Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Creamed Corn

I have a deep love for sweetcorn. I often boil a couple handfuls of the frozen stuff and eat it with a spoon, a sprinkle of salt over it. Corn on the cob, steamed and then slathered with butter to then be drizzled with lime juice, chilli flakes and salt is a common snack in my house. Corn, freshly popped and drizzled with salty butter, or sprinkled with spices and then deep fried till crunchy, the list goes on and on.

I've never had creamed corn. Having never been to America, there aren't a great deal of places otherwise that serve it. However, I saw this recipe and knew I had to have it. Immediately. But it is considered a side dish, and I could do nothing but go the whole hog and cook me up some fried chicken. Marinated in buttermilk, spices and aromatics, the chicken is deep fried until it had a crunchy coating revealing juicy moist flesh within the crust. The buttermilk tenderises and moistens the meat, while the double flour buttermilk combination ensures perfect crispness.

If you have high cholesterol, look away now.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Serves 4

4 chicken thighs
3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 onion
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
6 peppercorns
284ml tub of buttermilk
Flour
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Pound the Sichuan & normal peppercorns in a pestle and mortar until it is a fine powder. Mince the onion finely and add to a pestle and mortar. Add the garlic cloves and the salt and pestle into a fine paste. Add the paprika and incorporate well. Add to a bowl, mix in the buttermilk. Toss the chicken in the buttermilk, fit snugly and marinate overnight.

Next, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Put some flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Wipe the marinade off the chicken (reserving the buttermilk). Dredge well in flour and put to one side. Once they are all dredged, dip back into the buttermilk and dredge again. Leave to sit for 1 hour - this means the flour soaks up all moisture making it crispier.

Heat up 3 inches of the oil in a wok until almost smoking. Add the chicken pieces, two at a time, and fry on a medium heat for 10 minutes on each side. Remove and place on a wire baking rack and put in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes.

Creamed Corn

Serves 4

4 ears of corn
2 shallots
2 rashers of streaky bacon
2 sprigs of rosemary
150ml cream
Water

Remove the corn from their husks and using a sharp knife, remove the kernels, reserving any milky liquid. In a frying pan, soften the shallots in a little oil. Add the bacon chopped up. Remove the rosemary needles and mince finely, adding it to the oil. Add the corn kernels in and add a mugful of water. Bring to the simmer and then add the cream. Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove a large ladleful and liquidise in a blender to add some consistency to the corn. Add back to the pan, bring back to the simmer and then take off the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the chicken. And some greens to make you feel a bit better about it all.