Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Finding The Perfect Chicken Wing...

Can such a thing really exist?

First off, you know my general thoughts on chicken wings...they should be used to propel fat chickens around the coop, and not for anything food related. Unless of course you slather them in a good hot sauce, which is surely what God intended when he created the chicken.
So how would one set about creating the 'perfect' chicken wing? Well obviously it requires the addition of sauce which perfectly compliments the wing. The wing should act as a delivery system for the sauce, but it's important that the two form a perfect marriage.

These are the things I look for when eating a sauced wing -
  1. There should be a good deep fry on the wing, a little residual crisp and crunch to take away some of that undesirable skin texture.
  2. There shouldn't be any loose skin on the wing, it isn't pleasant.
  3. The deep fry oil shouldn't leave behind any prominent flavor or additional greasyness
  4. The sauce should be deep in color with a heavier consistency, almost like a puree
  5. The flavor should be quite complex, with fruity undertones and perhaps a little chipotle smokiness, though easy on the smoke
  6. The sauce should have a slight acidic bite to cut any sweetness, and have sufficient salt, to excite the appropriate part of the tongue.
  7. The heat level should be sufficient to cause sweat beads under the eyes, but not so hot to cause actual mouth pain
  8. The heat shouldn't take away from the flavor of the sauce to a large extent
  9. Yes I like 'em Hot, but there's a time and place for competition level heat, and I don't want to suffer through an ordeal when I'm just out for a few beers and some good bar food
So these are all considerations, which of course are quite subjective. We all have a different tolerance for heat, and different flavors and aromas excite us, so it's hard to tell someone that you've found the perfect wing, and expect them to agree with you.
But reviewing is all about the opinion of the reviewer, and in my opinion I think I may have found the perfect chicken wing at the Peninsula Pub in Door County, about a week ago.

I've written elsewhere on this blog about my fondness for the food at the Pen Pub, and we all know that they were the recipients of the 2010/11 Refrigerated Toiled Roll Awards for Door County WI. So these were good indicators that their chicken wings might be something special. And yes, the regular hot wing menu item has evolved into something very good....but they're not the ones I'm referring to here.
Kyle (chef/owner) makes up a pepper base which is the foundation for his Hot Wing Challenge sauce. He simply adds a few drops of Bhut Jolokia extract to the pepper base to take the wings into nuclear mode for the challenge. But it's the pepper base that I'm excited about here, prior to the addition of the extract, which makes it strictly a competition style sauce. The pepper base is made from a puree of 9 or 10 different peppers, including Habaneros, all blended for taste and heat, with various spices and additions to boost the flavor profile. The result is what I would call a near perfect sauce, balancing flavor with heat, sweetness with acidity and just presenting an altogether rounded taste experience.
Heat may be a notch too high for the uninitiated, but that shouldn't stop people from at least sampling it for its incredible flavor properties.
So about a week ago Kyle cooked me up an order of wings, using the pepper base in place of his regular menu hot wing sauce...and boy were they ever good.
The heat has a nice steady build up quality and doesn't try to rip out your throat on the first taste. The flavors just wash around the palette leaving you with a big stoopid grin on your face as you start to break out into a slow sweat. The afterburn is very manageable and controllable with a couple of White Russians. The endorphin rush is mild but pleasing, lasting at least 20-30 minutes.
So an absolutely excellent accompaniment to the chicken wing, though in realty, the sauce is too darn good for a wing.
Get on down to the Pen Pub and ask Kyle to sauce your wings with his special pepper base reserve!

Cheers

Monday, May 23, 2011

A Shout Out for John Henry's in Egg Harbor, Door County WI

John Henry has moved from his old location downtown Egg Harbor, and is now running the bar and restaurant at the Stonehedge Golf Club on County E, just east of town.

This place has a really warm and inviting atmosphere, and you can always rely on John Henry himself to provide a friendly greeting and a large serving of friendly banter at the bar. The restaurant runs parallel to the bar area and overlooks the golf course, a lovely setting from which to enjoy popular staples such as a Friday fish fry, burger, steak or a delicious sandwich. John Henry plans to expand the menu to include pasta and other dinner menu items, which are now possible due largely to his expanded kitchen facilities.
With daily lunch and dinner specials, the John Henry mantra of 'really great food at really great prices' has carried over from his old location, so you can be sure of good food and a few drinks and not get hit with an outlandish bill at the end of the day.
So check it out, perhaps enjoy a round of golf then kick back and enjoy the hospitality provided by John Henry / Anne Marie.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Isn't it time to kick it up a notch?

There's a hot chili craze going on in America, and restaurants need to get in on it.



When Columbus brought the chili pepper back from the New World, it was planted and cultivated in Africa, imported into Europe and England, and quickly adopted as a staple in diets across the Western hemisphere. Though originating in the New World, chilies did not land on the shores of North America until 1621, when they were introduced by English traders who brought them from Bermuda. Chilies have featured in North American cuisine since then, yet North America has always viewed the hot chili as being something esoteric and on the culinary fringe.
Fools. Your cousins south of the border are light years ahead in understanding the true power of chilies and it's time that North American restaurants got in on the game. The evidence for the power and attraction of 'heat' in cooking is quite profound, yet still our mainstream restaurants treat it as something taboo. If you look at a raw chicken wing, covered in unsightly skin, white/yellow fat globules hanging from every square inch, sinewy tendons holding together the small amount of edible substance, it is surely one of the most revolting sights that could be presented on the meal table. Yet cover it in paprika and chili powder, deep fry it for a few minutes, then roll it around in a bowl of Frank's Hot Sauce, and it becomes the most desirable menu item in taverns and restaurants around the world. Why? - because when you go out to eat, you go out to enjoy yourself. When you eat hot and spicy foods, your body releases natural endorphins to help alleviate the physical pain caused by the capsaicin in the hot peppers. The release of these endorphins is a stimulant causing a pleasurable feeling, or 'high'. So we eat spicy foods, we feel pain and we get high!
So if you can dredge a chicken wing in hot sauce and sell it by the millions, what if you added hot sauce to food items which are not so darn revolting to begin with? - So come on bars / restaurants, you really could cash-in by adding a couple of spicy items to your menu, beyond the venerable chicken wing.
So far in Door County, there really isn't much action. Most bars and taverns have hot wings and a Chili (Con Carne), but they tend to play safe on heat levels. Noticeable exceptions are Husby's in Sister Bay and Peninsula Pub in Bailey's Harbor, both of whom have the capacity to kick things up to a higher level, you just need to ask.
So it's about time other restaurants got with the program - if you need some menu ideas, just ask!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Best Ever Chicken Curry Recipe

Best ever chicken curry - serves 4 fatties


There's a bit of faffing around involved in this, but it's worth it.

Boil a whole large chopped onion with 6 cloves of fresh garlic and teasp fresh chopped ginger in two pints of water for 10 minutes. Remove from water with slotted spoon retaining water - puree.

Boil 4 large chopped carrots and a whole chopped fennel in the onion water for 10 minutes - puree with some of water and add 1 cup of cream 'till a smooth paste.

Retain remaining water in pan.

Melt i tsp ghee in big frying pan, add the pureed onion/garlic/ginger mix and add -
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp corriander
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp methi seed (optional)
1/2 tsp fenugreek leaves (optional)
2 bayleaves
1 star anise (optional)

Saute the above until onion starts to darken a little, about 5 mins - remove star anise.
Add pureed carrots to the above and saute - season with salt/pepper, add more garam masala to taste.

add fresh chilies or crushed red chili to desired heat level
add 1 cup cilantro chopped
add half pack spinach
cook for 30 minutes

Brown diced chicken breasts - add to mix and cook for 30 mins. Add more pan water to desired consistency if required.
Serve with basmati rice, nan bread and garnish with cilantro

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Great Stuffed Thai Chicken Recipe

This feeds three/four people

The sauce
Take a  squash, dice it into half inch cubes, then steam it until the cubes still have a bit of texture, not crunchy.

Take a whole leek, a whole fennel, full habanero with seeds, dice and saute with a 4 cloves crushed garlic. Saute in 2 tsp butter and 2 tsp olive oil. Add 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp fresh diced ginger, 1/2 cup raw spinach. Cook for 10 mins. Add the cooked squash and 2 cups of the squash pan water, cook/reduce until everything is soft. Put the mix into a blender and puree. Add 1 cup of milk to blender and puree.


The stuffing

two cups of chopped fresh spinach
one teaspoon fresh minced ginger
one tsp garlic
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup of Fete cheese
Mix all the above up

Take 2/3 chicken breasts and slit for stuffing. Cram in the stuffing till overflowing

Pan fry and brown the chicken both sides, 5 minutes.

Put chicken in a casserole dish and add the sauce. Sauce shouldn't cover over the top of the chicken. Bake on 375 for 30 minutes until chicken cooked.

Serve with wild rice, asparagus or whatever takes yer fancy.

A Shout Out for Parador in Egg Harbor

There isn't really anything particularly spicy on their menu, but I want to give them a shout out anyway.
Parador is a new Tapas bar located downtown Egg Harbor WI, and offer a nice selection of freshly made tapas, with many/most using fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Price range is in the $4 - $13 per tapas, with wine at $25/bottle plus, and $8/glass plus.

Their food is really nice. I gorged myself on about 5 tapas, and dropped down a couple of hard ciders to commemorate the occasion. They do have a dish which is described something like 'roast fingerling potatoes with a 'fiery' tomato sauce'. There's a little kick to it but nothing to get too excited about.
But the food is good. Please try them! Support your local eateries in Door County.
Here's a review of Parador

2010/11 Award Given to the Peninsula Pub in Door County WI

We're a little late in determining the winner of our 2010/11 Door County Hot Sauce Society awards, but we've finally decided to present our prestigious 'best of the best' award to The Peninsula Pub.
We only issue one award each year, so this is a highly contested and highly sought after accolade. If you would like us to review your establishment for 2011/12, email us at tnsweb@sbcglobal.net
Well done Pen Pub - for your great chili, smashing hot wings and the incredible Hot Wing Challenge!

Pen Pub Post/Review

Location - Intersection of Hwy.s A and E, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
Hours
Mon - Thurs: 11:00 - 00:00
Fri - Sat: 11:00 - 02:30
Sun: 11:00 - 00:00


Come get a little more off-center with us here in the middle of the Door County Peninsula (Intersection of Hwy. A & E). While you are at it, check your Scoville Level with Kyle's Kick'n Chicken Wing Contest!
Price Range
$ (0-10)

General manager
Faye Shiny Penny
Attire - Casual
Payment options - Visa / Mastercard / Discover

Culinary team
Fantastic Kitchen Five:
Kyle, Faye, Brittany, Josh
Lovely Bartender Ladies:
Ashley, Jerusha

Services

Walk-ins welcome
Good for groups or parties
Takeaway / Table service / Outdoor seating

Specialties - Lunch - Dinner - Drinks
Phone 920-839-2141