Glog aka Glogi

I now live in northern Europe and have for quite a few years. One of the things that is an absolute favorite around Christmas is a hot glog. I had it at the Christmas Market the first time and afterwards, I tried a few different recipes, landing on this one. The addition of an Orange or Cherry Liquor is a fun twist.

Glog or Glogi

3 L red wine
1.5 L Spiced Rum
900g sugar +/- depending upon sweetness of wine
Optional:  .5L orange or cherry liquor (note that this will decrease the sugar requirements)

6 Tablespoons Raisins
10Cardamon pods
10-15 cloves
2-3 Cinnamon Sticks
3 dried orange peel
1-2 pieces dried ginger pieces

Warm everything to 80c and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, cover for 1-5 hours to steep. Strain to remove all the spices. Bottle.

Serve warm with additions of coconut, peanuts, smoked almonds, raisins.

Notes

The amount of spices does not need to be increased if you use up to 3 Liters of wine.  More than 3 L, then add additional spices.

Rum can be replaced with your favorite liquor – brandy, regular rum, vodka.  Whiskey can work if a mild and blended version (Ballentine’s, for example, would be a good choice).

The amount of sugar depends upon the maker — how sweet is the wine? How sweet do you prefer it?  I like it a bit less sweet personally.

If dried ginger cannot be found, use just raw ginger but use only 2cm slice. 

Dried orange peels are easy to make.  Either peel an orange and place into a warm oven until hard, or use a dehydrator.  Also mandarin/tangerine works equally well.


The pictures here are from 2022 but we make this every year. In 2023, we will swap out orange liquor for cherry for a different flavor profile.

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KFC Spice Mix and KFC Coleslaw recipe

KFC Spice Mix

28g (1oz) White Pepper
28g (1oz) Black Pepper
14g (.5oz) Garlic Salt, (see recipe below)
7g (.25oz) Sage
7g (.25oz) Coriander
7g (.25oz) Ginger
7g (.25oz) Cayenne
3.5g (.125oz) Clove
3.5g (.125oz) Allspice
3.5g (.125oz) Savory*
1.8g (.0625oz) Marjoram
1.8g (.0625oz) Thyme
340g (12oz) Salt
25g MSG

Mix all the dry spices and herbs together well. If any of the herbs are too large, you can run them through a mortar & pestle or a spice grinder. I needed to do that with the sage, coriander, cloves, allspice, marjoram and savory, but if you are in the US, you can usually get all these pre-ground.

This mix makes quite a lot, and will store a long time in a tightly sealed jar.

Note 1: I could not find *savory anywhere. I just bumped up the marjoram to 2.8g and the thyme to 2.8g.

Note 2: What? It has MSG in it?? Are you eating anything that’s considered “processed food”? Yeah..it has MSG or another glutamate in it. It is an umami and incredibly useful in a huge amount of applications, including this one.

Use it. Just don’t tell anyone you do ;) However, if you really do wish to leave it out, go right ahead.

Note 3: Use less salt = I use about 1/2 the salt per batch.

KFC Chicken Recipe

The trick to making KFC chicken at home is to brine the chicken for a few hours in the KFC Spice mix. I have made the chicken both with and without brining, and it makes a HUGE difference. Try not to skip this step.

All the Ingredients listed here:
3 Teaspoons KFC Spice Mix (for brine)
3 Tablespoons KFC Spice Mix (for dredge)
4 Cups warm (not hot) water.
1 egg
2 cups milk
2 cups cake flour (see recipe below)
Mix of bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces. The most I’ve made at one time is 6 leg pieces and 12 thighs for a single recipe as below.


Method:

Brine
3 Teaspoons KFC Spice Mix
4 Cups warm (not hot) water.

Mix the spice mix and water together and let it sit for about 5 minutes, so that the spices and herbs can hydrate and the salts dissolve. Mix again well before pouring it over the chicken. Depending on how much chicken you are doing, you may need more water as you want the chicken completely submerged. Cover the container and refrigerate. Use as much chicken as you wish to fry. I’ve brined 6 pounds of bone in, skin on chicken in that 4 cups of water. Leave it to brine for 2-3 hours. No more than 5 hours. Mix around at least once.

Once the chicken has brined, it’s time to get cooking. You’ll need:

Egg wash (see Note 2 below before you begin)
1 egg
2 cups milk

In bowl, mix together 1 egg and two cups of milk to make an egg wash.

Dredge
3 Tablespoons KFC Spice Mix
2 cups cake flour (see recipe below)

Mix the spice mix with the cake flour into a wide shallow dish. (I use a 8×8 cake pan).

Bring a pot of oil (canola, vegetable oil, corn) to 350ºF. You are deep frying the chicken. Do not over fill the pot. Leave quite a bit of space for oil displacement once you put the chicken in.

Dip the chicken in the egg wash, then dredge it in the flour mix, coating the chicken well. Tap excess flour off.

Carefully drop the dredged chicken away from you in the hot oil and fry for 11-15 minutes or until chicken registers 165ºF on an instant read thermometer. If your chicken pieces are large, this could take up to 18-20 minutes. Don’t be afraid to check the temp. Once chicken is removed from the pot, bring the temp back to 350 and repeat with the remaining chicken.

NOTES & MINOR RECIPES

Note 1: Don’t pre-dredge the chicken – do it just before you drop it in the oil. For example, I have the timer set to 12 minutes and at about 10 minutes I dredge the next batch.

Note 2: You do not have to do the egg wash – this step can be left out if you brined the chicken. Just take the chicken directly from the brine to the flour mix. However, feel free to do this step as it will add a layer of flavor.

Note 2.5: If you decide to do the egg wash, it is best to remove the chicken from the brine and place it on a baking rack to drip dry a bit.

Note 3: I have made this as “Popcorn Chicken”. Using boneless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces, brine for 30 minutes. Dip in flour-mix and either 1) pan fry or 2) deep fry. Both work well.

Cake Flour recipe:
To make cake flour, measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove two tablespoons of flour and replace with 2 tablespoons corn starch. Mix together well.

Garlic Salt Recipe:
3 Tablespoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
Mix well and store in tightly closed jar.

KFC Coleslaw (My version)

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Buttermilk Well Shaken
1/4 Cup Whole Milk
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 1/2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon White Or Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Onion Finely Grated
10 Cups Cabbage Diced
1/2 Cup Carrot Shredded
INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, whisk together all but the cabbage and carrots. Mix well. Add cabbage and carrot and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours, but even better overnight. Stir well before serving
Lastly, the KFC Spice recipe comes from Youtuber Glen & Friends, who did a 15 part series on how to make it. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgOb3zseg1hR4RkgFSZFm7tUTSimCEDNO

Contents

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Lardy Lardy – Rendering Lard, the best fat

When I was growing up there was always either bacon fat or lard being used in some form or fashion. We also used “crisco”, but there was always a container of lard in the refrigerator. I have very strong memories of visiting my grandmother, seeing her grab the lard container, and with a deft hand, toss it into a cast iron skillet, and prepare the best pork chops I ever had. I have never achieved the greatness of her pork chops, but I persist in trying.  Good lard is the key.

Lard is pork fat that has been rendered (melted) down into a liquid, then strained and cooled.  It imparts an amazing flavor to foods it’s cooked with. The best type of pork fat to get and render down is “leaf” fat, however, any pork fat will do and make a good tasting lard.  Lard has a good smoke point (370°F/185°C), so you can do quite a lot with it.

I now live in Estonia, where pork fat is .05€ (about .05cents) a kilo – less than 2.5 Cents a pound!! We just bought 3.6 kilos for .18€.!!!!! It simply makes zero sense to me to buy lard, when I can render it in the oven on a slow Saturday.

Finding pork fat in the USA may be hard, depending upon the area you live in. When I was living in New York, I had a very hard time finding it.  Check with your butcher to see if you can get it.  Here in Estonia, it’s available at the farmer’s market in various shops.

Rendering lard is really simple:

3.5 Kilos of Pork fat, chopped

The smaller the pieces of lard, the faster it’ll render.  I have done it as whole pieces (see the first picture below), but that is messy and takes much longer.  Chop it into pieces, or, alternatively, chill it in the freezer for about 30 minutes until almost frozen, and put it into a food processor to break it down even more.

You can render the fat on the stovetop or in the oven. I find the oven is the easiest method, as it doesn’t need to be continually watched.

 

Place chopped lard into a large high sided baking pan, and then into the oven set at 300F/150C.  As the fat renders out, carefully remove the pan and tip the rendered fat into a heat-safe bowl. Continue to do this until no more fat is rendering out.  Allow to cool to the touch, strain with cheesecloth, if needed, and pour into your containers for storage. I have used mason jars, or food safe bpa free containers.

Store lard in your refrigerator for 6 months to a year, making sure it is covered at all times. Lard will absorb other flavors if left uncovered. You can also freeze lard for use later. The 3.5 kilos we rendered will last us 6-8 months.

This process is the same if you are doing Tallow (rendered beef fat).

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More fish needed…

A steak in the shape of a fish, with pickles as dorsal fin, pelvic fin and tail fin

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Jalapeno or Pepper Poppers – Low Carb

When you do low-carb, you miss regular old junk food snacks.  Sander and I decided last spring to and remake our “triple dipped poppers” by using crushed pork rinds, making these low carb.  We’ve experimented with them a few times and this is the final recipe.   These are double dipped in egg and crushed pork rinds, allowed to dry a bit, and then deep fried.  They are completely over-filled with the cheese mixture, which gives you a great bite of pepper, cheese, and crunch.

20151011_124046

 

Jalapeno or Pepper Poppers – Low Carb

8 Ounces (226g) Cream Cheese, room temp
2-3 cups shredded cheese
Spices, to your taste *See note below
4-6 eggs
15 mini sweet peppers or jalapenos, split lengthwise, cleaned and seeded
2-3 bags (3 ounce bags) pork rinds
Lard, enough to deep fry in your favorite fryer.

Crush the pork rinds in a blender.  If you don’t have a blender, use a rolling-pin to crush.  The finer the crush, the better.

Mix the soft cream cheese with the shredded cheese and any spices you choose.  I use almost type of cheese – mix and match!  Mozzarella, cheddar, muenster..your choice.   Set aside and clean and prep the peppers.  Slice peppers lengthwise and, using a spoon, remove all the seeds.

In a bowl, mix the eggs well.  You may need more eggs, so have at least 2 more ready to go. Pork rinds soak up a lot of egg, but the egg helps give this a crispness that makes these so yummy.

Fill each pepper — and really over fill them.  Much more than you think they should be filled.  You almost cannot put too much in — they should be heaping.  Round the mix to fit the pepper.

Once all the peppers have been filled, dip each into egg and then directly into the crushed pork rinds.  Set aside and continue to dip the rest of the peppers.   Allow to sit for 10 minutes to dry.  Now repeat – dip each pepper into egg and then into the crushed pork rinds for a second time.   Allow to sit for another ten minutes.

Heat oil to 385F (195C)  in your favorite fryer – could be a Fry Daddy or a small pot of oil (on the back burner!!).  Add in peppers.  I do 2 or 3 at a time, as I have the small Fry Daddy.  Allow to fry for 1 minute or so.  Pull one out and check it – outside should be crispy, and when you cut into it (don’t BITE into it), the cheese should be melted well.  I find that as I go through the batch, they take between 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes, depending on how large the poppers are and how hot the oil is.  I let the oil re-heat after each batch for about 30 seconds.

Remove the poppers from the oil and allow to drain, preferably on a rack, which will help to keep the poppers crispy and crunchy.  Serve as soon as the last popper comes out of the oil.

Serve as is, or with a favorite sauce.

Notes:

  1. Using pork rinds works really well for a breading.  However, when you deep fry anything with pork rinds, you’ll find that some of the crumbs just slough off.  You may need to remove these as you go along deep frying.
  2. *Add in spices – maybe a little Chili powder or cayenne powder or a dash of red pepper flakes – enough to taste good to you.
  3. You can freeze these after frying.  To reheat, 400F (205c), for 8-12 minutes, depending on how small/large your poppers are.

Nutrition Information is for 1 popper.

Low Carb Popper Nutrition Info

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Deep Fried Pork Chops – Low Carb

Low Carb/Keto Deep Fried Pork Chops.  I pan fried a few pork chops this afternoon for dinner.  I had one pork chop left over and decided to try deep frying it.

My life has forever changed!!  WOW!  So amazing and good.  And probably the simplest recipe ever!

As you can see, the pan fried pork chops, cooked perfectly to temp, are rather anemic looking compared to the deep fried pork chops.  The pan fried were  great.. but the deep fried were out of this world.

Deep Fried Pork Chops – Low Carb

Pork Chops, about 1/2 inch thick (boneless), patted dry.
Salt & Pepper to taste.
Oil, heated in your “Fry Daddy” or a high sided pot, to 375F or 190C

Depending on the size of your pot or fryer, place your pork chops in to the heated oil.  I have a Fry Daddy, and 2 would probably fit perfectly.  Allow to cook 2-3 minutes.  Drain on a rack.  Cool down so you don’t burn your mouth!! Eat.  Try to share….If possible.

 

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