fork and season with salt and pepper.
3. Drain the chicken and pat it dry. Dredge the pieces, a few at a time, in the flour mixture, then dip them into the buttermilk; dredge them again in the seasoned flour. Set aside and let the chicken rest while you prepare the oil.
4. Put about 3 inches of oil into a large deep pot; it should not come up more than half way. Add the thyme, rosemary, sage, and garlic to the cool oil and heat over medium-high heat until the oil registers 350 to 365 degrees F on one of those clip-on deep-fry thermometers. The herbs and garlic will perfume the oil with their flavor as the oil comes up to temperature.
5. Once the oil has reached 350 to 365 degrees F, working in batches, carefully add the chicken pieces 3 or 4 at a time. Fry, turning the pieces once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Total cooking time should be about 30 minutes. When the chicken is done, take a big skimmer and remove the chicken pieces and herbs from the pot, shaking off as much oil as you can, and lay it on a tea towel or brown paper bag to soak up the oil. Sprinkle all over with more salt and a dusting of cracked black pepper. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Once all the chicken is fried, scatter the fried herbs and garlic over the top. Serve hot, with big lemon wedges.

Note: We omitted the spicy stuff (hot sauce and cayenne) and the results were fine.

Good stuff!

Also on the same episode he made a batch of corn that looked better than the typical batch of corn would. We tried this one out on Saturday, when I burned the ribs, and everyone enjoyed it. Here ya go:

Roasted Corn with Chili Lime Butter

6 ears fresh corn, unhusked
1/4 pound butter (1 stick), room temperature
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 lime, zested

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the corn in its husks directly on the oven rack and roast until the corn is soft when you press on it, 30 to 40 minutes.
3. While the corn is roasting, combine the butter with the chili powder and lime zest.
4. Peel down the husks and tie in a knot to use as a handle while eating. Rub the corn with soft butter mixture, and serve.