The aforementioned food porn
Dec. 1st, 2004 12:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumSo, as Sola was held over for a day, and extra people to cook for is always inspirational (it's easier to cook for four, than it is for 2 1/2 [Alexa doesn't always eat when I cook, but it's getting more common]).
And I've been reading Nero Wolfe, so passages about egges, shirred with sherry and tarragon, griddle cakes with thyme honey, kidneys; split and doused with olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper and broiled, soups and desserts; all this combines to make me want to cook fancy.
Instead I went for hearty.
A long time ago I learned that home-made cornmeal is better than store bought, because the germ is still there (germ has oils, and will cause the meal/flour to go rancid) and so I leave a couple dozen ears to dry on the stalk when I grow corn.
I have a couple of quarts of same on hand.
So I made a dried-corn chowder. I couldn't braise the onions in bacon, because Sola is a vegetarian, nor could I use a chicken stock.
So, corn to simmer on vegetable stock, onions in butter to soften, one onion chopped and tossed in raw. Let the whole thing cook for a couple of hours (the corn wants time).
After a couple of hours add the heavy cream (left over from Thanksgiving) and a potato. The potato is for body so cut it small. You want it to fall apart and let the starch out into the cream, so it will thicken up.
Some white pepper (Alexa doesn't care for black pepper) and a bit of salt. Stir frequently, over a medium heat.
About an hour before you plan to serve it, add the rest of the potatoes (you want it to be chunky) and about 20 minutes before serving chop the inside dozen of a medium bunch of celery.
Serve with fresh biscuits (whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder (1/2-3/4 tsp per cup of flour) cut a quantity of butter into it; so as to make a coarse meal. Keep chopping until long after you think it's done, and remember to lift the bottom to the top often. Add buttermilk to make a soft dough. If you want to make spoon biscuits, ad a bit more liquid. Bake at 400-475 until brown).
The corn will be chewy, the potoatos soft, and the celery (if you timed it right) still a trifle crisp.
If you want to make a more, "refined" dish of it, start the corn in the stock, and then remove it, and enough stock to cover; add some water and continue to simmer) continue as before, but before serving puree the potato, celery, onion, cream and then add the corn/stock back in. Garnish with watercress.
But I still want eggs poached in red wine and boullion, with beurre blanc, or srambled with caviar in a double boiler for half an hour, and shad with sorrel sauce, and...
And I've been reading Nero Wolfe, so passages about egges, shirred with sherry and tarragon, griddle cakes with thyme honey, kidneys; split and doused with olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper and broiled, soups and desserts; all this combines to make me want to cook fancy.
Instead I went for hearty.
A long time ago I learned that home-made cornmeal is better than store bought, because the germ is still there (germ has oils, and will cause the meal/flour to go rancid) and so I leave a couple dozen ears to dry on the stalk when I grow corn.
I have a couple of quarts of same on hand.
So I made a dried-corn chowder. I couldn't braise the onions in bacon, because Sola is a vegetarian, nor could I use a chicken stock.
So, corn to simmer on vegetable stock, onions in butter to soften, one onion chopped and tossed in raw. Let the whole thing cook for a couple of hours (the corn wants time).
After a couple of hours add the heavy cream (left over from Thanksgiving) and a potato. The potato is for body so cut it small. You want it to fall apart and let the starch out into the cream, so it will thicken up.
Some white pepper (Alexa doesn't care for black pepper) and a bit of salt. Stir frequently, over a medium heat.
About an hour before you plan to serve it, add the rest of the potatoes (you want it to be chunky) and about 20 minutes before serving chop the inside dozen of a medium bunch of celery.
Serve with fresh biscuits (whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder (1/2-3/4 tsp per cup of flour) cut a quantity of butter into it; so as to make a coarse meal. Keep chopping until long after you think it's done, and remember to lift the bottom to the top often. Add buttermilk to make a soft dough. If you want to make spoon biscuits, ad a bit more liquid. Bake at 400-475 until brown).
The corn will be chewy, the potoatos soft, and the celery (if you timed it right) still a trifle crisp.
If you want to make a more, "refined" dish of it, start the corn in the stock, and then remove it, and enough stock to cover; add some water and continue to simmer) continue as before, but before serving puree the potato, celery, onion, cream and then add the corn/stock back in. Garnish with watercress.
But I still want eggs poached in red wine and boullion, with beurre blanc, or srambled with caviar in a double boiler for half an hour, and shad with sorrel sauce, and...
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no subject
Date: 2004-12-01 07:38 pm (UTC)And the TV show (though I like it) is worse, they leave things out. I tried to make a dish from the show (eggs poached in red wine) only to find out later they had left the boullion out of the description. Eggs in red wine is nasty, the white grabs all the tannins and binds them. Like sucking on an alum drop.
If you want to buy me a present, The Nero Wolfe Cookbook will do just fine. One can never have enough cookbooks.
TK
One can never have enough cookbooks.
Date: 2004-12-01 07:48 pm (UTC)I need a copy of the Nero Wolfe Cookbook for myself. Tell you what, I'll angle to get one, then you can come down and cook from it with me.
Re: One can never have enough cookbooks.
Date: 2004-12-01 10:40 pm (UTC)Best money I ever spent...
Re: One can never have enough cookbooks.
Date: 2004-12-02 03:46 am (UTC)TK