-=> Quoting Janis Kracht to Jim Weller <=-

 > Dave Drum speaks of 99 cent factory farmed chicken in bulk while

 JK> That's scary to me... that's the kind of chicken you'd want to be
 JK> careful with it would seem to me.

It's regular unbranded factory farmed chain store chicken, in Costco
sized portions. Remember that he lives near both major chicken and
pork processors and sometimes the local stores run great specials. 

 JK> (Wegmans Supermarket) a free-range
 JK> organic whole chicken sells for $3.29 a lb.

That's not unreasonable for really good quality. I like buying
older, larger, more flavourful birds right from the farmer when I
can. Commercial broilers are only 8-12 weeks old. Some breeds don't
plump up until they're 5 months old, especially if they are running
around and not penned. My cattle ranching sister in law doesn't
slaughter any of her birds before Labour Day and most of them get to
live until the day before Canadian Thanksgiving. They are all huge
roasters (7-8 pound chickens and 22-28 pound turkeys), not broilers
or fryers with darker, firmer (chewy) meat and huge taste.

MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

     Title: Stella Parks' Homemade Pancake Syrup    
Categories: Pancakes, Syrup, Spreads
  Servings: 8

      5 oz water 
      9 oz granulated sugar
  1 3/4 oz light brown sugar or 
    1/2 oz dark brown sugar 
    3/8 ts table salt
    1/4 ts cream of tartar
    1/4 ts baking soda
      2 oz water 
    1/4 oz unsalted butter 
    1/4 ts vanilla extract

Whether your heart belongs to maple or Mrs. Butterworth, made from
scratch breakfast syrup will hit the spot in a pinch. It's ultra
luxuriously thick and rich, sweet but not cloyingly so, tempered
with plenty of salt and vanilla; no corn syrup in sight! With just a
touch of butter, it's perfect for drizzling over pancakes, waffles,
and French toast too.

Why It Works:

A tiny amount of brown sugar is all you need for a rich and complex
flavor.

Cream of tartar acts as a catalyst for acid hydrolysis, breaking a
portion of the sucrose into fructose and glucose and making this
syrup wonderfully smooth and thick.

Baking soda neutralizes the cream of tartar's acidity, so the syrup
tastes deep and rich rather than tart or tangy.

You'll be surprised at how intense a touch of dark brown sugar can
be, so don't add more than a half ounce until you've made a batch
for yourself. For light brown sugar, you'll need about three times
as much to get the same malty flavor.   

Combine water, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cream of tartar in a
1-quart stainless steel pot. Place over medium heat and stir with a
fork until bubbling hard around the edges, about 5 minutes. With a
damp pastry brush, wipe all around the sides of the pot to wash down
any visible sugar crystals. Clip a digital thermometer to the pot
and cook the amber syrup until it registers 234 F, about 8 minutes.

Immediately stir in the baking soda with a heat-resistant spatula
(the syrup will bubble vigorously), followed by the remaining
portion of water. Continue cooking until the syrup returns to 234 F,
about 2 minutes longer. Pour into a Pyrex measuring cup to halt
cooking, then stir in butter and vanilla. Cool to a safe eating
temperature, about 100 F and serve. Cover leftovers as soon as
possible to prevent syrup from forming a skin and refrigerate up to
3 months in an airtight container.

Stella Parks  

  From: Serious Eats                    
 
MMMMM-------------------------------------------------





Cheers

Jim


... Despite my promising abilities as a beach bum I got a job.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20