Holiday Spiced Nuts

A classic Southern holiday snack, these sweet, savory and spicy nuts are always a crowd-pleaser and they're easy to make, too. You can find a number of variations of this recipe; this is our version. It's a little different than most because we like to beat the egg whites up to soft peaks, bake at a lower temperature, and reserve a bit of the spice mixture to sprinkle over the nuts in the last moments of baking. These small differences ensure that the nuts don't stick together or become super sticky, and develop a nice, spicy candy coating on the outside. These are one of our favorites and we hope they'll become one of yours too.

HOLIDAY SPICED NUTS

2 egg whites

1 tbs water

4 cups pecan halves

2/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil misted with cooking spray, or a silpat.

In a large bowl, whip the egg whites and water with a whisk until just at soft peaks. Do not overbeat.

In a small bowl, mix together all the spices. We usually grate fresh nutmeg with a microplane and use whole cloves that we smash to dust in a mortar and pestle, but use whatever you have onhand. You can experiment with varying the spices and amounts that you add to the spice mixture; some ideas: powdered ginger, ground cumin, mustard powder.

Add the nuts to the egg whites and gently stir to combine. Add the spice mixture (reserving a couple of tablespoons for the end) and continue to gently stir together.

Dump the mixture out on the sheet pan, spread it out into a single layer, then put in the oven. The total baking time is about 30 minutes, but you'll need to stir them every so often, at least 2 or 3 times during baking. Add the reserved spice mixture the last time you stir them, after they've been in the oven about 25 minutes. Be somewhat cautious about letting your oven get too hot or leaving them in too long as they can go from gorgeous to burnt up very quickly. Allow to cool in pan, occasionally stirring if needed to prevent sticking.

Covered with plastic wrap they'll keep for a few weeks stored at room temperature, or sit them out in bowls where people congregate and watch them disappear. Some years we've gone through several batches of these; they're great with wine and cocktails and always a favorite. Happy holidays, and enjoy!

Five Uses for Leftover Buttermilk

[ PART TWO ]

Sound familiar? You need a small amount of buttermilk for some recipe you're making, but it's tough if not impossible to find small containers of buttermilk at the grocery store. Usually a quart is the smallest they have, and even then, you might as well buy the half gallon for only a few cents more. So most of a carton sits in your fridge, untouched until it's too old to be useful, then heads straight down the drain. Food waste... we hate it!

Fortunately, there's several easy and tasty things you can do with that leftover buttermilk, and Foodie is delighted to run them down for you. Our series continues...

3. FRIED CHICKEN

Who doesn't like fried chicken? Sure, it's easy enough to pick up takeout, but for an extra special treat, make it yourself sometime. An overnight soak in buttermilk makes sure the pieces stay juicy and flavorful.

PRETZEL & CORNFLAKE CRUSTED FRIED CHICKEN

Cut up a fryer into 8 or 10 pieces (Leave breasts whole or cut them in half so they'll cook faster). Place in a large ziplock bag and coat with:

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Massage to combine, then allow to soak overnight, agitating occasionally to ensure even penetration. Remove to a colander in the sink and allow to drain. Place a large, heavy skillet over low heat and add:

• 1 stick (8 tbs) shortening
• 1/2 cup canola oil

Combine in a small bowl:

• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  

In a food processor or grinder, pulse to a medium crumb:

• 1 1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
• 1/2 cup crushed pretzels

Combine with:

• 1 cup all purpose flour

When the chicken is well drained, sprinkle on the spice mixture and toss to distribute evenly. Place the flour mixture into a shallow pan and add the well drained and seasoned chicken pieces one at a time and coat thoroughly with the mixture, pressing it in to adhere but shaking off excess. Place on a plate or a pan and let rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow the coating to firm up.

Raise the heat on your pan and monitor the temperature with a thermometer. Add the chicken to the pan after the fat passes 300° starting with the largest pieces, ending with the smaller ones. Place them in the pan skin side down. The oil will cool down as you add the chicken. Ideally the chicken will fry at about 275–300°. This should insure that it cooks through by the time the skin becomes crispy and golden brown. It should take about 10 minutes for the internal temperature to reach 160-165°.

You could really fry in any sort of oil you like... canola, peanut or vegetable oil, (not olive!) or even lard. We like shortening because it tends to obscure most of that "fried" food smell that can linger in your kitchen.

Remove the chicken from the oil as it reaches temperature and drain on a wire rack over a sheet pan rather than on paper towels or bags. This will preserve the crispiness of the crust. Enjoy warm or cold...

Five Uses for Leftover Buttermilk

[ PART ONE ]

Sound familiar? You need a small amount of buttermilk for some recipe you're making, but it's tough if not impossible to find small containers of buttermilk at the grocery store. Usually a quart is the smallest they have, and even then, the half gallon is only a few cents more. So most of a carton sits in your fridge, untouched until it's too old to be useful, then heads straight down the drain. Food waste... we hate it!

Fortunately, there's several easy and tasty things you can do with that leftover buttermilk, andFoodie is delighted to run them down for you. We'll start with perhaps the simplest...

1. & 2. HOMEMADE SALAD DRESSINGS

Ranch Dressing

Among us food nerds, Ranch Dressing is a controversial topic. Some people love it; among those folks a few have an unfortunate tendency to drown far too many foodstuffs with far too much of it. Others can't stand it; we have a chef friend who refers to ranch as 'fat white girl gravy', and longs for the day when she can open her own restaurant where the substance will be banned. Our personal views are far less extreme: we're not huge fans of it, but we don't hate it. Okay, we admit we might get a little offended if you offer it to us alongside buffalo wings, and it's pretty unlikely we'll ever be elected mayor of Hidden Valley, but we do find occasional uses for it. Probably our favorite is simply alongside crudité.

But if you're going to have ranch, why not make it yourself? Our Foodie version certainly tastes noticeably better than bottled versions we've tried.

FOODIE RANCH DRESSING

• 1/2 clove of garlic (or 1 small clove)
• large pinch of coarse kosher salt

Smash together against board with side of chef's knife until a paste is formed. Transfer to a jar with a tight lid, or to a bowl and whisk in ingredients. Add:

• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 tbs sour cream (Light or fat free is fine if you prefer.)
• 1 tsp mayonnaise (Again, light or fat free is fine if you prefer.)
• Juice of half a small lime
• 1 tsp of finely chopped fresh parsley
• scant 1/2 tsp of finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 tsp grated parmesan (We usually prefer the real thing but in this case canned works fine.)
• 1 tsp sugar
• season to taste with salt and pepper (It's true that you start with salt and garlic, but we've found that this still needs a good pinch of salt at the end to taste properly seasoned.)

Shake vigorously for several moments until well combined. Can be used immediately, but tastes better if covered and refrigerated for at least an hour. Using dried herbs is not recommended, but if you feel you must, cut the amounts in half.

Blue Cheese Dressing

Is it blue or bleu? You could argue that it depends on whether you use a domestic or imported cheese, but we'd counter that either is fine, depending on how fancy you're feeling. Similar to ranch, but more popular in our kitchen, blue cheese dressing lends itself to a number of uses. It's essential with buffalo chicken wings, great for dunking pizza crusts, and enjoyable atop a fresh green salad (though it can be a bit heavy; when using bottled versions we tend to use a small amount and then splash the salad with seasoned rice wine vinegar for a lighter, vinaigrette type of feeling). Here's our favorite personal version:

FOODIE BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

This can be quickly made in a food processor, but can easily be made by hand. The key is to make sure the garlic is completely mashed to a paste before adding the other ingredients. A wire whisk and a little elbow grease will quickly homogenize everything after you add the cheese.

• 1 clove of garlic (or 2 small cloves)
• large pinch of coarse kosher salt

Smash together against board with side of chef's knife until a paste is formed, then transfer to a bowl or processor. Add:

• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tbs sour cream
• 2 tbs mayonnaise
• juice of half a lemon (or substitute lime)
• 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• pinch of black pepper

Pulse to combine thoroughly, or beat until smooth. Crumble in:

• 1/3 cup blue cheese (or more, depending on taste)

Pulse to combine, or mix until cheese chunks are evenly distributed and about pea-sized at largest. Best after chilling for at least an hour.

[ NEXT: FRIED CHICKEN ]

Sensational Summer Salad

This is one of our favorite summer salads, and it's hearty enough to stand alone as a filling lunch or a light supper. Grilled chicken breast, crumbled gorgonzola, Granny Smith apple, plum tomatoes, pecans and dried cranberries top a bed of fresh mixed baby greens. The dressing is our basic balsamic vinaigrette. Even though it's basically a ‘what-you-see-is-what-you-get’ sort of recipe, we thought we'd go ahead and write it down for you. For the amount of each ingredient in the salad, just use your judgement...

THE SALAD

• Grilled Chicken Breast, cut across the grain into thin strips
• Granny Smith apples, washed then cut into 1/4" slices
• Crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, or other blue veined cheese
• Pecan Halves (optional step: toast over medium high heat in a dry skillet till you smell them)
• Plum Tomato, cut into eighths
• Dried Cranberries (We're partial to Ocean Spray's orange-flavored ‘Craisins’)
• Mixed Baby Greens (Our favorite mix is from Fresh Express: Tender Ruby Reds, and consists of red and green baby butter lettuce and baby spinach)

THE DRESSING: BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

This is the usual concoction we whip up when it's a creamy balsamic vinaigrette we're after. The amounts are approximate and should be adjusted to taste or according to how many servings you're trying to make...

Combine in a small mixing bowl:

• 1 tsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• a few microplane swipes worth of lemon zest
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp rice wine vineagar
• pinch coarse kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 heaping tsp fresh parsley, chopped fine
• 1 heaping tsp fresh chives, chopped fine

Whisk to combine thoroughly. While continuing to whisk, slowly stream in

• 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

until well emulsified.

This salad is inspired by a salad we used to devour at a swanky dive in New York City called Live Bait. This was more years ago than we care to admit publicly, and the salad has long since been dropped from their menu. We're happy to find that they are still in business, and probably should pay them a nostalgic visit the next time we find ourselves in the Big Apple. Wow, it's been awhile, but that's another topic entirely... Enjoy!

Our Favorite Hot Sauces

Ok, we confess... there's actually about three times this many bottles of assorted hot sauces on the shelf in the cabinet by the stove, but here is a rundown of our current favorites.

The El Yucateco Line (first four bottles from left)

For awesome heat levels and great flavor, these are hard to beat. We have been enjoying the classic red and green (second and fourth) flavors for over twenty years. The first one is their XXXtra Hot, which we first sampled at the Fiery Foods Show in Austin back in 2000. The fourth one is a flavor we hadn't encountered until this past year: Jalapeño. All four of these sauces deliver great pepper flavor and a considerable amount of heat. Love 'em on tacos and burritos.

Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (big bottle with green top)

A secret of restaurant kitchens around the globe, Sriracha (sree-RAH-cha) delivers moderate heat and a tangy and rather uniquely delicious flavor. Fantastically tasty on so many things... We love to mix it with a litle mayo for a quick dip for grilled chicken breast strips. Made by an enterprising Vietnamese immigrant in his Los Angeles facility since 1980. Look for the distinctive rooster on the bottle.

Tabasco

Made the same way in Avery Island, Louisiana for decades, Tabasco is nearly ubiquitous when it comes to classic American hot sauces, and with good reason. It has a crisp, clean flavor and medium low heat. It is practically de rigeur in bloody marys and many other classic and traditional recipes.

Tabasco Habanero

A more recent offering from the folks in Avery, and one of our faves. Great habanero flavor and a medium high level of heat. We think it really shines atop chilidogs and pulled pork but its great in many situations.

Texas Pete

Though it's not very hot at all, we love Texas Pete. Is it us waxing nostalgic over our past years as a Texan? Is it the fact that we haven't been able to find it anywhere in California, making it seem more coveted and desirable? Probably a little of both, combined with the fact that what it lacks in heat it makes up for in delicious flavor.

Franks Red Hot - Extra Hot

The regular Franks is plenty tasty, but we think the Extra Hot version is a real star. Great flavor and nice heat levels, we love this on wings, pizza, and chili (for starters). This one can be tough to find; hope they're not discontinuing it. We always stock up when we find it.

We could go on and on, but those are our top picks. What are your favorites?

Shooting A Greenscreen Segment

Our living room handily doubles as our greenscreen stage. With Los Angeles' unseasonably warm February, occasionally pants are optional. Elements generated from this shoot will be composited with computer graphics. This shot is part of the "Trick Out Your Kitchen" segment.

Low-Budget Hollywood Secrets: Part One

To give our rental apartment kitchen a more custom, high-end look for the on camera cooking demos, artist Craig Edwards created a piece of art in photoshop that resembled off-white porcelain subway tiles with a small glass mosaic tile inlay. The art was created to fit the backsplash area of our kitchen, and set up to repeat in a tiling manner horizontally. We printed out eight identical 11"x17" sheets at Kinko's for a grand total of about $10 and stuck them on the wall with doublestick tape. Voila! Instant custom tile backsplash that looks indistinguishable from the real thing on camera, even in HD, and at a fraction of the time and cost of the real thing.

Simple Serrano Pepper Quick Pickle

These spicy little gems take practically no time to make and are great to have in the fridge to top pizzas or throw on a sandwich. Serrano Peppers are similar to Jalapeño Peppers in flavor and appearance, but are a bit smaller in size, with more heat than jalapenos. They are widely available; consult your grocer or seek out the local ethnic market if you have trouble finding them.

• Leftover brine from a jar of Pickled Jalapeños (and/or...)
• Leftover brine from a jar of Peproncinis (and/or...)
• Leftover brine from a jar of Dill Pickles
• Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
• Clean Jar with a tight fitting lid
• 10-20 fresh serrano peppers (enough to fill the jar after slicing)

1. Prepare a jar with a tight-fitting lid by washing it thoroughly with soap and very hot water, then letting it air dry.
2. Slice the serrano peppers into discs about 1/8" thick, discarding the inedible tops.
3. Pack the slices into the jar and then knock the jar on the counter a few times to encourage the peppers to settle.
4. Combine the brines in a small pot over medium heat. Top off with rice wine vinegar. You want enough brine to cover the peppers in the jar.
5. Bring just to a boil and the remove from the heat. Pour immediately over the peppers in the jar.
6. Let cool to room temperature, then lid tightly and refrigerate.

These last as long in the fridge as long as I've ever been able to hang onto them (weeks? months?). They are a great and inexpensive alternative to often bland commercial pickled jalapeños, are naturally fat free and loaded with Vitamin C.