Encore

As I mentioned in the last post, I recently spent an entire day testing cornbread recipes.  If you live in the south, that's what you want to accompany your chili on Superbowl Sunday ( haha, we Southerners love us some cornbread!)  Heck, even if you live in other parts of the country, it's what you should make to go along with your chili tomorrow. 

The question is, what kind of cornbread should you make?  Plain?  Sweet?  Cheesy?  Cake-y?  The possibilities are endless.

Here are several recipes for your perusal before the big game tomorrow.  All three are a snap to make and come together in no time whatsover.  One is fairly plain and delicious in its simplicity, while the other two are more dense and studded with cheeses and jalapenos.  Any of them would be a terrific addition to your Superbowl spread alongside your chili.  Even if you don't live in the South!

CASSEROLE CORN BREAD  (adapted from Prudence Hilburn's "A Treasury of Southern Baking")

1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup sour cream
1 egg (I use extra-large)
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400-degrees.  Generously grease an 8-inch round cake pan that is at least 1 1/2-inches deep. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cornmeal and Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Stir to mix then add the sour cream, egg and vegetable oil.  Stir to combine.  Batter will be thick.

Place prepared pan in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes, until it is hot. Remove from oven and turn dough into the pan.  Use a spatula to spread evenly.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool 5 minutes, then turn out of the pan.  Serve warm with lots of salted butter.

Serves 8

*  This is a lovely, cake-like bread which is light and delicious.  If desired, you could add chopped red or green peppers, chopped scallions or chopped jalapenos to taste to the dough before baking.

*  If you like a more pronounced cheese flavor, sprinkle the top with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano prior to baking.

*  One of the secrets to baking cornbread is to preheat your pan before adding the batter and baking.  We think it produces a better crust.

Fox Brothers Bar-B-Q is a well-loved institution here in Atlanta.  Unfortunately for me, we only live about 5 minutes from the place.  I can't pass it without a craving for their fried pickles (keep driving, Liz).  In addition to their barbecue, they are also known for "The Tomminator" which is a mess of Tater Tots smothered in Brunswick stew and topped with lots of gooey melted cheese.  Gotta love that, even if I would have to shoot myself if I ever indulged in it. 

http://www.foxbrosbbq.com/

FOX BROTHERS BAR-B-Q  JALAPENO CORN BREAD

3 cups self-rising corn meal (not corn meal mix)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 oz. (1 pkg.) cold cream cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup creamed corn
3 eggs (I use extra-large)
1/4 cup melted butter
Juice from one large orange
3 jalapenos, finely minced

Preheat oven to 400-degrees.  Butter a 9-by-13-inch rectangular baking pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine corn meal, flour, sugar and salt.  Add cream cheese and toss to distribute evenly, rubbing it in lightly with your fingers.

Place the prepared pan in the oven for 5 minutes to preheat.

In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, creamed corn, eggs, butter, orange juice and jalapenos.  Pour this into the dry mixture and stir until just combined.  Turn into the hot pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until lightly browned and a cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes.  Turn out onto a baking rack and cool before cutting and serving.

Serves 10 - 12

*  This is a denser, moister cornbread than the first recipe.  I love the chunks of cream cheese that are scattered throughout!

*  Oh, and a word about jalapenos.  I remove the seeds and the ribs before mincing as they contain most of the heat.  If you have a tougher palate, feel free to leave them in, but beware of the consequences!

Virginia Willis is a national treasure, as far as I am concerned.  She's an expert in all things Southern, she's an amazing cook and cookbook author and she has a wonderful line of products which she sells through "My Southern Pantry."  (Treat yourself to some of her pecan-smoked sea salt when it becomes available).  When I came across her recipe for cornbread, I figured it would be a winner.  Indeed it was.

http://virginiawillis.com/msp-home.html

JALAPENO, CHEDDAR AND BACON CORN BREAD  (adapted from Virginia Willis' "Bon Apetit, Y'all")

1/4 lb. bacon, diced
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
3 eggs, beaten (I used extra-large)
1 (15-oz.) can creamed corn
3 jalapenos, minced
1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375-degrees.

Place bacon in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Cook until bacon is crispy and fat is rendered.  Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to paper towels to drain.  Turn off heat and set pan aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk and eggs.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just to blend.  Fold in the creamed corn, jalapenos and cheese.  Stir in the melted butter and fold in the reserved bacon.

Place the reserved pan with the bacon drippings in the oven and heat for 3 to 5 minutes until hot.  Remove from oven and pour in batter.  Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Cool then serve directly from pan.

Serves 12

*  Virginia serves this with honey butter, but I think it's so good that it doesn't need any butter at all.  Your choice.

*  The addition of bacon to this was my idea and not a part of her original recipe.  Feel free to omit it; instead grease the pan with butter.  Nonetheless, I think everything is better with bacon!

*  You could also use this batter to make muffins.  I, however, love the idea of serving it from a cast-iron skillet.  Just another one of those "southern-things," I suppose.

So there you have it.  Whew, I'm done now.  This may be my longest post EVER.  Whether you like football or not, happy baking, have a great evening and don't forget to watch those Superbowl Commercials.  Cheers!

The "S" Word

Superbowl Sunday.  Packers vs. Steelers.  Whoop-de-doo.

You'll notice I did not punctuate that with an exclamation point. 

That's because I could care less about football.  I don't want to hear any grief about it, either - that's just the way it is.  I know many of you ladies out there LOVE the game (more power to you), but not me.  The same holds true for baseball, as evidenced by the fact I once gave away my ticket to a World Series game because I had no interest in going.  To this day, Henry is still in disbelief over that one.

I would admit to the fact that I watch the Superbowl  for the ads alone, but then you will think I am shallow, so I'll just keep quiet and tell you that what I really like about Superbowl Sunday is cooking for it.  What are you making this Sunday?  Guacamole?  Chili?

Fortunately for Henry, we've been invited to watch it with a group of friends, so he will have the luxury of being around people who actually like football.  And yes, chili is on the menu and no, I don't have to make it.  Instead, I'm working on what to serve alongside it.

Cornbread is an obvious choice and yes, I went there, baking up three separate batches of it today.  I'll post those results shortly.  But I also wanted to push the envelope a bit and come up with something a little less traditional.  That translated into Savory Cheese Biscotti.

These are crunchy, savory little bites that go well with chili but would be equally good as an appetizer with a nice glass of wine (or two).  You can make them several days ahead or you could even shape the dough and freeze it unbaked.  No need to thaw before baking, either.  It can go straight from freezer to oven.  How forgiving is that?

SAVORY CHEESE BISCOTTI (adapted from "The Minimalist" Mark Bittman)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Place eggs in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat until thick and creamy, about 5 minutes.  Change to the paddle attachment and blend in grated cheddar.  Add dry ingredients and blend just to combine.  Turn out onto a floured surface and knead briefly until mixture comes together.

Divide dough in half and shape each into a 10-by-3-inch log.  Flatten tops and even out sides.  Chill for at least 30 minutes before baking.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Brush logs with the egg/cream mixture then sprinkle the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano evenly over the top of each log.  Bake for 30 minutes until just lightly browned, but not baked completely.  Remove from oven and cool 30 minutes.

Slice logs into 1/2-inch slices.  Place slices on the baking sheet and return to the oven.  Bake until firm and lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.  Cool on a rack before serving.

Yield:  3 1/2 to 4 dozen pieces

I'm writing this right now and I know there is a bag of these tightly sealed up, stored in my pantry, just waiting for Sunday.  Think anybody will miss just one???????

One Giant Step for Liz, One Small Step for this Blog

I'm baking as I write this, so you can expect a brand-new post from me tomorrow.  In the meantime, however, I spent the better part of yesterday figuring out how to create an index of all the recipes I've posted here over the last year and a half. 

There are  now two ways you can easily access them.  If you look at the right-hand side of the blog, you will see various "labels."  Click on the category that interests you (i.e. "cakes") and you will be directed to posts which contain recipes for same.

Or, scroll down further (past the "Places I Like to Eat" section) and click on "Posted Recipes."  There's your index, sorted by category and giving you the name of the recipe and when it was posted.

Hope this helps!  See you tomorrow.

(S-L-O-W-L-Y coming out of the Dark Ages, one step at a time......)

Whack What?

I’ve written before about how difficult it can be to maintain a blog. Oh, it’s easy enough when you first get started and have lots of ideas and lots to say. You blithely post about everything you can think of, then suddenly … you come up dry at the well. You’ve pretty much ripped through your repertoire of ideas. Even worse, you think of something to write about, but then peruse your blog archives only to realize you already wrote about it last year. Why didn’t I remember that? Is the beginning of Alzheimers? Well, crap.

I started thumbing through my favorite (and not-so-favorite) cookbooks to try and come up with ideas. “Catchy name,” I thought. I was looking for something which to inspire both me and you, my wonderful blog readers.

Big Zero, however, unless we want to talk about making Thomas Keller’s Oysters and Pearls. Not likely. Someday I will tell you about the time we went to The French Laundry and I was so sick that I couldn’t eat anything, repeat ANYTHING that was served to me. Tragically, I am not kidding. I poked around at everything, then made Henry eat my share. Food Police in reverse. He will probably never, ever get that lucky again.

Here's the menu I missed.  Sigh.

In the midst of my writer’s block, I got a Facebook message from a friend. “Hey Liz, I’m going to make the Wacky Cake that's in your cookbook. Does it need frosting?”

You may remember I have a home-grown, self-published cookbook that I created for my kids. Over the course of the last several years, I have also given copies to people I love. Our friend Shana was one of those recipients. When I got her message, I didn’t have the heart to tell her I had never made the recipe in the book.

http://nevertrustaskinnycook1.blogspot.com/2010/09/recipes-from-home.html

Now in my own defense, I thought the recipe sounded good and since this book was intended for Andy and Eric only, I wasn’t overly concerned with testing recipes. Still, I didn’t feel comfortable giving Shana advice without having made the thing. So, I threw it together at 11pm. Turns out it was pretty easy. Turns out it was pretty good! And, if you care about these kinds of things, it is a vegan recipe.

Thanks, Shana! I appreciate the inspiration. As I posted on your wall, this cake is good “naked”, but even better if served with some softly whipped cream (maybe with the inclusion of a little cinnamon) or premium ice cream (coffee, perhaps?). I hope you made it for your dinner party and I hope it was a success!

WACKY CAKE (from Gale Gand)

1 ½ cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Grease and 8 x 8-inch square pan.

Place the dry ingredients in a bowl. Make three small holes in the mixture. Pour the vanilla in one hole, the vinegar in another and the vegetable oil in the third. Pour water over the top and mix.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until center is puffed and a cake tester comes out clean.

Cut into squares, as desired. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Serves 8 - 10

This is a very moist cake, kind of like a very “cakey” brownie, but lighter. It’s delightful as a snacking cake, with a glass of cold milk, late in the afternoon, especially if you are curled up on a chilly day with a good book.

I dusted mine with powdered sugar and yes … I ate a piece of it before I gave it away and got it out of my house. So much for my efforts to limit carbs and sugar. At least I abstained from the ice cream. Still, I guess I will never be a skinny cook. I guess that’s why you can continue to trust me!

Impress. Your Guests.

Everyone here in Atlanta is still talking about our recent ice storm, but the truth is, most of our stories are similar.  Suffice it to say, I can only imagine how many closets, drawers and basements were cleaned out last week.  In my case, it was the pantry.  What the heck else are you supposed to do when you can't leave the house for days on end?

Imagine my surprise when I unearthed a big box of amaretti cookies from deep within the bowels of my pantry shelves.  Well, well, well.  I started casting around for recipes which incorporated them.  But wait, it didn't really matter because what I was really after were THE PAPERS THEY ARE WRAPPED IN.

No, I'm not kidding.  No, I am not suggesting that you eat these papers or use them to roll up with something illegal.  I am, however, going to share an amazing trick you can do with them; one that will make you the hit of any party and cause you to kick yourself everytime you think of all the times you have thrown these things in the trash before you knew "the secret."

Here's the back story:

The year was 1959 or so.  Henry (about 8 years old) was having dinner with his family and their friends, Larry and Hilda Peirez at Andre's, which was apparently a fancy restaurant in Great Neck, NY.  As dinner came to a close, the check arrived, along with amaretti wrapped in "those papers."  Larry Peirez ate his cookies, then rolled the wrapper up like a cigarette and stood it on end.  He pulled out his lighter and much to the horror of everyone seated around the table, calmly lit the paper then watched impassively as it started to burn fiercely in the middle of the table. 

Just as the tablecloth was about to catch fire (and panic about to set in), the burning cylinder gracefully ascended and floated high above the table, almost to the ceiling.  Then, totally burned out, the charred remains drifted ethereally back to the table and its wide-eyed occupants.  Henry was mesmerized.  One can only imagine what the waitstaff must have been thinking!

So, now you know.  My suggestion is to get out there and buy a package of Amaretti Lazzaroni ASAP.  The next time you have to attend a stilted dinner party, tuck a few in your pocket and light 'em up at the table.  Yours hosts may be horrified, but you will save everyone from boredom and you will be a rockstar for the evening!

Yes, we have lift off!

Up, up and away!

 If you can't find Amaretti Lazzaroni locally, here is a link:

http://parthenonfoods.com/amaretti-cookies-lazzaroni-71oz-200g-p-2853.html

Now that you have used all of the papers, what are you going to do with those poor, homeless cookies?  Here's my recommendation:

CHOCOLATE AMARETTI CAKE (adapted from Giada De Laurentis)

¾ cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup slivered almonds
2 oz. amaretti cookies (10 small cookies)
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 orange
4 eggs (I used medium-large)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray and place in refrigerator to chill.

Melt chocolate in a small pan until smooth. Set aside to cool while you proceed with the other steps.

Combine almonds and cookies in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely ground, then transfer to a medium bowl. Place the butter, sugar and salt in the processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Add the orange peel and pulse briefly to combine. Add eggs, one at a time and blend until incorporated. Scrape sides down and blend again. Add the reserved nut mixture and melted chocolate. Pulse until blended, scrape downs sides again, and blend until combined.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the center puffs, about 30 – 35 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove sides of springform. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 8 servings

As usual, here are my "post-recipe" comments.

*  I was pretty wary about using a food processor for a cake.  Normally it doesn't work, but since this recipe has no flour, it's perfectly okay.  You don't want to  incorporate air in this mixture, anyway.

*  The cake will rise in the oven, then fall when you take it out to cool.  No worries.  It will also look somewhat lopsided.  No worries about that either.  It contributes to the rustic look and it has no effect whatsoever on the taste or texture.

*  Do yourself a huge favor and slip a cookie sheet or pan under the springform as it bakes.  I don't care how secure you think your pan might be, it will leak.  Spare yourself from having to clean the oven after you bake this.

*  If you want to gild the lily, you can serve this with softly whipped cream, or even ice cream.  I have to say though, I think it is pretty stunning in its simplicity, so I serve it "naked" and unadorned.

I wish you could have been here last night as I was trying to light these things and photograph them at the same time.  Challenging, at best.  At least I didn't burn the house down!  Haha, and if you try this and burn your house down, I absolve myself of all liability!