Quislet's Zombie Cuisine
Oct. 31st, 2007 06:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quisletJust because it had already been a week since I'd cooked at Faire, it was time to put my kitchen and my muse through their paces again. I was prepping for a Halloween party thrown by some dear friends in the Annapolis area, and my costume pretty much sucked, so I thought I'd compensate in cuisine. I decided that two dishes would do the trick, preferably an entree and a dessert. The party theme was Zombie-A-Go-Go, so I thought zombie cuisine seemed
For the entree, I thought that perhaps I'd return to a recent ingredient (featured in my Black Lesbian Chicken Noodle Soup, a few months ago), the Chinese black chicken. This is what 4H kids call a "white silkie" chicken, feathers all white and fuzzy with skin black as night. Interestingly, when you cook it up, the white meat turns grey and the dark meat goes streaky black and grey. If grey meat doesn't say zombie, I don't know what does.
I figured roasting would help bring on that nice skin-peeling effect that would further remind of zombie flesh, and then a good zombie would be adulterated with some sort of foreign object, so I thought perhaps a variant of Beer Can Chicken was in order. The silkie is a small chicken, so I needed a narrower can. Red Bull, anyone?
The recipe was ridiculously simple: a half-dozen black chickens, a couple bottles of Jamaican jerk marinade, a half dozen half-empty cans of Red Bull, with a garlic clove inside each can. The extra soda was poured into the pan to help with steaming and prevent sticky bits. Here are my babies, all ready to be cut into gibbage and served:
I quartered the chickens, served them in a big pile with one whole carcass on top. The heads and feet made a nice voodoo-esque garnish, with peeled longans and quartered dragonfruit for a little color. It was a great dish, but a little intense-looking for some folks. The skin came out a lovely papery-leathery texture, not what you'd want in a restaurant, but reminiscent of Chinese street food and perfect for Halloween. The flavor was sweet, like barbecue sauce, with clear notes of allspice and guarana from the marinade and the Red Bull. Next time, though, I'll make my own marinade or even a rub.
Dessert was an easy choice. I have a great brain-shaped gelatin mold, and panna cotta seemed a natural fit (thanks to both Alton Brown and a dear foodie friend). I wanted to use some cute little Japanese marshmallows with blueberry jam inside, because when cut, they'd look like eyeballs (featured in my National S'Mores Day post). The flavor of the panna cotta was the next question, so I went with the path of least resistance and used a delightful Celestial Seasonings blueberry herbal tea spiked with my homemade vanilla rum. I added just a little blue food color to get the whole thing to cerebrum grey, and then piled in the marshmallows when it was half-set. Unlike pure gelatin, panna cotta sets up from the outside in, so I couldn't get the even distribution I wanted. I glazed the outside with a blueberry-pomegranate juice that was set with gelatin.
The flavor was clearly blueberry, but without being overpowering. The hibiscus flowers in the tisane helped to bring some additional brightness. The vanilla was subtle, and the texture was positively divine! The whole effect of it was phenomenal, still too intense for some weaker stomachs, even some who came knowing what to expect. I still have about a quarter of it in my fridge, all for me! Mmmmm...brains!
For the entree, I thought that perhaps I'd return to a recent ingredient (featured in my Black Lesbian Chicken Noodle Soup, a few months ago), the Chinese black chicken. This is what 4H kids call a "white silkie" chicken, feathers all white and fuzzy with skin black as night. Interestingly, when you cook it up, the white meat turns grey and the dark meat goes streaky black and grey. If grey meat doesn't say zombie, I don't know what does.
I figured roasting would help bring on that nice skin-peeling effect that would further remind of zombie flesh, and then a good zombie would be adulterated with some sort of foreign object, so I thought perhaps a variant of Beer Can Chicken was in order. The silkie is a small chicken, so I needed a narrower can. Red Bull, anyone?
The recipe was ridiculously simple: a half-dozen black chickens, a couple bottles of Jamaican jerk marinade, a half dozen half-empty cans of Red Bull, with a garlic clove inside each can. The extra soda was poured into the pan to help with steaming and prevent sticky bits. Here are my babies, all ready to be cut into gibbage and served:
I quartered the chickens, served them in a big pile with one whole carcass on top. The heads and feet made a nice voodoo-esque garnish, with peeled longans and quartered dragonfruit for a little color. It was a great dish, but a little intense-looking for some folks. The skin came out a lovely papery-leathery texture, not what you'd want in a restaurant, but reminiscent of Chinese street food and perfect for Halloween. The flavor was sweet, like barbecue sauce, with clear notes of allspice and guarana from the marinade and the Red Bull. Next time, though, I'll make my own marinade or even a rub.
Dessert was an easy choice. I have a great brain-shaped gelatin mold, and panna cotta seemed a natural fit (thanks to both Alton Brown and a dear foodie friend). I wanted to use some cute little Japanese marshmallows with blueberry jam inside, because when cut, they'd look like eyeballs (featured in my National S'Mores Day post). The flavor of the panna cotta was the next question, so I went with the path of least resistance and used a delightful Celestial Seasonings blueberry herbal tea spiked with my homemade vanilla rum. I added just a little blue food color to get the whole thing to cerebrum grey, and then piled in the marshmallows when it was half-set. Unlike pure gelatin, panna cotta sets up from the outside in, so I couldn't get the even distribution I wanted. I glazed the outside with a blueberry-pomegranate juice that was set with gelatin.
The flavor was clearly blueberry, but without being overpowering. The hibiscus flowers in the tisane helped to bring some additional brightness. The vanilla was subtle, and the texture was positively divine! The whole effect of it was phenomenal, still too intense for some weaker stomachs, even some who came knowing what to expect. I still have about a quarter of it in my fridge, all for me! Mmmmm...brains!
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no subject
Date: 2007-10-31 11:03 pm (UTC)*LOVELOVELOVE*
I have to make sure that when I ever make it to the States again, I have to come over either for Halloween or for Thanksgiving. Or both. *g*
no subject
Date: 2007-11-01 12:32 am (UTC)If you come just a week before Halloween, stay for a month, you can catch the end of the Ren Faire here, then Halloween, and time to tour the capitol before Thanksgiving.
Rumor has it that the turkey will brine in sake this year...
no subject
Date: 2007-11-01 03:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-01 09:49 am (UTC)I hope that autumn is being kind to you over your way. We've been freezing at night, but still 70's in the daytime. The girls are loving pulling out their sweaters!
wow
Date: 2007-11-01 10:44 pm (UTC)Re: wow
Date: 2007-11-02 07:39 pm (UTC)