Buttermilk Fried Chicken Testing

This Buttermilk Fried Chicken recipe is shared by the famous Chef Thomas Keller.
As I am doing some research on Chef Keller, I thought it will be interesting to also test make his favorite.  After frying 4 batches, I remembered why I have not fried chicken for over 20 years.  Irregardless, Chef Keller's tips he provides in his cookbook - Ad Hoc at Home helped making this fry chicken experience fun.  On top of it, it is ... "not like mine"... embarrassingly - my family knows I like dry chicken, so if I prepare any chicken or turkey, they are normally dry.  This is mostly because I don't like the word of "juicy" chicken or "tender" chicken, especially the chicken raised here in the State or today anywhere are not the same as the ones I've tasted in Asia - Japan, S. Viet-Nam, or Taiwan.  But this fried chicken recipe's Brine has convinced me that when the chicken is prepared correctly as described in the recipe, it is "delicious"!  and here, I don't mind describing these fried chicken as tender and moist because I know exactly what is in it from start to the end.
While I do have a copy of the Buttermilk Fried Chickens from the Ad Hoc at Home cookbook, I also found a complimentary copy posted at Amazon.com
Here it is:  http://www.amazon.com/Ad-Hoc-Home-Thomas-Keller/dp/1579653774
This photo is Chef Keller's picture - I wished mine turned out like that color.  

From Ad Hoc at Home: Buttermilk Fried Chicken

If there's a better fried chicken, I haven't tasted it. First, and critically, the chicken is brined for 12 hours in a herb-lemon brine, which seasons the meat and helps it stay juicy. The flour is seasoned with garlic and onion powders, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper. The chicken is dredged in the seasoned flour, dipped in buttermilk, and then dredged again in the flour. The crust becomes almost feathered and is very crisp. Fried chicken is a great American tradition that’s fallen out of favor. A taste of this, and you will want it back in your weekly routine. --Thomas Keller
Ingredients
(Serves 4-6)

• Two 2 1/2- to 3-pound chickens (see Note on Chicken Size)
• Chicken Brine (recipe follows), cold
For Dredging and Frying
• Peanut or canola oil for deep-frying
• 1 quart buttermilk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Coating
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• 1/4 cup onion powder
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Ground fleur de sel or fine sea salt
• Rosemary and thyme sprigs for garnish

Directions
Cut each chicken into 10 pieces: 2 legs, 2 thighs, 4 breast quarters, and 2 wings. Pour the brine into a container large enough to hold the chicken pieces, add in the chicken, and refrigerate for 12 hours (no longer, or the chicken may become too salty).
Remove the chicken from the brine (discard the brine) and rinse under cold water, removing any herbs or spices sticking to the skin.
Pat dry with paper towels, or let air-dry. Let rest at room temperature for 1-1/2 hours, or until it comes to room temperature.
If you have two large pots (about 6 inches deep) and a lot of oil, you can cook the dark and white meat at the same time; if not, cook the dark meat first, then turn up the heat and cook the white meat.
No matter what size pot you have, the oil should not come more than one-third of the way up the sides of the pot.
Fill the pot with at least 2 inches of peanut oil and heat to 320°F.
Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.
Meanwhile, combine all the coating ingredients in a large bowl.
Transfer half the coating to a second large bowl.
Pour the buttermilk into a third bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Set up a dipping station: the chicken pieces, one bowl of coating, the bowl of buttermilk, the second bowl of coating, and the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Just before frying, dip the chicken thighs into the first bowl of coating, turning to coat and patting off the excess; dip them into the buttermilk, allowing the excess to run back into the bowl; then dip them into the second bowl of coating.
Transfer to the parchment-lined pan.
Carefully lower the thighs into the hot oil.
Adjust the heat as necessary to return the oil to the proper temperature.
Fry (thighs) for 2 minutes, then carefully move the chicken pieces around in the oil and continue to fry, monitoring the oil temperature and turning the pieces as necessary for even cooking, for 11 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is a deep golden brown, cooked through, and very crisp.
Meanwhile, coat the chicken drumsticks and transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Transfer the cooked thighs to the cooling rack skin-side-up and let rest while you fry the remaining chicken. (Putting the pieces skin-side-up will allow excess fat to drain, whereas leaving them skin-side-down could trap some of the fat.) 
Make sure that the oil is at the correct temperature, and cook the chicken drumsticks.
When the drumsticks are done, lean them meat-side-up against the thighs to drain, then sprinkle the chicken with fine sea salt.
Turn up the heat and heat the oil to 340°F. 
Meanwhile, coat the chicken breasts and wings.
Carefully lower the chicken breasts into the hot oil and fry for 7 minutes, or until golden brown, cooked through, and crisp.
Transfer to the rack, sprinkle with salt, and turn skin side up.
Cook the wings for 6 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Transfer the wings to the rack and turn off the heat.
Arrange the chicken on a serving platter.
Add the herb sprigs to the oil (which will still be hot) and let them cook and crisp for a few seconds, then arrange them over the chicken.
Note on Chicken Size: You may need to go to a farmers' market to get these small chickens. Grocery store chickens often run 3 to 4 pounds. They can, of course, be used in this recipe but if chickens in the 2-1/2- to 3-pound range are available to you, they're worth seeking out. They’re a little easier to cook properly at the temperatures we recommend here and, most important, pieces this size result in the optimal meat-to-crust proportion, which is such an important part of the pleasure of fried chicken.
Note: We let the chicken rest for 7 to 10 minutes after it comes out of the fryer so that it has a chance to cool down. If the chicken has rested for longer than 10 minutes, put the tray of chicken in a 400°F oven for a minute or two to ensure that the crust is crisp and the chicken is hot.
Chicken Brine
Makes 2 gallons

• 5 lemons, halved
• 24 bay leaves
• 1 bunch (4 ounces) flat-leaf parsley
• 1 bunch (1 ounce) thyme
• 1/2 cup clover honey
• 1 head garlic, halved through the equator
• 3/4 cup black peppercorns
• 2 cups (10 ounces) kosher salt, preferably Diamond Crystal
• 2 gallons water

The key ingredient here is the lemon, which goes wonderfully with chicken, as do the herbs: bay leaf, parsley, and thyme. This amount of brine will be enough for 10 pounds.
Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil.
Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt.
Remove from the heat and cool completely, then chill before using.
The brine can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

The followings are my photo journals of how mine turned out:

See my drumstick?  it looks almost burnt or petrified from volcano eruption, but it is not.
My fried chickens turned out with three different colors - likely my oil temperatures have fluctuated, and I didn't catch it.  Then, also the flour sediment build up at the bottom of the pot did not allow the heat to come through and also added color to the crust.  The peanut oil I used is fresh, but once those flour comes off the chicken as you dip it into the hot oil, it will burn at the bottom of the pot while your chicken is fried.
If the chicken piece is much heavier than the suggested weight, and if your chicken piece touches the bottom of the hot oil pot, then, that particular spot will brown much faster than the rest of the body.  So - Be mindful of the suggestion Chef Keller he points out - find the chicken within the weight that he noted or cut into smaller pieces; deep 6 inch pot, if you have one would be better - I learned.
Watching the timing and temperatures are truly skills that I need some polishing on.  Also using the right type of equipment.  My stainless steel pot is not as heavy gauge as my son's and even though I am using peanut oil and using thermometer to monitor the temperature, the chickens turned out differently, even my iron skillet did not turn out the fried chicken the way I wanted (my first time frying chicken in this skillet - so I don't really know my skillet - my fault) ... also, watch for flour sediments collected at the bottom of the pot. If you have a skimmer, it is a great idea to skim out as much flour sediments from the bottom as possible.   Or filter the oil into another clean pot, so the heat would come through strongly for the next batch...things like that.
So, will I make this fried chicken, again?  Yes! the recipe is great - very tasty.  If my son says, "Wow! it is great'.  "Can you make Honey Lime chicken, too?" Then, it got to be good, and I would make it again,... but I think I will rather venture out and go eat it at the Ad Hoc restaurant in Yountville or at our school's Oak Cafe for this fried chicken.  It's well worth the money spent and the enjoyable time without the clean-up to deal with.  The oil splatter clean-up I believe is one of the second reasons why I have not fried chicken for the last twenty years.  But this one is well worth the time it took to learn to cut the chickens, make the brine, wait 12 hours, test fry a couple - impressed with it myself, then, take the whole thing down to San Jose and  prepared it for my family.  And now I can enjoy and appreciate the prepared Buttermilk Fried Chickens I will be ordering once I get to the Ad Hoc restaurant.
Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Lime Honey Chili Dip:

Pumpkin Japanese Cotton Soft Cream Cheesecake

So, October came and so did Halloween.  From the homegrown pumpkins I cropped, my family carved them into Jack-O-Lanterns and a portion of it I made into puree for this cream cheesecake.
The recipe is the same one for the Japanese Cotton Soft Cream Cheesecake  or the Japanese Cream Cheesecake I posted on my blog site.  I added 1 Cup finely puree'd and sieved pumpkin.
For seasoning,  only 1/4 tsp of Ceylon "True" Cinnamon is added - just enough to enhance the pumpkin flavor.  I wanted to keep that wonderful fresh fragrance and taste of pumpkin.  I find the traditional pumpkin 'anything' seasoned way too much with cinnamon and spices - where it's original fresh pumpkin flavor is buried. 
I baked it in a small 8x8" square cake pan, and I plated it for fun.

Baguettes #10

After 10th practices, my baguettes finally start to look like the handsome musketeers.  I incorporated all the mixing and kneading techniques I learned at my class and TV food channels, and especially from incredible blogger bakers all around the world who kindly shared their baking adventures.

Baguette Recipe can be obtained from Recette: Baguette   **Unfortunately the following website is no longer in service.  It surprised me when the the following link took me to a blank site.  Whatever the reason maybe, I feel the loss of another good recipe.

http://louisrecettes.blogspot.com/2006/01/la-baguette-le-pain-franais.html

It is worth an investment to get the baking stone.  I was lucky to have this Baking Stone, 14x15 inches by FoxRun for $21.50 from DOMUS.
Cheers!

I found out recently that Louiserecettes blog site is no long active.   Luckily I had typed my copy in my recipe collection and saved the how to.  I hope louiserecettes won't mind.  It's a terrible shame if a good product recipe is lost forever just like great PONCHIK I came to love at Europe Deli in Sacramento after they sold their business.   I never had their recipe but the sheer joy of being able to buy such a comforting food close by is good thing.  The new baker who took over is using the same Pirashki dough, I am sure they are, and PONCHIK tastes diffferent.

Recette: Baguette from

http://louisrecettes.blogspot.com/2006/01/la-baguette-le-pain-franais.html

Notes: Allow seven hours total time to make this recette. The recette calls for cake flour in additon to regular flour because flour in France is of lower protein than flour in the U.S. Cake flour is a "softer," lower protein flour, so this will help you achieve a more authentic loaf. To obtain that classic crisp crust, use a baking stone. The stone plus steam will give you the crust you want. This recipe produces three loaves.
INGREDIENTS:
1-1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 C (2 ounces) very warm water ( 105 to 115º F)
3 C (13-1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 C (4-1/2 ounces) cake flour (see note)   **Total of 18 oz - 1 lb 2 oz
2-1/4 teaspoons salt
1-1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon, (10 1/2 ounces) cool water ( 75º F)
METHOD:
1. Combine the yeast and the warm water in a small bowl and stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast.  Let stand for 3 minutes.
2. Combine the flours and salt in a large bowl.
3. Pour the cool water and the yeast mixture over the flour, and mix with your fingers to form a shaggy mass.
4. Move the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 4 minutes. It should be supple and resilient, but not too smooth at this point.
Let the dough rest on the work surface for 20 minutes, covered with plastic wrap or a light towel.
5. Knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes. Don't overknead it: The dough should be smooth, stretchy, and resilient.
6. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it in the bowl to coat with oil, and cover it with plastic wrap.
Preferment #1:
7. Let rise at room temperature (not more than 75 degrees F) for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until nearly doubled in volume.
8. Gently deflate the dough and fold it over itself in the bowl. Reshape it into a ball and cover with plastic wrap.
Ferment #2:
9. Let it rise for 1-1/4 hours or until it has nearly doubled again.
Ferment #3:
10. Gently deflate the dough again, reshape into a round, cover, and let rise for about 1 hour.
11. Place the dough on a very lightly floured surface and divide it into 3 equal pieces (about 10 ounces each).
12. Gently stretch one piece into a rectangle, leaving some large bubbles in the dough.
13. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up as if you were folding a business letter.
14. Now form the loaf into a log by rolling the dough over from left to right and sealing the seam with the heel of your palm.
15. Fold the dough over about 1/ 3 of the way each time, seal the length of the loaf, then repeat.  *For newbies like me, follow the illustrations in the Tartine Bread book by Chad Robertson.
You want to gently draw the skin tight over the surface of the baguette while leaving some air bubbles in the dough.
16. Seal the seam, being careful not to tear the skin of the dough or deflate its airy structure.
17. Set aside on the work surface to relax before elongating it, and repeat the shaping process with remaining pieces of dough.
18. Now elongate each baguette, starting with the first one you shaped, by rolling it back and forth on the work surface.
19. Begin with both hands over the center of the loaf and work them out to the ends until the loaf reaches the desired length. (Don't get carried away, or the baguettes won't fit in your oven!)
20. Place the finished loaves on a peel or upside down baking sheet lined with parchment paper and generously sprinkled with cornmeal or on a baguette pan.
Proofing #3:
21. Cover the loaves with a floured cloth and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes until the loaves are slightly plump but still not doubled in volume. The final rise is short, because you want the baguettes to be slightly under proofed; this will give them a better oven spring, resulting in loaves with a light, airy crumb and more flared cuts.
22. Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500º F. Place a baking stone in the oven to preheat, and place an empty water pan directly under the stone. Use a very sharp razor blade to make 3 to 5 slashes, depending on the length of your loaves, on the top of each baguette.
23. The blade should be held at a 30 degree angle to the loaf so that the cuts pop open in the oven. Be careful not to press down too hard, or you may deflate the loaves.
24. Using a plant sprayer, mist the loaves.
25. Gently slide the loaves onto the preheated stone, or place the baguette mold in the oven.
26. Pour 1 cup of very hot water into the water pan and quickly close the oven door.
27. After 1 minute, mist the loaves and oven walls 6 to 8 times and close the door. After 2 more minutes, spray the loaves and the oven walls again.
28. Bake for 12 minutes at 500'F, then lower the oven temperature to 400º F and bake for 25 to 30 minutes longer until the loaves are golden brown and crisp.
Move them to a rack to cool.
Try it and see what happens.  If you have specific question with her method, please visit her site and ask.  - the site is no longer active the last time I checked - Feb, 2015.  
If you have question with my result, please let me know.

Mini Sandwich Baguettes

The best part about baking your own bread is you can customize the size and shape the way you want. I know, I should stick with the traditional, but I need bread that I can make sandwiches for my lunch. Anyways, this recipe I found worked out again successfully for my home oven.

Pandan Coconut Chiffon Cake Variations - PCC Cupcakes with Creamcheese frosting and Coconut Flakes

Persian-Love-Cake Variations - Tropic Snow Cake and Hold-My-Heart Cake

Persian-Love-Cake recipe is one of my favorite cake recipe now.  For our office - United Way fund raiser, I baked two different types of Persian-Love-Cake - one covered with Ganache Icing "Hold-My-Heart Cake" and the other with Persian-Love-Cake's fresh whip cream frosting topped with home made coconut flakes with banana - I call it the "Tropic-Snow-Cake".

Yield: 2
Prepare Two - 6x3 inch cake pans with buttered parchment paper at the bottom.
1/2 C Prepared Coconut Flakes
Preheat oven to 335'F

MISE-EN-PLACE:  Prepare a day before or allow 2 extra hours for Coconut Flakes and Ganache Icing preparation.
Fresh Home Made Coconut Flakes Preparation:
Save the fresh coconut flakes refused out of the "Juiceman" while making fresh thick coconut cream for the Pandan Chiffon Cake with Strawberries (from my blog) - frozen in Ziploc bag.  (I also have a Video demo of how Pandan juice and coconuts were processed at http://rockdavinci.blogspot.com/p/recipes-slide-show.html     Defrost it to bring to the room temperature.
After defrosting the coconut flakes, about 1 C, transfer it to non-stick fry pan, add 1 Tablespoon of sugar and toss to mix sugar and coconut flakes.  or add more sugar to your taste of sweetness you like.
Turn on the stove heat - Low.
At low temperature, toss coconut and sugar to 'dry' the coconut flakes.  About 3 min, but  not browned.  Do not toast to brown the coconut unless that's what you want.  Taste to make sure that it is the sweetness you want.
Transfer to a baking sheet lined with the parchment paper.  Spread coconut flakes evenly and flat on parchment paper.
Heat oven to 350'F.
Turn off the oven.
NOTE:  the drying time depends on your model of oven.  (My oven is a gas oven.)
Place baking sheet with coconut flakes in the oven - with the oven door cracked Open to further dry for 5 minutes **Depends on your oven - keep your eyes on it  - Do not Brown the coconut flakes.
Take it out and toss bottom to the top and spread evenly and flat on  parchment paper, again.
Place it back in the oven - 5 minutes with oven door cracked open.
Feel the coconut flakes, it should feel dry.  Store in air-tight container.

Making Cakes - yield two
Ingredients:
Prepare Ingredients for the regular Persian-Love-Cake.  http://rockdavinci.blogspot.com/2010/09/persian-love-cake.html
Divide the batter equally into two - 6x3 inch cake pans with buttered parchment paper at the bottom.
Bake till the tester inserted comes out clean and cake is golden brown.
Cool the cake pan inverted on cooling rack.

Cake Assembly - Total Frosting and Center Filling Ingredients for Both Cakes:
*Hold-My-Heart might need overnight preparation, depending on your available time to prepare.

2 C Pastry Cream for each cake's center filling
2 C Persian-Love-Cake Cream Frosting for each cake's center filling
2 C Persian-Love-Cake Cream Frosting to frost the cake
2 C Total Ganache Icing prepared on the same day, cooled to room temperature.  It has super shiny shimmer look.  Divide into 1/2 C and 1-1/2 C portion.

• Ganache Icing:  Formula includes at least 10 oz of 61% European chocolate couverture (get it from Wayne Gisslen's "Professional Baking", 5th Edition, or I am sure the Joy of Baking site has the recipe. If you would like me to provide you one, please request.)
• Cool 1-1/2 C Ganache Icing - room temperature - still in "fluid" state.
• Set aside 1/2 C Ganache Icing without cover to air dry under the fan--if you are in a hurry or set it aside overnight.  The texture will be medium thick and a bit dull.

1 medium ripe, but firm Banana - cut into slices
10 Air dried Maraschino cherries with no stem set on paper towel-no liquid (air dried overnight is even better)
Home made sweetened shredded coconut flakes

Assembly:  
Cake #1 - Tropic Snow Cake
1.  Insert a plastic knife to encircle the cake's edge to loosen the cooled cake.
2.  Use a serrated knife and slice over the 'top' of the cake to make it flat (and gobble the sliced piece :-) )
3.  Place a 6-inch cake cardboard on the sliced 'top' and turn it down.  Now the top of the cake is the bottom of the cake.  Place the cake on top of the cake decorator tray.
4.  Without removing the parchment paper, cut the cake into halves -- use the serrated knife to make 1/2 in incision all around the cake at half point while turning the decorator tray that it is sitting on.  Once you made a full turn, press the knife in deeper as you turn the decorator tray till the cake is cut evenly in halves.  Or use of those handy wire cake slicer on the D clamp.
5.  Remove the parchment paper.
6.  Brush off excess crumbs.
7.  Top the bottom half of the cake with 1/2 to 1 C of pastry cream.  Smooth out with small offset spatula.
8.  Top with banana slices.
9.  Top with 1/2 C of fresh cream frosting.  Smooth out.
10.  Place the top cake piece.
11.  Top with fresh whip cream frosting.  Smooth out all around.
12.  Sprinkle top and side with sweetened shredded coconut.   
Storage/transport idea:  Use a large bowl with cover that can hold the cake. (Unless you have a cake container or cake box from "Michaels", for example.  Invert the container.  Set the cake on the "cover" of the container.  Cover with the bowl part of the bowl as lid.
If you are transporting the cake, make two or three reversed double tape on the container's lid where the cake would be placed to keep the cake from sliding around.

Cake #2 - Hold-My-Heart Cake
Follow steps 1 through 6 of the Tropic Snow Cake above.
7.  Top the bottom half of the cake with Ganache Icing without letting it ooze off the sides.  Smooth out with small offset spatula.
8.  Top with 1/2  to 1 C of pastry cream. Smooth out.
9.  Top with air dried maraschino cherries - press them down to bury in the pastry cream
10.  Place the top cake.  Making sure it is sitting evenly.
 11.  Stir the ganache icing to make it smooth and pourable.
ganache icing)
13.  Hold the ganache icing bowl directly over the cake and pour as much and enough to cover the cake artfully and allow the excess icing to pour down the sides of the cake.
14.  Smooth out the top to make sure icing is even on the top, but this must be done within few second when the icing is poured.
15.  Stop. Enjoy the beautiful shiny ganache covered cake.

Variation:  Cover the air dried maraschino cherries with Ganache Icing.
Top the bottom half of the cake with Ganache and Pastry Cream and then press in the Ganache covered cherries into the pastry cream or instead of placing Ganache covered cherries into the center, place them in circle around the top of the top layer cake, then pour the Ganache Icing over the whole entire cake.  Top with piped whip cream and maraschino cherries.
or do whatever your heart desires.

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