Recipe Review from 1/19/09

We've had to keep things super simple this past week - there has just been too much going on. Friday found us in Isanti, MN, for a work meeting for me; then we made our way to Marshall, MN, for a drill day for Duane; and it was our intent to head to Fergus Falls, MN to visit family, but as we received word we would have to go back in a day for a funeral, we headed back to Duluth.

We found this lovely restaurant after arriving late in Marshall Friday night: Landmark Bistro. While we were seated immediately (nearly in the entryway) and service was prompt, I found it interesting for a restaurant that was touting itself as "upscale" that they weren't getting their tables cleaned off. An 8-top was left neglected even before we arrived and during our stay, and I counted 3 other tables that were not cleaned off as patrons left between the time we were seated and the time we left. Now in their defence, they might have been short staffed, but the staff I did see (and we could see them milling about being there in that entryway) just didn't seem to want to do it.

But it was a small thing - our drinks arrived quickly, we had a salad bar to graze at, and interesting modern artwork to admire as we tried to unwind from a 3.5 hour drive in sub-zero temperatures.

I ordered a chimichanga as I wanted something on the lighter side and Duane ordered the thick-cut pork chops. My god! These were HUGE! I kid you not, the waitress set these down in front of Duane and I blurted out "Holey Shit!" right in front of her! These were cooked to perfection, but unless you are a defensive end or point guard or something, there is NO WAY an average person can eat that much. Our waitress was very kind and vacuumed sealed the one chop for us to take with (gotta love MN in the winter!). Both dishes were very good and our bill was significantly less than a recent trip to Outback Steakhouse.

And to the main topic of today's post - one little recipe from last week.

Buttermilk Oven-fried Chicken (Ckng Lght Jan/Feb 09, pg 121) 3.0
I was underwhelmed by this recipe. Preparation was simple enough, soak chicken in buttermilk, pulverize saltine crackers, coat chicken with cracker mixture and bake. Now, maybe this would have worked a tich better if I had remembered to buy bone-in chicken, but I think that was a relatively moot thing. I just don't feel this had much in the way of flavor and I know I've made better. My other objection was it seemed like a waste of buttermilk - 1 cup over 4 breasts, then throw it out. I think there could have been a better method. We served the baked chicken with warmed ciabiatta rolls and a broccoli salad.



Buttermilk Oven-fried Chicken with Coleslaw

Cracker meal gives the coating more crunch; look for it on the baking aisle of your supermarket. If you can't find cracker meal, make your own by pulsing 10 saltine crackers in a food processor until they're finely ground. Or place them in a zip-top plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 3/4 cup slaw)

Ingredients
Coleslaw:
4 cups packaged cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw
3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Chicken:
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
4 (8-ounce) bone-in chicken breast halves, skinned
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cracker meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
Preparation

1. To prepare coleslaw, combine first 6 ingredients; toss to coat. Cover and chill.

2. Preheat oven to 425°.

3. To prepare chicken, combine buttermilk and chicken in a shallow dish, turning to coat.

4. Combine flour and cracker meal in a shallow dish. Transfer chicken from buttermilk to a work surface. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Working with one chicken breast half at a time, dredge chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess; set aside. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken and flour mixture.

5. Melt butter in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan, meat side down; cook 4 minutes or until golden brown. Turn chicken over, and bake at 425° for 32 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°.