Page 40 - The Valley Table - Winter 2022

HOT CHICKEN BISCUITS
GRACIE’S LUNCHEONETTE
4 SERVINGS (WITH A FEW EXTRA BISCUITS)
Ingredients
For the biscuits:
31⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
41⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
11⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
31⁄2 teaspoons sugar
4 oz. butter, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup cold buttermilk
2 oz. butter, melted
For the chicken:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 1⁄2 teaspoons garlic powder 11⁄2 teaspoons onion powder 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
2-3 cups buttermilk
4 boneless chicken breasts (4-6 oz. each),
pounded to about 1⁄2” thickness Vegetable oil, for frying
For assembly:
6 oz. butter, softened 1⁄4 cup honey
Salt to taste
Hot Sauce to taste
SMOKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
WEST TAGHKANIC DINER
Ingredients
1 large butternut squash, sliced in half lengthwise 3 oz. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart milk
1 pint heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Fried sage, chopped chives and toasted pepitas for garnish,
if desired
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the butternut squash open side up in a roasting pan.
2. Add1quartofwatertothebottomofthepanandplace in the oven. Bake 1 hour, or until the squash is tender.
3. Remove squash from the oven and let cool. Peel and cut into 1” chunks. Strain the water from the roasting
pan and reserve 2 cups for the soup.
4. Heat a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high
heat. Add butter and cook until golden and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add onion and garlic to pan and sweat until onion turns translucent, about 6 minutes.
5. Add squash and continue to cook for another minute. Add milk, cream, and reserved water from roasting pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for 30 minutes.
6. Using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish.
For the chicken:
1. Combine the flour and spices in a large
bowl or shallow baking dish.
2. Pour the buttermilk in a second large bowl or shallow baking dish. One at a time,
dip each chicken breast first into the flour mixture, then into the buttermilk, and
then into the flour mixture again, pressing the chicken firmly into the flour to ensure a good coating. Transfer coated chicken breasts to a cookie sheet and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
3. Fill a large, heavy-duty pot or high-sided pan with vegetable oil to about 3” deep and heat to 375°F. Once preheated, carefully place the chicken into the oil one piece at a time. You may need to fry in batches depending on the size of your pot or pan. Turn the chicken as needed to ensure an even golden brown color. Fry until internal temperature reaches at least 165°F (this should take about 8-10 minutes). Remove the chicken from oil, place on a wire rack and let rest.
To assemble chicken biscuits:
1. Make honey butter by combing butter, honey and salt in a small mixing bowl.
2. Split four biscuits in half and lightly toast if desired. Smear both insides of each biscuit with a generous amount of the honey butter then top each biscuit half with a piece of chicken and a healthy dose of your favorite hot sauce, then close it up and enjoy!
38 THE VALLEY TABLE
DEC 2021 – FEB 2022
PHOTO BY LAWRENCE BRAUN
Preparation
For the biscuits:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine the first five ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using your fingers, a pastry cutter, or two forks, cut in the butter and cream cheese until about pea sized. The mixture should look dry and crumbly.
2. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Using a wooden spoon or stiff rubber spatula, mix well to combine but don’t overwork the dough—it. should be fairly wet and sticky.
3. Scrape dough out onto a generously floured surface. Flour the top of the dough lightly. Gently pat or roll out the dough to about 1-inch thickness. Do your best to avoid incorporating additional flour to the inside of the dough, and try to handle the dough as little as possible.
4. Lightly flour a 3-inch round or square biscuit cutter and cut biscuits as close together as possible. Arrange biscuits on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet so that they are just touching. (Any leftover scrap dough can be very gently re-rolled, but keep in mind that they will not be as light and fluffy as the first cut).
5. Brush the tops of the biscuits with half
of the melted butter. Bake for about
20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Brush with the rest of the melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. Let cool completely.