“Check out these markdowns!” “New Windows On Sale Now!” “Do you qualify for better car insurance rates?””A sale so good it’s worth repeating!”
This is how we celebrate Memorial Day? When did this day become less about those who have given their life in service, and more about finding a more comfortable mattress at “Low, Low Prices!”?
I don’t mean to be a purist or fanatic about this. Long weekends are an opportunity to refresh, relax and spend time with friends and family. In much of our great country, Memorial Day is also the first long weekend after school ends, the first warm weather, and a chance to wave a flag while watching a parade march by.
Last August we had a Memorial Day of our own. That night we feasted on Lemon Cod with tomato/olive compote, zucchini pie, tomato salad, fruit salad, corn salad, roasted potatoes and SPAM Musubi.
Excuse me?!?!? SPAM?!?
On August 20, 2019, just 5 days before our dinner, a friend and colleague was tragically killed in a private plane which crashed shortly after takeoff. Several of our regular “Sunday Nighters” had worked very closely with him and we all were devastated by the loss. One of his favorite foods was SPAM, most specifically SPAM Musubi, due to extended time he had spent in Hawaii. And so, we raised a glass, and a piece of SPAM to remember a friend.
Flip Colmer was a retired US Navy Lieutenant Commander, a Naval Aviator and a command pilot for Delta Airlines 757/767s. He cared deeply about an organization he had worked with for years called Project Recover**, whose primary mission is to bring MIAs home. He volunteered his time and spent his own money to join the expeditions and aid in the management of the organization. Shortly before his death, he spoke about his work with Project Recover at the Fisher House in Michigan.
“In September 1945, World War II officially ended. From around the globe, our sailors, marines, soldiers, airmen, coast guardsmen started coming home. In all of America’s conflicts and wars, there are 82,000 missing in action, 72,000 from World War II alone. From every theater, from every continent, from every ocean. For those MIAs and their families, in essence, World War II hasn’t ended.”
We talked about Flip that night. Those who knew him very well shared stories, and those who had never met him asked questions and listened intently. One person who knew our friend quite well, expressed quite eloquently his reasons for coming to dinner tonight and how this loss has affected him. He passionately explained the sense of belonging and security he’s come to feel from our weekly dinners, even though he can’t always attend. He spoke of our mortality and his keen awareness of it. The importance of capturing and holding onto precious people and precious moments.
Sunday dinner is more than a meal. Sunday dinner is a church service, a memorial, a bar mitzvah and a birthday cake all rolled into one.
Glasses raised, another friend toasted to, ‘The family we choose.” Amen, sistah. Amen.
So make some fried chicken, have a socially distanced picnic in the park, go buy that new microwave marked down 50% “TODAY ONLY!”
And at least for a minute, give some thought and perhaps say a prayer of thanks for all the souls who gave their lives so you could have the freedom to celebrate a long weekend in whatever manner you choose.
Rest well, Flip. Blue Skies.
**Project Recover is a collaborative effort to enlist 21st-century science and technology in a quest to find and repatriate Americans missing in action since World War II, in order to provide recognition and closure for families and the Nation.
Photos courtesy of Harry Parker. Harryparkerphotography.com
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Equipment
- Brining bag, or Jumbo 2 gallon food storage bag
- Stock pot
- Dutch oven or soup pot (for frying)
- Rimmed baking sheets with cooling racks in them
- Professional candy and deep fry thermometer
- Lots of paper towels
Ingredients
Chicken Brine
- 5 lemons, halved
- 12 bay leaves
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 1 bunch thyme
- ½ cup clover honey
- 1 head garlic
- ¼ cup black peppercorns
- 2 cups Diamond Crystal kosher salt I’m sure any kosher salt would do, but Chef Keller insists this brand is his favorite. It’s the one I use consistently in cooking and it has never failed me.
- 2 gallons water
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
- 2 2½ – 3 lb chickens, cut into 10 pieces each: 2 legs, 2 thighs, 4 breast quarters, and 2 wings Pre-cut pieces work fine. If you can’t find bone-in chicken breasts, you can use boneless, skinless breasts and just cut them in half before dredging and frying.
For dredging and frying
- Peanut or canola oil for deep-frying Both of these oils cook well at high temps. Other vegetable oils might be okay, but these are the best options.
- 1 quart buttermilk For a dairy-free option, mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice with 1 cup of almond, coconut or soy milk.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Coating
- 6 cups all-purpose flour For a gluten free option, you can substitute rice flour. Also, Chef Keller offers a packaged gluten free mix which includes the seasoning.
- ¼ cup garlic powder
- ¼ cup onion powder
- 1 tbsp Plus 1 tsp, Paprika
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp, cayenne pepper I know it seems like a lot, but trust the recipe. It gives a subtle little touch of zing to the finished product.
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp, kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Ground flour de seal or fine sea salt
- Rosemary & Thyme sprigs for garnish
Instructions
For the Brine
- Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely, then chill before using. The brine can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Brining the chicken
- If using whole chickens, cut into 10 pieces each: 2 legs, 2 thighs, 4 breast quarters, and 2 wings. Pour the brine into a container large enough to hold the chicken pieces, add in the chicken, and refrigerate for 12 hours (no longer, or the chicken may become too salty).
- (NOTE: You can use a brining bag or Jumbo sized food storage bag, but place the bag inside a large bowl or other container in case the bag springs a leak during the brining time.)
- Remove the chicken from the brine (discard the brine) and rinse under cold water, removing any herbs or spices sticking to the skin. Pat dry with paper towels, or let air dry. Let rest at room temperature for 1½ hours, or until it comes to room temperature.
Dredging and Frying the chicken
- If you have two large pots (about 6 inches deep) and a lot of oil, you can cook the dark and white meat at the same time; if not, cook the dark meat first, then turn up the heat and cook the white meat. No matter what size pot you have, the oil should not come more than one-third of the way up the sides of the pot. Fill the pot with at least 2 inches of peanut oil and heat to 320°F. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Meanwhile, combine all the dry coating ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer half the coating to a second large bowl. Pour the buttermilk into a third bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set up a dipping station: the chicken pieces, one bowl of coating, the bowl of buttermilk, the second bowl of coating, and the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Just before frying, dip the chicken thighs into the first bowl of coating, turning to coat and patting off the excess; dip them into the buttermilk, allowing the excess to run back into the bowl; then dip them into the second bowl of coating. Transfer to the parchment-lined pan.
- Carefully lower the thighs into the hot oil. Adjust the heat as necessary to return the oil to the proper temperature. Fry for 2 minutes, then carefully move the chicken pieces around in the oil and continue to fry, monitoring the oil temperature and turning the pieces as necessary for even cooking, for 11 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is a deep golden brown, cooked through and very crisp. Meanwhile, coat the chicken drumsticks and transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Transfer the cooked thighs to the cooling rack skin-side-up and let rest while you fry the remaining chicken. (Putting the pieces skin-side-up will allow exces fat to drain, whereas leaving them skin-side-down could trap some of the fat.). Make sure that the oil is at the correct temperature, and cook the chicken drumsticks. When the drumsticks are done, lean them meat-side-up against the thighs to drain, then sprinkle the chicken with fine sea salt.
- Turn up the heat and heat the oil to 340°F. Meanwhile, coat the chicken breasts and wings. Carefully lower the chicken breasts into the hot oil and fry for 7 minutes, or until golden brown, cooked through, and crisp. Transfer to the rack, sprinkle with salt, and turn skin side up. Cook the wings for 6 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the wings to the rack and turn off the heat.
- Arrange the chicken on a serving platter. Add the herb sprigs to the oil (which will still be hot) and let them cook and crisp for a few seconds, then arrange them over the chicken.
- NOTE: We let the chicken rest for 7 to 10 minutes after it comes out of the fryer so that it has a chance to cool down. If the chicken has rested for longer than 10 minutes, put the tray of chicken in a 400°F oven for up to 5 minutes to ensure that the crust is rips and the chicken is crips and the chicken is hot. (I use the rack and baking sheet to make sure the heat can circulate all around the pieces of chicken.)