Tuesday, May 18, 2004
the cook's gone to a monastery
Tomorrow I pack up the car for a short road trip up the coast to hang out at the New Camaldoli Hermitage. I'll be visiting with the Camaldolese monks who live and make fruit cakes at their Big Sur monastery. It should be a calm, peaceful retreat without the distractions of road noise, gardner's leaf blowers and ringing telephones. No, I do not plan on making any fruit cakes.
I don't much care for them but I like the notion that this is one of the ways the monks make a living. I've heard from reliable fruit cake connoiseurs that the Camaldoli Fruit Cakes are among the best.
In the lopsided way my brain functions, I seemed to have monasteries on my mind today and was thus compelled to purchase a bottle of Chimay Ale - beer brewed by Trappist monks in Belgium to re-test the beer batter recipe I tried last month. The resulting batter was a little on the thick side. So far, I like the previous attempt a bit better. But the ale is good to drink. My suspicion is that cheap beer probably works the best.
Monk Ale Batter Fried Chicken
ingredients
1 cup flour
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup ale
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon paprika
2 - 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons flour
vegetable oil or Crisco
salt and pepper
here's what you do...
To make the batter, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and cover with a dish cloth. Set aside on counter to rest for at least 4 hours.
10 minutes before batter is done resting, Fill a deep fryer or high sided pan with aprox 2" of oil or Crisco. Oil should be around 375 degrees.
Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry and cut into 1 1/2" strips (each breast will yield aprox. 3 pieces). Place 2 tablespoons of flour in a plastic bag along with chicken strips, hold bag closed and shake to coat chicken. Shake off excess flour and
dredge chicken pieces in batter. Coat well and places pieces in small batches into the hot oil. Fry for about 15 minutes, until outside is brown and crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Serves 2 - 3
I don't much care for them but I like the notion that this is one of the ways the monks make a living. I've heard from reliable fruit cake connoiseurs that the Camaldoli Fruit Cakes are among the best.
In the lopsided way my brain functions, I seemed to have monasteries on my mind today and was thus compelled to purchase a bottle of Chimay Ale - beer brewed by Trappist monks in Belgium to re-test the beer batter recipe I tried last month. The resulting batter was a little on the thick side. So far, I like the previous attempt a bit better. But the ale is good to drink. My suspicion is that cheap beer probably works the best.
Monk Ale Batter Fried Chicken
ingredients
1 cup flour
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup ale
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon paprika
2 - 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons flour
vegetable oil or Crisco
salt and pepper
here's what you do...
To make the batter, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and cover with a dish cloth. Set aside on counter to rest for at least 4 hours.
10 minutes before batter is done resting, Fill a deep fryer or high sided pan with aprox 2" of oil or Crisco. Oil should be around 375 degrees.
Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry and cut into 1 1/2" strips (each breast will yield aprox. 3 pieces). Place 2 tablespoons of flour in a plastic bag along with chicken strips, hold bag closed and shake to coat chicken. Shake off excess flour and
dredge chicken pieces in batter. Coat well and places pieces in small batches into the hot oil. Fry for about 15 minutes, until outside is brown and crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Serves 2 - 3
# posted by aj @ 7:48 PM 
