Book Review: Fried Chicken by Rebecca Lang

Book Review: Fried Chicken by Rebecca Lang

A great reference on a comfort food that transcends culture, this book delves into iterations of fried chicken from all over the world. Lang writes with authority and does an admirable job of presenting not only a book of recipes but an excellent reference on frying. 

Recipes:  

The recipes in the book are well laid out with clear instructions. Her consistent inclusion of recommended bird weight and preferred butchery   show an attention to detail that few authors exhibit. It would have been nice had she extended this detail to the inclusion of metric measurements as well as the volumetrics that she uses. It's a simple thing to include yet American authors seem too stubborn to do it. Any cook who values accuracy will tell you it's a better way to cook. 

That criticism aside, the recipes produce consistently delicious results and, though some feel repetitive, there are a lot of interesting variations on this limited theme. The cookbook would have benefited from some recommended sides\condiments as a way to make it feel less "one-note."

Layout:
The division of the cookbook into different frying styles in an interesting decision that works better than I expected. This layout does make it a little difficult to flip to a recipe instead of having to constantly refer to the index. 

Photos:
The photos are beautiful though the feeling that the reader has seen them before starts to hit pretty early. This is mostly due to the limited perspective of the book. 

Overall:

****
This is an informative and well laid out book of recipes for everybody's favorite comfort food. The limited perspective on just one food item makes me wonder if it's worthy of the shelf space but the recipes are delicious and well done.

Available from Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Fried-Chicken-Recipes-Crunchy-Comfort-Food/dp/1607747243/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Highlands Bar & Grill

Friday, May 25th 2007

Jennifer and I went to Highlands Bar and Grill tonight for dinner. The French themed restaurant was typically crowded and slightly noisy. We were greeted immediately and upon giving them my name we were taken to a table in the corner by the front window. The young lady who was to be our waitress gave us our menus and we immediately started to contemplate our first course. After looking over the menu for a while, we decided to start off with two appetizers, the grits and the quail.

The Parmesan grits were baked into a small round and were surrounded by a sauce of ham, mushrooms and thyme. This particular dish is an old favorite of mine and did not disappoint. The smokiness of the ham and the earthy flavors of the mushrooms balanced perfectly with the grits. Everything worked together to remind me of an old-fashioned country breakfast on a cold night while still displaying a sophistication not normally found in comfort food.

After finishing the grits, we moved on to the quail. The grilled bird was wrapped in bacon and served with a delicious braised leg risotto with fava beans and spring peas. The first bite of this dish was so shockingly good it actually made me chuckle with joy. The quail was cooked just enough to leave it decadently moist and the sweet maple glaze coupled perfectly with the salty bacon and smoky breast. It literally was too complex a marriage of flavors to appreciate completely in one bite. So, I had several more until the plate was completely clean. This was the dish that stole the show from the already stellar grits proceeding it and most of the spectacular dishes that would follow. Jennifer and I both talked about this quail for days.

Almost immediately upon the quail disappearing from our plates, our entrees arrived. Jennifer had chosen a red snapper with a crawfish meuniere. The delicate fish was served alongside beautiful roasted plum tomatoes and some paper thin sliced zucchini. The light crust over the top was a wonderful texture juxtaposed against the juicy, flaky, almost ethereally light snapper below. The crawfish lay beautifully in the rich brown butter sauce and married delightfully with everything on the plate. Trying not to look indelicate became increasingly more difficult as Jennifer added more and more of the components on the plate to build what she termed “the perfect bite.” Eventually, I was granted a taste of one of these “perfect bites” and it truly was indescribable. Every single flavor was in perfect harmony with its fellows and they all worked together in a symphony of taste and smell that was nothing short of resplendent.

I had grilled lamb chops and lamb leg with Vidalia onions and garlic roasted fingerling potatoes. The lamb was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was so tender there was almost no need for a knife. The lamb was flawlessly seasoned and the smoky grilled taste was both sophisticated and homey at the same time. The Vidalias were soft and trademark sweet and provided a nice compliment to the creamy flesh of the potatoes. At any other restaurant, this dish would have likely been the runaway favorite but it ran merely a close third when up against the likes of the snapper and the quail.

Though neither of us was still even slightly hungry, we decided to indulge in some dessert. The decision on what to get was not really even contested. We had the Chocolate Dome Cake and I must say it was probably the best decision we made all night. The cake consists of chocolate génoise soaked in Kahlúa, layered with chocolate mousse, covered in dark chocolate ganache, served with an espresso anglaise. You just think it sounds sinful. If the devil had this in his repertoire, he’d have too many souls to carry. The plate was practically shining by the time it went back to the kitchen.

Throughout the meal our server had been absolutely delightful and had been there every time that we needed her while still seeming to never intrude on our private dinner. Overall the service was impeccable.

As I paid our check and we went to leave, I saw Frank Stitt standing in his usual spot by the stairs. He was surveying all that he had created and in his reserved and refined way it looked as if he had judged it as good. But if you ask me, I would have to say that it is uncommonly and undeniably great.

***** (Five Stars)

Dress: Jacket Preferred
Atmosphere: White table cloth, French themed decor.
Service: Extraordinary
Parking: Valet
Reservations: Required

Pete's Shrimp with Sriracha Cream Sauce over Toast Points

This is my girlfriend's favorite recipe in the world. The flavor profile is very broad and bold but each individual component's contribution is subtle. I serve it as an appetizer but keep in mind that it is very rich. You want to either serve this in very small portions or plan for some time between this course and the next.

1 Lb Large Shrimp
1 Large Shallot (minced)
4 Cloves Garlic (minced)
1 Large Roasted Red Pepper
¼ cup Diced Sun-dried Tomatoes in Oil
8 oz Stemmed and Sliced Shiitakes
8 oz Half & Half or Heavy Cream
Butter
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Sriracha Pepper Sauce
Salt
Black Pepper
French Baguette

Toast some baguette slices cut on the bias.

Coat a sauté pan or saucepan with olive oil and butter, and sweat the shallot and diced red pepper on low heat. After several minutes, add the minced garlic and season with Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and Sriracha.

Once garlic has been cooked, pour the mixture into cup, add heavy cream and puree with immersion blender. Pour the mixture back into the pan and add diced sun dried tomatoes and additional cream if needed. Sautee mushrooms. Let the sauce reduce for approximately ten minutes on low heat adding mushrooms about halfway through. Sauce should coat the back of a spoon when it is ready.

Sautee shrimp in butter then toss with sauce. Pour over baguette toast points.