CFS Homestead - Humble, TX

As a special holiday treat, I decided to bring my knowledge of CFS to our own CFS Test Kitchens! What follows is a (rough) recipe for my first homemade CFS. And, because she doesn’t trust me to diagnose my own illness, Mrs. CFS reviews the final product below.

Breading: The powder consisted of a cup of flour, and a tablespoon each of fresh ground cumin, fresh ground pepper, Kosher salt and white pepper. The liquid was a cup of buttermilk and a cup of heavy cream. I double dipped the steaks (liquid, roux, liquid, roux).

Steak: Cube steaks I bought at H.E.B. It would have been smart for me to retenderize the meat that wasn’t as perforated as it needed to be. I poured about an inch of vegetable oil into a pan (heated to 350 degrees) and tenderly slipped in the meat. I turned the meat part of the way through which, unfortunately, stripped off some of the breading.

Gravy: One cup of buttermilk and one cup of heavy cream. One teaspoon of fresh cumin, two tablespoons of white pepper, a teaspoon of Kosher salt, a teaspoon of garlic and onion powder, a pinch of smoked paprika and a few grinds of black cracked pepper.

I periodically added a pinch of the flour roux from the breading and …whisk, whisk, whisk until it is at the consistency you want (I like it the consistency of a pea soup).





The side was a roasted garlic (about 3 cut up cloves), brussel sprouts and carrot medley. A little salt, pepper, a drizzle of vegetable oil put under a broiler on low for about 30 minutes.

Happy holidays and I hope you enjoy!

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MRS’S CFS REVIEW

Because, as we all know, chefs notoriously overrate or underrate their own cuisine, this is Mrs. CFT’s review of the CFS created by the Chicken-Fried Texan. Overall, the CFS was a good start and Mrs. CFT is hopeful that the dish will be repeated in the CFT household.

The use of buttermilk and white pepper in the gravy left the CFT kitchen smelling great and boded well for the actual CFS. Tater Tot assisted in the preparation of the gravy but Mrs. CFT was not privy to all of the secret ingredients therein.

The meal also was completed very quickly and proved itself to be a tenable weeknight treat.
Steak: A little tough. We used steak knives, though an ordinary one probably would have worked.

Breading: Tasted great, but did not stick well all over the CFS. The taste was nice and peppery, and the breading was crisp but not burnt. Given that CFT does not own a deep fryer, the ability to create a perfect breading might have been but a dream. He tried mightily, and though only ¾ of my steak was actually breaded, the breading itself had great flavor and I am confident that with practice CFT will achieve the full breading required.

Gravy: The gravy was by far the best I’ve had in the CFS realm. Wish they had this gravy at some of the other places we’ve visited. It was peppery, but not too peppery, had good consistency and was plentiful.

Service: …with a smile, and a well-paired beer. Can’t complain.

Side: The CFS was served with a side of roasted vegetables (carrots and brussel sprouts). The veg was nicely seasoned and a nice accompaniment to the CFS. The carrots were nicely roasted and soft but not too soft. The sprouts were flavorful and matched well with the carrots. Though I expected an okra component given the CFT’s predilections, this was a nice, healthy alternative that was both flavorful and filling.

Overall, I enjoyed the at-home CFS experience, and I hope it becomes a more frequent one.