Deep Fried Father's Day

If you’ve learned anything about my family since I started clatter, it could be this: when there’s a holiday, there’s food – plus a lot of dirty dishes. Anyone who knows me notices (and those who don’t quickly learn) that the number one way I show people that I care about and appreciate them is through food, and Father’s Day was no exception. Of course I could have taken my dad out golfing (read: we play golf and he picks up the green fees), but nothing really says “I love you, Dad” like taking a few years off of his life by making some of the most fattening foods a deep pot of hot oil can yield. We’re not big “comfort food” people in my family; we typically stick to fresh produce and the like, but we definitely believe in the importance of occasional indulgence and the moderation theory. After my sister mentioned that her husband had been wanting fried chicken, she and I decided that not only would we make fried chicken on Sunday night, but we would dedicate the entire Father’s Day celebration menu with Southern fare. This plan would lend itself to only one thing: FAT.

I think I can speak for both my sister and me when I say that we were a little apprehensive about deep fat frying. Neither of us had any experience with this kind of volume of oil (to avoid shock, I won’t tell you how much), and with three hungry dads expecting only the top quality food on their special day, the pressure was on. I commenced the fry fest by whipping up some good ol’ Southern hush puppies (all menu items henceforth are to be read with a Southern accent). Even though I had never even eaten a hush puppy before, I put some faith in Food & Wine and used a recipe I had been holding onto for a while. Atypical to my usual style, I followed the recipe exactly (http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/hush-puppies-with-remoulade), but for the remoulade, I had to improvise a little, since I was out of whole grain mustard and tabasco. My substitutions of dijon and Frank’s hot sauce worked out just fine, and I think all the guests would agree (especially the 14 year old Italian cousin who dipped his fried chicken in it), the remoulade was the best part. As for the “scary” part of preparing this app, I’ve read before that the temperature of the oil is a make-it-or-break-it factor in top-notch fried food, but I didn’t believe it until I did it myself. Little did I know that maintaining the necessary temperature after you throw the food in the oil is the most challenging part - and the key to a successful result. For me, I struggled with the oil being too hot, then after adjustments, was not hot enough, and that stressed me out! I just couldn't tell if the dollops of cornmeal mixture quickly turning to sizzling golden brown were done on the inside. Well, I got my answer when people bit in - turns out some puppies were and some weren’t (no thanks to my not following the “tablespoon” size in the recipe). That said, I think I still had enough good ones overall that our appetizer was a success.

I also attempted to make mint juleps, but there’s a reason I’ve never touted to be a mixologist…

As for the main event, the fried chicken was all my sister. She brined those chicken drumsticks and thighs overnight in buttermilk and hot sauce, and when it was game time, she took on that pot of hot oil like a champion. We decided to use this recipe from food52: http://www.food52.com/recipes/446_classic_southern_buttermilk_bathed_fried_chicken, and if you ever need a fried chicken recipe, this is the one to use. Truly a winner! With sautéed okra with heirloom tomatoes and bacon (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/sauteed-okra-with-heirloom-tomatoes-and-bacon) and Mama’s famous macaroni salad (I’ve made up that name, but the family recipe is still top secret, even if we aren’t from the South!) on the side, it was quite the Southern feast. But even after “forcing” our patrons to consume thousands of calories in full fatted bliss, there was still one more thing up our sleeves…

Sister and I had different ideas on what we wanted to do for dessert, but ultimately I was put in charge, and I certainly didn’t want to finish this dinner on a light note (does the South even know how to do that?). So, I chose something quite the opposite: Mississippi Mud Pie. After looking over a number of recipes and learning that mud pie doesn’t necessarily contain coffee ice cream like I thought, I decided to go with Martha (when in doubt!): http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/mississippi-mud-pie-everyday-baking. If you click on the link, you’ll find that the picture and the recipe don’t match up, because the recipe calls for a regular pie crust, not a chocolate one. I, however, stuck with the picture (and what I had already envisioned) and used a chocolate wafer crust instead. I really can’t imagine the pie being any better than it tasted – even when eaten with a full belly. Sure I didn’t use a deep pie pan which resulted in an overflow of filling all over the counter when I was making it, but ultimately it didn’t matter, because now when I think about this dessert, only one word comes to mind: delectable.