Weekend Evaluation: Waiting for the Other Hoof to Drop

It was a quiet week cooking wise.  We had a project on our hands around the house - painting the bathroom- so I didn't want to be worrying about cooking at the same time.  Plus we went out to dinner on Sunday since it was nice out, part of our attempt to get out while we can.

  Apple Corn Meal Upside Down

Positive - I've been meaning to make an upside down cake.  I like techniques that can be applied to all sorts of combinations, and this always seems like one of them.  Just make a caramel syrup with fruit in it, top it with a cake batter and put it in the oven.  It tasted pretty good too and used up the rest of the corn meal that's been around for a while.  For a first try, this was a success I think...

Negative - The apples/caramel got too cooked while I was assembling the cake batter, so it was more like soft ball stage, with fruit leather.  It really wasn't that awful, but not ideal  Also, I burned my lip tasting hot caramel - that was just stupid.

 

Parpardalle w/ Wild Mushroom and Tomato Ragu

Scallion, Bacon, and Rapini

Positive - The pasta was pretty good, I changed the ratio I used for the dough a little bit. I had been using two whole eggs (~4 oz) for 5 oz of semolina.  I know this usually makes too much pasta for two people, so backed down to one whole egg, one egg yolk to 4 oz of flour. Maybe it's psychosematic, but I think it was a bit less 'puffy', so the pasta had a thinner texture.

The ragu, which started with a soffritto base of onion, red pepper and garlic, cooked in rendered bacon fat - came out ok. 

Negative - I think overall there may have been one too many ingredients on my plate at least.  Gretchen isn't into the broccoli raab, so I left it out of her dish. I'm sure smoked bacon isn't traditional in an Italian dish - I'm sure they'd use guanciale if they's even use meat - but I don't have any made....I need to get on that; but I guess, bacon, scallion and red pepper give it more of an American feel?

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Maple Thyme Syrup

Positive - We've been overwhelmed with sweet potatoes from the CSA; and they've been really great.  I just roasted it and pulled out the flesh and mixed that into a yogurt based pancake batter.  The flavors were OK in the pancakes, spices were ok- I didn't like the final product from a texture standpoint.

Negative - I kind of winged it with the ratios and it made more of a muffin batter consistency, which would normally be fine; but it was so pudding like/moist (thanks yogurt), it was getting really browned on the outside before it was done in the middle.  I should have thinned the batter more, but for some reason I was sticking to it - why I didn't evaluate and adapt at the time, I don't know.

Deep Fried Pig Trotter

I had the second pig foot in the freezer for a long time - so I decided it needed to come out.  Braised this in white wine with aromatics.  Then I pulled out the bones and stuffed the 'meat' back into the skin and deep fried it the next day

Positive - I don't know, I kind of screwed this thing up.  The braising liquid made some really great stock - super gelatinous.

Negative - It needed to be braised for longer, and deep fried longer.  It was hard to pull off the bones (shouldn't have been), and was too tough. When I fried it, it browned on the outside, but wasn't crispy/crunchy everywhere on the outside, and was still kind of cold on the inside which was kind of gross.

Next time, if I do this, I'd make a stuffing to go in there with the pig foot stuff....I understand why people think that pig foot, or offal is nasty - if it's not done properly it is - I just need to get my act together.

Pies and Thighs

Quick thoughts on Sunday Dinner.  Our band's practice space is right across the street from this hyped fried chicken spot, and Gretchen and I finally made it; although Gretchen had it once before; I went to Fatty Cue before she met me out.

The fried chicken was pretty good, the biscuit was pretty good too, but maybe a little on the dry side actually.  The crust was substantial and crusty, seasoning was nice and the thighs and wings were definitely juicy, but I didn't get an incredibly chicken-y taste.  I think they use Bell and Evans chickens, which are like the best supermarket brand you can get; but I much preferred the flavor of the chicken at the Commodore which was incredibly chicken flavored.  I’d also say I prefer the crust at the Redhead, plus the Redhead's chicken comes with really awesome cornbread.

So, I’m not sure if you’re looking for the best fried chicken in the city that this is it, but you could do a lot worse for $11 bucks for 3 pieces, a biscuit and a side.  You’d be better off getting the chicken biscuit.

Gretchen has gotten this both times she’s been here; and it’s really great.  If you’re from Buffalo you know about the chicken finger sub – basically just a chicken finger, with hot sauce on a sub roll with some lettuce, tomato, and blue cheese.  Well this is a chicken finger, with hot sauce, honey butter on a biscuit.  Basically – removing the most useless parts of the chicken finger sub (flavorless sub vegetables, and a white bread roll) and adding things that taste awesome on their own – honey and a biscuit; and it’s only $5.

Don’t get the mac and cheese – personally I think 99% of mac and cheese is horrible.  It’s goopy starch-y mess, and again, usually doesn’t taste like anything and consumes about two thousand calories I could spend in a million more interesting ways.

So I’m a little biased….but Gretchen loves this stuff, and even she wasn't crazy about it.

It was a stove top-style preparation, so no baked crusty top, really an attempt to remind you of Kraft– but with the additions of hot sauce and black pepper.  Since mac and cheese is flavorless to begin with, these are the only ingredients you could taste….waste of time.

CSA

Sweet Potatoes 

Collard Greens

Red Pepper
Leeks

Broccoli Rabe

Butternut Squash 

Green Beans

Chives
Lettuce Mix