#MEwx Windy, mild temps and Buttermilk Roasted Chicken

Good morning Augusta

The Boston Red Sox lost to the Baltimore Orioles yesterday afternoon 8-1. We are now 6 and 11.

A direct, real-time feed from my personal weather station is available for you here.

This morning it’s partly sunny with highs in the lower 50s. Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.

Tonight we’ll have mostly clear skies with lows in the lower 30s. Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph, diminishing to around 10 mph after midnight.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

The outdoor temperature is 42.1°F, the humidity is 57% and the Dew Point is 28.0°F.

The wind direction is West between 7.4 MPH and 9.8 MPH with a Wind chill of 37.0°F.

The Relative pressure is 29.51, the Absolute pressure is 29.31 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

Visibility is 10.0 Miles / 16.1 Kilometers with clear skies for the time being.

The UV rating is 1 out of 16, Sunrise is 5:54 A.M., Sunset is 7:24 P.M., Moonrise is 4:03 A.M., Moonset is 4:46 A.M. and the moon phase is Waxing Gibbous.

Augusta’s RAW METAR readings are:

METAR KAUG 161053Z AUTO 29010G24KT 10SM OVC090 03/M02 A2956 RMK AO2 SLP013 T00331022

We received 0.72 inches of rain here over the past 24 hours.

Ya know, since it’s so darn wet and soggy outside, why not make a different type of baked chicken for dinner tonight? Hey, the kids can help bake this one with you. It takes some lead time, but why not?

Buttermilk Roasted Chicken

This recipe is inspired by the Southern grandma method of marinating chicken overnight in buttermilk before frying it. You're roasting here, but the buttermilk and salt still work like a brine, tenderizing the meat on multiple levels to yield an unbelievably juicy chicken. As an added bonus, the sugars in the buttermilk will caramelize, contributing to an exquisitely browned skin.

Be sure to leave 24 hours for marinating the chicken. While the beauty of roast chicken is that you can serve it anytime, anywhere, try serving it alongside panzanella, which plays the role of starch, salad and sauce.

ingredients;

1  4-pound chicken or, breast, thighs and legs on bone with skin

2  cups buttermilk

¼  cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2  cloves garlic, lightly crushed

1  tablespoon crushed black peppercorns

1  tablespoon Maldon or other sea salt

2  tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped

1  tablespoon honey 

Preparation

if using whole chicken, Butterfly chicken by placing breast side down and using heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut along both sides of backbone. Discard backbone, turn chicken over and open it like a book. Press gently to flatten it.

or, use breast, thighs and legs if desired on bone with skin.

Place chicken in a large freezer bag. Add buttermilk, 1/4 cup oil, garlic, peppercorns, salt, rosemary and honey. Seal bag securely and refrigerate overnight or up to two days.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade and place on a rack so excess can drip off. Line a roasting pan with foil and place chicken in pan. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Roast for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees. Continue roasting until well browned and until juices run clear when chicken is pierced where leg joins thigh, about another 20 minutes.

Place chicken on a carving board and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into serving pieces. Place a portion on each of four plates, and drizzle each serving with pan juices.