I made buttermilk awhile back. I know
there’s the ole vinegar and milk method that’s quite popular as a quick
substitute, but I got a hold of the real enzymes. *Grin* Time to make some
Southern dishes! I made buttermilk “touch-of-grace” biscuits and buttermilk
baked chicken.
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Contrary to what it sounds like,
buttermilk is not buttery, but a little yogurty. The acid in buttermilk is a
wonderful tenderizer, so it’s often used on chicken to bring it to maximum succulence.
Let’s put it this way, chicken breast tastes like drumstick after a buttermilk
bath.
I set the chicken overnight in a
buttermilk marinade of onion, garlic, thyme, and hot sauce, and then baked it
with a parmesan, bread crumb coating.
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Succulent, spicy, herb-ful,
crunchy, cheesy…
I’ll let you imagine
what it tasted like:)
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Unfortunately, there was nothing “graceful”
about the biscuits. That’s actually an understatement because they were
probably my biggest flop to date! They came out very dense and doughy instead
of fluffy and soft. I’d followed the recipe religiously, as I always do, but I
must have done something very wrong. I just don’t know what… It’s at times like
these, when I try my hand at a new sub-genre like puff pastry or biscuits, that
I remember what it was like to be a newbie. And I’m reminded that I still have
a long ways to go!
When something turns out poorly, I have
the unignorable urge to improve. Immediately, if possible! This pursuit of
perfect is going to do me in one day… And it would also prevent me from ever
finishing the project. So I have a mental list of the dismal flops I want to give
another chance once the project is over:
1. Shoofly
Pie – The crust burst and all the spice-juices oozed out. The filling was
bready when it should have been texturefully moist!
2. Fig
Tart with Mascarpone Cream – I bought figs too early in the season and they
were unripe and massively disappointing:(
3. Boulders
Tart – This luxurious tart was ruined by burnt caramel made with something
that’s not corn syrup. (Luckily, Gateau
Engadine turned out better when I did a mini repeat:)
4. Éclairs
– A real Christmas disappointment, if there ever was one.
5. Perfect
Peach Pie – There was nothing perfect about this overbaked pie.
Hmmm… It seems I’ve figured out what I did
wrong on each pie. Perhaps the mystery of the ruined biscuits will solve itself
with time!
Wrong flour maybe? in the South there's a strong preference for low-protein flour for biscuits (eg White Lily)
ReplyDeleteButtermilk is everywhere in Ireland. I bought a whole carton mistakenly thinking it could be a substitute for milk in my morning diet (cereal and milk)...And boy was I wrong... That was the most disgusting bowl of cereal I had ever tasted. (And no I didn't finish it after the first spoon).
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ReplyDeleteYou keep a record of your top failures? You really approach this as a science experiment, don't you? kkkk
ReplyDeleteYes, I've heard a lot about this "White Lily." I approximated with a combination of flours and baking powder... Perhaps it was just too much approximation?
ReplyDeleteHahaha! You're quite an adventurous eater, Jju. Perhaps you too were tricked by the name? You feel like you should get rich, creamy, *buttery* milk. But buttermilk is the acidic liquid that's left over from churning cream into butter.
I just have a mental list of the ones that were really really good or disappointing so that I can do them over again when the project is over. (Again, I suppose I'm tending toward the extremes...)