Grand’s Alabama White Barbecue Sauce

 

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Photo Credit: SouthernBite.com, 2014

 

White Barbecue Sauce is a regional favorite found in the foot hills of Appalachian Mountains of Northern Alabama. Pit master, Bob Gibson is credited with concocting white sauce back in 1925. This tangy, mayonnaise-based condiment was traditionally used to dress chicken. But today, just about every BBQ joint in the area has  a white barbecue sauce on their menus,  and they use it on their meats as a marinade, and place it on their tables for serving.

The sauce is so versatile, that you can eat it with everything, using it as a dipping sauce  french fries to chicken wings and ribs and even as  a dressing for pulled pork sandwiches. Seriously, this unique, tangy flavor is the perfect compliment to just about everything.

To make a White Barbecue Sauce you really only need  four ingredients: mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, and coarsely ground black pepper. My Grand’s  original recipe called for a little buttermilk and just a touch of heavy cream, to give it a salad dressing- like consistency. But I tweaked it just a little  bit, by adding Creole Mustard and Horseradish to her recipe and it turned out just fine.


Makes About 2 Cups


Ingredients:
2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk (as needed for the desired consistency)
6 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
6 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Creole mustard
1/8 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2-3 teaspoons granulated white sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced

 

Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients until blended. Pour into a Mason Jar, cap tight with a lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

 

TODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor

Chicken Scaloppini with Lemon Butter and Wilted Spinach

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Adapted from Chef Wolfgang Puck
2016


Serves 4


Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, each 6 to 8 ounces
Kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground white pepper, to taste
1/2 cup King Arthur’s Whole Wheat Flour
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra as needed
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra as needed, chilled and cut into pieces
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup cold water
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon sliced fresh scallions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup pine nuts, coarsely chopped
Sauteed spinach, for serving (Recipe Follows Below)

Directions:
In preparing the scaloppini, use a sharp knife to cut the chicken breast halves crosswise and at a 45-degree angle into slices 1/2 inch thick. With a meat mallet, pound each slice to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Set these scaloppini aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Season the scaloppini on both sides with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add flour to a shallow plate. Dredge each scaloppini in the flour covering  both sides and  shaking off excess flour before setting it aside on a platter or tray.

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil and heat it until it swirls easily in the pan and is shimmering. Swirl the oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

Add the scaloppini in a single layer without overcrowding and dot with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. With tongs, remove scaloppini to a heated platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Cook any remaining scaloppini, adding a little extra oil and butter as necessary.

Deglazing the pan by adding the lemon juice and water to the pan. Stir and scrape with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan browned bits (fond). Boil until the liquid reduces and thickens slightly, 3 to 4 minutes.

To finish the sauce, stir in the honey. Then, while whisking constantly, stir in the remaining butter a few pieces at a time, adding more as it melts, to form a thick sauce. Stir in most of the scallions and parsley, reserving a little for garnishing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve the scaloppini, place the sauteed spinach on a large platter. Place the scaloppini on top of the spinach, layering like roof shingles. Spoon the sauce over the chicken on the platter. Garnish with the remaining parsley, scallions and pine nuts and serve immediately.

Sautéed Spinach with Garlic
Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 pound baby spinach leaves, thoroughly rinsed and dried
Kosher salt, to taste
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat, until shimmering. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, for 1 minute, to flavor the oil.

Add the spinach to the skillet. Cook, using tongs to turn it almost constantly, until it wilts and reduces greatly in volume but is still bright green, about 2 minutes. Remove the garlic cloves. Season with a little salt and, if you like, the red pepper flakes and a little sugar. Serve immediately.

TODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor

Duck Livers on Toast with Whisky Cream Sauce

Duck livers on toast with whisky cream sauce

Duck livers have never had it so good. In this duck liver recipe, Gressingham duck livers are coated in an incredible whiskey cream sauce, then placed on pillowy brioche bread.Grade-A Duck Foie Gras Slices
Duck liver can also be purchased from, D’Artagnan one of the best places to buy duck liver (foie gras) online. D’Artagnan  introduced domestically-farmed foie gras to the United States in 1985 and has continually supplied fresh and prepared foie gras to the finest restaurants, stores and home cooks across the United States. If duck livers are not readily available, chicken livers can be used as a great substitute.

You can use whatever whisky you like for the sauce, depending on what sort of flavour you would  like the whisky to impart.  I used  a 12 year old Macallan Speyside Single Malt Macallan Scotch Whiskey, aged in sherry oak casks, for this recipe.

Macallan 12 Year Old / Sherry Oak

Deliciously smooth, with rich dried fruits and sherry, balanced with woodsmoke and spice. Described by F. Paul Pacult, the renowned international whiskey writer, in his book Kindred Spirits as ‘simply the best 12 Year Old single malt around’.

Being made since 1824, it is most sought-after whiskey for collectors, and you can find a huge range of Macallan Scotch whisky to buy online. Over the past four decades, Macallan has built probably the best reputation for quality malt whiskey and  rare vintages.

 

 

 

 

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:
For the Duck Livers:
1 1/2 pounds duck livers
Kosher salt, to taste
vegetable oil

 
For The Whisky Sauce:
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely diced
3 Tablespoons whisky
1/2 cup brown chicken stock (click on the link for the recipe)
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped chives
1 dash of lemon juice

For the Brioche:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 loaf of brioche, sliced into 4 thick slices

 
Directions:
Begin by cleaning the livers and removing any small pieces of sinew or loose flesh.

Coat the base of a frying pan with oil and place over a high heat. Caramelize the livers until golden brown on both sides and season with salt – they should be slightly pink in the middle. Remove from the pan and rest in a warm place

Add the butter to the same pan with the shallots and sweat until soft. Add the whisky, reduce until almost dry, then add the chicken stock and reduce again by half.

To sweat is to cook something – usually vegetables – gently on a low-medium heat until tender but not caramelized, while stirring frequently.

Finish the whiskey sauce with heavy cream and reduce the sauce until it thickens slightly to the right consistency. Season with salt to taste and leave in a warm place.

To prepare the brioche, trim the crusts from the slices and each slice into neat circles. Heat a large knob of butter in a pan and fry the brioche until golden brown on each side. Remove from the pan and place on absorbent kitchen towel to drain.

Before serving, reheat the sauce and finish with the chives, parsley and a small dash of lemon juice. Place the warm livers on the toasted brioche and sauce generously.