My husband and I have been having 4th of July parties for years. Since we live so close to the beach, we head down in the afternoon with some friends and hang out until the fireworks are over.  One year I was trying to think of a good picnic food that would travel well and thought fried chicken would be great.  I’d made fried chicken before and while it was okay it always seemed to be missing something. 

Then I tasted a friend’s fried chicken, and his was so moist and tender I asked him how he did it.  He’s from the south and he told me the secret is soaking the chicken in buttermilk over night.  As soon as I started doing that, it made all the difference.  Sure, it’s an extra step which means you have to start preparing your chicken the night before, but the tender, juicy piece of meat that results is totally worth the extra effort.

The buttermilk was the first step, then I wanted to hone my batter.  See, it was yummy, but it still wasn’t quite right.  I checked out Ina Garten’s Oven Fried Chicken recipe and discovered she baked her chicken in the oven after frying it.  So I tried that.  Another improvement.  ‘course that was also when I was still using bone-in chicken.  After ten years of 4th of July parties, you discover people really don’t want to use a knife and fork while lounging on the beach.  It’s much easier to pick it up and eat it with your fingers.  So now I only make chicken tenders, which means no more oven since the chicken’s cooked all the way through once it’s fried.

Then I started adding different spices. I tried thyme – nothing special.  Basil – only if you’re looking for an Italian flare, which I wasn’t.  Cayenne pepper – way too spicy.  Then finally – rosemary.  That was it!  I know, it’s not a usual addition to fried chicken, but I love the herb.  It doesn’t matter if it’s on potatoes, roasted chicken, grilled leg of lamb or pasta, rosemary always brings something special to the dish.

Now that I’ve perfected my fried chicken, it’s become a staple at our 4th of July parties.  As a matter of fact, it’s become such a custom, people want to make sure it’s going to be there before they RSVP.  So this year, if you’re having people over to watch the fire works, give this chicken a try.  I guarantee it’ll be a hit.

Rosemary Fried Chicken

Makes 10 servings

• 10 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets (they’re thinner)  and/or tenders
• 1/2 gallon buttermilk
• 4 cups of flour
• 2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp rosemary
• Vegetable oil

Place the breasts and/or tenders in a bowl and pour the buttermilk over them.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and dip each piece of chicken in the flour mixture and coat thoroughly.  Pour the vegetable oil into a 12 inch fry pan and heat over a medium heat until it reaches 360 degrees on a thermometer.

Working in batches, carefully place a few pieces of chicken in the oil and fry for 4 minutes per side or until the coating is a nice golden brown.  Remove the chicken from the oil and set on a dish with paper towel to let the excess oil drain off.  Let the oil in the pan return to 360 degrees before frying the next batch of chicken.  Once all the chicken is fried, serve hot.

As an added tip, do not change out the oil between batches.  As you fry more chicken the oil takes on more and more of the flavor from the previous batches.  I actually think the last batch of chicken I fry is usually the most flavorful because it’s got all the spices and juices from the previous batches.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine had a dinner party that she’d won from Williams-Sonoma and Calphalon.  Ali’s not a food blogger, just a mom like me who enjoys entertaining.  Well, when she heard about the contest, she applied and she won.  She got two Calphalon Unison nonstick pans, some Calphalon cooking utensils (one of which I now own) and $100 to buy all the food she’d need for the party.  Dinner was to be a pork tenderloin and heirloom tomato salad.  Then for dessert we had lemon ricotta blinis topped with raspberry sorbet. 

But there was a second part to the contest.  Since she’d won the dinner party, Williams-Sonoma sent her a notice about another contest – she could be in the running to have Michael Symon cook dinner for her and her guests.  She applied and she won.  So not only did I get a great dinner with friends from a celebrity chef, I also got a cooking lesson. 

Here’s what I learned:

1. If you’re using salt to cook you should only use either sea salt or Kosher salt. That iodized salt that’s on everyone’s shelf was great back in the day when people had iodine deficiencies. But in this day and age we’re no longer deficient, so it’s time to upgrade.
2. Warm the pans before you start using them.  This was news to me.  See, I always thought if you put a pan on a hot burner with nothing in it, you’d burn the pan.  But according to Chef Symon, the pans in every restaurant kitchen, including his, are always hot.  That way whatever you’re making cooks more evenly, and the pans will be easier to clean after you’re done using them.
3. Never use boxed stocks.  They have tons of salt in them, even the low sodium versions.  If you don’t happen to have any chicken stock in the fridge or freezer, just take a little of the meat or veggie you’re using and boil it in some water for a few minutes – there’s your stock.  You still have the flavor of whatever you’re making but without all the added salt and preservatives.
4. But I’d have to say the biggest lesson I learned (which I kinda already knew) was that salt and fat are good for you!  These two things are what bring flavor to our dishes and yet today they’re the two biggest no-nos.  When you grill a burger, a lot of that fat is burned off by the fire. But while it’s dripping off the meat, it’s leaving behind a ton of flavor.  According to Chef Symon, if you’re going to buy ground beef, you should get nothing less than 30% fat.  I know, I’m as shocked as you are.  I usually get 10-15%.

So bearing those few things in mind, I decided to take what I had learned and try to recreate the marinated pork from Ali’s dinner party for my husband and son.  While I don’t have the Calphalon pans that Ali and Chef Symon used (mine are All-Clad), everything else I did was the same.  The good news is, it turned out quite yummy. The bad news, I was the one cooking it this time… well, maybe that’s not such bad news after all.

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

2 pounds of pork tenderloin

Marinade

• 6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. coriander seed, toasted
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seed, toasted
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• Zest and juice of 3 limes
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 shallots, minced

Cut the pork into 2 inch-thick medallions.  Whisk together the coriander, cumin, lime zest, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, garlic and shallots.  Pour over the pork and chill for 2-6 hours, turning over once.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Preheat pan (whatever brand happens to be your favorite) over medium heat.  Pour 2 Tbsp. of olive oil into the pan and heat.  Remove the pork from the marinade, reserving the marinade for the sauce.  Sear the pork in the olive oil for 3 minutes per side.  Once the pork is seared transfer it to an oven safe dish and heat for another 3 to 5 minutes for medium-rare medallions.  Remove the pan from the oven and place the pork on a platter.

Sauce for Pork

• Marinade
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Add marinade, chicken stock, vinegar and honey to a pan and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to sim and let the sauce simmer until it’s reduced about a 1/3.  Whisk in the cup of olive oil and pour over the pork.

Note:When I had this meal at Ali’s it was served as a warm pork and heirloom tomato salad with the sauce used as the dressing.  Since I’ve never been a big fan of warm salads, I ladled the sauce over the pork and kept my tomato salad cold.  The benefit in doing it this way was I had enough sauce left over, that once refrigerated, can be used as a delicious dressing for future salads.

Now that summer’s officially here, that means amazing fruit is back in season and light, fruity desserts are a must have for all those outdoor parties.  I love my chocolate, but I also love a good fruit tart or pie.  It doesn’t matter if it’s blueberry, strawberry, peach or plum, they’re all wonderful.  But for some reason nothing screams summer more than a lemon dessert.

Making the crust

I love lemonade, lemon bars, lemon curd, lemon mousse, lemon pound cake… you name it.  In my book, if it’s a lemon-based dessert, it’s gonna be good.  And this little pie can’t be beat. Unlike lemon bars or lemon curd which while delish are often thick and a little on the heavy side, this lemon mousse is light and fluffy.  Almost like taking a bite out of a lemon flavored cloud. 

And what makes this pie extra special, is I carry that lightness all the way down the the crust.  That’s right.  There’s absolutely no flour to be found anywhere in this dish.  So if you’re anything like me, you’ll be thrilled that you don’t have to make and knead the dough before you get to the good stuff. 

Having said that, I will caution you that while super easy, the crust does need to be made the night before.  See, you want to leave it in the oven over night so that your pretty mountains of meringue don’t fall when they hit the cold air outside that nice warm oven.  Other than that, this is a great dish for any summer party, be it birthday, anniversary, or just because.

Lemon Mousse Pie

Meringue Crust

• 1 cup of sugar
• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp Cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Beat the egg whites until stiff.

With the mixer on, gradually add the sugar and cream of tartar until well blended and the whites are shiny.

Spread the meringue in a well-greased 10 inch pie plate, making sure it comes up the sides.

Put in the oven and bake for 1 hour.  Once the buzzer sounds, turn off the oven but leave the crust inside overnight. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN.

Lemon Mousse

• 3/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large eggs separated
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

In the top half of a double boiler, whisk together the 3 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Once mixed, place over simmering water in the bottom half of your double boiler and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  The mixture’s done once it’s thick and coats the back of a spoon.  Take off the heat and transfer to a bowl to let it cool.  Once cool, cover and place in the refrigerator until chilled – about an hour to an hour and a half.

While the lemon mixture is chilling, beat the whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks and put aside.  Once the lemon mixture is chilled and ready to come out of the refrigerator, beat the egg whites until stiff.  Gently fold the egg whites into the lemon mixture.  Then gently fold the whipped cream into the lemon mixture as well.

Once combined, pour the lemon mixture into your meringue crust from the night before.  Place in the refrigerator and chill for 4 or 5 hours.  Garnish with sliced lemons and serve.

If you follow me on twitter (@kitchycooker) you know that I participated in Eatmyblog 2.0 on Saturday in West Hollywood.  For those of you who don’t know, Eatmyblog is a charity bake sale where are all the goodies are made by southern California food bloggers and all the money raised goes to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

While I’ve only been blogging for a short amount of time, I heard about this event and wanted to be a part of it.  As someone who cooks and bakes for fun, it never struck me that there might be something I could do to give back.  Sure, I’ve given money to chairites and I make several donations to Goodwill every year.  But I’ve never done anything with my baked goods (other than bring them into work or give them to friends).  But then someone on twitter mentioned the event and I immediately went over to the Eatmyblog website to check it out.

Cathy Dahn and Laurie Moore of Gastronomy Blog and G-Ma’s Bakery had started the blog because they thought it “seemed silly to have people make food and eat it without a cause.”  Well, I couldn’t have agreed more.  So I e-mailed Cathy and was thrilled to have her welcome my chocoholic brownies to the event.  But since I have a serious sweet tooth, baking wasn’t enough for me. I was going to have to sample some of the other goodies because they all looked so damn good. 

My box of yumminess

While I still haven’t finished my box of sweet treats, I want to thank bakelab for their amazing Coconut Clouds. I only bought one, but it was sooooo good, I had to go back and buy a second. Pete Eat Em All made these awesome mini chocolate coconut cakes that had a toasted coconut custard filling and then covered it with white frosting and toasted coconut. I seriously want that recipe.  I still have to try the Dulce de Leche Brownie from 100 Miles, a peach pie on a stick from Sweet Life Kitchen, and a Mexican Brownie from Foodshethought.com, but I can’t wait to savor each and every bite.

Pete Eat Em All's Mini Chocolate Coconut Cake

And since I know you’re all wondering, I and numerous other Angelenos purchased so much yumminess, the Eat My Blog bake sale made a whopping $5,427.  I know.  Who knew a little bake sale could make and do so much for so many people. I feel honored to have been a part of it and I can’t wait for the next one.

I know that breakfast in bed and flowers are reserved for Mother’s Day, and barbecues and outdoor parties are reserved for Father’s Day, but why?  Doesn’t a father who works hard all week and comes home in time for dinner and help put the kids (or in my case, baby) to bed deserve some pampering too?  Doesn’t he deserve to sleep in and then have a nice big brunch with the family? 

When I see how hard my hubby works during the week and then can come home and focus all his attention on our little boy, it warms my heart.  I’m sure most fathers out there do this, but this is the first time I’ve witnessed it as a wife. 

See, this is our first child. And what no one ever tells you is how hard it is to raise a baby.  Yes, it’s a life fulfilling experience and yes, I’ve loved every minute of it.  Okay, almost every minute of it.  But when my son decides he’d rather feed the dog than himself, or throw the food on the floor, or have a break down if I walk into the next room, or scream and cry because he’s suddenly decided he hates the bath, I can call my husband and he’ll come home and take over. 

Yes, I’m lucky. Yes, he’s wonderful. Yes, we both love him very much.  Which is why I think just like I deserve to sleep in on Mother’s Day and let him handle the 6 am feeding for a change, he also deserves to sleep in and have breakfast brought to him on his special day. 

Okay, so I won’t actually bring breakfast to him since we don’t have a tray, but I will make a nice big breakfast and have it all set up on the table when he wakes up.  And since I’m not going to have a lot of time to do it what with a 13 month old needing all my attention, this little recipe is the perfect breakfast entree.  It’s also great if you’re expecting a few guests (or relatives) because you only need four ingredients and it only take 30 minutes from start to finish.

Dutch Baby

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 3/4 cup of milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Put the butter in a Pyrex pie plate and melt in the microwave for 1 minute. 

Crack the eggs into the blender and blend on high for 1 minute.  While the blender’s running add the milk.  Then with the blender continuing to run gradually add the flour. Blend for another minute or two until totally combined.

Pour the batter into your prepared pie plate and cook for 20-25 minutes, until it’s risen and a nice golden brown.

Pull out and let stand for a minute or two.  Slice the Dutch Baby and serve with your favorite sliced fruit and a little cinnamon sugar.  (During the spring and summer months, I forgo the sugar and just use a variety of sliced peaches, apricots, blueberries, and strawberries.)