The culinary world is filled with delights that lighten the wallet. At $99, there is the Double Truffle Hamburger at DB Bistro Moderne in Manhattan. http://www.danielnyc.com/dbbistro.html Then there is the $1,000, Grand Opulence Sundae at New York's Serendipity. http://www.serendipity3.com/ Crave pizza? How about a $1,000 a pie (or $125 a slice) a 12-inch thin crust, at Nino's Bellissima in Manhattan. http://ninospositano.com/ What could be next you ask. Well now in my hometown of Brooklyn, New York there is actually a $59.00 Bagel.
How I came across this culinary curiosity is quite a story, and its starts with of all people Paula Deen. Know for her down home southern cooking, one of Paula's favorite recipes is for her Southern Fried Chicken. Its ingredients are rather simple, the preparation and cooking time underwhelming. It provided an enticing welcome for any would be chefs. Lets review the recipe for a moment.
Southern Fried Chicken Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/3 cup water
1 cup hot red pepper sauce
2 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon pepper
House Seasoning - 1 cup salt , 1/4 cup black pepper, 1/4 cup garlic powder
2 1/2-pound chicken, cut into pieces
Oil, for frying, preferably peanut oil
What, you may ask, does this have to with a $59.00 bagel? Well there are a few more ingredients that will put this all together for you. First, there are my in-laws Allan and Marcia who decided to tackle this recipe for kicks this past Sunday. The first call I fielded from them had to do whether they needed to use peanut oil in the Paula's recipe. Not knowing the recipe simply preferred peanut oil, I advised them to follow the recipe as it reads, if Paula says peanut oil its peanut oil. They next questioned the use of 1 cup of hot sauce. My answer, if Paula says a cup of hot sauce, its a cup of hot sauce. I didn't mind the questions at all since no one in my house was talking to me that afternoon anyway. A few hours later, the question concerned the importance of frying in oil at 350 degrees. I told the in-laws that the temperature of the oil is crucial, and you cannot (as Marcia offered) just wait for the oil to boil. I suggested they stop by the local general store for a cheap oil (or candy) thermometer. It seemed at this point that they were mere hours away from a true Southern treat.
When the phone rang a few hours later, my father-in-law was on the phone in distress. The chicken was a natural disaster, so salty it was inedible. It was resting comfortably at the bottom of the trash bin.
What went wrong you ask? Well, there is a difference between "season your chicken" and dip in egg batter, and "dip your chicken in the seasoning" and then dip in egg batter. Marcia must have been having "shake-n-bake" flashbacks, and since Paula's House Seasoning is basically two-thirds salt.....well.
What went wrong you ask? Well, there is a difference between "season your chicken" and dip in egg batter, and "dip your chicken in the seasoning" and then dip in egg batter. Marcia must have been having "shake-n-bake" flashbacks, and since Paula's House Seasoning is basically two-thirds salt.....well.
Southern Fried Chicken Ingredients:
4 eggs ($1.08)
1/3 cup water (free)
1 cup hot red pepper sauce ($1.36)
2 cups self-rising flour (.40)
1 teaspoon pepper (.10)
House Seasoning - 1 cup salt (.64), 1/4 cup black pepper ($1.61), 1/4 cup garlic powder ($1.46)
2 1/2-pound chicken, cut into pieces ($8.00) *they fancy free range chicken
Peanut oil ($14.95)
Oil thermometer ($29.95) *they went for the battery operated one
Total Cost - $59.45 (prices based on Shoprite Online)
Oh well, its only a chicken, and by the way............ Allan enjoyed the bagel he had for dinner.Total Cost - $59.45 (prices based on Shoprite Online)
Afterword: Before discovering the error of their ways the in-laws tried the recipe again, changing from kosher salt, which they believed to be the culprit for the initial fiasco, to table salt on the second try. No difference the second chicken was trashed as well. It was then through forensic questioning that I uncovered the error of their ways.
