Double Dipped Buttermilk Fried Chicken

• 4 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 frying chickens (about 3 pounds each), cut up
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• Olive oil or vegetable oil, for frying

Combine the buttermilk, thyme, Tabasco, Worcestershire, 1 tablespoon of the salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the pepper in a nonreactive bowl large enough to contain all of the chicken pieces with at least 1 inch to spare. Add the chicken and turn to coat fully in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before frying.

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large, shallow bowl, combine the flour, remaining 1 tablespoon salt, Cajun seasoning, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk marinade and roll it around in the seasoned flour until completely covered. Set it on the prepared baking sheet; repeat with the remaining chicken. Dip the coated chicken pieces once more in the marinade, then again in flour. Return the pieces to the baking sheet (a few minutes’ rest makes for a sturdier, crisper coating).

Have a wire cooling rack set over paper towels ready. In a large, heavy Dutch oven, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil over medium heat until it reaches 350°F on a deep-fat thermometer. Using kitchen tongs, add a few chicken pieces at a time to the hot oil (crowding will lower the temperature, making for greasy chicken). Fry the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 180°F, about 10 minutes per side (watch carefully, it can easily burn). Transfer the cooked chicken to the wire rack. Serve immediately or at room temperature (don’t let the chicken sit more than 2 hours).  Enjoy!!!

Apple Empanadas with Almond Pastry Cream

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 large Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt

• Bench flour, for dusting
• Almond Pastry Cream, at room temperature, recipe follows
• 1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
• 1 large egg, beaten
• Turbinado sugar

ALMOND PASTRY CREAM:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons almond paste
• Pinch salt

• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples and saute until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and toss. Continue cooking the apples, stirring occasionally, until the apples break down easily when pressed with a fork, an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and mash them with a fork while they are still warm, it should look like a chunky applesauce. Allow the apples to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, fold 1/4 cup of the Almond Pastry Cream into the cooled apples and set aside.

On a floured work surface, lay out the puff pastry sheets. Using a large (4 1/2-inch) circular biscuit cutter (or cookie cutter) cut 4 large circles per sheet, 8 all together.
On the bottom half of each of the rounds, spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of the apple mixture. Brush the edges of each circle with some egg wash. Fold the pastry dough over the filling, seal the edges with your fingers and then crimp them with the tines of a fork. Repeat with remaining pastry dough and filling. When all the pies are assembled, vent each one with 2 small slits, using a paring knife, on the top of each pie. Brush each one with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Transfer the empanadas to the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the pies until they have puffed and are golden brown, about 20 minutes. When the pies come out of the oven, spoon more of the Almond Pastry Cream over them and serve.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the whole milk, sugar, almond paste and salt. Whisk over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks and cornstarch. Whisk until combined and the mixture is creamy and thick. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and slowly add 1/4 cup of the milk liquid to the eggs, whisking constantly. Add the now-tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk and return the milk to a simmer for 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until it is fully incorporated. If desired, strain the pastry cream through a sieve. Pour the mixture into a bowl to cool. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Allow the cream to cool completely in the refrigerator until cold and set, at least 2 hours.  OMG===ENJOY!!!!!!

Ultimate Caramel Pie Recipe

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
• 2 eggs separated, (yolks for the pastry, whites for the glaze)
• 3 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

CARAMEL APPLES:

• 1 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for the top
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

• 1 lemon, halved
• 8 apples (recommended: Granny Smith and Gala)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cinnamon stick, freshly grated
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.To make the pastry, combine the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the chunks of cold butter with a pastry blender, a little at a time, until the dough resembles cornmeal. Add the 2 egg yolks and the ice water, and blend for a second just to pull the dough together and moisten. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.
To make the caramel sauce: place the sugar and water in a small pot and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat until the sugar has melted and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the burner and add the cream and wine slowly. It may bubble and spit, so be careful. When the sauce has calmed down, return it to the flame, add the vanilla bean and heat it slowly, until the wine and caramel are smooth and continue to slowly cook until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and cool until thickened.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze in the lemon juice. Peel the apples with a paring knife, cut them in half, and remove the core with a melon baller. Put the apple halves in the lemon-water (this will keep them from going brown). Toss the apples with the flour and cinnamon.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap the plastic, and cut the ball in half. Rewrap and return 1 of the balls to the refrigerator, until ready for the top crust. Let the dough rest on the counter for 15 minutes so it will be pliable enough to roll out. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 10-inch glass pie pan. Press the dough into the pan so it fits tightly.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice a couple of the apples at a time using a mandolin or a very sharp knife. The apples need to be thinly sliced so that as the pie bakes, they collapse on top of each other with no air pockets. This makes a dense, meaty apple pie. Cover the bottom of the pastry with a layer of apples, shingling the slices so there are no gaps. Ladle about 2 ounces of the cooled red wine caramel sauce evenly over the apple slices. Repeat the layers, until the pie is slightly overfilled and domed on the top; the apples will shrink down as the pie cooks. Top the apples with pieces of the butter.
Now, roll out the other ball of dough just as you did the first. Brush the bottom lip of the pie pastry with a little beaten egg white to form a seal. Place the pastry circle on top of the pie, and using some kitchen scissors, trim off the overhanging excess from around the pie. Crimp the edges of dough together with your fingers to make a tight seal. Cut slits in the top of the pie so steam can escape while baking. Place the pie on a sheet tray and tent it with a piece of aluminum foil, so the crust does not cook faster than the apples.

Bake the caramel apple pie for 25 minutes on the middle rack. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the freshly grated cinnamon. Remove the foil from the pie and brush the top with the remaining egg white. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar and return to the oven. Continue to bake for another 25 minutes, until the pie is golden and bubbling. Let the apple pie rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour to allow the fruit pectin to gel and set; otherwise the pie will fall apart when you cut into it.  Enjoy!!!

Cheddar Cheese Apple Pie

CRUST:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch dice

• 1 cup shredded white or yellow Cheddar, cold
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
• 1 large egg

FILLING:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 Cortland apples (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 6 Granny Smith apples (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate

Directions For the crust: Put the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to mix. Add the shortening and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is coarse and a few pieces of butter are still visible. Add the cheese and pulse just to combine. Add the apple cider vinegar and ice water. Pulse until the dough just begins to come together; it should look moist but still crumbly and not yet a complete ball. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and quickly form into a ball. Divide into 2 disks, one slightly larger than the other, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. The less you work the dough the flakier it will be.

For the filling: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the apples (if the apples cannot sit in one even layer, use 2 medium saute pans to cook the apples in batches). Add the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Continue cooking over medium heat until the apples release their liquid and it begins to boil, 12 to 15 minutes. The apples will be tender but will not lose their shape. Once the apples are tender, add the flour and cook until the liquid has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 1 minute longer. Remove the apples to a baking sheet and spread out in an even layer to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place a baking sheet in the oven while preheating so it will be hot by the time the pie goes into the oven.

Roll the larger disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick, to fit a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate. Roll the dough onto your rolling pin and then unroll it over your pie plate. Trim the excess dough to 1/2-inch, and do not crimp the edges. Place the cooled filling in the pie plate, mounding at the center.

Roll the smaller disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thick and 10 inches in diameter and place on top of the filling. Fold the edges under, and decoratively crimp the edges. Cut slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon water and brush the top of the pie.

Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Decrease the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until the top crust is golden brown and crisp to the touch and the bottom crust is browned, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool to room temperature and serve.  Enjoy!!!

Caramel Pecan Spiders

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in pieces

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 ounces thin black licorice strands, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
• Chocolate curls or jimmies, optional

Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans, about 3 or 4 pecans each, spaced a couple inches apart on the pan.
Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.
Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.
Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute.
Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It's helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.)
Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm until firm.

Pumpkin Tiramisu

1/3 cup cornstarch or arrowroot
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup canned coconut milk, mixed well before measuring
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Vanilla Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups soy, almond or rice milk
1 cup canola oil
1/4 cup white or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla or almond extract
For the espresso soak:
1/2 cup amaretto
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons instant espresso
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (dairy-free), ground in a food processor or finely chopped

1. To make the Pumpkin Crème: In a small bowl, thoroughly mix cornstarch and water with a whisk or fork and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice and salt, and heat over medium heat until it just begins to boil, about 5 minutes. Slowly drizzle cornstarch mixture into the saucepan, whisking continuously. Cook until the mixture becomes very thick, about 5 minutes, whisking frequently. Pour the crème into a bowl and let cool about 15 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is touching the top of the crème. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
3. To make the Vanilla Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease three 8- or 9-inch round cake pans or one 9-by-13-inch pan and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together nondairy milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Fill each prepared cake pan evenly with batter. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs clinging to it. Rotate the cakes halfway through the baking time. Cool the cakes completely before assembly.
6. To make the Espresso Soak: In a small bowl, whisk amaretto, water and espresso until espresso dissolves.
7. To assemble: In a large bowl or trifle dish, place one layer of cake (trim to fit) at the bottom and drizzle it with the Espresso Soak. Spread a layer of Pumpkin Crème on top and generously sprinkle with ground chocolate. Repeat this process for 2 more layers until all components are used up. You could also cut the cake into mini rounds for individual servings in mini trifle dishes or ramekins.
Yield: 1 (8-inch) trifle or 6 to 8 mini-trifles.

October

Well, it is October and the month for spooky things and great food...I will try to devote most of this months blog to Octobery things.....let's see how well I do...Wishing you a booooy filled month!!!!!!mahahahaha