Colonel Sanders’ fried tomatoes with buttermilk dressing

Chef shares recipes from the Colonel's manuscript

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>>> time for "today's kitchen," what's cooking. from colonel sanders ' private collection. the recipe still remains under lock and key , the colonel did leave behind oldtime country recipes along with his story.

>> the information was discovered and turned into colonel harland sanders which can be downloaded going to kfc's facebook page.

>> edward lee is here to cook up one of the newly-found recipes. he is the spokesperson as well as executive chef of six magnolia in tennessee and the son of mrs. lee.

>> how are you?

>> nice shout out to my mom.

>> let's do it.

>> fried red tomatoes.

>> everyone heard of fried green tomatoes . as hoda said earlier, nobody likes them.

>> i love them.

>> this is a fun recipe. everyone's got red tomatoes.

>> and this time of year, they are so good.

>> perfect right now.

>> egg wash.

>> then we'll go into the flour. then we'll go back into the egg wash.

>> then we are going into --

>> what's that stuff?

>> japanese bread crumbs called panko. you can use any you want, but these are nice and golden.

>> put them right in vegetable oil or olive oil ?

>> this is vegetable oil . i do not use olive oil because i want an oil that will cook at a higher temperature.

>> and olive oil leaves a speck taste.

>> which we don't want. we want a neutral oil with this.

>> would you like me to flip these? how long have these been cooking?

>> about a minute and a half. i'll show you a quick tip. when you flip, flip away from you. that way you never get it on your clothing.

>> that was a good flip.

>> that was a beautiful flip. we'll do that and let these cook for a little bit.

>> you're trying to cook the tomato through?

>> no. the tomato is going to stay just warm. the tomato will be raw and crisp on the outside.

>> that's burning.

>> now we are going to make our dressing. i've got garlic in here. buttermilk. it's for more than just cleaning up stains.

>> yeah. it's a buttermilk kind of day.

>> a little mayonnaise. this is a mix of parsley, chives and tarragon.

>> did mrs. lee teach you how to cook?

>> yes, mrs. lee did teach me how to cook a little bit and so did the colonel. that's quick. it's done.

>> this is the dressing?

>> we've got 30 seconds. you want to try?

>> yes, i do. tomorrow, a special guy edition of "today." you want to share with your man.

>> from living in peace in your bedroom and bathroom. understanding each other.

>> our guys tell-all panel will be here. we'll see you tomorrow for wednesday wines day. we'll enjoy this. thank you, mrs. lee. -- captions by

Show transcript

TODAY recipes

updated 7/10/2012 10:17:24 AM ET

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His secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices still remain under lock and key, but KFC's Colonel Sanders did leave behind his favorite easy-to-make old-time country recipes, along with his life story in the recently discovered manuscript "Colonel Harland Sanders: The Autobiography of the Original Celebrity Chef." Here chef and KFC spokesperson Ed Lee shares a recipe for delicious fried tomatoes.

Recipe: Colonel Sanders’ fried tomatoes with buttermilk dressing (on this page)

Recipe: Colonel Sanders’ fried tomatoes with buttermilk dressing

From "Colonel Harland Sanders: The Autobiography of the Original Celebrity Chef"

Ingredients

For fried tomatoes
3 large firm, ripe beefsteak tomatoes (or on-the-vine tomatoes)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons butter plus more as needed
3 to 4 tablespoons (45 mL to 60 mL) of milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Unseasoned bread crumbs (or Panko bread crumbs)
Flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil plus more as needed
For buttermilk dressing
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 garlic clove smashed
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped herbs - a mix of parsley, chives and tarragon
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

For tomatoes:
Slice tomatoes 1/2-inch (13 mm) thick. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Whisk together milk and eggs in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, spread out a thick layer of bread crumbs. Place dishes side by side on the counter so you can bread the tomatoes before frying.

Dip each tomato slice in the egg-milk mixture to coat, then in the flour mixture. Dip the floured tomato slice back into the egg, and then into the bread crumbs.

With heat at medium-high, add butter and oil to 10--inch (24-cm) skillet. When butter is melted and oil is hot, place coated tomato slices (three or four at a time) in the frying pan, and fry until golden brown on each side, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Add more butter or oil to the pan, as necessary.

Drain cooked tomato slices on a plate that has been covered with a paper towel.

For buttermilk dressing:
Combine all ingredients into a blender and puree on medium until fully blended. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Tips

Chopped fresh parsley makes a colorful addition to the breadcrumb mixture. You can also substitute panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) for the plain breadcrumbs for added texture and eye appeal.