Cooking My Way Back Home: Creamy Stone-Ground Grits with Vermont Cheddar

There have been a couple of cookbooks that I've had my eye on for a while, and Cooking My Way Back Home is certainly one of them.  A quick flip through in the bookstore was all it took to sell me on the darn thing.  Heck, just the picture of the meatballs in the green peppercorn sauce was enough to sell me on the book.  Luckily I was able to get a copy through my cookbook testing.

Cheese grits are something very homey and comforting and incredibly Southern.  Everyone makes them, everyone except for me.  I'm still searching for my cheese grit nirvana.  Will these be it?  I certainly liked the look of the long cooking time with lots of milk.  That certainly signaled creamy to me.  I must admit that I did not go to the trouble of ordering Anson Mills grits.  Sorry, but Quaker has to cut it.  I'm tired and low on funds for the moment.

Since I have an aversion to using a double boiler unless absolutely necessary, I had to keep a close eye on these babies to make sure the bottom of the pot didn't scorch, but with the heat set on the lowest setting, I managed okay.  I certainly loved the little browned bits on the top after a run under the broiler.  But the cheese flavor was...underwhelming.  I want bold cheese flavor, not meek cheese hiding in the creaminess.  I would use around double the cheese next time.  I've kept the original amount in the recipe below, so be warned.

Creamy Stone-Ground Grits with Vermont Cheddar
From Cooking My Way Back Home by Mitchell Rosenthal

4 cups whole milk
4 cups water
2 cups stone-ground grits
1 cup grated sharp Vermont Cheddar or other sharp Cheddar cheese
¾ teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper

In a heavy-bottomed pan, combine the milk and water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Slowly add the grits in a steady stream while whisking constantly.  Continue whisking for about 8 minutes, or until the grits thicken.

Meanwhile, pour water into the bottom of a double boiler, place over medium-low heat, and bring to a simmer.  When the grits are ready, transfer them to the top of the double boiler and place over (not touching) the simmering water.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 35 minutes, or until creamy.

Add all but 1 tablespoon of the cheese, the salt, and a few grinds of pepper and stir until the cheese melts and is well combined.  Just before the grits are ready, preheat the broiler.

Transfer the cheese grits to a flameproof gratin dish and sprinkle the reserved 1 tablespoon of cheese evenly over the top.  Broil until bubbly, then serve at once.

Serves 6

The Viennese Kitchen: Lachsfleckerln (Baked Noodles with Salmon)

Sooo....tuna noodle casserole, Vienna-style?  You've got me.  I didn't know they made things like this in Austria.  I thought it was all beef and pork and noodles and desserts that make you want to skip dinner.  But I'm open-minded.  I'll give a Viennese salmon noodle casserole a try.  Here's what I think: it's too dry and it needs some green like I need to stop making bad casserole recipes.

Lachsfleckerln (Baked Noodles with Salmon)

From The Viennese Kitchen by Monica Meehan and Maria von Baich

Butter, for greasing
1½ tablespoons fine breadcrumbs

7 ounces extra-broad egg noodles (or Fleckerln if available)
¾ pound poached boned salmon
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs, separated
½ cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish with butter and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, then tip out the excess breadcrumbs.

Break the noodles in half and boil in salted water for 7-10 minutes, until al dente, then drain. In the meantime, coarsely chop the salmon in a food processor and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy, then add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the sour cream and the salmon. Season with salt and pepper.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks.  Mix the noodles into the creamed mixture and fold in the egg whites. Transfer to the baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes. Serve with a green salad.

Note: Square egg noodles (or Fleckerln) can be purchased in kosher delicatessens. Otherwise, standard egg noodles are a fine substitute.

Makes 4 servings

Saveur: Chocolate Cream Pie

When my mom said my dad wanted a chocolate cream pie for Father's Day, I wasn't sure what exactly to make for him.  I knew he probably technically wanted this elusive strawberry pie that I swear only exists in his mind (plain crust, pastry cream, sliced strawberries, whipped cream topping), but would settle for a good slice of chocolate cream.  This is basically the scenario at every homey restaurant we ever visit.  Looks for strawberry, settles for chocolate.  Well, I didn't want him to settle.  I wanted him to love that darn pie.  So of course I had to find the most over-the-top obnoxious chocolate cream pie ever.  And boy, did I pick well.

The recipe originally comes from Saveur magazine, but I found it on their website after googling "best chocolate pie ever".  Seriously.  It's that good.  How could it not be after a chocolate cookie crust, two sticks of butter, and 11 ounces of Ghirardelli chocolate?  I mean...that's just plain sinful.  Oh, and a foamy halo of thick whipped cream on top.  Gah.  Don't even want to imagine what kind of caloric damage this monster can do.  But it really does live up to its name.  It's thick, rich, satiny, and yes, the best damn chocolate pie I've ever tasted.  I'm not 100% in love with the crust, as it tends to turn into a chocolate brick after a trip to the oven, but that's a simple fix.  The chocolate pudding is perfection.

Chocolate Cream Pie
From Saveur magazine, March 2010

16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½
-inch cubes and chilled, plus more for pie plate
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 (9-ounce) package chocolate wafers,
 such as Nabisco, finely ground
 (about 2¼ cups)
3½ cups half-and-half
⅔ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
9 egg yolks
9 ounces semisweet chocolate,
 finely chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate,
 finely chopped
2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
Dark chocolate, for garnish

Heat oven to 375°. Grease bottom and sides of a 9-inch glass pie plate with butter; set aside. Heat 8 tablespoons butter and brown sugar in a 1-quart saucepan until sugar dissolves. Transfer butter mixture to a medium bowl; stir in ground wafers. Transfer mixture to pie plate; press into bottom and sides, using the bottom of a measuring cup to compress crust. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Bake until set, about 15 minutes; let cool.

Heat half-and-half in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until it just begins to simmer; remove pan from heat. In a large bowl, whisk together ⅔ cup sugar and cornstarch; add egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Drizzle half-and-half into egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until bubbles rise to the surface and mixture is very thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add remaining butter and chocolates in small batches, whisking until smooth; stir in 1½ teaspoons vanilla. Set a sieve over a medium bowl and strain chocolate mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing plastic onto surface; refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.

Remove plastic wrap from chocolate filling and, using a rubber spatula, stir mixture until smooth. Spoon mixture into reserved crust, forming a dome, and smooth surface with the spatula. In a large bowl, whisk remaining sugar, remaining vanilla, and heavy cream until stiff peaks form; spread on top of filling, forming a dome. Using a peeler, shave some of the dark chocolate onto top of pie. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.


Makes 8 to 12 servings

Gourmet: Spaghetti Squash with Moroccan Spices

I'm trying to be healthier about what I eat.  After so many years of just indulging where I wanted and when I wanted, I'm having to pay the price with restrictions and exercise.  But that doesn't mean that everything I eat has to taste like used-up cardboard.  It's still possible to have something delicious that doesn't have 1,000 calories and make your arteries scream for mercy.

I'm not sure where the idea for cooking a spaghetti squash came from.  I remember my mom getting some dish at Pappadeaux that had spaghetti squash as a side, and it always seemed tasty to me.  I figured it couldn't have too many calories in it, and it probably has a whole lot more nutrition than a french fry.  So, I searched the internet for something that sounded promising (and hopefully didn't involve spaghetti sauce), and what I came up with is a recipe from Gourmet magazine.  I actually saw it first on Smitten Kitchen, but I went back to the original source to double check for alterations.

The squash was really easy to cook in the microwave, even if at one point it sounded like it had exploded despite my preventative knife pricks.  I only used a 2 pound squash, and it took about 12 minutes on high in my microwave.  Then I mixed up the butter sauce and dumped everything together in a bowl.  Dinner doesn't get any easier than that.

The spice level is good, I think, unless you're a bit jaded by too much fast food.  If so, you might need to fiddle with the amount of cumin and ground coriander.  I think the cayenne adds some needed heat, and the cilantro adds freshness.  And you just feel so....healthy eating it, even though it's smeared in butter.  Only 180 calories per serving, assuming you get about 7 cups of squash from the cooked (4-pound) shell.

Spaghetti Squash with Moroccan Spices
From Smitten Kitchen blog and Gourmet magazine, February 2002

1 (3½- to 4-pound) spaghetti squash
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Pierce squash (about an inch deep) all over with a small sharp knife to prevent bursting. Cook in an 800-watt microwave oven on high power (100 percent) for 6 to 7 minutes. Turn squash over and microwave until squash feels slightly soft when pressed, 8 to 10 minutes more. Cool squash for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over moderately high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in spices and salt and remove from heat.

Carefully halve squash lengthwise (it will give off steam) and remove and discard seeds. Working over a bowl, scrape squash flesh with a fork, loosening and separating strands as you remove it from skin. Toss with spiced butter and cilantro.

Makes 4 servings

Cupcake Project: Ultimate Vanilla Cupcakes

I've always been a chocolate girl.  If I'm in a restaurant or a bakery or pretty much anywhere ordering something sweet, 90% of the time it's going to be chocolate.  Heck, I even order my coffee from Starbucks with chocolate in it.  I'm very dedicated as you can see.

So, I'm sure you're wondering why I made a vanilla cupcake.  Good question.  I don't think I've ever had a good vanilla or yellow cupcake.  They always seem to be a tasteless sponge covered in frosting.  The cupcake becomes just a vehicle to get the frosting to your mouth.  Which I guess is fine, but why can't the cupcake taste good, too?  So, I pretty much set my money on chocolate every time.

These cupcakes are totally different.  They not only have the seeds of an entire vanilla bean in the cake, but also a whole tablespoon of high quality vanilla extract.  Yes, they actually have flavor.  Good flavor.  And there's something about the butter/oil/sour cream mixture that makes the crumb incredibly tender and moist.  Gosh, I'm drooling just thinking about them.

The frosting on the top has another vanilla bean and another teaspoon of vanilla extract, so you basically are just slapping fabulous vanilla taste on top of more vanilla taste.  Which makes a pretty amazing cupcake, considering how...plain it looks.  Chocolate may actually have a run for its money.  I suggest you make some NOW.

Ultimate Vanilla Cupcakes
From Cupcake Project blog

1 cup granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean

1¾ cups cake flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

⅓ cup sour cream

¼ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

⅔ cup whole milk

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, combine sugar and seeds from the vanilla bean.  Using the back of a spoon, move around the bowl and apply pressure to break up any clumps of seeds and to better infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the vanilla bean sugar and mix until well combined.  Add the butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes.  You'll end up with a very fine crumb texture.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.  Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.  Slowly add the milk and mix on low speed until just combined.  The batter will be liquidy.

Fill cupcake liners just over ½ full.  Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it.  The cupcakes should appear white with specks of vanilla bean. They should not turn a golden brown.  If they are not done, test again in two minutes.  If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.

When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack to cool.  Frost with Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting.

Makes 16 cupcakes

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting

1½ cups powdered sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or the seeds of 2 vanilla beans

1 tablespoon whole milk

Mix together the sugar and butter until they are blended and creamy.  Add the vanilla extract or vanilla bean seeds and milk and continue to beat for another minute.  If desired, add more vanilla extract to taste, or more powdered sugar to make the frosting stiffer.

Better Homes and Gardens: Deviled Eggs

I love deviled eggs.  When it's warm outside and time for a picnic-type activity or cookout, these are one of the first things that come to mind.  Perfect little tart protein packages.  And they play so well with potato salad, cole slaw, and whatever it is your main dish might be (fried chicken?  barbecue?).  I try to make mine a couple of hours ahead of time so that they get nice and chilled and the flavors have a little time to get to know each other.  But when it's time to pull these babies out, all bets are off.

Deviled Eggs
From the 1974 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

6 large hard-boiled eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Dash freshly ground black or white pepper
Paprika

Halve hard-boiled eggs lengthwise; remove yolks and mash with the remaining ingredients until smooth.  Refill whites.  Sprinkle with paprika.

May also include: horseradish, anchovies, parsley, chopped onions or chives, flaked seafood, chopped stuffed green olives, crumbled crisp bacon.

Makes 6 servings

Williams-Sonoma Breakfast Comforts: Buckwheat Crepes with Ham

I still make Mother's Day breakfast for my mom.  Even though I'm 34 and she's...29.  It's a tradition in my family, but it's made a little more difficult as the years go on by distance, time, and dietary restrictions.  Gone are the days of the chocolate almond croissant! (Unfortunately.)

I knew for the breakfast that I would need something relatively low-carb, so this immediately eliminated things like pancakes or coffee cake.  I decided an egg had to be involved.  And possibly bacon.  Then, I was flipping through the Williams Sonoma Breakfast Comforts book on Amazon.  I swear, I visit this book on a regular basis.  I need to just buy it.  But anyway, I was flipping through and I saw a recipe for buckwheat crepes stuffed with Gruyere cheese, Black Forest ham, and topped with a fried egg.  That would be carb, protein, protein, and protein.  Jackpot.

I had never actually made a crepe before.  I have two crepe pans from France and zero experience.  Hey, at least I was prepared, right?  The batter was super easy to whip up in the blender.  Then came the actual crepe making.  I knew I needed the pan to be hot, but not too hot, and buttered, but not too buttery.  I set the heat on medium and ran a buttered paper towel over the pan right before I dumped the batter on.  It took me about two crepes to get the hang of it, but then I was a crepe-making machine.  It's my new super power.

I carted the pre-made crepes over to my parent's condo, along with cheese, ham, and a carton of organic free-range eggs.  The crepes were easy to stuff (I had mine sans ham, but some wild mushrooms made an appearance), and I popped them in the oven just to warm them through and melt the cheese.  With a fried egg slapped on top, they were perfect for breakfast.  Because honestly, who is going to turn down melted cheesy goodness?

Buckwheat Crepes with Ham
From Williams-Sonoma Breakfast Comforts

For the crepes:
1 egg
1 cup milk
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup buckwheat flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon canola oil
8 teaspoons unsalted butter

For the filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 thin slices ham
½ pound Gruyère cheese, grated

To make the crepes, in a blender, combine the egg, milk, all-purpose and buckwheat flours, salt and canola oil and process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or as long as overnight.

In a crepe pan over medium heat, melt 1 tsp. of the butter to coat the pan evenly. Lift the pan at a slight angle and pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the center, tilting the pan to spread the batter to the edges. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the crepe is golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the crepe over and cook until golden on the other side, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cover. Repeat to make 8 crepes.

To make the filling, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter, add the flour and whisk until smooth. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper and keep warm.

Preheat an oven to 350ºF.

To assemble, lay a crepe flat, place a slice of ham and some of the cheese in the center and fold into a rectangular pouch. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining crepes and filling. Bake until the cheese melts, 5 to 7 minutes. Divide the crepes among 4 individual plates, top with sauce and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Truly Mexican: Frijoles con Puerco (Beans with Pork)

I actually made this bean dish last night as part of my Mexican dinner, but I wanted to see what they tasted like the next day.  I figured they would benefit from an overnight visit to the refrigerator, and they do improve with time.  If you have any left, that is.

The beans are incredibly flavorful, and I honestly think that the bacon is all that is really needed, although I'm sure I would be perfectly happy to wolf them down if pork threads were floating happily side-by-side with the beans.  In fact, with the pulled pork the recipe originally called for, this would be a meal unto itself.  The applewood smoked bacon certainly added a nice smokey flavor that went well with the mild beans and the spicy sauce.

Frijoles con Puerco (Beans with Pork)
From Truly Mexican by Roberto Santibañez

1¼ ounces guajillo chiles (about 8), wiped clean, stemmed, slit open, seeded, and deveined
⅓ ounce dried arbol chiles (about 10), wiped clean and stemmed
4 garlic cloves
¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
5 whole cloves
1 cup water
4 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, including liquid, plus 1 cup water
4 cups carnitas
2 ounces sliced bacon, diced (about 2 slices)
½ cup finely chopped white onion

Heat a comal, griddle, or heavy skillet over medium-low heat, and toast the guajillos, a few at a time, turning them over and pressing them down frequently with tongs, until they're fragrant and their insides have changed color slightly, about 1 minute per batch.  Toast the arbol chiles, turning them over and pressing them down frequently with tongs, until they are brown all over and blackened in spots, 3 to 4 minutes.

Soak the chiles in enough cold water to cover until they're softened, about 30 minutes.  Drain and discard the soaking water.

Blend the chiles with the garlic, cumin, peppercorns, cloves, and the 1 cup of fresh water to form a smooth puree, at least 3 minutes.

Combine the chile puree, pinto beans (including the bean liquid and water), and the pork in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a small heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until browned, 5 to 8 minutes.  Add the onion to the skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened, 3 to 5 minutes.  Transfer the bacon mixture (including the fat) to the pot with the beans and pork, cover the pot, and simmer everything together for 20 minutes.  Season to taste with salt.

Truly Mexican: Camarones con Pipián Verde (Shrimp with Simple Pumpkin Seed Sauce)

I wanted to make a meal for my mother and father this weekend, but with my mother being a diabetic and me being on a diet, the menu was going to be complicated.  As much I wanted to make something that involved a giant pile of creamy mashed potatoes, I held back.  Yes, I have willpower of steel!

The sauce is pretty easy to make, but I found that it tends to break VERY easily.  And since it can be difficult to coax my parents to the table on time, I had to keep trying to re-integrate the ingredients with more stock.  Not fun.  The sauce was pretty delicious, however.  Salty and nutty, so it was a perfect match with the large Gulf shrimp I got.

Camarones con Pipián Verde (Shrimp with Simple Pumpkin Seed Sauce)
From Truly Mexican by Roberto Santibanez

5 ounces hulled raw (green) pumpkin seeds (1 cup)

⅓ cup chopped white onion
3 fresh serrano or jalapeño chiles, coursely chopped, including seeds
1 small garlic clove, peeled
½ teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon fine salt, or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 to 5 cups chicken stock, divided
2 tablespoons mild olive oil or vegetable oil
½ cup chopped cilantro
Poached chicken, roasted pork, or 1¼ pounds raw fish or shrimp

Heat a skillet over medium heat and toast the pumpkin seeds, stirring and tossing constantly, until they're puffed and just slightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes.  Put the pumpkin seeds in the blender jar along with the onion, chiles, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, and 2 cups of the stock, and blend until the mixture is smooth, at least 3 minutes.

Heat the oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot (this will give you enough room to add the meat or fish later; if you're making just the sauce, a 3- to 4-quart pot is fine) over medium heat until it simmers, and carefully pour in the blended mixture.  Cook (use a splatter screen so the sauce doesn't make a mess of the stove), stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Add just enough stock to thin the sauce to a velvety consistency that thickly coats a wooden spoon, but isn't gloppy.  Simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes, adding more stock, as necessary, to maintain the velvety consistency.

Return some of the sauce, about 1 cup (or all if the sauce has broken and looks like scrambled eggs), to the blender, then add the cilantro and blend until smooth.  Be careful when you're blending hot ingredients: cover the top with a kitchen towel, and hold the top firmly in place with your hand.  Work in batches to avoid blending with a full jar.

Return the sauce to the pot and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes more.  As the sauce is simmering, swish a little liquid around in the blender and add it to the pot.  Season to taste with additional salt.

If you're using chicken or pork, add it to the sauce now, reduce the heat to low, and cook until it's just heated through, 15 to 20 minutes.  If you're using shrimp or fish, season it with salt, gently cook it in the sauce until just cooked through, about 10 minutes, and serve with lime wedges.

Makes 4 cups sauce

Saveur: Rack of Lamb with Pomegranate Glaze

Well, it's Easter.  Which means it's lamb time.  I understand the whole lambs + eggs = Spring thing, but why does that mean you eat them?  Probably because they're super tasty.  Especially when the pretty little lamb is slathered in syrup and garlic.

Rack of Lamb with Pomegranate Glaze
From Saveur magazine, November 1995

3 cups pomegranate juice
½ cup granulated sugar
Leaves from 2-3 sprigs oregano
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 8-bone rack of lamb (about 2½ pounds), frenched
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook pomegranate juice and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until a thick syrup forms, 20-30 minutes.  Remove saucepan from heat and place in a larger pan of hot water to keep syrup warm and liquid.

Preheat oven to 500ºF.

Chop oregano leaves into minced garlic as finely as possible to make a paste, then smear it over all surfaces of lamb. Season with salt and pepper, and place on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush lightly with pomegranate syrup, and place in top part of oven, bone side down, for 5 minutes. Lower oven to 375ºF and roast 15 minutes per pound (or till interior reaches 125ºF on a meat thermometer) for medium-rare. After first 20 minutes, add some water to bottom of pan, and brush roast with more pomegranate syrup.

Allow meat to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into chops. Mix pan juices into remaining syrup, pour over chops, and serve.

Makes 4 servings