The Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Recipe EVER!

If you've ever had a too dry and tasteless peanut butter cookie this recipe will convince you that not all peanut butter cookies need taste like the Sahara. After years of making adjustments, I finally have what I consider a perfect peanut butter chocolate chunk cookie recipe that is moist, slightly chewy, and looks delicious as well.

Since chocolate chips (called pepites in French) are rarely found even in the French version (which are about 4 euros for 150g so also quite expensive), I buy chocolate bars and make my own chocolate chunks. If you have to make your own, I suggest buying thin chocolate bars that are already formed to break into little pieces such as these from Lindt:

I break the bar into the pre-designated squares and then snap them in half (I'd like to snap them into thirds but my fingers aren't strong enough). I can buy these bars in a three pack which is the perfect amount for this recipe (300 grams total). Just be sure to refrigerate them or else they'll melt. I also refrigerate the chunks afterwards.

Here are a few tips when dealing with this recipe:

• I can only get Korean brown sugar, which is quite dark (it's normally used for making Hot Cakes called hoddeuk/호떡 you can find a very good recipe for those here) and has a lot more molasses in it than light brown sugar. Part of what makes this cookie so moist is using the darker brown sugar, so try to use it if you can for similar results to mine.
• Do not overbake. You should take the cookies out of the oven when about a thumb-sized portion of the center is still undercooked. Overbaking will make the cookies more desert-like than dessert-like.
• Allow the cookies to cook on the cookie sheet until completely cooled before removing to a cooling rack or plate. It'll firm up that uncooked portion of the center and make the cookie sturdier for devouring.
• Use regular old flour. Nothing fancy. Make sure to sift it.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies (PBCCC)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

a dash of salt 

1/2 c. + 1 tsp. white sugar

1/2 c. - 1 tsp packed dark brown sugar (you can use light, but results might be different)

1 c. butter softened at room temperature

1/2 c. peanut butter (creamy works best I used Skippy)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 large egg

300 g chocolate chunks or 1 3/4 c. chocolate chips

If making chocolate chunks do so now and refrigerate while making the rest of the recipe.

1. Sift together dry ingredients.

2. Combine white sugar, brown sugar, butter, peanut butter, and vanilla and cream together until the colour is uniform.

3. Add egg and mix in gently.

4. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix.

5. Stir in chocolate chunks/chips.

Set batter in fridge for at least 1/2 hr, an hour is better, and overnight is best.

I used a French sorbet scoop to measure out the cookie dough, but keep in mind they will spread a bit so give them plenty of room on the cookie sheet. I use an insulated cookie sheet and make 6 cookies at a time.

Put cookies into an oven that's been heated to 350° F / 180° C and bake for four minutes, turn the cookie sheet, and bake for another 2 -4 minutes depending on how big your cookies are. Remember the tip from above, and remove the cookie when the center is still uncooked. Do not let the cookies get too brown. They should be pale. I placed my oven rack in the dead center or the oven, but still found I needed to turn them because some cookies were browning though this is why one must know their oven well when baking.

Let cool completely before removing to rack/plate.

You won't be able to stop eating them. They're that good!

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Cooking Experiment - Pizza

Thin crust Italian pizza with Parma ham, sun-dried tomatoes, roquette, artichokes, Parmesan, Mozzarella, and fresh basil.

I obviously need to work on rounding out the dough, but otherwise this was delicious. Time to make the second one!

Will post the second one to see if I did a better job and let you know about working the dough. It's been a real problem for me, so about to use another plan of attack.

On a sidenote, as much as I would love to own a pizza stone I don't. What I made this on is simply an insulated cookie sheet. It didn't brown up the crust as much as I would have liked, so I am going to see what maybe running a little olive oil might do. Just the teeny-tiniest bit because too much wouldn't be good either.

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Chicken Soup for All

One of the things I promised myself I would do, if I ever decided to open a restaurant was that I would feed people for free, so one of the things I'm working on as I move towards my deadline to move to Amsterdam August/September 2012 is finding delicious, budget friendly recipes because I'd like to open my restaurant one day a week where it's free to everyone and anyone.

Hence my chicken soup.

I don't eat soup out of a can, box, jar, not ever. It seems wrong somehow. If I want chicken soup what I do is buy two roasting chickens, roast them, eat the legs and thighs, and save the rest for the soup. For this recipe I stuffed and roasted the chickens with fennel, onions, cloves, green cardamons, black cardamons, and whole cloves of garlic after rubbing both the inside cavity and the outside of the chickens with olive oil, lemon juice, dried thyme, and dried rosemary.

Use the jus for whatever you're eating the dark meat with, but reserve about half for the chicken stock. The follow morning strip the chickens of skin and other undesirable things, making sure to put aside all the bones (except the third wing joint), leftover juices and fat, and cut the leftover chicken meat into bite size pieces. I also removed the cardamons and the cloves from the carcass before adding the bones, leftover garlic, chopped up stalk of fennel, an onion cut in half, and then salt and pepper to taste.

Make sure the water covers the bones completely and let boil for 2-3 hours, taste, and then reduce to a simmer. Let boil another 2 hours. Pour the contents of the soup pot into a fine mesh strainer, discard everything, and return strained broth to the original pot.

Here are the rest of the ingredients I used:

1/4 cup of peeled and finely chopped white potatoes
2 1/2 cups of peeled white potatoes cut into slightly bigger than bite sized pieces
2 carrots peeled and sliced (make sure to increase the thickness of the slices along the thinner part so all the carrots cook evenly)
1 zucchini sliced into fours, then chopped into bite sized cubes
1/2 cup white mushrooms sliced
1 onion cut into quarters
2 stalks of fennel (1/2 cup) cut into slices
1/8 cup fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper

Add the 1/4 cup of finely chopped potatoes and the bite sized piece of chicken and let boil about 15 - 20 minutes. When you notice the bits of potato have begun to break down (it thickens the broth a bit naturally for a more hearty taste), add the rest of the potatoes, fennel, onion, and carrots. Let simmer 10 - 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and continue to simmer on lowest possible heat with the lid ajar.

Twenty minutes prior to serving, increase the heat to a slight boil and add the zucchini, mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste if needed. When the zucchini is soft, yet still firm, turn off the heat, add the fresh parsley, taste, and add salt or pepper if needed. Cover for 2 minutes.

Ladle into soup bowls with just slightly more chicken and vegetables than broth. Serve with homemade bread rolls (recipe to come later) and sweet butter (called beurre doux in French).

Now the real point of this recipe, which will make so much soup I'll have to freeze it (about 3 liters or about 13 cups of soup), is how healthy and cheap it is to make.

Chickens: 11 euros
Vegetables:  3 euros

Now sixteen euros isn't deducting the fact that I served the thighs for two separate meals, so I really only used about 5 euros worth of chicken for the soup. Based on the average serving size, from one batch of soup I could feed over a dozen people.

When I open the kitchen it will be from 12 - 2 pm and once the food is gone - it'll be gone, but with 100 euros I could make 12 pots of chicken soup and feed 150 people. Now I can't realistically make 12 pots of soup in my kitchen or in the kitchen I hope to have in Amsterdam even, but I could make 3 or 4.

I could feed 50 people and spend less than I might spend on a dinner out.

This is part of my plan in Amsterdam. I'm going to feed people. I'm going to put the word out there that on Monday afternoons there is a place where you get a delicious, healthy meal and for free whether you're a successful businessman, a student, or someone who just wants to save a little extra money that Monday.

I'm going to put my faith in my chicken soup. This will be the first thing I'll serve for free lunch. Now I just need to find forty seven similar recipes to get me through a year of Mondays.

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Preparing to Write a Cookbook

I want to use my last year here in France before I move to Amsterdam - as the backdrop for photos that will make their way into the cookbook I plan to write and have nearly completed before my big move.

I figure since my plan is to open a huiskamer, which translates literally into English from Dutch to living room, meaning a living room restaurant. I'm going to find the perfect apartment and then see what can and will happen and this will include offering cooking lessons and selling my own cookbook.

The first thing I did when I thought about writing a cookbook was I thought about it for a very long time. Like three years almost. Then after returning from Amsterdam with this idea in my head about opening a huiskamer in Amsterdam, I decided I mind's well just go the full shebang. I wrote down all the "cuisines" I can cook on a piece of paper.

Korean
French
American (general)
Southern (American)
Cajun
Tex-Mex
Mexican
Indian
Thai
Japanese
Chinese
Vietnamese
Filipino
Senegalese
Moroccan
English
Spanish
Italian
Greek
Lebanese
Argentinian
Brazilian
Chilean
Colombian

That's 24 different cuisines where I could cook at least a full three course meal of starter, entree, and dessert though the reality is I could cook any one of those cuisines for at least two weeks without repeating a single dish.

Now I'm damn proud of that. I am humble in many ways about my cooking skills. I still have a lot to learn. For example I can cook a lot of different Italian dishes, even lived in Italy for a year, and still have no idea how to properly serve an Italian meal. When do I serve what? What can be served when? I lack a few cooking techniques that I should really have like being able to consistently braise tougher meat cuts. I am always in the search of new knowledge when it comes to cooking.

Plus I always cook my ass off. Even if it's just for me, I cook. I take my time and do my best. And I love it. Even when I mess things up. I love that I made the effort.

Yet my deepest darkest kitchen secret is that I do not follow recipes. I learn to cook by watching people cook or by eating until I can figure out how to make something. I not only don't follow recipes, I actually can't. I can't write them out either, which doesn't bode well for a cookbook.

I've decided in order to get myself to the point where I can write a cookbook I am going to force myself to follow recipes. To the letter. Even when my instinct says no or yes, I will do whatever the recipe tells me to. Of course I'm not going to just use any old cookbooks. I'm starting with Ada Boni, who specialises in regional Italian cuisine and of course, Julia Child. I've had her two cookbooks on Mastering the Art of French cooking for years and only opened them to glance at recipes to remind me what I already knew how to cook.

My plan is to cook a three course dinner using recipes from Ada Boni's cookbook "Italian Regional Cooking" (I blogged about it here) and from Julia Child's legendary cookbook every week for a month. After that, I'm going to try tossing in one of their recipes in place of something I know how to cook.

Each month I'm going to chose two cookbooks and repeat this process and blog about what I learn, as well as post the recipes I've used along with pictures. I've started a recipe database to keep track of recipes I'll be using this entire time. Hopefully somewhere along the way of borrowing from better cooks, I'll become a better cook and create my own recipes and refine those that I already love and want to include in my cookbook.

I am going to start paying a lot more attention to cookbooks in general too. I don't want to spend time on my recipes only to screw the pooch on format, pictures, or other little details. Especially since I'm planning to use this cookbook as my debut into vanity publishing. Why not? I have a friend who took a pictures of a Thanksgiving dinner I made a few years back and made it look like a spread for Gourmet magazine. (How sad it is that Gourmet is now non plus.) Beautiful photos, great recipes, and a perfect location means I've got a year to write and photograph a cookbook.

I'm pretty excited and I'm sure Monsieur Redacteur's stomach and my friends are pretty excited about my new venture too!

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Roasted Chicken Aftermath

Yesterday I roasted two whole roasting chickens in the oven. I always roast my chickens two at a time because any extras get used up in delicious ways. Yesterday's chickens were nothing fancy. I rubbed them with a paste of butter, salt, pepper, a pinch of cayenne flakes, some lemon juice, thyme, and a little bit of nutmeg. The end result was a moist chicken with a delicious jus that collected at the bottom of the roasting pan. I served the thighs with white rice and some vegetables and nibbled a little extra here and there (like the oysters, which are my favourite part).

Today I'm going to use some of the breast meat to make a salad using a few of the peppers and tomatoes I've grown in our community plot along with some of the rosemary I grew. It'll be simple just the chicken and bits from the garden along with cucumber, feta, and lots of thinly sliced red onions. I might also make some croutons, but I'll focus my attention mostly on how to make this simple salad as delicious tasting as possible as that means making an excellent dressing.

One thing I'm really into at the moment for summer is fresh herb dressings. So instead of using powdered onion, garlic, etc. I use all fresh onions and garlic to start and then make something with what I happen to have that's fresh and around. For tonight I have fresh rosemary, parsley, basil, and sage. I've decided to stick with parsley, sage, and rosemary.

Fresh Herb Dressing

handful of fresh roughly chopped parsley

6 leaves of fresh sage finely chopped

10 "leaves" of fresh rosemary

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 T salt

1 T dried oregano (is it impossible to find fresh oregano outside of Italy??)

liberal amount of freshly ground black pepper

1 T sugar

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

3 T Dijon mustard

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic finely minced

1/2 red onion finely minced

1/4 cup of finely chopped feta cheese (optional)

Add the salt and balsamic vinegar and let dissolve. Next add the Dijon mustard and mix to dissolve. Add the fresh spices, oregano, sugar, garlic, onion, and feta cheese if using. Slowly dribble in olive oil while mixing until the mixture is blended and add the lemon juice.

Let sit at least 30 minutes, but overnight is better.

Whatever is leftover is going to become homemade chicken soup.

I make my own chicken broth using the carcass (bones), leftover jus, and inedible bits of chicken. Since there's already thyme in the juice, I'll only need to add bay leaves, fresh garlic, fresh sage leaves, chopped fennel, onion, and a little bit of carrot to create my broth or bouillon. It will take several hours as I'll need to get rid of the scum that forms as I simmer my ingredients.

I always make my chicken stock the day before so I can leave it to come to room temperature overnight. This allows the fat to congeal easily on the top and you can decide how much of the fat you want to keep. I always keep a little for homemade chicken soup as it adds to the flavour.

I have Day Two bouillon now. I let it sit overnight covered, stirred it this morning, added a little salt (notice I hadn't added any yet), brought the liquid level up the original amount when I added the carcasses, and it's now simmering again on the lowest possible heat.

I'll post more about my chicken soup including recipes and pictures later.

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This Weekend's Menu

When we'd have a lot of company at my grandmother's house often our dinner parties turned into three day weekends of non-stop eating with the day's offerings always written on an antique bistro chalkboard similar to this one (minus prices of course).

I thought about wandering around my favourite flea market in the world (and rightly so) Les Puces in Saint-Ouen north of Paris (which is still the biggest flea market in Europe), but then I realised where would I put it?

I want a chalkboard wall. Like this one to write my menus on...

It looks pretty cool right?

Thursday

Appertif/Nibbles

Fougasse aux herbs Provencal de La Maisonette des Mots*

Traditional Provencal bread with herbs from the region, special house recipe blend

Olives farcies aux anchois, saucisse de sanglier de Corse, et un assortiment de fromages régionaux

Olives stuffed with anchovies, Corsican wild boar sausage, and an assortment of local cheeses

Vin rosé - La Cave d'Augustin Florent

Rosé wine

Entrée

Velouté d'asperges garni avec huile de truffe blanche servi frais

Chilled asparagus soup garnished with white truffle oil

Plat

Gigot d'agneau rôti servi avec du miel de romarin et sauce à l'ail croustillant, pommes de terre soufflées, et la ratatouille de Juliette (la recette de ma grand-mère de Juliette)

Roasted leg of lamb with rosemary honey sauce and crispy garlic, puffed potatoes, and ratatouille (made with my grandmother Juliette's secret recipe)

Vin rouge - Chateauneuf du Pape Louis Jadot

Red wine - Chateauneuf du Pape Louis Jadot

Dessert

Clafloutis aux cerises et crème glacée à la vanille et du porto

Clafoutis with black cherries served with vanilla ice cream and aged Porto wine

If you notice I'm not serving a separate wine with the first course and it's not because I'm cheap or lazy. The reason why is because this chilled soup is meant to cleanse the palate before I serve the lamb and the wine. Chateauneuf du Pape is probably my favourite appelation of French red wines and it's meant to be served with lamb, it just is. So if someone counsels you to take a Bordeaux ask them if they have a Chateauneuf du Pape and the Louis Jadot specifically. It's a bit cheaper than a Bordeaux of the same quality and I don't think you could find the same quality Bordeaux for the price of the Jadot Chateauneuf du Pape either (though I am willing to be corrected on this).

There two more days of cooking after this massive welcome meal (whose leftovers will be packed up for a picnic) that will feature Cajun cooking and Korean BBQ. By Sunday I will most likely pass out from exhaustion, but for friends like ones who are willing to come from so far just to visit, the effort will be worth it.

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Sablès au Chocolat - Chocolate Sugar Cookies

These are a great little treat to keep round the house and are pretty fun to make as well. My grandmother used to make them to serve with coffee, and while they're quite simple, they don't seem to disappoint. Even fussy children seem to like them!

Sablès au chocolat 

Melt, 3/4 cup of good quality coccoa powder and 1 cup + 4 tablespoons butter in a double boiler until all the butter is melted.

In a separate bowl combine 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Stir in the melted coccoa and butter mixture until the coccoa mixture is evenly distributed. Now add 1 medium sized egg. Do not overmix.

Leave this mixture in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to allow the butter and combined ingredients to reconstitute. Pre-heat oven to 375 (F) or 190 (C).

Form the cookie dough into 1 inch (2 cm) sized balls and roll in sugar before placing on an ungreased cookie with enough space to allow the cookies to spread during the baking process. Try to make sure the cookie balls are about the same size. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the centers are firm.

Tips:

Keep the dough in the fridge while cookies bake.

Can be made with squares of baker's chocolate. Omit 4 tablespoons of butter if using.

I like to add a small square of milk chocolate to the top, as you can see in the photos.

Bake for 8 minutes, check the cookies, and then stay in front of the oven because if they overbake they become hard and not as yummy.

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The Fried Chicken Controversy

When it comes to cooking there are a few things I'm not modest about and one of them is fried chicken. I've been making fried chicken since I was about 16 years old.

The first time I made fried chicken the wrong way was with a Fry Daddy that actually spit out the pieces I'd put in to fry and caused a massive grease stain on the ceiling of the kitchen in the house that the embassy had rented for my parents. This was immediately followed by the first time I learned to make fried chicken the right way thanks to a nice lady from Alabama who not only helped me scrub the mess off the ceiling before my parents found out, but also made me the very best fried chicken I have ever had. Well, at least up until I'd had a year of practice because then I actually think mine was a tiny bit better than hers. Sorry Rita Mae, but it's true.

I did a little research online because I wanted to see if it was possible to make fried chicken in the oven to avoid the extra fat and thought I would share my experiences as I try to find a healthier way to make fried chicken. Instead what I discovered was there is a huge amount of debate as to what is the "real" way to make Southern Fried Chicken. And I mean huge, but by debate I mean arguments in text that sometimes ended in people cussin' at each other and bringin' up the Civil War. I ain't kiddin'.

Well since Rita Mae was from Alabama and I've had many Southerners devour my fried chicken from nearly all of the states south of the Mason Dixon line including Texas, I'd like to respectfully add my methods, thoughts, and advice along with the rest.
What type of chicken should you use?

For this experiment I bought 8 smallish thighs (not legs just thighs) of chicken. Now some people say the only proper way to make fried chicken is to buy whole fryer chickens and cut them up. I disagree. I've tried that method and found it only wasted time and more importantly, no one wanted the breast meat. Not because it was dry or not delicious, but because dark meat is not only better for frying, but is a lot tastier in general. I've tried a lot of tricks to make the breasts more like dark meat, but since I have yet to master The Dark Culinary Arts that will make white meat taste like dark meat, no matter what I tried the breast meat was always slightly inferior as it always is, even when you roast chickens.

Do you need to soak the chicken beforehand?

Some people soak their chicken. The times vary but overnight (8 hours) is about the longest length of time and 1 or 2 hours seems to be the mininum for some people. I've seen recipes that call for soaking in buttermilk, milk, and slightly salted water. The only time I've ever soaked in buttermilk is when making Buttermilk Fried Chicken as I've always considered BFC it's own specific type of chicken. I have never soaked my chicken in regular milk or salt water. Soaking meat in salt water is however a real technique called "brining". I've brined whole roasting chickens and consider brining a turkey absolutely mandatory. But for fried chicken I cannot see why this method would be used. So my stance on soaking is, examine the quality of the chicken you will be frying. If the meat looks tough, use buttermilk. If the meat looks old or dry, use the brining method.

If you decide to go the route of buttermilk, milk, or brining keep in mind that it will affect the coating of your chicken in the long run. Buttermilk and milk will thicken the coating and brining can possibly thin your coating. If you do soak your chicken you need to rinse it with cold water beforehand, pat dry, and then soak in whatever you are using. Once the chicken is done soaking you have to let the excess liquid drip off. I would suggest with buttermilk that unless you like a thick coating to pat the chicken with paper towels even after you've let any excess liquid drip off.

What to bread the chicken with?

Some people say flour and only flour. I happen to agree. However, as I've only just discovered this evening you can use whole wheat flour and it actually tastes better. I'm not sure why this is but most likely it's because whole wheat flour likely absorbs more oil in the process of cooking. If you know why this might be, or have other theories, please feel free to post in the comments section.

Now I bread chicken for other recipes and have used crackers, cornmeal, bread crumbs, almond flour, pecans - you name it. It's up to you as the cook to decide what you like best because after looking at about 50 recipes posted online; all proclaiming to be more authentic than any other I couldn't see how there could be one true recipe. On one forum people actually swore at each other over it. Apparently Southerners are very opinionated about fried chicken and rightfully so, but as an experienced cook the only thing I can think that might make a difference is how other ingredients would: hold up during the frying process, absorb oil, and provide the right level of crunch.

So you make you own decision as to what to use in the breading. If it tastes good and has the right amount of crunch, you should be fine unless serving purists.

What should I season the breading with?

Again there are many opinons. Purists say salt and pepper should be enough or that adding cayenne makes it not Southern, but Louisianna style. I personally like to use thyme, cayenne, a bit of garlic powder, salt, and pepper. I sometimes vary the spices greatly, but I don't consider it Southern. Rita Mae was from Alabama and other than adding thyme, the base of my seasonings are what she told me to use. I also stick to her rule about proportions. Enough salt, mostly fresh ground black pepper, enough cayenne to make the flour look a little pink, and just a pinch or two of garlic powder. I usually add about a tablespoon of thyme for every 2 1/2 cups of flour.

So again, it's up to you. I use the same recipe for Southern Fried Chicken as I use to make a fusion French style fried chicken except I cut out about 1/2 the cayenne and add basil, oregano, and rosemary.

To Egg Wash or to Not Egg Wash?

From the 50 different recipes I looked at I've drawn a few conclusions. There are people who don't like a lot of breading on their fried chicken. If you don't like a lot of breading you have to stay away from soaking in buttermilk and from using an egg wash. Simply press the flour directly on to dry chicken and then allow to sit for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. I have tried this method and it is great because the breading is very light, but I love breading, so I use an egg wash.

Now here are a few things I've learned from experience:

1. If you want the breading to stay intact on chicken legs, dust the chicken with flour first, then dip in the egg wash, and then re-dip in the seasoned flour. Make sure to press the flour firmly with your hands.

2. The first dusting of flour actually helps the chicken stay moist.

3. Dusting with flour, egg wash, and then pressing the second flouring in with your hands until all the chicken is covered and the egg wash no longer shows visible wet marks on the floured chicken actually helps to cook the chicken faster without scorching the breading. Although you shouldn't have this problem because you should always turn the heat down once the breading reaches a light golden colour and use the last minutes of frying on low heat to let the chicken get that perfect golden colour fried chicken should have.

4. There is nothing worse you can do to your chicken than not bread it properly. The breading will fall off during the frying otherwise and you'll have to change your oil. Unless you are making a massive batch of fried chicken you should never have to change oil. I made about 4 kilos (10lbs.) of thighs and legs once and only changed my oil once.

What to fry the chicken in?

Again every one seems to have an opinion. There is only one type of "fat" I wouldn't suggest frying chicken in and that's anything with a very low smoking point like olive oil. The "fat" needs to get to a certain temperature and olive oil can't get that hot without smoking. Now I was taught that one should fry chicken in Crisco, but I haven't touched the stuff in eons, not even for bicuits or pie crusts. I've read recipes that use Crisco, 1/2 lard and 1/2 butter, peanut oil, sunflower oil, and vegetable oil.

Personally I use sunflower oil. It has a high smoking point and is just a little bit healthier than peanut oil. I sometimes use 1/2 sunflower oil and 1/2 duck fat for certain recipes, and I've used 1/2 sunflower and 1/2 peanut oil as well. If you're not experienced at frying foods, stick to using one type of fat. Get fancy later when you've had practice and could fry chicken in your sleep. I can. I literally fell asleep with tongs in my hands once while waiting to fry chicken. Thankfully it didn't burn as I was making fried chicken for about 20 people.

Other tips:

- Make sure once the breading is slightly golden that you turn the heat down and flip every so often to avoid scorching your breading.

- No matter what anyone says do not cover your pan while frying.

- This might be blasphemous, but I don't use a cast iron skillet. I use a simple old steel frying pan that is so beat up and ugly because it's really only used to fry things. It looks like a shallow wok with a handle, but it heats evenly like a cast iron skillet. All you really need is a pan deep enough for the oil that heats evenly.

- Watch the chicken until you can identify what is going on with the frying just by being within earshot. I can tell whether or not I need to turn my chicken and even if it's thoroughly cooked just by listening to the sound of the oil. If you watch the chicken enough times, you'll be able to do this too.

- It is possible to make fried chicken in the oven, but simply because it's possible it doesn't mean it should be done. It is not healthier either. Today I baked 1/2 of the chicken in the oven and the other 1/2 I fried in my blasphemous non-cast iron frying pan. The baked chicken started soaking up oil the minute I set it into the baking dish. I made sure to heat the oil in the baking dish in the oven before setting the chicken pieces in it, but it didn't make it a difference. I needed to add extra oil 10 minutes into baking and then again when I turned the chicken pieces to the other side. In addition it needs just as much attention because the oven can burn the breading. While the chicken had the same taste, the baked fried chicken's breading was hard and too thick compared to the batch I fried on the stove. I will never do this again quite frankly. I'll just have to work off the calories when I get a craving.

- Let your fried chicken set. Sure you're putting it on to clean paper towels to let the grease soak up, but it should also be to let the meat rest. If you serve or cut the chicken too early the juices won't have a chance to reconstitute and it will make every mouthful after the first taste bland and not as moist.

- If you make fried chicken with chicken that was frozen you must use the salty water brining method. Otherwise the chicken is just going to get tougher with frying. In fact I highly recommend brining any frozen meat before cooking, except poultry is the only meat you can immerse in the water while brining. With pork, lamb, beef, or even duck you should simply sprinkle salt on the meat while it's still frozen and wipe off the excess salt as you pat the meat dry before using it in your recipe.

- It's possible to make tasty fried chicken using skinless chicken or even skinless breast of chicken, but the reality is the bone adds to the taste. I've de-boned thighs when I made fried chicken for picnics (French people don't like to eat with their hands, so deboning the chicken made a big difference), but in those instances I used the freshest and best quality chicken I could find. Otherwise the bone adds a tremendous amount of moisture and flavour so don't fry without it.

I hope this helps and honestly, I was overwhelmed with the amount of fried chicken recipes (and arguments as to its preparation) I found after just an hour. I stick to my recipe because when I've tried other people's it's just not the way I like it.

If you have any tips (or arguments) please feel free to leave them in the comments. I'm always looking for ways to improve upon fried chicken as it is, let's face it, one of the best dishes to ever come out of American cuisine*.

*The other being gumbo.

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Ojingo Bokkum, Pan Fried Squid in Spicy Sauce 오징어볶음

I tend to cook a lot of Korean food not simply because Korean cuisine is my heritage, but because I love the beautiful simplicity of a well-prepared Korean meal.

Last night I served ojingo bokkum (오징어볶음) (sauteed squid) with sukju namul muchim (숙주-나물)(green bean sprout salad), with marinated radish, mat kimchee, and seaweed.




Ojingo Bokkum

Korean cuisine is a complicated thing. How many side dishes (called banchan) to serve, how many different dishes, soups, etc. Then once the food is made there are rules about place settings, where the hot foods are placed, where the cold foods are placed, who eats when, and even where you're supposed to place the kimchee!

Don't think of Korean cooking as it is in restaurants or else you will torture yourself. When I cook Korean at home for just myself and a few people, I rarely ever make what is known as "haejeongsikk", or a full course meal. When I cook for less than 6 people I usually make one banchan or side dish for each person and unless I'm serving BBQ (bulgogi, daegi gogi, kalbi, sam gyeop sal) I try to make one main dish for two people.





Hanjeongsik - I count 17 side dishes, 1 main dish, 1 soup, rice, and 3 sauces!

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