Tag-Archive for ◊ Olympics ◊

05 Jul 2010 Pickle Fried Chicken
Author:  |  Category: Appetizers, Poultry  | Tags: , , , ,  | Leave a Comment

Pickle Fried Chicken! Was it something I dreamed? I couldn’t find the recipe that I thought I had seen  ANYWHERE! I searched all of the food magazines I’d bought recently, and not so recently, and all of the none food magazines, too. I searched the Internet. I looked in my files. There’s not a recipe for Pickle Fried Chicken anywhere… A memory is a terrible thing to waste. Luckily though, I DID remember part of the recipe I thought I’d read: brine the chicken in “pickle juice until it turns a bit green… Stay with me here…!” I remember that part word-for-word!* So that’s what I did. I brined chicken tenders in pickle juice for 30 minutes. For the battering and frying part I used a technique I had used before. Success! Pickle fried chicken! Tasty, as I knew it would be. Next time, I think I will make Poppers…, Pickle Fried Poppers! I’ll cut the tenders into thirds and proceed as below, but probably cooking the chicken for a little less time. It’s time for the Olympics. These would be great as part of a TV dinner. BTW…, while you’re making these and waiting for the Olympics coverage to air, watch “Cool Runnings”. What a great way to spend a Saturday!

PS. My elder daughter wants to try these in a sandwich…, ciabatta, Thousand Island dressing, lettuce, Pickle Fried chicken, and a few pickles…, YUM!

Polly’s Pickle Fried Chicken

1 lb. chicken tenders (8 or 9)
about 1 cup pickle juice (drained from a jar of pickles)
1 cup flour (divided use)
1/2 cup buttermilk
salt and pepper, to taste
Oil for frying

Brine the chicken tenders in the pickle juice for approximately two hours. Put ½ cup flour in shallow bow (like a pie plate), ½ cup buttermilk in another shallow bowl, ½ cup flour in third shallow bowl. Set a wire rack next to the third bowl. Sprinkle a pinch of salt (yes, the chicken does need a bit more salt) and pepper into both bowls of flour, and stir. In assembly line fashion, take each tender from the pickle juice, dredge in first bowl of flour, carefully dip and cover in buttermilk, then dredge in flour in the next bowl and then place on wire rack to dry for about 30 minutes.

Heat oil to 350 degrees. Add 2 or 3 pieces of chicken and cook for about 5 minutes.

You might need to test one. Don’t overcook the chicken. Drain cooked chicken on a rack or on paper towel. Serve warm. One of my daughters wanted Ranch Dressing on the side. I just wanted a bit more salt (Maldon’s Sea Salt, of course).

*Found the source! This recipe was inspired by “Andy’s Pickle Fried Chicken”, page 113 in the magazine Mixing Bowl 2010 (a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication).

Olympics here I come! And if you stop by…, I’ll have some Pickle Fried Poppers and Nanaimo Bars to share with you 🙂

09 Feb 2010 Nanaimo Bars (for the Winter Olympics)
Author:  |  Category: Cookies & Bars, Holidays & Events  | Tags: ,  | 3 Comments

What makes my pulse race, my heart surge and my eyes well up? The Olympic theme music. “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat nor gloom of night”…, will keep me from the opening ceremonies, closing ceremonies and the two weeks of coverage in between. It’s only right that the games be celebrated with one of Vancouver’s celebrated foods, Nanaimo Bars. Truth-be-told, I find Nanaimo Bars to be a bit sweet, but being an Olympic Patriot, I’m sticking by them! Fudge is sweet, and we all like fudge right? So cut these bars into fudge sized squares and all will be OK. If you want to know more about Nanaimo bars, follow this link to the city of Nanaimo. I DID changed it a bit, of course 🙂 See you at the games!

Nanaimo Bars

Bottom Layer- A Nutty Chocolate, Coconut Base

½ cup butter
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 egg beaten
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
½ c. finely chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler (Do it in the double boiler, I did my first batch without a double boiler, and I had a curdled mess after I added the egg) Add a T or so of chocolate mixture to beaten egg, and then another T. Turn heat off the double boiler. Pour warmed egg mixture into the chocolate mixture in the top of the double boiler. Stir vigorously to cook and thicken. Remove pan from bowl from double boiler and then stir in graham cracker crumbs, coconut, nuts and vanilla. Spread mixture into the bottom of a greased 9″ x 9″ pan. Refrigerate bottom layer while preparing the middle layer.

Second Layer-The Sweet, Firm, Cream Filling

½ cup butter
2 Tbsp. and 2 tsp. cream
2 Tbsp. vanilla custard powder (Bird’s Custard Powder preferred, Instant Vanilla Pudding powder if you don’t know what Bird’s is or where to get it)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt

Cream butter, cream, custard powder, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt together. Beat until the mixture is very light, about 5 minutes with an electric mixer. Spread filing over the bottom layer and refrigerate while preparing the top layer.

Top Layer-Solid Chocolate

8 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. butter

Melt chocolate and butter together on 50% power in microwave. Cool slightly. Once cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer, spread evenly and then and chill in refrigerator until firm.

To cut the squares without cracking the hardened chocolate, use a sharp knife that has been warmed slightly before each cut. (Dip knife in boiling water, then quickly dry off before making a cut). Then use a small spatula to remove the squares from the pan. Keep squares refrigerated until serving time. Cue the Olympic Theme music!

Note: I have heard of two other places these are served; New York, as New York Slices, and Alaska, as Yukon Bars.

Thanks for visiting!  Now go watch the Olympics…, with a Nanaimo Bar!

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