Ah, well...here's the original Georgia writeup, which will VERY soon be followed by two more states!
This week’s meal was from Georgia…Southern food
galore! What could be more Southern than
fried chicken, mashed taters, and
gravy???
Menu: Southern Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes with
Gravy, Corn on the cob, Peach Pound Cake
Outcome: Well, I have to say this honestly -- there is a REASON that KFC, Popeyes, Bojangles, Church's, Bi-lo, Walmart, etc. sell fried chicken: I don't do a very good job of it. I love fried chicken, but I either mess with it too much while it's cooking, or it's not cooked correctly. Maybe it's their deep fryers or pressure cookers or whatever. I have officially made my very last batch of fried chicken. I will continue to buy it! (Church's is the best in my opinion,)
As I was impatiently and repeatedly turning the chicken pieces (LOL) I heard this loud bleating coming from the pasture. Knowing something was wrong, I turned off the burner, moved the skillet, and dashed outside to find Miss Gracie (the younger goat) with her head stuck in the fence. She'd grown just a little too much and she could no longer get her horns through the fence wires to get to whatever she wanted on the other side. After I freed her, I returned to the fried chicken to find it .... well, let's just call it "dark brown". I did serve it, with profuse apologies. Oh, and the mashed potatoes were boxed. Sometimes you have to improvise!
The Peach Pound Cake was very, very good (I used frozen peaches.) I can't wait until next summer when I can make it with fresh ones!
Next up: Bill's turn! He chose Alabama! Stay tuned til 2016...
Southern Fried Chicken and Gravy
Prep time: 8 hr.
Cook time: 40 min.
Ingredients
- 2 (3 lb.) fryer, cut into pieces
- 4 cups buttermilk
- 1 large onion, sliced
- ½ cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (parsley, tarragon, thyme) or a teaspoon each of the dried herbs.
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or less, to taste)
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups canola oil
Directions
- Soak chicken overnight (at least 8 hours and up to two days) in buttermilk with onions, herbs, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
- Drain in colander, leaving some herbs on chicken. In a large paper or plastic (sturdy) bag, mix flour with seasonings. Meanwhile, heat 2 cups oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet on medium high heat until a pinch of flour starts to sizzle when dropped in the hot oil (but not so hot that the pan is smoking).
- Place chicken pieces in bag with flour and shake until
thoroughly coated. Add chicken to hot pan and fry on 1 side for 12-15 minutes,
until golden brown, and then use tongs to turn the pieces over and fry for
another 10-12 minutes, again until golden brown.
- Be careful to keep the oil hot enough to fry the chicken, but not so high as it burns the chicken. To do this on an electric stove, alternate the settings between high to medium high several times while cooking.
- Use tongs to remove chicken from pan. Place on a rack over a cookie sheet or broiling pan for the excess oil to drain. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- For the gravy, pour out all but about 2 Tbsp. of the
cooking oil. Be sure to keep any crispy
bits in the bottom of the pan. Add 2
Tbsp. butter and over low heat, while stirring constantly, melt the butter and
combine with the flour until a thick paste is achieved and all of the crispy
bits have been incorporated. Continue to
cook and stir for about a minute. Increase
the heat to medium. Add about 2 cups
milk, stirring constantly until the gravy comes to a boil and thickens. More milk may need to be added to achieve the
right consistency. Season with salt and
pepper and serve immediately. Serves 8.
Mashed Potatoes
Total time: 30
min.
Ingredients
4 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
length-wise
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. heavy cream
4 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. milk
Salt and Pepper
Directions
Put potatoes into a saucepan. Add ½ tsp. salt. Add water
until potatoes are covered. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered,
15-20 minutes, or until done - a fork can easily be poked through them.
Warm cream and melt butter, together, either in microwave
or in a pan on the stove. Drain water from potatoes. Put hot potatoes into a
bowl.
Add cream and melted butter. Use potato masher to mash
potatoes until well mashed. Use a strong spoon to beat further, adding milk to
achieve the consistency you desire. (Do not over-beat or your potatoes will get
gluey.) Salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 6.
Peach Pound Cake
Prep time: 10
min. Cook time: 60 min.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 peach
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
For the Glaze
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 1 Tbsp. milk
Directions
- To begin, preheat oven to 350 ยบ. Grease & flour a standard loaf pan.
- In a bowl, sift together 1 ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. flour, the baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Dice the peach into ½" pieces and discard the pit. Place the peach into a bowl and add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of flour. Stir to coat. Set aside.
- In mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating the first fully before adding the second. Stir in the butter.
- Add in the flour mixture half at a time, stirring until just combined. Fold in the peach.
- Spread the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until it tests done with a toothpick.
- Allow it to cool a few minutes in the pan. Run a knife around the edges and gently remove it to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Whisk the glaze ingredients together (add a little extra milk if needed) and drizzle over the top.
Serves 8.
NOTE: If fresh
peaches are not in season, substitute with a can of sliced peaches in light
juice (not heavy syrup.)
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