What We're Reading: The Big Machine

This post from Ta-Nehisi Coates at the Atlantic is only tangentially related to food (specifically food systems and obesity), but like most of his writing, it's well worth reading.

The Atlantic visits Vetri

Ezekiel J. Emanuel, who writes the "Everybody's a Critic" column for the Atlantic Food Channel but is better known as the Special Advisor for Health Policy to the White House Office of Management and Budget, visits Vetri. Aside from some quibbles with bland gelato, he raves about the service and Vetri's signature sweet onion crepe:

The second proper dish was a crepe over-stuffed with golden sweet onions caramelized for 10 hours. The circular slice of the crepe resting in a white truffle foundue was nothing short of phenomenal. The caramelized onion was brown and mushy, like mole, and had this wonderful sweetness. The white truffle sauce added complexity without being overpowering. This caramelized onion crepe may well be one of the top 10 dishes I have ever tasted.

A Restaurant Lives Up to Its Hype [The Atlantic Food Channel]

Duck-Rabbit Redux

Just when I was starting to think that the Atlantic didn't care very much about craft beer, Clay Risen pens a great writeup of the Duck-Rabbit Brewery in Farmville, NC, whose brown ale I recently enjoyed at Amada. As a homebrewer, I admire founder/brewer/former philosophy professor Paul Phillippon's desire to do one thing really well: brew dark beers. Judging by that pint of brown ale (an admittedly small sample), he's doing just that. For you philosophers out there, the article explains the Wittgensteinian origins of the brewery's logo.

As I mentioned the other day, Duck-Rabbit has only recently started showing up in the Philadelphia area. If you hurry it may still be on tap at Amada; bottles are available at the Foodery and by the case at the Beer Yard in Wayne.

Fried chicken, ramp risotto, Oskar Blues

It was cold and rainy on Sunday - perfect for spending the whole day in the kitchen making decadent food.  I'd decided on Saturday to make Sukhamvit Soi Five Fried Chicken, courtesy of Jarrett Wrisley and the Atlantic Food Channel, and it was marinating happily in the fridge.  HM had brought home some beautiful bunches of ramps from Reading Terminal Market; I used half to make compound butter and reserved the rest for risotto to go with the fried chicken. 

All the rich food called for a crisp beer.  I chose Mama's Little Yella Pils by Oskar Blues, Longmont, Colorado.  Oskar Blues had a big presence at Philly Beer Week, and their line is rather new to Pennsylvania.  Along with Sly Fox, they are part of the small-but-growing segment of craft breweries that use aluminum cans rather than glass bottles for retail sales.  Sunday was the first time I'd seen their cans at my local distributor.

Now, as some people know, I have a serious jones for fried chicken.  For years my go-to recipe has been the Bon-Ton style (Gourmet via epicurious), which is unbelievably juicy, crunchy and nicely spicy.  Jarrett Wrisley was definitely speaking my language in his account of fried chicken on the streets of Bangkok.  The man worked hard to get this recipe!  

Chicken marinated for 18 hours in coriander root, pepper, garlic, etc.

While the frying oil was heating up, I set to work on the risotto.  With our absurd bounty of ramps, I doubled the recipe.  

Ramps, cleaned and ready to use

Risotto ingredients

Finished risotto

Once the oil was ready, in went the chicken...

Almost-fried chicken

The chicken was just as crispy and juicy as promised, and the garlic and coriander lent a subtle tang to the crust.  I thought it could use a bit more heat, so next time I might double the amount of hot pepper flakes, or maybe include some finely chopped Thai chiles in the marinade/batter. A nice big dollop of Sriracha sauce is essential for dipping.   I'll definitely be trying this recipe again in the future.

On a normal day the risotto would be too heavy to complement fried chicken, but with Sunday's weather, it just seemed right.  The pungent yet delicate flavor of the ramps melded nicely into the rich rice.  And Mama's Little Yella Pils was a good choice to cool the Sriracha heat.  I wasn't blown away by this beer --  while it's appropriately bitter for the style, a little more emphasis on the flavor and aroma hops would really put it over the top.  Next time I'll stick with Sly Fox Pikeland Pils if I want pilsner in a can.

Blog Watch: The Atlantic Food Channel

The Atlantic magazine has launched a new Food Channel (to accompany its Politics and Business Channels).  Curated by senior editor and food critic Corby Kummer, it's packed full of excellent writing from the magazine's own staff as well as contributions from such luminaries as Alinea chef/owner Grant Achatz, health policy expert Ezekiel Emanuel (brother of Rahm) and rancher Bill Niman.  The Atlantic's food writing, like its politcal and cultural commentary, will be thought-provoking for sure.