Deep-fried fun at the L.A. County Fair

I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for fried food. No, I don't eat it all the time, but I'm completely and totally fascinated by some of the ideas people come up with for deep-frying. And I've long been a fan of Chicken Charlie.

In case you haven't heard  of him, Chicken Charlie is famous at county fairs for his fried food menu. The guy fries everything. You name it: White Castle burgers, Oreos, frog legs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, avocado. Even Klondike bars. And he comes up with a new signature dish every year.

I finally met Charlie a couple weeks ago after giving a cooking demonstration at the L.A. County Fair. Knowing I'd be back the following week for another cooking demonstration, Charlie invited me to hang out afterward so I could check out his operation and see all that deep-fried goodness in action.

Oh -- and he also invited me to bring something along to fry. Sure, it was totally sweet of him, but to be honest, I was more than a little intimidated. What to bring? I mean, this guy has probably fried EVERYTHING....

Chicks with Knives host a pickling pop-up

Pickling and pop-ups are all the rage these days, and Rachael Narins and Suzanne Griswold of Chicks With Knives are jumping on the trend.

The ladies will be hosting a pickle party called Perishable, where they'll host a DIY demo, complete with passed apps and drinks -- including mini mac n' cheese with fennel and flower pickles and bacon-jam tartlettes (Kevin Gillespie would be pleased).

For those who want to take the project home, they'll be peddling spice mix for $2 and pickling kits for $20. They'll also have some of their own pre-made jars for sale for folks who can't be bothered with brining.

Perishable doesn't have a long shelf life, though. The event is one day only, Sept. 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There is a door fee of $5 for adults and $1 for children under 12.

You can check out their site for more details (and to peep at the adorable design, which Rachael pulled together herself).

--Krista Simmons

Graphic credit: Rachael Narins

'Top Chef': Who pocketed the pea puree?

Things were off to a normal start on Wednesday night's "Top Chef" (well, normal for a competitive reality TV show at least). The contestants gathered 'round to meet guest judge Aaron Schock, a strapping young congressman from Illinois who explained that due to ethics laws, mixers between lobbyists and congressional representatives are only allowed to have little nibbles served on toothpicks so that the power players aren't swayed by lavish meals. The chefs were tasked with making small bites somewhat akin to an amuse bouche or canape served on a stick, packing as much flavor and ingenuity into one skewered morsel as possible.

The young judge liked Kevin's grilled pork and mushroom kabob with sherry vinegar and Steven's surf and turf on a stick, but Angelo took first in finger food with his cucumber cup with spiced shrimp and cashew, even though he thought the cuke element was out-of-date. Being a high-stakes challenge, he won $20,000 and immunity for the elimination. 

The quickfire may have been based on ethics, but that didn't seem to carry over into the elimination round.

A cereal bar, deviled eggs, look who's getting into Harvard, and more

--Cereal meets grilled cheese at the new Mix 'n Munch in South Pasadena, with 30 varieties of cereal plus mix-in and milk options, and pretty much every grilled cheese combo you can think of. EaterLA asks: "Why?" I ask, "Why not?" and "Can I show up in my pajamas?"

--The Washington Post reports that chefs Ferran Adrià and José Andrés will teach a first-of-its-kind course in culinary physics at Harvard University. The mind reels. The pressure of bringing snacks? (You know they are taking food breaks.) What would you have to do for extra credit? Is it safe to have liquid nitrogen knocking around in your backpack?

--Two weeks ago, Amy Scattergood wrote a glorious article for us about the joys of green garlic. Some of you asked, "Where can I buy it." There are many places, including farmers markets and well-stocked specialty stores. But this just in: Christopher Ranch -- "the largest domestic garlic grower" -- is bringing green garlic to market this spring. Here is the news release, which includes a recipe for green garlic puree with roasted garlic miso salmon.

--Blogspotting: Tired of the same 'ol deviled egg recipe that you serve each Easter? Lori Lange over at Recipe Girl is giving it a bacon-and-balsamic makeover. To which we say, Brava! Check out her blog, and consider this your Twip of the Day: Follow @recipegirl. But tread cautiously: It will make you want to cook.

--"Dancing With the Stars'" Brooke Burke claims she loves to eat. Here, she lists her favorite dining spots in and around L.A.

Kudos to L.A. Youth magazine -- written by teens, about teens, and not by a bunch of adults trying to be teens. They've tackled the thorny issue of healthy eating. Be sure to read student Ernesto Pineda's article about the challenges of fending off fast food when it's all around.

-- Rene Lynch
On Twitter @renelynch

That's some smoky bacon

Rain was pouring down when the doorbell rang. “Something in this package smells like it’s burning," the UPS driver told me as he handed over the bulky package. I checked the return address. "You know why? It's hickory-smoked bacon from Tennessee!" I said. And does it smell smoky!

I’d called Benton's last week to see what happened to the order I’d put together with several friends. “Mr. Benton is in the smokehouse smoking it now,” the voice on the other end of the phone told me. Great! The bacon is so famous, they sometimes run out of it for weeks on end. 

My husband had used the last of our Benton’s bacon to make Bacon Dashi with Potatoes & Clams from the Momofuku cookbook by David Chang (Clarkson Potter, New York, $40). Although I loved the flavors in the dish, I thought using a pound of that sublime hickory-smoked pork belly to make a double recipe of bacon dashi was a waste of good bacon. My husband, of course, didn’t agree, but promised he'd lay in a new supply.

And so now, our entire kitchen smells like great smoky bacon as two big 13-pound slabs sit there ready to be divvied up. I’ve been hooked on Mr. Benton's bacon ever since we ordered our first batch several years ago.

You can order the bacon vacuum-packed and thick-sliced (minimum order 4 pounds), or get an entire slab. Shipping is by UPS, and a $3 handling and packaging charge is added to the UPS shipping quote.

We’ve now got enough for a summer’s worth of BLTs or corn chowders. If it lasts that long.

Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams, 2603 Highway 411, Madisonville, TN 37354; (423) 442-5003. Thick-sliced bacon, $5.25 per pound; slab bacon, $4.59 per pound. Shipping (at least on my order) works out to just over $1 per pound.

-- S. Irene Virbila

Photo credit: S. Irene Virbila

Opening the vault: The top recipes of 1989

As we count down to the L.A. Times Test Kitchen's favorite recipes of 2009, we're taking a look back at our best recipes of the past 25 years. (Unfortunately, our photo archives don't go back as far as our recipes.)

So what were we eating in 1989? We were dining on Lemon Squares, Baked Brie with Sundried Tomatoes, and the humbly-named World's Best Sugar Cookies. And I can imagine what those finished dishes look like. But I really, really, really wish I had a photo of this recipe with the intriguing title of Carolyn Capacillo's Molded Chick-A-Roni Coup.

Can anyone tell me what a Chick-A-Roni Coup is? Or, better yet, send me a picture of one? I'm sure it's tasty. (It has to be. It has a butter sauce, and involves bacon liners.)

Click here for the rest of 1989's lineup.

--Rene Lynch

File photo: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

VIDEO: Alie & Georgia whip up a Bloody Bacon & Cheese cocktail (you read that right)

Remember the pair who brought you the Ham Daiquiri?

Alie (an L.A. Times writer) & Georgia are  perfecting this revolting cocktail routine with the Bloody Bacon & Cheese cocktail: In addition to starring in this video, they're also the subject of an article in today's New York Times. Time.com also gave them a shout out.

--Rene Lynch

Latest recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

All recipes that appear in the L.A. Times' Food section are tested and perfected in our Test Kitchen before they're deemed fit to print. (That means you don't have to worry about a trial run before serving one of our recipes to company.) Rest assured, they should work the first time out of the gate. Here's a look at this week's recipes:

Andouille smoked sausage dressing

Butter cookies

Corn bread dressing

Dirty rice

Finska pinnar

Frozen fruit slices

Grilled fresh mahi-mahi with jalapeno cilantro sauce

Jan hagel

Lebkuchen

Nut butter sandwiches

Nutmeg logs

Turducken

Want more? Check out our recipe collection at www.latimes.com/recipes -- and bookmark it. We're constantly adding new dishes.

-- Rene Lynch

Join us on Twitter @latimesfood and Facebook at facebook.com/latimesfood

Photo: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

More bacon gifts for the holidays

The problem with telling people you love bacon is that you'll receive a slew of awful bacon gag gifts. Bacon mints, bacon toothpicks, bacon air freshener, bacon gummy candy, bacon neckties... I have them all. This year, if you have a bacon fanatic on your list, love them enough to get them a quality bacon-themed gift. If you can't manage that, just get them some bacon.

-- Bacon Christmas tree postcards ($5 for a five-card pack). Etsy
-- Sir Francis Bacon Peanut Brittle ($16 for 9 ounces). Dean & Deluca
-- From the makers of bacon salt: bacon popcorn, bacon ranch dressing and bacon envelopes.
-- Candied bacon treats ($13 for a four-piece box). The Sticky Pig
-- "Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas" with Aqua Teen Hunger Force ($8.99).
-- 4505 Meats' gift basket ($60): a “Bacon Is the New Black” apron, a letterpress poster, a T-shirt and crispy porky treats.
-- Make your own bacon lamp. Oddity Central
-- Make your own bite-sized bacon caramels. The Kitchn
-- Don't make your own Tac Bac -- Tactical Canned Bacon ($15.99 per can).
-- Don't make your own Yoder's canned bacon ($79.98 for half a case).
-- For those with a sweet tooth: maple bacon bundt cake ($32). Kiss My Bundt
-- There's always the Bacon of the Month Club ($190 for six months; $325 for 12 months).
-- Wearing bacon in style: a Hail Bacon T-shirt ($20). Etsy

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Allston Yacht Club's Bacon & Egg martini: It's what's for breakfast

Behold the freakish but tasty majesty of Allston Yacht Club's Bacon & Egg martini. This quirky cocktail is concocted with house-made bacon-infused vodka and garnished with a pickled quail egg.

"The inspiration for the Bacon & Egg martini came when we started serving brunch a few weeks back," writes co-owner Bill DiDonna in an e-mail. "Charlie [Kelly] and I wanted something that would reflect the brunch experience and show the restaurant in all its slightly irreverent glory. Plus the Yacht Club has really good bacon, Nueske's Applewood Smoked from Wisconsin."

However, several weeks after its unveiling, the Bacon & Egg martini is not just for breakfast anymore. DiDonna says it is served to people sampling cheeses or with the yummy pork belly on the menu. If this pork-on-pork action doesn't satisfy culinary thrill seekers, I don't know what will.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Allston Yacht Club

Recipe for the AYC Bacon & Egg martini after the jump