The tangy balsamic-soaked cherries are just an option -- the "cake" is amazing all by itself!

This is one of those rare “cakes” that swings easily from sweet to savory — comfortable before, during, or after the meal. Our family friend, Sarah (close pal of daughter #1), first brought this torte to a dinner party to accompany Winter Vegetable Stew. It was a cold, wintery evening, and the torte was the perfect compliment to the rustic soup. When Sarah and I set out to make it again for Kitchenelly, we decided to spin it to the sweet side, and top it with cherries (fresh from Oregon, jammed into my suitcase). It complied convincingly. And last night I made it as an appetizer. I sprinkled the batter with thinly sliced shallots before baking. Once again, a stand-out with the prosecco. You want this in your repertoire, just like that little dress in your wardrobe that works for a barbecue and a fancy cocktail party (speaking from a woman’s point of view, of course).

Sarah Green, who will be writing for Kitchenelly when I can get her

This post introduces Sarah, who will be writing for Kitchenelly when she isn’t crushing grapes or cooking from the wonderful bounty up in Napa Valley where she’ll be working through the Fall. She is a recent college graduate and fantastic baker — Sarah has been baking since she could reach the counter. She’ll bring a lot to Kitchenelly and I’m looking forward to her posts.

Goat Cheese Torte | 8 to 12 servings, depending

This goes together so quickly and is so easy, yet it has an elegant and sophisticated flavor. Feel free to cut back on the sugar if you want it a little less sweet. Sarah’s recipe is inspired by Dorie Greenspan’s from her beautiful book, Around My French Table.

8 ounce “log” of soft goat cheese
1/2 pound fresh cherries
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
The leaves of a 6-inch spring fresh thyme
Butter for the pan
Flour for the pan
5 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Remove the goat cheese from the refrigerator to soften at room temperature.

Pit and halve the cherries and place in a bowl.

I love my cherry pitter but watch out for stains -- that's why we're not doing it on the wooden board!

Toss with the balsamic vinegar and thyme leaves and set aside until needed.

The cherries with macerate slightly with the balsamic, releasing some of their juices

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Very generously butter an 8-inch round cake pan, and then coat lightly with flour.

Separate the eggs.

Sarah and I both use the eggshell method for separating eggs -- carefully crack the egg, and gently pour the yolk back and forth in the shell halves until the white is released

Getting any yolk in the white will prevent the white from beating properly -- also, any shell bit that gets in the white can be removed easily by using the shell half as a scooper

In the bowl of a mixer, combine the goat cheese, egg yolks, 1/2 cup of sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla and beat until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes.

Smooth and creamy with all the goat cheese blended in

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and continue beating a minute or so more, until stiff peaks form and the whites are shiny. With a spatula, stir 1/3 of the whites into the cheese and egg batter. Scrape the remaining 2/3 of the whites onto the batter and fold in gently.

Try not to stir at this point, which will deflate the whites

Pour the batter into the pan and bake on the middle rack at 400°F, without opening the oven, for 15 minutes.

Pour gently to keep the whites as puffy as possible, and don't shake the pan

Reduce the heat to 350°F and cook another 25 to 30 minutes, or until well-browned on top and cracking. The cake will puff up while baking, but settle as it cools. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and then turn the cake out onto a plate, turning top side up.

Make sure to put this little torte in your wardrobe repertoire to pull out for any event — it’s a keeper.

Kelly McCune © 2011

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

Warm beef on top of salad greens with a hint of gorgonzola -- ahh, summer

Finally dusted off the grill, and snapped back to attention here at Kitchenelly. My band, Border Radio, got very busy over the last month or so and I’ve been AWOL! We took a trip up to Northern California for some shows, recorded 5 new songs, taped a bunch of video, went down to San Diego, and wrote a few more tunes.

Singing with the band in San Diego at the Adams Avenue Roots Festival

But I’m back at the helm here, with a serious craving to get the grill going for some BEEF. That combined with a craving for tender salad after a wet winter filled with the super dark greens like chard and kale.

I love salad greens combined with something warm (I’ve lately been favoring putting my salad on top of my pizza). In this salad the juices from the warm beef combine with the vinaigrette to make a flavorful dressing that slightly wilts the tenderer greens. I recommend a combination of crisper lettuces, like romaine and radicchio, with tender leaves such as mache, arugula, frisee, and leaf lettuces. And instead of croutons I’ve made a garlicky crostata — the whole effect is like a fantastic steak sandwich completely deconstructed.

Here, along with the red onion and fennel for the grill, are romaine, red leaf lettuce, mache, radicchio, and basil

Warm Grilled Steak & Gorgonzola Salad | 4 servings

1 1/2 pound rib eye or other quality beefsteak (or 2)
1 large or 2 small red onions
1 fennel bulb
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1/4 head red leaf lettuce
1/4 head radicchio
Mache or arugula
Basil leaves
Ciabatta or other loaf bread
1 clove of garlic

For the vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon honey mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Small pinch of salt
Small pinch of sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
Pinch of dried or fresh tarragon
Freshly ground black pepper

Pitted Niçoise olives
Several ounces gorgonzola or bleu cheese (crumbling type)

Light a charcoal grill. Remove the steak from the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature while the grill is heating up. Slice the onion into thick slices. Cut the top off the fennel bulb, halve, cut out the solid core, and slice. Rub the steak and vegetables lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.

I've sprinkled my steak with a little grill seasoning called "Chophouse Blend," made by Simply Organic

While the grill fires up, prepare the salad ingredients. Break the romaine and leaf lettuce into pieces. Thinly slice the radicchio. Wash all the greens and dry well, preferably in a salad spinner.

I love my salad spinner -- I also love salad lettuces broken into bite-sized pieces

Place the washed greens in a large bowl and cover with a squeezed-out dampened paper towel. Store in the refrigerator until needed.

The fridge keeps the greens crisp, and the dampened paper towel keeps them from drying out

Slice the bread into 1/2-inch slices and toast. Brush with olive oil on one side, and lightly rub the cut end of a peeled clove of garlic on the oiled side of the toast. Cut the toasts in half lengthwise and set aside until needed.

You will not need this whole clove of garlic, even for a dozen slices of bread -- raw garlic is strong so a little goes a long way!

Prepare the vinaigrette. In a small bowl or measuring cup put the mustard, vinegar, salt, and sugar and combine. Using a small whisk, pour the olive oil into the vinegar mixture, whisking all the while. Add tarragon and pepper and set aside until needed.

I've used a Zinfandel vinegar here -- balsamic vinegar may overpower the honey mustard but feel free to get creative

The idea is to whisk constantly so that the oil and vinegar create an emulsion, and are in a suspended mixture -- use enough oil to have a rich, olive-y flavor, not too tart

The vinaigrette, properly emulsified, will be almost creamy

Now add dried or fresh herbs, like tarragon, a little pepper, salt if needed -- if it becomes separated just whisk it back together

When the coals are covered with ash but still glow red, grill the fennel and onion, covered, about 4 minutes per side or until browned.

Vegetables caramelize and brown beautifully on the grill

Remove the grilled vegetables and cook the steak over hot coals (open the vents completely), covered, approximately 5 minutes per side. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the steak.

A little char is great, but cover the grill to avoid burning the meat

Steak can overcook within a minute, so watch carefully -- the top will still spring back but it will feel more dense. Cook steak to 120°F for rare and then rest the meat under foil for 5 to 10 minutes -- it keeps cooking even after it's removed from the heat

While the meat is resting, slice the grilled vegetables into large pieces. Toss the salad greens with vinaigrette, taking care not to overdress the salad. Divide the dressed greens onto serving plates, and sprinkle with the grilled vegetables, olives and crumbled gorgonzola.

The salad is dressed and ready for the warm sliced beef

When the beef has rested for 5 minutes or more, thinly slice it, preserving the juices.

This is more toward medium-rare, but that's as cooked as I like it

Arrange the beef slices over each serving, and spoon some of the juices over each plate as well. Sprinkle with black pepper, arrange the garlic toasts on each plate, and serve.

Welcome grill, welcome summer.

Kelly McCune © 2011

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

I say cut it hot and slather it with butter

St. Patrick’s Day sneaked up on me this year — I didn’t even cook corned beef and cabbage, which I usually enjoy doing. I did make an Irish Soda Bread for the Husband to take to his office, where he had a big corned beef fest with office mates. I had mine at the local pub, washed down with plenty of Murphy’s Red Ale.

I’ve had this recipe so long — it’s still on the dot-matrix page I printed it on. So here is the quickest, easiest bread you can make, and by the time it’s March 17, 2012, you’ll be ready. Sláinte!

Irish Soda Bread | 1 loaf

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine the dry ingredients and sift them into a large bowl.

This is my sifter -- I've never gotten myself a proper one

Add the buttermilk, stirring to make a soft dough. Gather the dough together (your hands work best for this) and turn it out onto a floured board.

Stir as you go but not over-much

The dough will be somewhat loose and shaggy

Knead the dough just enough to get it slightly smooth and no longer sticky, about 2 or 3 minutes. Form a plump, round loaf about 6 inches in diameter.

Just enough kneading to make the dough a little smoother and not sticky -- too much will make a tough bread

Place the loaf on a floured baking sheet and make a deep 1/4-inch X all the way across the top of the loaf.

This X opens up as the bread cooks

Bake the loaf for 35 to 45 minutes, or until it is deeply browned and hollow-sounding when tapped.

When the bread is slightly cool, wrap it cloth to prevent the crust from becoming hard.

Or get out the butter and get after it.

The whole house smells good

Once again, sláinte!

Kelly McCune © 2011

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

Like (one of) Lada Gaga's outfits on the Grammys -- sheer, transparent, bumpy

Three important things came together in this dish:

1.  I prepared this dish, as instructed, for a “dinner club.”
2.  I bought a torch, took back a torch, bought another torch, took it back, and finally bought the right one. Then I learned how to use it.
3.  I tackled the finer points of a recipe written by one of the preeminent molecular gastronomy chefs in the country, Grant Achatz of Alinea in Chicago.

First off, I’ve never attended a dinner club, though I’ve heard about them. The husband and I were invited as the guest couple, and warned in advance that we’d be asked to prepare a very specific dish and bring wine to go along with it. I happily agreed, and a few days later got a fax of the recipe. It was a little tough to read, so I checked out a blogger who is working her way through the cookbook in question. Some of her first words were “…I made this dish over two days…” — ack! This will often scare me off a recipe, but I was committed.

My recipe was “Transparency of Manchego Cheese” from Alinea, Mr. Achatz’s cookbook for regular folks. He is a pioneer of molecular gastronomy — for those of you who are still scratching your heads, it’s cooking by chemistry, using science to inform choices about ingredients and flavors and to understand the underlying transformation that food undergoes when it is cooked or combined. For a great explanation and funny video, check out Chow. Now I’m not the most precision-oriented cook, nor am I terribly good at carefully following a recipe, and this doesn’t jibe too well with this kind of cooking. However, I bravely dehydrated olives, without a dehydrator and the wrong kind of olives. It does take hours, so plan ahead. I roasted peppers, garlic, dried out croutons, but then came the olive oil pudding — what?

What is olive oil pudding doing on a cheese course? What is olive oil pudding? Not only that, I couldn’t get any purchase on the recipe since it was written in grams. Yes, even the liquid measurements were stated in grams — that’s weight, not volume.

Yessir, 60g olive oil -- by weight! -- is in my world 1/3 cup

It’s all up in the lab, here. Well, I’d already bought a torch (later) and squirt bottles and dang it, I didn’t own a digital scale so I used my little postal scale — hah! Very cute but it took a couple of attempts to nail it just right. But I do have it down, and wow, olive oil pudding may just be the food of the gods. All questions or concerns about its presence on this dish are hereby settled.

That would be 525g whole milk, yep, 2 cups

On to the torch, though. I confess I’ve never torched anything. I’ve worked with hot grills and flames and experienced all kinds of incendiary moments, but no hand-held torch. I’ve wanted one, though. So I bought one for this recipe at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Cute but tame

Brought it home, juiced it up with butane, but the wimpy little flame would hardly hang on! So I took it back and exchanged it for another one. Much better…or so I thought.

I took this fun new purchase to the dinner club, along with all the other parts of the dish — the anchovies (okay not “white” anchovies), dehydrated Calamatas (sorry, they didn’t have pitted Niçoise!), garlicked-up crostini (well, croutons seemed so small), roasted peppers, and roasted garlic (with rosemary, because that seemed more…interesting), and the olive oil nirvana pudding (not in a squirt bottle, though, because gee, that seemed silly).

Well, the other couples were bringing their A-game to this dinner. We started off with a beautiful salmon carpaccio in a cone thingy, stuck into rock salt. A-m-a-z-i-n-g. Then a crab dish with a flavor-of-the-sea gel, a perfectly grilled tenderloin with an agar-thickened sauce, some foam thing somewhere, it was all fantastic. My turn. I assembled the dish, layered on the manchego and my poor little flamer pooped out on serving #2. Fortunately my hostess had the real deal out in the garage. Yes, folks, go for the industrial strength of a propane blowtorch. You’ll feel like a welder!

If you keep it clean it won't look like you brought it in from the garage

I have now made this dish a few times, each time tweaking the ingredients and the process. The dried-out olives and peppers are such breakthrough flavors for me that I’m considering a dehydrator. I think I’ve got it down, and with apologies to Mr. Achatz, I present my version of Transparency of Manchego Cheese.

Not Quite Alinea’s Transparency of Manchego Cheese | 8 servings

1 cup pitted Niçoise or other black olives (40 in all)
1/2 pound mini sweet peppers or mini bell peppers
Ciabatta or other crusty bread for crostini
Olive oil
1 garlic clove
8 anchovy fillets
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 pound Manchego cheese

For the Olive Oil Pudding:
2 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to its lowest setting (mine is 170°F but some ovens go lower). Scatter the olives on parchment on a large baking sheet. Halve, seed, and remove the ribs and tops of the peppers. Scatter them with the olives on the parchment.

A colorful array

Place the baking sheet in the oven until the peppers and olives are very dry, approximately 6 hours.

Slice the bread into four large or 8 small 1/2-inch slices and toast on both sides. Brush immediately with olive oil on one side and rub lightly with the cut side of a garlic clove.

Brush one side with olive oil

Just a light rub of cut garlic -- raw garlic is strong, so one clove will be more than enough for 8 pieces

Cut larger bread slices in half for two servings -- make extra of this to serve on the side

Have the anchovy fillets on hand.

I found nice, mild anchovies packed in oil with peppers

To prepare the olive oil pudding: In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt together until blended.

The mixture may be a little dry, but just scrape it out of the whisk with a knife and keep mixing until its blended

When the milk has just boiled, scoop out 1/2 cup of hot milk and pour it into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking to incorporate the hot milk. This tempers the yolks.

Whisk in the hot milk quickly and vigorously until smooth

Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and whisk to blend. Reduce the heat to low and bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking almost constantly. This may take another 5 to 7 minutes.

If you whisk *too* constantly, you'll actually keep the mixture cooled off so that it won't come to simmer

When the mixture simmers, remove it from the heat. Pour in the oil, whisking constantly to incorporate and cool the mixture. Pour into a bowl.

Whisk in the oil, quickly and vigorously -- you're making an emulsion, so you want to do this with gusto

Allow the pudding to cool for about 10 minutes, whisking periodically to keep it from forming a skin. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding and cool to room temperature.

You'll find you want to "taste" this pudding several times...just to make sure...of what, I can't tell you!

Chop the dried peppers and set aside.

This was my substitution for roasted peppers, and they are fantastic -- I'll be making these often, to add flavor to dishes and salads and pastas. Same is true of the dried olives

To assemble the servings: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, reduce the balsamic vinegar until thickened, about 5 minutes. Drizzle this along the centers of 8 heatproof plates. Arrange a large spoonful of pudding, an anchovy fillet, 5 olives, and a crostini.

Very thinly slice the Manchego cheese using a sharp cheese slicer or a mandoline and arrange in one layer covering everything.

The saltiness of the anchovy and olives is perfectly offset by the pudding

Fire up the bad boy torch and broil away

Using the torch (or under a broiler or salamander), melt and scorch the cheese over the ingredients.

I recommend it -- don't know why I waited so long to get myself one of these, because the scorch has its own particular flavor

Sprinkle the chopped dehydrated peppers over the top of each serving.

Now that you know I won’t follow a recipe, you’re crossing me off your dinner club invite list, right?

Kelly McCune © 2011

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

It grabs, it bends, it protects

I have searched for years for the ideal potholder. I have tried many different versions of this essential — essential! — kitchen tool, but I really hadn’t found any that met my ridiculous expectations. Until now. And where to find these pinnacles of perfection? No store! They are handmade by my mother.

Backstory: About a year ago my mother was on the prowl for a quick, easy needlework project to occupy her while she 1. Watched football 2. Watched basketball 3. Watched golf. My mother doesn’t do one thing at a time, she must have at least two things going on at once. I believe she invented multi-tasking and then infected me with it. She has made elaborate and beautiful needlepoint projects, but she was specifically looking for something less demanding. A friend of hers showed her this simple crocheted potholder, and she went into production. I mean, one in a day, every day, dozens springing forth. She persuaded me to take one, though I was very skeptical. I thought they might be like those loom-woven potholders we all made in girl scouts. Not good, those.

I took one home and the first time I reached for it I was impressed with how flexible and supple it was. Can’t protect me from the heat if it’s that soft, right? But no, it was dense enough to insulate my hands from the heat. I don’t like thick padded potholders that don’t bend, mitts, silicone, oversized. These are small, bendy, and cute!

So here’s what I’m offering. The first 50 people who comment to me that they’d like one can have one for the price of mailing ($1.22). I’ll email you with the address to send a large envelope addressed back to yourself, with $1.22 postage on it. By golly, when Mom’s done with it, I’ll send it to you!

Throw 'em in the washing machine and they don't fade -- another plus!

Guess I’d better let Mom know what the plan is…

Kelly McCune © 2011

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

Creamy & dreamy

Okay, I’m calling this mysterious because I’d never tackled rice pudding before. And I had no idea how cooking rice with milk would result in something you could call pudding. But let me start from the beginning.

The husband frequently brings home a Trader Joe’s rice pudding, thus marking his attraction to this substance. The Trader’s version is g o o d — sort of — maybe a little sweet, and obviously an echo of something real, more grandma. Rice pudding is one of those homebody desserts, goes with cats and tea and a cozy fire, so I thought, how hard can it be? Turns out it is very simple, once you have a good recipe.

My trusty Fanny Farmer Cookbook has it slow-cooking in the oven for 3 hours, which seems impractical. Mrs. Simon Kander’s 1945 Settlement Cook Book (it belonged to my actual grandma) and the New York Times Cookbook are similar but clock in at 2 hours. Numerous other recipes in which I have varying degrees of trust claim it can be done stove top in under an hour. I wanted a stove top variety, so I started by pre-cooking the rice to speed things along. I think that cooked off too much of the starch, a contributing thickening agent. Next I tried whisking in a egg yolk, resulting in a mixture too dense and thick. I decided not to pre-cook or even rinse the rice, or add any egg. The result is the right creamy texture plus the right lightness.

I wanted to go further, though, and thought of the Chai tea masala my niece brought me from India last spring. I learned how to make some very authentic-tasting tea with it, and decided to use it for flavor along with basmati rice, a personal favorite of mine. Chai masala is a combination of spices with an emphasis on cardamom, the characteristic flavor. Here’s the label for my Chai masala:

I transferred mine from the bag into a container to store it, but I saved the *tasteful* label

And the ingredient list:

These masalas can be highly personal -- my niece's hostess wouldn't divulge her personal mix!

I haven’t worked up my own Chai masala, but when I run out of this one I’ll give it a try. The surprise here is black pepper, which I think really makes the flavor, and when I make my own I won’t leave it out.

Chai Rice Pudding | 4 to 6 servings

3 cups lowfat (2%) milk
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
1/3 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup, for a sweeter pudding)
3/4 teaspoon chai masala (or 1/3 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, scant 1/8 teaspoon fine-ground black pepper)
Small pinch of sea salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
1 cup heavy cream (divided: 1/2 cup for the pudding, the remainder whipped for the top)
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
2 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted

In a large saucepan, combine the milk, coconut milk, rice, sugar, chai masala, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring from time to time. When the mixture boils, reduce the heat immediately to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Delicious basmati rice has a distinctive flavor and fragrance

Mix everything together except the cream to start

Skin will form as the rice simmers -- just stir it thoroughly back into the mix

Add 1/2 cup of the heavy cream and cook another 10 minutes, or until thickened. Let the mixture cool slightly in the pan. Spoon it into individual serving dishes or a serving bowl. Lay plastic wrap right down on the surface of the pudding to keep a skin from forming as it cools.

Whip the remaining cream with a teaspoon of sugar. Chop the pistachios and toast the coconut in a 400°F oven for about 1 1/2 minutes (take care, it burns very easily). Serve the pudding at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold, topped with lightly sweetened whip cream, chopped pistachios, and toasted coconut on top.

I don’t have a cat, but the dog and I are off to sit in front of the fire football game (it’s 80° here today) with some pudding and a cup of tea.

Kelly McCune © 2011

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

It's breakfast and lunch -- just what you need on New Year's Day

This is one of those make-ahead casseroles, the ones you put together the day before you want to cook it. We made up this one on Christmas Eve this year, to meet a number of criteria. One, we didn’t want to wake up on Christmas day and cook. Also, we had some dietary restrictions including a gluten-free diet, so the usual egg casserole with bread was out. My niece suggested a cornbread-based egg casserole, and that’s what we riffed on. The result tastes a little like a tamale, the Christmas food we were most missing, so it filled that void, too.

Make this on New Year’s Eve — it’s easy to put together, and it goes into the fridge overnight to soak up all the egg and cream. On New Year’s Day you’re all set to have a piping hot blue plate special before the Rose Parade is over.

Egg Casserole with Cornbread and Green Chilies | 8 servings

Included here is a recipe for the cornbread, but cornbread stuffing will work as a substitute. This cornbread recipe, however, is gluten-free since it contains no flour.

For the cornbread:
1 3/4 cup cornmeal (I used Bob’s Red Mill Medium Grind and it makes a “toothy” cornbread)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted butter, plus butter for the baking pan
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

For the egg casserole:
Butter for the baking dish
1 pound pork sausage, casing removed (I used “hot” sausage)
8 eggs
1 cup heavy cream (1/2 pint)
2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 8 ounces
4 cups crumbled cornbread
7 ounce can green chilies, in strips

For the cornbread: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter a small baking dish, approximately 7- by 10-inch. Mix together the cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

This is a medium grind cornmeal, but regular will work well

In a measuring cup, melt the butter and whisk in the egg. Add the milk and beat. Stir the milk mixture into the dry ingredients.

Don't over mix -- stir just enough to moisten all the dry ingredients

Pour into the baking dish and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Try a little warm cornbread with butter and honey

Cool slightly, and crumble the cornbread into bite-sized pieces. Let dry out in a paper bag overnight, or in a 250°F oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Reserve 4 cups for the egg cassserole.

Spread cooked cornbread on a cookie sheet and dry out in the oven, tossing it occasionally as it dries

For the casserole: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously butter a large baking dish, approximately 9- by 14-inch.

Brown the sausage until deeply colored.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the cream, milk and salt until well-blended. Mix in half of the shredded cheese.

Layer the crumbled cornbread in the bottom of the butter dish. On top of that distribute the cooked sausage and the chiles.

I just tore the chiles into strips as I arranged them across the sausage

Pour the egg mixture evenly over the meat mixture.

The egg and milk soaks into the bread, making it tender and moist

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the casserole.

This makes a nice bubbly crust on top

Bake the casserole in the preheated 325°F oven for 45 minutes, or until puffy and brown on top.

The perfect holiday breakfast

Serve with sour cream and salsa, if you wish. And Happy New Year!

Kelly McCune © 2010

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

Ahhhh

Stressful times, these. Shopping, spending, holiday cards that aren’t getting sent, more shopping, and oh! — food — yes, must be prepared. Times like these I often procrastinate for a minute or two by a comforting stop-off at the family freezer. All I need is a spoon, because that’s the way I take my Ben & Jerry’s, one spoonful at a time.

The husband and I have, without stating it outright, arrived at this method of eating Ben & Jerry’s over the course of our marriage, much like the way couples start to look a little like each other after some years. Just a drive-by, spoon in hand, not committed eating but a little delicious nibble for the road, even if the road is into the den for some TV. Isn’t it sweet, too, that sometimes we’ll even share a spoon?

Ben & Jerry’s has held my regard for many, many years. I was trying to decide why, especially since there really are so many good ice cream, sorbet, and gelato makers out there. Just this past weekend I had my first sample of Scream Sorbet from San Francisco. I had just a taste of Coconut Thai Basil, and it was way crazy good. They have flavors like Cashew Nog, Lemon Shiso, and Askinosie Chocolate (I had that, too, and it was intense). Now that is a frozen treat that makes you sit up and think. Your palate is delighted and your brain is cranked up a knob. I’ve had a similar, but more folksy experience with an amazing nearby gelato maker, Bulgarini, and his goat cheese with cocoa nibs gelato (made from local goats, y’all). His gelato is better than ANY I had in Italy this past summer.

I think I’ve identified my attachment to Ben & Jerry’s, though, and why it remains my bff, my go-to, my binky. It’s quality comfort, no brain required. Suddenly I’m kickin’ back, not so worried, life is good. But wait, could it be because the names of the flavors, well, invoke something? After all, these are “flavors” like Half Baked (hmm), Phish Food (yeah, I heard about that concert), Cherry Garcia (!), Magic Brownies (Magic Brownies?). C’mon, it’s just subliminal, that’s all. These are great ingredients, thoughtfully combined, perfectly balanced! I was once served Coffee Heath Bar Crunch after some very expensive sushi in downtown Los Angeles. Is there something I should know?

One thing is certain — most folks who eat Ben & Jerry’s have a highly protected, personal favorite flavor. And sometimes they have been face-to-face with that flavor at 2 a.m., maybe even at the all-night supermarket. Maybe it was Half Baked (Daughter #1, who attends school with a B & J offspring), or Phish Food (you know who you are). For me, and because we’re two peas in a pod, for the Husband, it’s Cherry Garcia. Phish food is second, but Cherry, I’m truckin’ for you. One spoonful at a time.

The Smackdown. Your turn! I want to know your favorite flavor and your preferred method of consumption. Calling for comments, here! Let’s have a real flavor smackdown, that is, once we’ve finished smacking our lips.

Kelly McCune © 2010

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

Thin, crisp on the outside, sweet flavors on the inside

The Husband is Jewish, so through marriage I’ve been pulled into the mystique of the latke. It is truly an irresistible food — so easy, really, but I was always timid about making them. After all, shouldn’t there be a bubbe somewhere in my kitchen, teaching me the ins and outs? Do I have the exact right grater? Flour or matzoh meal? I mean seriously! But the Husband has no demands latke-wise, and my mother-in-law lost the knack years ago in the shuffle of living in places like Seoul, Amsterdam, Manila, and Dallas. I’m on my own here.

I have made latkes in the past, but with regular potatoes. I have failed, however, to absorb the technique, so every year is like a new start — how long do you drain the potatoes? Well, Daughter #2 has been coming home every year from her school’s “Yam Festival” raving about the sweet potato latkes, so I decided to give them a try. Less pressure since they are less traditional. She was right, they are delicious, especially with some homemade applesauce and sour cream. And these are made with a lot less oil (shhh, don’t tell the bubbe!). So Happy Hanukkah, or heck, just make ‘em for any day of the week.

Granny Smiths and a couple of Honeycrisps

Homemade Applesauce | 2 cups

You may be wondering why in the world you’d make applesauce from scratch. The answer is that it’s fast and it couldn’t be simpler. You can season it, sweeten it, cook it down, leave it chunky, add herbs, add wine — all in under a half hour. Here’s the short version of the recipe: Peel, core, chop 8 apples, throw in a pot with sugar and seasonings and small amount of water, cook gently 25 minutes. Done.

8 tart apples
2 heaping tablespoons sugar or to taste
Cinnamon stick
1-inch chunk of fresh ginger
Small pinch of thyme (optional)
1/4 cup water

Peel and core apples and cut into large chunks.

I use a paring knife but if you prefer a peeler that's fine -- whatever is fast

I just cut the apple around the core into 4 hunks (rather than search the drawer for my apple corer)

Apple chunks, cinnamon stick, and ginger chunk (leave some peel on it so you can identify and remove it at the end -- !)

Put the apple pieces, sugar, cinnamon stick, ginger, thyme and water in a pot. Cover and cook gently for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and mostly falling apart. Let cool, remove the cinnamon stick and ginger, and serve.

This is cooked on the shorter side to make a chunkier applesauce

Sweet Potato and Leek Latkes | makes 24 to 28 latkes

Might as well invite people into the kitchen to eat these as you make them — it’s more convivial, and they are so good right out of the pan!

1 large leek
2 large sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons chopped chives (about 12 long chive stems)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup canola oil, more or less
Olive oil

Trim the root from the leek and cut off most of the green tops. Cut in half lengthwise and rinse between the layers. Drain well and pat dry. Cut the leek into a fine lengthwise julienne.

Grit tends to collect between the leek layers, especially toward the top end, so rinse well

Cut the leek first into julienne strips...

...and then chop it down a little further for a fine shred like this

Scrub the potatoes and pat dry. Halve and coarsely grate. Chop the chives.

I didn't bother to peel the potato -- the extra color and nutrients are nice!

Nice color and flavor in the latkes

Combine the shredded leeks, the grated sweet potatoes, and the chives in a large bowl. Add the salt a little at a time, mixing well as after each addition. Mix in the beaten egg. Sprinkle in the flour, tossing the mixture to coat evenly.

Sweet potatoes are "dry" enough that they don't require draining for latkes like regular potatoes

Make sure the egg and flour are evenly distributed throughout the potato mixture

Preheat the oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with a rectangle of a paper bag, inside facing up.

Heat a thin layer of canola oil along with a few drops of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, form the latkes: on your hand, put a blob of potato mixture about the size of a golf ball. Flatten it against your fingers, and drop that right down onto the hot pan. Form another one and drop it in, repeating until you fill the pan. The latkes should sizzle but not smoke.

Cook the latkes on the first side until deeply browning and crisping, 2 to 3 minutes. The latkes cook fastest on the first side since there is more oil. Flip them carefully and cook on the second side until nicely browned, 4 to 5 more minutes.

They should hold together but be fairly thin

A nice, deep flavorful brown -- the sweet potato caramelizes beautifully

Place the cooked latkes on the paper bag-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.

The bag keeps the latke crisp, and still absorbs the excess oil

This is a great way to keep latkes warm — that is, if you have any that haven’t been snatched right off your spatula!

Happy Hanukkah.

Kelly McCune © 2010

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

The salty roasted pumpkin seeds are a nice contrast to the pumpkin and chocolate

Mistakes were made. Yes, it’s true, I thought this would turn out one way, and (ahem) it turned out another. Better.

I made an Almondy Pumpkin Pie last year — marzipan on the bottom, almonds all over the top. Apparently I can’t take my pumpkin pie without something above and below. Pumpkin pie seems to need something extra, and this one has dark chocolate and a graham cracker crust and salty pumpkin seeds strewn about on top. This is the pumpkin (let’s call it a) tart for the non-traditionalist on Thanksgiving, but others will stream in for the chocolate.

I’m not cooking this year, since we’ll be traveling to family who like to celebrate Thanksgiving will full white-coated service. I’d like to jump up and run into the kitchen, but the kind folks at the R**z will not appreciate my sampling the gravy or jiggling the turkey leg. I guess I’ll have to lean back and finish that Sidecar.

Pumpkin and Chocolate Tart

This is quite rich, and doesn’t really need whipped cream. A small dab of vanilla ice cream might be nice, but not necessary. I got the fantastic cinnamon graham crackers from Trader Joe’s, so I didn’t need the extra cinnamon or sugar for the crust. And if you want to make your own crackers, Deb at Smitten Kitchen has a recipe that she’s adapted and perfected from Nancy Silverton’s La Brea Bakery Pastries cookbook.

For the crust:
1 3/4 cups finely ground graham crackers
5 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar (if using plain graham crackers)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (if using plain graham crackers)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3.5 ounce bar of dark chocolate
For the filling:
3/4 cup puréed pumpkin
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
Olive oil
Sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grind the graham crackers until fine — a food processor works best for this. Gently melt the butter. Combine the graham crackers meal, butter, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl mix well with a fork. Press the graham cracker mixture into a 9 1/2-inch pie plate or quiche dish.

Mistake #1: I looked at my pans and went with the tart pan with the removeable bottom -- wrong! Might have been better off using the white quiche pan with straight sides

The sugary graham crackers from Trader Joe's -- if you use them don't add any extra sugar or cinnamon to the crust ingredients, just salt and butter

Keep pressing and molding the crust to the pan and up the sides, trying to make a substantial edge for the tart

Bake the crust in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and immediately arrange the chocolate pieces in the bottom.

The chocolate will begin to melt on the hot crust

When the chocolate is mostly melted, spread it out gently with a small spatula.

Use a gentle touch to keep from breaking the uncooked crust

Let the crust and chocolate cool. Reduce the oven to 325°F.

Meanwhile, whisk together the pumpkin, cream, egg, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and salt.

Mistake #2: I started out with way too much of this, thinking I'd have enough room in the pie pan for more pumpkin custard -- wrong again! The amounts called out above are more accurate

Pour the pumpkin mixture over the chocolate, taking care not to go up over the edge of the graham cracker crust. Bake in the 325°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the center is set.

While the tart is cooking, toast the pumpkin seeds. Toss the raw pumpkin seeds with a drop or two of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toast in a 400°F oven or a toaster oven until popping and browning, about 3 minutes (watch them carefully!). Scatter the toasted seeds over the pie and serve.

No more mistakes here...

Now how did that joke go?

Kelly McCune © 2010

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.