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...

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!