Crispy Buffalo Wings

Hey Football Fans,

Have you ever tried making buffalo wings at home for game day? I’m sure most of you have before…. BUT have you made really delicious restaurant quality ones? Probably not. Today i’m going to tell you the secret to Crispy, Crunchy, and Tangy Buffalo Wings that are perfect for the big game.

The Wings

Alright - so the main thing we want to do with the wings is give them a nice crunchy outer skin layer without adding any breading. In order to do that, we’re going to want to reduce the moisture from the inside of the wings. So first, we’re going to PAR bake the wings on a wire rack so the fat and extra water that’s inside the wings can drip out below. (par bake means that we aren’t going to fully cook the wings. We don’t want them to dry out on us.) Once the wings are par baked, we’re going to pull them out of the oven and let them rest. Then, we’ll give them a quick seasoning, toss them in baking powder, and bake with whatever method you prefer. Air fry, fry, or bake these up for a crispy golden delicious exterior and a tender juicy interior.

The Sauce

Use about 6-8 oz. of your favorite hot sauce and mix with 2-4 Tbsp of melted butter, depending on your heat preference. Toss the crispy cooked wings in the sauce and serve with chopped parsley or green onion, bleu cheese, and some carrot and celery sticks!

The Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Pat your wings dry with paper towel, then salt.

3. Place wings on a wire rack into preheated oven for 10 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes.

5. Salt & Pepper the wings and lightly coat them in baking powder

6. Cook the wings using preferred method (Bake, fry, or air fry) until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

7. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

8. Toss your wings in the sauce you made

9. Plate and serve with blue cheese, carrots and celery sticks, and garnish with parsley or green onions.

10. Enjoy!

Keep spreading love, good people!

Best,

Chef Jake

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Tips for Pretty Plating

Hi Friends,

The Holiday season is fast approaching. That means lots of family gatherings, playing host, and entertaining people. You’ve gone the catering route already. Now you wan’t to make something homemade for your dinner guests and show them what you’ve got! Wether you’re a good cook or not, the final presentation of the plated food is very important in how the taste of the dish is perceived, believe it or not. Here are some tips and tricks to “wow” your guests with beautifully designed plates…….and hopefully the food is good too. heh

Build on your Starches

A typical balanced dinner meal will include a starch of some sort. “Build on your starches” means add it to the plate first. I usually will put it right in the center of the plate. For example, a big spoonful of rice or potatoes neatly mounded in the center of the plate.

Add a variety of Color

Be mindful of the different colors that will be in your dish. For this example plate, We’re building off a base of roasted diced potatoes and our main entree is roasted airline chicken. Those are two ingredients with very minimal color. If we presented these items on the plate by themselves, no one would be excited to eat it. So, We’re going to add a bright vegetable to the mix. It could be something green like broccoli. Red like beets. White like cauliflower. It really could be anything. For the example dish we’re building, we’re going to add broccoli and keep a fresh lemon, as well as some fresh chopped parsley handy for later.

Build “Up” on the Plate

Alright, so we’ve got our mound of diced potatoes in the middle of the plate and our steamed broccoli on the top right side of the potatoes in a nice neatly presented mound. Now we’re going to take our nicely caramelized airline chicken and lay it over the potatoes on an angle. Making sure we build the plate up high and not letting the potatoes flatten under the chicken. Building “up” on a plate with the focal point at the center is more of a southern style of plating. It creates for an interesting contrast of depth that catches the eye.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Garnishes

Alright, lets review this again. So now we have our neat mound of potatoes in the center of the plate stacked nice and high. Our bright green steamed broccoli in a neat mound to the top right of that. And we just added the chicken atop the potatoes in a visually interesting way. This plate is already quite pretty by itself but it is missing a little something. Take the fresh parsley you chopped earlier and sprinkle it on the plate - dusting the chicken, potatoes, broccoli, and exposed part of the plate. Now take your lemon and zest some of the lemon rind over the chicken and the broccoli. Once satisfied, slice the lemon in half and drizzle some of the juice over the food on the plate.

Finishing Touches

Alright, now my mouth is watering. The only thing left to do is get a damp paper towel and gently wipe around the edges of the plate where juices may have dripped or unwanted parsley or zest may have fallen. Finish with a little salt and pepper, take a step back, and be proud of the edible piece of art that lays before you.

pro tip: You could even take the presentation up a notch further by adding a quartered wedge of salted tomato or a very light sprinkling of some smoked paprika to give it an extra pop.

Keep spreading love, good people!

Best,

D.B.

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Get the Facts on Green Tea

Hey guys,

Coming at ya with another infographic on a healthy green superfood. If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re talking about Green Tea. Green tea can come in the form of loose leaf tea, tea bags, or in a powder ground up form called matcha. Turns out, this stuff packs a lot of nutritional power! Research shows that adding green tea to your diet helps with a wide range of heart related issues and has also been shown to decrease cancerous tumor growth! Read below about more benefits of drinking green tea!

PRO TIP: Brew some green tea at home using hot water. Sweeten with honey or agave, to taste and allow the beverage to cool. Once it comes to room temperature or lower, fill a tall glass with ice cubes, pour in your sweet green tea, garnish with lemon, and enjoy!

Keep spreading love, good people!

Best,

Chef Jake

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Relax your Mind and Body with this Green Tea Margherita Recipe

Congrats!

You made it through the week. I know it’s only Friday morning, but I also know that your mind is already on your Friday night plans….and i get it, with COVID here, you might even be feeling like all bets are off, anyways. Well partner, that’s why you need to take it upon yourself to make sure you have a night to remember. After all, you owe it to YOU after the week you’ve had at work. Here’s a drink idea that’ll make you feel good about having an extra night cap, in honor of your boss. heh.

Green Tea Margherita

First of all, if you smell what the rock is cooking, make sure you grab some of his tequila too. I don’t claim to be any sort of expert, but Teremana is some pretty freakin’ good stuff. For this Margherita you’ll need:

• Silver Tequila (preferably Teremana)

• Triple Sec

• 1 Orange

• Brewed Green Tea

I made my green tea at home, sweetened it with honey, and then chilled it before using. You can also use your favorite store bought green tea.

1. Fill a glass & cocktail shaker with ice. Set the glass aside

2. Add 2 parts tequila, 2 parts green tea, 1 part triple sec to cocktail shaker. Put top on and shake vigorously.

3. Serve contents in prepared glass. Top with more green tea, if needed.

4. Add a fresh squeeze of orange juice and piece of the reserved peel for garnish.

You can “WOW” your friends with this one, or just enjoy in the peace of your own company. Either way, cheers to relaxing and responsible imbibing.

You must be 21+ to drink alcohol. Darla’s Bagel’s does not condone or consent to underage drinking or aiding a minor in the solicitation for such.

Keep spreading love, good people!

Best,

Chef Jake

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