Saturday dinner, October 11

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Tonight was the night of our gourmet group dinner. Jim E. was the host and the theme was soul food.

Lora made: Down Home Green Beans and Potatoes, Chicken 'N Dressing, Chocolate Coconut Pecan Pie
Mollie made: Country Pinto Beans, Scalloped Potatoes, Blackberry Cobbler
Victoria made: Bourbon Pork Roast, 3 Bean Casserole, Pickled Black-Eyed Peas, Cucumber Salad
Frankie made: Banana Pudding
Edith made: Kentucky Country Ham Salad, Southern Fried Chicken, Fried Green Tomatoes, White River Cornbread (Arkansas style cornbread recipe from The Cornbread Gospels by Crescent Dragonwagon)
Jim provided great wine to accompany our dinner as well as sliced tomatoes & onions & hot pepper sauce.

The ham salad was made with candied apples and pecans, salad greens, watercress, ham, Port Salut cheese and a dressing with balsamic vinegar and sour cream.

The recipe I used for fried green tomatoes can be found on the Food Network site:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/fried-green-tomatoes-recipe/index.html I served the tomatoes with a Buttermilk Ranch dressing from a Penzey's mix that I added hot sauce to.

I used a recipe from the Food & Wine site for Lemon-Brined Fried Chicken. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemon-brined-fried-chicken
I did make a few changes. I didn't use any zest in the brine because I didn't have any. I cheated and used bottled lemon juice. I used breasts, thighs and drumsticks and only let them brine for a couple of hours which is all the time I had. Otherwise I followed the directions. Be sure to have two thermometers, one to check the temperature of the oil (I used peanut oil in one pan and trans-fat free Crisco in the other) and another thermometer to check to make sure the chicken is cooked through. I also recommend using two pans to speed up the process. What's the difference your stove top is a mess anyway. It makes truly fabulous fried chicken. The dinner guests really loved it!

The dining extravaganza was another great success as they always are. Mollie is hosting the next dinner in January with a French theme.

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