Anyone ever cook a hen in a gravy by beginning with carmelizing sugar? There was a friendly cook-off last year tween our Home Ec teacher and another teacher who is a good cook. The winning dish, by a landslide, was the Home Ec teacher's. The other dish was very good and the way I've always cooked it. The one with carmelized sugar though- off the chain. I'm in the process of cooking one for the first time and was just wondering if others have ever done it this way.
It turned out very good but not as good as hers. Having done it I have a few questions I need to ask her when we go back to work. -You put 1/2 cup of sugar in a pot with a little water and a few drops of lemon juice. Heat on medium to low heat. Carmelize it like you would otherwise. It was actually my first time. -After it's carmelized, add grease (about 1/4 inch is what she'd told me). I have questions about this part but here's what I did. I browned the meat. I took a picture and will post later. Very hard for my OCD azz cause I usually season the chicken, throw it in the pot and put a little water to start then brown it in it's own grease. I never liked using a lot of grease cause I like to "brown" and not "fry" it. -Anyway, after the meat is browned (and it truly "browns" it a pretty color) take meat out and throw grease. She throws it since it's so much. A pain in the azz to do this part but worth it. I live in the county and always have a ditch to pitch it in. -I then put a little grease to saute' my onions, etc. -Put meat back in pot and add water.
Here's a pic about 3/4 of the way through. You can see on some of the pieces how pretty of a color it turns the meat. The sausage wasn't AS browned cause I put it in well after the chicken.
