Korean Fried Chicken

Judy Joo is the host of "Korean Food Made Easy" on the Cooking Network and is always presenting great Korean dishes.  Her recent show called "Fusion" included a recipe for Korean Fried Chicken.  The Korean's have upscaled the classic American favorite with a Korean twist.  So, here is her take on Fried Chicken.  Enjoy.

Ingredients
Pickled Radish Cubes:

• ½ Cup Rice Vinegar
• ½ Cup Water
• ½ Cup sugerfine sugar or Caster sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Kosher salt or sea Salt
• 1 Pound Daikon radish, cut into ½ inch cubes

Pre-Coating:

• 1/4 Cup cornstarch or corn flour
• 2-1/2 Teaspoons Kosher salt or sea salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
• 10 grinds Black Pepper
• 2 chicken drumsticks, 2 thighs and 4 wings with tips (bone in, skin on)
• Oil, for frying

Batter:

• 1/2 Cup cornstarch or corn flour
• 1/4 Cup fine matzo meal
• 1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons Korean chile flakes (gochugaru)
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt or sea salt
• 2-1/2 Teaspoons Garlic granules
• 2-1/2 Teaspoons Onion granules
• 1/4 Teaspoon baking powder
• 1 Cup Water
• 1/3 Cup Vodka
• 2 Tablespoons Korean chile paste (gochujang)

Korean BBQ Sauce:

• 3 Tablespoons Korean chile paste (gochujang)
• 3 Tablespoons Ketchup
• 2 packed tablespoons dark Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon roasted Sesame Oil
• 2 Teaspoons grated Ginger (from about a 2-inch piece)
• 2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

Procedures

• Make the pickled radish cubes: Combine the first four ingredients in a large bowl, whisking until the sugar and salt are dissolved.  Add the radish and toss to coat.  Leave at room temperature, covered, for 24 hours.  Then refrigerate. 
• Make the pre-coating: In a large bowl, whisk together the first 4 ingredients.  Add the chicken and toss well until evenly coated in all areas.  Transfer the chicken to a rack, shaking the chicken well to get rid of any eess coating.  Let rest uncovered for 1 hour. 
• Prepare oil: Pour enough oil into a 6-quart Dutch oven to reach a depth of 2 incudes.  Heat the oil over medium-high hear until a deep-dry thermometer reads 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Make the batter:  In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.  Just before frying, whisk the wet mixture into the dry mixture.  The consistency should be relatively thin and runny.  Working in two batches, dip each piece of chicken into the batter, letting excess batter drip off.  Suspend the chicken in the oil for a couple of seconds to it to setup before letting it slip completely into the oil, otherwise, the chicken will fall and stick to the bottom of the pot.  Fry the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes per batch.  Transfer to a wire rack to drain as done. 
• Make the BBQ sauce: Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened, 2 to 5 minutes.  Serve the chicken with the BBQ sauce, pickled radish and beer. 
• Note: The batter's dry and wet ingredients can be assembled but bnot mixed together ahead of time.  Whisk the wet and ry ingredients right before you are ready to fry the chicken, otherwise, the batter may thicken too much.  Cook the chicken in batches, cooking the drumsticks and thights together as one batch and the wings as a separate batch.  Loosen the BBQ'sauce with a little water if you want to drizzle the sauce over or glaze the chicken. 

Ginger Cranberry Sauce

This recipe was adapted from Sam Sifton's book "Thanksgiving - How to Cook It Well".  Enjoy.

Ingredients

• ½-Cup Pecans, roughly chopped.
• 1 Bag (12 oz.) Fresh or Thawed Frozen Cranberries.
• ¾-Cup Sugar.
• ¾-Cup Fresh Orange Juice.
• 1 Teas. Grated Fresh Giner.
• 1-½ Teas. Orange Zest.

Procedure

• Toast Pecans in sauté pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes or until fragment and golden brown.  Remove from heat and set aside.
• Cook Cranberries, Sugar and Orange Juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring regularly, 4 to 6 minutes or until Sugar melts and Cranberries begin to pop.
• Add Ginger and Orange Zest; cook 2 to 3 minutes and remove from heat.  Add Pecans, cover and cool to room temperature.
• Chill, covered for at least 2 hours.
• Serve

Garlic Confit Toast

This one comes from the April 2015 issue of Bon Appétit magazine.  Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1 fresh Baguette 
• 1 head fresh Garlic
• ½ cup unsalted Butter
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Teas. chopped Oregano
• 1 Teas. grated Lemon zest
• ½ Teas. crushed Red Pepper flakes

Procedure

• Extract cloves from head of garlic.
• Cook cloves of garlic in unsalted butter, in a small covered saucepan, over medium-low heat until golden brown and very soft - 15-30 minutes.
• Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool.
• Add Parmesan, Oregano, Lemon zest and Red Pepper flakes to garlic and mash to a paste.
• Season with salt to taste.
• Heat broiler.
• Slice Baguette lengthwise and crosswise to fit baking sheet.
• Broil cut sides down on a foil-lined baking sheet until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
• Let cool slightly, then spread on cut side with garlic paste. 
• Broil again until cheese is golden and bubbling, about 2 minutes.

Citrus Vinaigrette - From the Park 121 Grill

Chef Bruce Riezenman

If you travel up Highway 121 (Arnold Drive) from Route 37 about 6.5 miles, past the Sonoma Raceway, you will find the Park 121 Cafe and Grill, a great cozy restaurant inside Cornerstone Sonoma.

Cornerstone Sonoma has a few wineries, some retail stores, a working garden demonstration area and, of course, the Park 121 Cafe and Grill restaurant.   They have a very nice, fresh menu with many really great lunch items.  Along with their salads and a few other dishes, they serve their signature Citrus Vinaigrette.   London van der Kamp, the restaurant manager, was kind enough to share the recipe.

The recipe is the pride of Executive Chef Bruce Riezenman.

The Cozy Outside Patio (their is inside dining too)

While they have a wonderful and extensive menu, one of my favorite dishes is their Adult Grilled Cheese Sandwich.   The grilled cheese showcases Bellwether Farms Carmody, bacon and quince paste on Penngrove wheat bread toast.  Yum yum.

So, here we go with the Citrus Vinaigrette.  The recipe makes 1 pint of dressing.




Ingredients

• ¼ Cup While Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp, Shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 Lime, zested and squeezed for juice
• 1 Lemon, zested and squeezed for juice
• ¼ Orange, zested and squeezed for juice
• 1 Teas. Brown Sugar
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 Teas. Grain Mustard
• ¾ Cup Good Quality Olive Oil
• ½ Cup Canola, Grapeseed or other neutral, clean-tasting oil

Procedure

• Place shallots, zest, white vinegar and juices from the citrus in a non-reacting bowl for 30 minutes.  Strain and discard shallots.
• Combine the olive and other oil.  
• Place the juices, sugar and mustard in a blender and lightly emulsify by addiing the combined oils slowly to the blender.
• Add salt and pepper, as desired, remembering the dressing will taste much lighter when drizzled on a salad.

Chicken Wings with Honey and Hoisin Glaze

Here is a different chicken wing recipe for those who like Asian rather than Buffalo wings.  From Kelsy Nixon's - Kesley's Essentials program on the Cooking Channel.

Ingredients

• 12 chicken wings (wingettes and drumettes)
• 3 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp. Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1 Teas. Kosher Salt
• 1 Teas. Cracked Black Pepper
• ¼ Cup Rice Vinegar
• 2 Teas. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• ½ Cup Honey
• 2 Tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 2 Scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• 2 Teas. Black and White Sesame Seeds, for serving

Procedure

• Arrange an over rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the broiler.
• Toss the chicken with the vegetable and sesame oil and sprinke with salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
• Arrange the chicken on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.  Broil the chicken parts, turning after 10 minutes, until the chicken is golden grown, crisp and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the vinegar and crushed red pepper in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the honey, hoisin and soy sauce.  Pour into an extra-large bowl.
• Add the chicken to the bowl and toss with the honey glaze.  Transfer the chicken wings to a platter and garnish with the scallions and sesame seeds.