Fermented milk.

Tangy, regionally identifiable like a fine cheese, a solid substitute for sour cream…

What’s not to love?

Given an impromptu run to the The Butcher Block, the availability of fresh local free-range chickens, and the always-at-hand Joy of Cooking (p. 429), Rick decided to tackle Buttermilk Deep Fried Chicken.

I own it: I was personally responsible for both the snickered section of delectable crispy skin above, and the blisters on the roof of my mouth.

I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I wish I could say I’d shot the outdoor-kitchen cooking thereof, but sometimes, what happens on Vancouver Island stays on Vancouver Island.

To sum up: t’was fun and insanely delish.

Anyhoo, we had leftover chicken and buttermilk.

Cue the home-made chicken soup.

Enter the Joy of Cooking’s Buttermilk Biscuits (p. 639).

Oh. My.