eG Foodblog: Marlene Maple Leaves, Bacon & Pecans - A Canadian go

[Marlene]

Ok. I don't get this "sprinkle the chicken" first though. Why wouldn't I just combine the seasoning mix with the flour?

[Dave the Cook]

Most herbs, as well as pepper and chiles, turn bitter when they burn. If you mix the seasonings with the flour, they're on the outside, and exposed directly to the hot fat. You're not going to get a perfect, hide-all-the-spices coating of flour, but this sequence gives you better odds.

[Swisskaese]

Is it too late to offer up my mammy's southern cornbread dressing from Alabama?

It is the best cornbread dressing I have ever had and it is not difficult to make.

[Marlene]

Is it too late to offer up my mammy's southern cornbread dressing from Alabama?

It is the best cornbread dressing I have ever had and it is not difficult to make.

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It is never too late! I have not made the cornbread yet, and I'd love to see your recipe. Please?

[Marlene]

Well so far I've made rum balls:

and biscuts. I'm not too sure about these though. I don't think they rose high enough, and yes, they're square. I didn't have a biscut cutter so I used a pizza cutter. I think i already mentioned I can't make a circle look like a circle so I didn't even try. I'm afraid to try one of these. Oh oh. a black mark on my path to "Mama" status.

I needed a short time out to stem the nosebleed that somehow started without warning (no, I didn't get any on the food ), and then I had to make the boys lunch grilled cheese. Ryan likes his cut in triangle so he can put ketchup in the middle. Now if I was making this for me, it would have been with read cheddar cheese, but for some odd reason, Ryan prefers plastic cheese.

A short break, a little coffee, and it's on to truffles.

[Swisskaese]

Is it too late to offer up my mammy's southern cornbread dressing from Alabama?

It is the best cornbread dressing I have ever had and it is not difficult to make.

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It is never too late! I have not made the cornbread yet, and I'd love to see your recipe. Please?

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I just got home from work. This recipe makes me very homesick because I can't make it here. I can't find the ingredients. This is Alberta Davis's Cornbread Dressing. She raised me from the age of 3 months. That translates as she was the family nanny and housekeeper. She is really my second mother.

Alberta's Cornbread Dressing

1lb box self-rising Cornbread Mix or homemade buttermilk cornbread in a 8 x 8 -inch pan

6 Eggs

1/2 bunch of Celery, chopped

1 large Onion, chopped

1 stick Margarine or butter

2 slices old white bread

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 can Evaporated Milk

2 cans Chicken Broth

Ground Sage (right smart to taste - translates to approx. 1tbsp)

Accent (just a little or optional)

Bake cornbread according to directions. Crumble bread and cornbread in a large bowl. Chop celery and onion and saute in margarine until onion is clear. Add chicken broth and simmer. Pour over bread mixture. Add soups. Mix well. Add eggs, milk, sage and Accent.

Place in a buttered 9 x 13 pyrex dish.

Bake at 350 until lightly browned-about 40 minutes. Should still be quite moist.

[Marlene]

What would happen if I didn't use the mushroom soup, being allergic to mushrooms and all?

[Swisskaese]

I don't think it would be a problem. You could try adding another can of Cream of Chicken or Cream of Celery.

[Marlene]

All right folks, I need your help to develop the criteria list that will form the basis for judging the chicken tonight. What should be on it? Your top 5 please.

[Swisskaese]

All right folks, I need your help to develop the criteria list that will form the basis for judging the chicken tonight.  What should be on  it?  Your top 5 please.

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Crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside.

Which recipe are you making?

[lovebenton0]

How about:

Crisp coating

Non-greasy

Cooked thoroughly

Flavor

Juicy bird flesh

[Marlene]

Sorry, the competing recipes will be Dave the Cook's Deep Fried Chicken against Mayhaw Man's Skillet Fried Chicken.

1. crispyness, delicacy

2. moistness

3. least greasy

4. flavour

5. next day

[Varmint]

I'd say that the skin should be a category that has multiple facets: Crispiness, flavor, "delicacy" (it's easy to make it crunchy, but the skin should still be skin, not breading).

You want to have an element of flavor in there.

There's another standard of the South that you could consider: how good it is when eaten cold the next day. That's a sure sign of quality chicken.

What other type of help do you need at this late hour, Marlene? I'm sorry I haven't been involved in this thread, but I'll try to make it up to you!!!

[Marlene]

I'd say that the skin should be a category that has multiple facets: Crispiness, flavor, "delicacy" (it's easy to make it crunchy, but the skin should still be skin, not breading).

You want to have an element of flavor in there.

There's another standard of the South that you could consider: how good it is when eaten cold the next day.  That's a sure sign of quality chicken.

What other type of help do you need at this late hour, Marlene?  I'm sorry I haven't been involved in this thread, but I'll try to make it up to you!!!

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The calvary has arrived! You could start by telling me what's wrong with my biscuits. Any help on frying, making pan gravy etc is good Dean! We move on from this challenge to a full Southern Turkey dinner on Sat. eek!

[Swisskaese]

This is the biscuit recipe that I use and they never fail me:

Rachel's Biscuits

[Mayhaw Man]

Gotta have some biscuits to go with Southern Fried Chicken ,i found these to be light and delicious

2 cups AP Flour

1tsp. sugar

2 tsp.baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp.salt

1/3 cup Crisco

1 cup buttermilk

method::::::::::::::::

preheat the oven to 425F

1.sift the flour,salt,sugar and baking powder and soda together-sift 3 times

2.combine crisco into flour mixture till the mixture is about pea size

3.add buttermilk and combine lightly till dough forms a sticky ball

4.generously flour your work surface and transfer ball,knead it front to back about 9 times

5.pat it out to 1/2 inch thickness and cut out your biscuits with a 2 inch biscuit cutter

6.gather up scrap dough and keep cutting out biscuits

7.bake for 11 minutes and serve with your wonderful chicken!!!

  Dave s

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Two words: Rice. Gravy.

This simple combination is your friend when it comes to fried chicken.

[Mayhaw Man]

The key to the "next day award" is to make sure that the chicken is well crusted (see LoveBenton's frying hints #2). Cold fried chicken is a fine thing, although I don't reccomend that you eat it as cold as it might get up there at a picnic this time of year. Just enjoy it over the sink for breakfast.

[Varmint]

The biscuit recipe you used should have worked, but you may have overworked the dough. Was it fairly wet? Was your baking powder fresh? Let's get this figured out.

I didn't read Brooks' fried chicken recipe, but what type of fat are you using? There's no doubt that Crisco is the best for fried chicken, as long as you're going to eat it right away. If not, a peanut or vegetable oil will suffice.

Are you making pan gravy or cream gravy? I'd go with the latter along with some mashed potatoes. That's heaven!

[Marlene]

The dough wasn't that wet, but maybe the baking powder wasn't fresh enough.

I don't think Brooks has posted his fried chicken recipe yet. For Brooks chicken, I'll use crisco, for the deep fried, soya, because that's what I have. I think it's a cream gravy.

I've got two hungry teenage boys ready to chow down on this. I'll try to keep at least one piece of each from their grasping fingers for a comparision the next day.

[Dave the Cook]

For those keeping score, we've just identified a significant geographical schism among the traditional accompaniments to fried chicken:

Phifly: biscuits (where are you from , P?)

Louisiana: rice (Brooks)

South Atlantic coast: mashed potatoes (Varmint, DtC, and every native Georgian I know)

[Varmint]

No, no, no, Dave. Biscuits are absolutely required to sop up the remnants of the gravy. If you're doing a chicken gravy, then you'll want rice. If it's cream gravy, potatoes. But either way, you gotta have the biscuits!

[phifly04]

Well i feel bad ,these biscuits come out great for me,it was either overworked or the baking powder was to old to sufficiently rise the biscuits,Im from Philly but the biscuit recipe is from a lady in La.

Dave s

[lovebenton0]

The dough wasn't that wet, but maybe the baking powder wasn't fresh enough. 

I don't think Brooks has posted his fried chicken recipe yet. For Brooks chicken, I'll use crisco, for the deep fried, soya, because that's what I have.  I think it's a cream gravy.

I've got two hungry teenage boys ready to chow down on this.  I'll try to keep at least one piece of each from their grasping fingers for a comparision the next day.

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Once you've mixed the dough just enough to stick together, you should turn it out on a floured board and then only knead it 3 or 4 times. You don't want it too dry or overworked.

How thick did you pat it out? And it's good to let the baking soda activate for a few minutes before you pop them in the oven. They should double in size. Half inch dough = one inch to one and quarter inch high biscuits.

Wrong time of the year for corn on the cob, Marlene, but greens are always good with fried chicken too. Sop up that juice with the biscuits. That is the ones you're not putting the cream gravy on.

[Dave the Cook]

No, no, no, Dave.  Biscuits are absolutely required to sop up the remnants of the gravy.  If you're doing a chicken gravy, then you'll want rice.  If it's cream gravy, potatoes.  But either way, you gotta have the biscuits!

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I'm still learning, I guess.

[Marlene]

Well i feel bad ,these biscuits come out great for me,it was either overworked or the baking powder was to old to sufficiently  rise the biscuits,Im from Philly but the biscuit recipe is from a lady in La.

          Dave s

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Please don't feel bad. This is my ineptness, not your recipe

 

Once you've mixed the dough just enough to stick together, you should turn it out on a floured board and then only knead it 3 or 4 times. You don't want it too dry or overworked.

How thick did you pat it out? And it's good to let the baking soda activate for a few minutes before you pop them in the oven. They should double in size. Half inch dough = one inch to one and quarter inch high biscuits.

Wrong time of the year for corn on the cob, Marlene, but greens are always good with fried chicken too.    Sop up that juice with the biscuits. That is the ones you're not putting the cream gravy on. 

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Ok, I think I'm getting an inkling of what happened here. Pat the dough? I rolled it out. Ooops. And I didn't let it rise. I'm going to try these again on Sat to go with the turkey et all.