Chef Kistler
52 and still learning
Choosing the perfect watermelon… I had always thought I knew how to do this by using the “thump” method. If you thump a watermelon on the underbelly and it has a deep hollow sound, then it is a nice, ripe melon. So, every time I would go to the market, I would stand there and thump melon after melon until I heard the perfect hollow sound I was listening for. Well recently, my wife and I were at the store picking up some items for the Fourth of July. I was in the produce section standing in front of the watermelons thumping melon after melon (finding the right watermelon can make or break a July 4th celebration). After thumping no less than a dozen melons, my wife walks up and looks and grabs a watermelon then says, “let’s go honey.” One can only imagine the look on my face as I said, “hold on a minute, you didn’t thump it.” My wife looked at me and said that she did not need to thump anything, to trust her, and we left the store. On the way home from the store, I of course had to ask her about the watermelon she had chosen. Being a professional chef, I thought I knew how to choose a watermelon and that thumping the melon was the best way. My wife grew up on a working farm in Central Alabama, and she informed me that all you have to do is to look at the bottom of the watermelon where it sits on the ground to tell if the melon is ripe or not. If the bottom of the melon has a creamy yellow spot, the watermelon is perfectly ripe and good to go. She then added that weight of the watermelon has a little to do with it as well. The heavier the melon, the riper the melon is. She was absolutely correct because that watermelon was one of the best I have had in years. The title of this article is “52 and still learning” but maybe the title should be “52 and my wife is still always right.” Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Until next time, Eat well live well,
Chef Billy
Chicken Fried Bacon With Sawmill Gravy, Vermont Maple Syrup And Candied Pecans
Ingredients:
1 lb. thick cut bacon such as
Nueske’s or Benton’s
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Dottley’s chicken breader or your favorite recipe for chicken breader
Directions:
In a large bowl mix eggs and milk together. In a separate bowl add the breader. Dip bacon into breader, then into egg mixture back into breader. Do this twice so you are double dipping the bacon. Fry in a cast iron skillet or with a Fry Daddy type of fryer.
For Gravy
Ingredients:
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 Tbs. A.P. Flour
2 cup milk
2 Tbs. heavy cream, optional
Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions:
In a medium sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and stir while cooking for about a minute. This allows the starchy flavor to cook out. Slowly add the milk and bring to a boil. Season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Finish with cream, if using.
For pecans
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 lb. fresh pecan halves
1 egg white
1 tsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla extract, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl, add both sugars, cinnamon, and salt to bowl. In a separate bowl, add egg, water, and vanilla. Whisk until forms stiff peaks. Add pecans to egg white mixture and toss to coat. Add the sugar mixture and toss to coat. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
To Plate:
Place the fried bacon on a platter and drizzle with pure Vermont Maple syrup or your favorite syrup. Scatter the pecans all around the plate and serve with a sauce dish full of the gravy for dipping.
Jerk Marinated Mahi Mahi With Grilled Watermelon Salsa
For the marinade
Ingredients:
6 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
4 green onion
3 garlic cloves
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. honey
1/4 Tbs. black pepper
1/2 cup Caribbean Jerk seasoning
4 six-ounce portions of Mahi Mahi,
can substitute tuna, salmon or
even chicken breast
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients well until they are combined. Add the Mahi and marinate for 1 to 1 ½ hours (if marinated for too long the fish will begin to cook and breakdown).
Remove the fish from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Place on your pre-heated grill and grill for about 3 ½ minutes per side. Turning the fish one quarter turn per side. Remove fish to serving platter, and garnish with the watermelon salsa and fresh lime.
Watermelon Salsa
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. watermelon sliced in 3/4 to 1-inch thick slices
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 English cucumber
1 Tbs. red onion, fine dice
1/2 fresh jalapeno, fine dice
1/4 cup fresh red pepper, fine dice
1 Tbs. lime juice
1 Tbs. fresh mint, chopped
1 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Before cooking your fish, brush watermelon with the vegetable oil and place on heated grill for about 1 ½ minute per side. Remove melon and allow to cool. While watermelon is cooling, prepare your vegetables by adding them a mixing bowl. Dice cooled watermelon and add to bowl with cucumber, red onion, red pepper, and jalapeno. Add lime juice, cilantro, and mint; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve over grilled Mahi or in a bowl on the side. Garnish with fresh lime wedges.
Toasted Brioche With Lemon Cream, Macerated Peaches And Blackberries And Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
4 pieces of good Brioche bread
2 Tbs. butter, melted
2 fresh peaches, pitted and sliced
1 pint fresh black berries
1/2 cup Water
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped or
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs. sugar
For Lemon Cream
Ingredients:
1/4 cup lemon zest
1 cup sugar
4 whole eggs
3/4 cup lemon juice
6 Tbs. butter, unsalted
Directions:
In a small heat-proof mixing bowl, mix zest and sugar together. Use your fingers to mix thoroughly. Add eggs and lemon juice heat over a double boiler until cream is nice and thick, about 5 or 6 minutes. Strain cream into bowl of food processor and let cool slightly. With the motor on, add butter one piece at a time, and mix until the cream almost doubles in volume.
For The Peaches And Berries
Directions:
In a small saucepan, add water, sugar, rosemary, and vanilla bean; heat until sugar has melted. Cover and let steep for a few hours. Remove vanilla bean and rosemary. Add sliced peaches and blackberries to a small mixing bowl and add simple syrup and toss to coat fruit.
For Whipped Cream
Directions:
In bowl of electric mixer, add heavy cream and sugar. Whip until stiff peaks, being careful not to over whip or you will have really sweet butter.
To Finish
Directions:
Brush brioche with melted butter, and brown on both sides in a cast iron skillet. On a plate, add lemon cream then a piece of brioche. Remove fruit from syrup and top the bread. Drizzle a little of the simple syrup around the lemon cream and top the fruit with a nice dollop of whip cream.
