Update on Thai Angel Wings Recipe

I tried that Marnee's Thai angel wings recipe.

It is damn near perfect. I would add a lot more garlic, and be patient when reducing the sauce! The sauce should be mostly garlic chunks, so let that sticky sauce reduce itself. I also fried the chicken instead of baking it because I'm a fat kid like that. And I recommend frying that chicken silly so that it's really crispy. Oh and I put in 1/3 cup of jalapeno chiles and it made me sweat a little, just as a caveat.

Peachy Keen

(Click image for full-size)

I have an unhealthy obsession with the Food Network. Well actually it's a love-hate relationship.

I strongly dislike:
Rachael "All-I-Can-Say-About-Any-Kind-of-Food-is-YUMMO" Ray
Emeril "BAM-is-the-Only-Technique-I've-Mastered" Lagassi
Sandra "I-Have-Big-Boobs" Lee

Personal favorites include Anthony Bourdain and Alton Brown. And, I'll admit it, Duff and his cakes.
Although I do love watching Alton Brown's uber-educational shows, I usually think he is a much more intelligent version of Martha Stewart. Meaning his techniques are spot on, but a bit OCD and require the precision of a rocket scientist. But I scored some ramekins and decided to make his peach upside down cake in honor of the ending of summer.

I accidentally bought white peaches instead of the regular ones, and I abandoned the crystallized ginger he throws in the mix, but it's still juicy and sweet and each ramekin is a perfect single serving. And is golden brown sugar the same as light brown sugar? I'm pretty sure they're not, but I used the golden brown kind and I doubt there was a difference. Oh, and I forgot to get buttermilk, so I put a teaspoon of cream of tartar in 2% milk, let it sit for 10 minutes, and again, no difference in the baked outcome. Seeeeeee... baking doesn't have to be that precise...

Makes 4 ramekins

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 peaches, peeled
2.5 ounces all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
vanilla bean ice cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Divide 2 tablespoons of the butter and the brown sugar between 4 ramekins (the 6-ounce kind).
Slice each peach into 12-14 pieces and divide them amongst the ramekins, on top of the sugar.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir 12 times! Then STOP! I know, it's lumpy, but it should be! Then pour mixture into ramekins.

Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes. Alton says to wait until the internal temperature is 190 degrees F, but who really does that??*

Remove from oven, and cool. Alton says just for 5 minutes, but in order for it to flip out in proper form, wait at least 20 minutes.


Run a knife about the edge of the ramekin to loosen the gooey stuff from the walls. Hold the ramekin in on hand, put a plate upside down on top of the ramekin. Holding the ramekin and plate together, flip it over so now the ramekin is upside down. Tap the ramekin and giggle slightly so that cake releases itself from the ramekin. Reheat in the microwave if not hot enough for you.

Generously plop vanilla bean ice cream on top. Ben & Jerry's makes Willie Nelson's Country Peach Cobbler ice cream if you're feeling extremely peachy.

Devour.



*OK, I really did.

DIY: Danger Dogs

LAPD is cracking down on those infamous Danger Dog carts roaming around Los Angeles. Personally, those little ladies exploiting the drunken and drugged youth with their bacon-wrapped hot dogs are just as important a landmark as the Hollywood sign. Having crispy, slightly burnt bacon enveloping a juicy grade B hot dog readily available to all who emerge from the innards of L.A. nightlife to the grungy, crackhead infested streets is one of the few privileges I have found down here. And yes, I do find a 3500-calorie snack a great privilege that I do not wish to be stripped of by law enforcement.

Don't those esteemed men-in-blue have more to worry about than ridding Los Angeles of these deliciously evil meat-wrapped-in-other-meat things of edible holiness?

If I were a less passive person that did not silently type my grievances into my blog that surely no one reads, the San Francisco in me might have made the trek to downtown Hollywood, gathered those little ladies and their makeshift carts, and started the first ever Danger Dog Union. But alas, I work a day job in a cubicle.

How to make your own makeshift Danger Dog street cart:
1. Gather the following objects. Under no circumstances may you purchase any of them:
a shopping cart
a baking sheet or any other flat metal object
something that can sustain a moderately-controlled flame for several hours
a durable stick to rotate danger dogs
untwisted metal hangers or wire

2. You may purchase the following, although I'm sure you have a hook-up through a friend of a friend that could get you them for free:
hotdogs, the cheapest possible
bacon, sliced of course
hot dog buns
optional: for the more advanced street cart, onions and condiments

3. Place the controlled flame in the basket of the shopping cart.

4. Lay the baking sheet on top of the shopping cart, over the flame.

5. Using the metal hanger or wire, securely attach the baking sheet to the cart. Remember, stability is of crucial importance as this cart must be as mobile as possible.

6. Wrap hot dogs in bacon and place on baking sheet. Rotate danger dogs as necessary to maintain a consistent browning of bacon and dog.

7. Find yourself the L.A. venue of choice, preferably at the intersection of several venues' exit doors.

8. Congratulations! You have officially started to aid the growing obesity problem in the United States.

On the hunt

The Bay Area is far more superior to this disconnected, traffic-laden, sorry excuse of a city called Los Angeles. I'll take hippies over hipsters any day of the week.

And perhaps one of the things I most despise about L.A. is the lack of angel wings, despite there being a Thai restaurant on every other corner. Garlicky and sticky, the delicate balance of sweet and spicy, with the crunch of freshly fried basil, has been perfected by Marnee Thai of SF, and in second place at Coconut Bay in Burlingame.

I have scoured this wasteland for any hint of a decent angel wing, but no menu, no yelp review, no google search has pointed me in any sort of direction. I found a recipe, and I am praying that it is indeed the Marnee recipe and not a cruel joke on an innocent girl who needs her fix.


Photograph by B.

Yes, I know.

The name of this blog is slightly revolting to some. But this advertisement near SFO's baggage claim number 3 is much more disturbing.


EDIT: the name of the blog was formerly Flesh on Fat.