Sorry for being absent from "the table" for so long.
It's a busy time for me but I still enjoy the time in the kitchen where I feel most comfortable and in command.  Hmm....maybe I should pretend my students are vegetables, fruits and everything else I cut, dice, chop, sear, saute, roast and bake.  That's it - pretend  my students are food!

HAHA....all kidding aside, these Apple Fritters were fun to make.
Tasty, fairly easy to make and not too messy.
Younger son helped prep and eat as he loves apples.

Cutting apples into matchsticks was unexpected

An easy batter of flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and milk.

Three or four apple matchsticks gently dropped into the hot oil.

About two minutes later (after being turned over) they're done.

 Warm soft apple slices inside, crispy crunch dough on the outside. The touch of cinnamon worked perfectly with the apples.  Drizzling with Nutella would have made them perfect...lol.

Ready for dessert.

One last thing - I actually sewed this past weekend and made the January Lucky Stars BOM block called Wonky Star.  I like Wonky - impossible to ruin a Wonky star.

Wonky Star:  Lucky Stars BOM

Gotta go...
Go visit Debbie at her Table!
Ciao~
Susan 

For my first recipe of working through the ad hoc at home cookbook by Thomas Keller, I decided to start (relatively) easy with something I've already made - Buttermilk Fried Chicken.  I've made various versions of Buttermilk Fried Chicken over the years with Alton Brown's being a personal favorite..until now.

Oh my goodness was this fried chicken delicious.  It was nothing like I had ever tried or made myself before.  The clear difference was the brine.  The brine included garlic, peppercorns, flat leaf parsley, honey (that was a surprise) and lemons. The brine ingredients are brought to a boil on the stove top then cooled completely before adding in the raw chicken pieces which then are to brine for 12 hours in the refrigerator. 

Chicken  Brine

After 12 hours in the brine, the chicken is drained, rinsed and dried.  I deviated from the recipe with my choice of chicken - instead of cutting up a chicken and frying all pieces, I used chicken breasts.  I'm such a wus when it comes to meat on bones.  After drying, the chicken pieces are dredged in a flour/spice mixture then dived into a buttermilk bath and then covered again with flour/spice mixture.

Then it's into the hot oil for about 10 minutes.

Once out of the hot oil and rested for about 5 minutes, the fried chicken is ready to eat. The double coating of flour/spice mixture makes all the difference for the amazing crunch this chicken has.  I would imagine if you are using chicken pieces with the skin on, it would be off the charts. Inside the chicken was so incredibly tender from the brine and had a definite lemon flavor which added depth to the chicken.  My older son kept singing the praises of this recipe.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Chicken Biscuit Sandwich

Although I began with a fairly easy (for me) recipe, I enjoyed the process that Chef Keller has the reader follow for his recipes and I learned a few things along the way.  His introduction prompted me to spend two hours cleaning and organizing my spice and baking pantry.  A job well worth my time.  As for fried chicken - a double coating is a must from now on....

Eat well and enjoy your Tuesday,
Susan

ad hoc at home by Thomas Keller