Odds and ends, southern cooking style

When Bon Appetit calls this the “perfect fried chicken,” they just are not kidding.  Make it – make it now.   Do not neglect the rosemary honey; it’s perfect on the chicken and on fresh buttermilk biscuits.  Your family, friends, and/or significant other may have this reaction, and it will be well-warranted.

Of course, you’ll need a salad to accompany that, and the “wilted greens salad” in the same issue fits the bill.  You brine the greens by rubbing them with salt, and if you’re me, you fry up a little prosciutto, thinly slice an apple, and drizzle everything with olive oil, lemon juice, and buttermilk.

No Southern meal is complete without collard greens and buttermilk biscuits, either.  And if you’re really feeling fancy, try these Cherry Thyme Champagne Cocktails with the meal.  They are delicious, and this is coming from someone who usually prefers her champagne undiluted.

Now, go eat!

February Kitchen Play: salmon and tart cherries, together at last

You may have already read about my love affair with cherries here (and if you haven’t, you should – there’s a cocktail recipe involved).   Yesterday, as part of the Kitchen Play Progressive Party, sponsored by the Cherry Marketing Institute, I decided to put my spin on the Honey-Tart Cherry Glazed Salmon with Rustic Cherry Salsa – or in my case, with a tart cherry relish.

I have stared at the word “relish” for too long, these past couple of days.  It’s starting to look and sound weird.  But it sure tastes good.

Anyway.

I knew right from the start that I probably wasn’t going to make the original salsa, because raw onions do a number on my digestive system.  I liked Sarah’s idea of contrasting the sweet salmon with something sour, sweet, and spicy, though.  I knew what I was going to do with the cherries before I started, but I had no idea what to call it.  It wasn’t really a compote or a chutney.   It wasn’t merely a “sauce.”  After staring at my recipe bookmarks for awhile, I finally realized that what I had in mind could be classified as a relish, and having assuaged my compulsive need to be correct, it was time to cook.

Spicy Tart Cherry Relish

• 1/4 c cherry juice
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup tart cherries, chopped (I used a jarred variety; if yours are more sour than sweet, add more honey)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 pinches salt
• 3-4 healthy shakes of cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
• orange zest

Combine all ingredients except orange zest in small heavy pot.  Over medium heat, bring the ingredients to a boil.  Turn the heat down and simmer until the cherries have collapsed and the liquid is reduced to a glaze, about 15 minutes.  Add orange zest to taste.  Allow to cool.

Honey/Tart Cherry Glazed Salmon

• 1/4 c cherry juice
• 1/4 c honey
• 1 pound of salmon, divided into 4 pieces

Preheat oven to 350 and place salmon on foil-lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, combine and microwave the cherry juice and honey in a large glass measuring cup for about 4 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half.  Brush half of the glaze over the salmon, cook at 350 for 15 minutes (more, if necessary – mine took about 20) until salmon is opaque.  Brush the remaining glaze over the salmon, and serve alongside the spicy cherry relish.

February Kitchen Play: tart and sweet and boozy all over

Why is this picture tilted? Because this is how you'll look at the world after a couple of these drinks.

I love cherries, and cherry-flavored anything (except cough drops).  If you describe a dish, an ingredient, or a drink as being tart and sweet, sign me up.  It is my favorite flavor profile, and I can probably blame that on having a Queen Anne cherry tree in my backyard when I was growing up.  Once I figured out how to eat around the pits, cherry season was the best season.  Except for related gastrointestinal distress, but I digress. (Side note: The Ice Cream Bar, located in the Cole Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, makes an amazing sour cherry ice cream and sour cherry soda.)

When I saw Kitchen Play was hosting a cherry-themed Progressive Party this month, I might have been a tiny bit excited.  The Cherry Marketing Institute is sponsoring, and their site is full of information about the health benefits of cherries.  Who knew that they were quite so good for you?  Really, this just means I’m drinking to my health!

(I might have also been excited to see that part of the giveaway includes an Anthropologie apron.  Be still, my heart.)

All six dishes, of course, prominently feature tart cherries.   I am starting with my adaptation of the Tart Cherrytini from uTry.it, which brings together two of my favorite things: cherry juice and fancy (strong!) cocktails.  Recipe after the jump.