Fried Chicken Wings (Breaded)

Ingredients

• Chicken Wings (about 24)
• 2 Cups Butter Milk
• Red Devil Hot Sauce
• 2 cups Self Rising Flour
• Salt & Pepper
• Paprika 

Preparation

1. In a large bowl season all the chicken wings (split) with salt, pepper, and paprika then pour a good amount of the Red Devil hot sauce all over the wings.  Rub everything together with your hands and let it sit marinading for at least 30 minutes.
2. Pour the buttermilk in a separate bowl and the self rising flour in a different bowl. 
3. Preheat frying oil in a deep frying pan or a deep fryer at 375 degrees (Medium High)
4. Dip each wing in the buttermilk and then on the self rising flour.
5. Once the oil is hot enough fry the wings in batches.  Don't over crowd the pan.  I did it in two batches of 12 in a large pan with room around each wing.  Fry for about 12 to 14 minutes.
6. Remove the wings and let them rest so the oil drips on a rack or over paper towel.  This will help keep them crispy when you bite them! 
7. Serve with your favorite side.  I served mine with roasted garlic potatoes.

Experience

I have had a guest from Brazil over our house for a few weeks.  He loves the way Americans make fried chicken!  He kept asking to go to KFC lol.  I had never made fried chicken but was not about to take a guest to KFC!  I decided to try making my own fried chicken!  It paid off... My guest, Eduardo Gigo, loved it!  We ate tons of it! Don't be afraid of seasoning the chicken.  The buttermilk will soften the chicken and the taste somewhat so seasoning it heavily is not a problem.  Have fun making it and enjoy!!!  

Thank you for sharing :)

Quindim

Ingredients

• 2 cups of sugar
• 25 egg yokes (organic brown chicken eggs)
• 2 Tbsps unsalted butter
• 1 coconut

Preparation  yield 12

1. Open the fresh coconut using a hammer and a nail or an electric drill.  Let the coconut water come out before breaking it. Remove the hard shells and shave the coconut till it's all white
2. Shred the coconut pieces and place in a mixing bowl
3. Add the sugar and the butter to the shredded coconut
4. Using a thin strainer break each egg (one to four at a time depending on your strainer) and separate the yoke from the egg whites.  You can save the egg whites for an ommelette later or for a merengue pie. Carefully place the yoke on the strainer.  With a fork gently poke the skin tissue holding the yoke together to release the yellow content through the strainer and into a different bowl.  Repeat this step until all the eggs have been separated and all the yokes have been broken and strained.  (This process of straining the egg yoke is what keeps the "egg" taste away from the Quindim.  It requires patience but it is worth it)  NOTE:  Don't speed up the process by pressing the yoke through the strainer with a spoon.  Simply move everything around with a fork until only the tissue skin is left
5. Add the strained yoke into the coconut sugar bowl
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
7. Mix all the ingredients together with a spoon
8. Butter a cupcake baking pan and then cover each cupcake space with sugar.  (This will allow each Quindim to reach a pretty color)
9. With a spoon fill each cup with the mixture pretty close to the top
10. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Keep checking for a golden brown color and do a toothpick test to see if it's coming out clean. 
11. Remove from the oven and let cool down for about 30 minutes and then place them in the refrigerator for about an hour.
12. Remove the Quindims from the cupcake pan using a knife around the edges.  Careful not to hurt them and change their shape
13. Place each Quindim upside down in a cupcake paper cup and sprinkle them with confectioner's sugar

Experience

A friend of mine asked me if I had ever made Quindim.  I had not only not made it I didn't even remember what they tasted like!  I saw it as a challenge.  I spent the next few days researching different methods and philosophies concerning this traditional Brazilian dessert.  Many have taken shortcuts and turned it into an everyday custard made on a blender in 2 minutes.  I decided I wanted to make it how it is intended to be made.  Slowly and with top notch fresh ingredients.  The recipe I used is a combination of a few recipes I have found online.  A town in Brazil called Sao Joao de Almeida is famous for its Quindim and they also keep it fresh and original.  I loved it that I was able to make such a pretty and tasty dessert!  It is not too sweet due to the fresh coconut as opposed to the sweetened coconut in the bag and it is also very light.  It uses a lot of eggs but there is zero egg taste in it.  In regards to presentation I received the most wows out of all my recipes when I posted it on facebook.  Everyone who tried it loved it!  Definitely make them and treat it special.  It takes time to strain the yokes properly.  If this step is done incorrectly you will get a Quindim that tastes like your ommeletes.  That's definitely NOT what you want!  Enjoy making them for your friends and family... they are guaranteed to love them!  I want some more right now... :)

Thank you for sharing :)