Cook Like Mad

Ignore those button mushrooms next to the broccolini (or don’t)- I just sauteed them and put them on the plate to use up leftover mushrooms in the fridge. They married well with the other ingredients, though.

I’m cooling off from my sugar rush and getting back to my culinary school basics. While I cooked some great recipes in school, there’s one that stood out for its easy yet powerful flavor. Balsamic braised chicken is deceptively simple and sensible, and easily multiplied for extra guests. The rich brown sauce that drenches it isn’t ladden with butter, but instead, its full of rich, slow cooked chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, vegetables, tomato, and a touch of flour, to thicken it. No roux, no heavy cream, just a deep, dark, delicious sauce.

Now you may be wondering what in god’s name are those potatoes on the plate. Good question. In culinary school we were tortured by this exercise where we made “tourne” potatoes. (There should be that little accent over the “e” but alas, I’m new to this blogging thing, and don’t know how to add accents, so forgive me French cooking masters, as you roll in your graves.) Anyway, “tourne” means turned, and that’s what’s done to these potatoes. You peel and quarter your russet potato, then trim it, turning it dangerously in your hand as you point the tip of your knife towards your finger, to create a football shaped potato nugget. Yum. Now you could make any shape you want, but having a food blog makes you an anal cook, so I made pretty shapes with my potatoes. Also, football was on that evening. Get it? Yeah, dorky, I know. Parboil them in salted water for about 10 minutes (or until they barely resist being poked with a sharp knife tip), dry them with a clean towel, and saute them in olive oil, sprinkling with coarse salt as they come out of the pan. You’ll find they are a perfect pairing for your chicken (the main squeeze) and your broccolini (your obligatory veg). Double yum. Or is that triple?

The only trick to making this recipe excellent instead of just “good” is to taste your sauce and add more balsamic if the flavor isn’t coming through. It looks as dark in person as it does in the picture, so don’t be shy. Also, balsamic vinegars vary greatly in sweetness, viscosity, and acidity, and I won’t dare to tell you which you should buy, so feel free to add a touch of sugar or lemon juice, to balance the flavors of the sauce. Enjoy!

Balsamic Braised Chicken

Makes 3 Servings

6 chicken thighs, bone-in

1 large carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 tbsp flour

2 cups Chicken Stock

1 cup Balsamic Vinegar (the better the quality, the better the outcome, but don’t go crazy)

vegetable oil, as needed

salt and pepper, as needed

Sauteed broccolini and tourne potatoes, to serve (factor in 1 small bunch broccolini and 1 medium potato per person)

Method

1. Add 2 tbsp oil to a large, deep pan (one that has a lid that fits, ideally) and turn heat to medium-high.

2. Sear chicken thighs, meaty-side down, turning once, to color both sides a nice golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Add carrots, celery, onion, and a pinch of salt to the same pan (do not wash between steps!) and saute until golden brown and slightly softened, 5-7 minutes.

3. Add tomato paste, “pincage” until the tomato paste turns an even darker red and add the flour, mixing well. Cook 1 minute to get rid of the raw flour taste.

4. Add chicken stock and balsamic vinegar to the pan, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil. Add the chicken thighs back in and reduce to a simmer. Cover immediately and let cook for 25-35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. You may want to turn chicken over after 15 minutes to ensure even cooking, as the liquid will not cover the chicken entirely.

5. Remove chicken to serving plates, taste sauce for seasoning, and adjust as necessary with salt and pepper. If you desire, the sauce can be strained, but I prefer it unstrained. Thicken a little if necessary by cooking the sauce a little longer on the stovetop, without a lid, and pour sauce over the chicken. Add broccolini, potatoes, or whatever sides and vegetables you wish, to the plates and enjoy!

-M : )

pretty pecan pinwheels!

As I continue with my baking kick, my mind turns to cost. What ingredients can I cut out and still have a great cookie? Butter? No way. Sugar? Not in a million. Flour? Fat chance. Eggs? Hmm….And that’s where we begin.

In nearly every traditional cookie recipe, eggs lend texture, flavor, rise, and even sheen. But what if you’re secure in the ability of butter, sugar, and flour to add texture, pecans and warm spices to add flavor, and the layers created by the careful combining of butter and flour to create rise? Then you’ve got yourself a great cookie recipe. These Chinese Five Spice Cookies are not only fun and easy to make, but also resourceful. Change the filling to cinnamon, sugar, and currants, or fig jam and chopped almonds-any way you make these, they’re flaky and delicious.

Eggless Chinese Five Spice Cookies

Makes 25 cookies

Dough:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup butter, in small cubes, chilled

3-4 tbsp cold water

1/8 tsp salt

Filling:

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp chinese five spice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet or use a silpat to line one.

2. Mix the salt into the flour. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, quickly incorporate the butter into the flour, until the mixture resembles coarse sand and the butter is still cold. If butter begins to warm, place mixture in the freezer for 5 minutes and begin again. Add just enough cold water to make a rough dough that stays together. You should be able to see butter streaks in the dough. Wrap in plastic and set in the fridge for 10 minutes to relax the gluten you may have developed in mixing and to allow the butter to cool.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

4. Unwrap dough, lightly flour a flat surface, and roll out dough to a rectangle (about 12” x 8”), making sure it’s 1/4” to no less than 1/8” thick.

5. Sprinkle filling on top of the dough to make a thin, even layer and roll lengthwise until you’ve created a log. Place in the freezer to firm up for 10 minutes.

6. Slice the log into 1/4” to 1/2” slices, depending on how big you’d like the cookies, using a sharp knife. Place cookies flat on the baking sheet and into the oven, for 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a rack and enjoy!

-M : )

Aw, they look like hearts… Good thing v-day’s coming up!

Palmiers are the biggest trick in the book. They not only require two ingredients, frozen puff pastry and sugar, but maintain their addictive crunch for days after they’re baked. Using a silpat makes clean up especially easy, but the puff pastry has enough butter in it, and the sugar retains pliable enough out of the oven, to ensure easy removal of the cookies from the baking sheet even without pre-greasing.

A recipe really isn’t necessary for these scrumptious cookies, as they’re really a cinch, but here we go. Enjoy!

Palmiers (i.e. Mini Elephant Ears)

Makes 20 cookies, but can be easily multiplied

1 4” x 7” sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator overnight

1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for dusting

flour, as needed, for rolling

Method

1. Preheat oven to 385 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silpat baking mat. If you’re not using a silpat, leave the baking sheet ungreased.

2. Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured flat surface until it is less than 1/8” thick and sprinkle heavily with sugar. The layer of sugar should be nearly as thick as the layer of puff pastry dough.

3. Fold both ends (lengthwise) into the middle so they meet. Repea, doubling over your last fold. Fold in half lengthwise, so you have a log, roll in sugar, and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.

4. Slice cookies with a very sharp knife, each should be about 1/4” thick. Place cookies down on the baking sheet or silpat so you can see their layers (i.e. lay them flat) and sprinkle again with sugar. Bake 10 minutes, or until they turn light golden. The bottom will be a darker golden than the top- that’s what you’re looking to see. Cool on a rack. These cookies are best once completely cool, when they’re at their crunchiest. Yum!

-M : )

Ok, so I guess I’m on a baking kick. Its just that D and I have a few friends coming over to watch football tonight and tomorrow night, and I couldn’t help but bake some goodies to munch on during the game. I made both palmiers (recipe in part deux) and chocolate-dipped pecan meringues (recipe below). I am particularly fond of cookies that are easy, cheap, and can be made small, and these two recipes match all the criteria.

Not only do smaller cookies take less time to bake, they are also a wiser bet for satisfying your guests and making sure that your baking doesn’t go to waste (and frankly, your feelings don’t get hurt). Bigger cookies require the guest to contemplate the size of their appetite, normally an evaluation that takes place after a meal. If you want your baking to be put to good use (i.e. chomped and digested) then make those cookies smaller! Smaller cookies means more cookies to enjoy, and fewer people saying no to trying one. No one’s going to need to consult their diet commandments to eat one. All the pleasure in a couple fewer bites, that’s all. You can even feel good having seconds. And trust me, you’ll want more than one.

What I love about these cookies is not only that they’re easy and liked by all, but also that they have a certain adult quality about them. Its that almost-burnt flavor, that caramelized, brown sugar taste that deepens and balances the sweetness. They are crunchy, light, and even great without being dipped in chocolate, white or dark. Serve a few in a bowl with some raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, add a little whipped cream or ice cream, and you have a more formal dessert. Whether you share them with friends while watching football or enjoy them crushed into ice cream, cuddled up with a good book, enjoy!

Chocolate-Dipped Pecan Meringues

Makes 25-30 1 1/2” cookies

1/2 cup pecans

2 egg whites

pinch salt

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/8 cup white chocolate chips

1/8 cup dark or milk chocolate chips (your choice)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 385 degrees and lightly grease baking sheet, or better yet, use a silpat baking mat on top of the baking sheet.

2. Pulse pecans in a food processor (preferably a small one) until coarsely ground. Take care not to over pulse, or else oils will release and coarse texture will be lost.

3. Whip eggs whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form and add sugar slowly, while continuing to beat whites. Beat until stiff peaks form.

4. Immediately fold in pecans, taking care not to deflate the egg whites (the sugar does help to stabilize them, though).

5. Drop or pipe about a tablespoonful of batter onto baking sheet or mat, and leave 1” of room between cookies. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 285 degrees. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden all over. Cookies will still be slightly soft to the touch, but they will harden as they cool out of the oven, yielding a crunchy texture.

6. While cookies cool, melt the chocolates in separate dishes in the microwave. Dip bottoms of the cookies in melted chocolate once completely cool and firm and place them on wax paper, then in the fridge, so the chocolate can harden.

Note: white chocolate-dipped cookies will not need to be refrigerated to harden, but the milk or dark chocolate-dipped ones probably will.

Enjoy!

-M : )

There are some no-brainer food combinations that come to mind when I think of things to make for dessert: chocolate and mint, chocolate and cherry, chocolate and coconut, chocolate and almond, chocolate and peanut butter, white chocolate and berries, hmm…chocolate, white, milk, or dark, seems to compliment an inexhaustible list of flavors, huh? However, chocolate desserts, even when they contain fruit, can be quite heavy. The solution? Use the chocolate as a background flavor, as I’ve done in this take on a napoleon, using pate a choux (cream puff) disks in place of the traditional puff pastry rectangles, and pumpkin white chocolate puree in place of the heavy pastry cream filling. The result is a light, texturally interesting, and visually impressive dessert. And, of course, it’s delish- would I post the recipe if it wasn’t? Be assured, its a winner. Enjoy! : )

Pumpkin White Chocolate Pate a Choux “Napoleon”

Pate a Choux Dough (adapted from Nick Malgieri’s “How to Bake“)

Makes 30 3” rounds

1 cup water

6 tablespoons butter (I actually prefer salted butter, here)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all purpose flour

4 large eggs

2/3 cup coarse white sugar, for sprinkling (coarse brown sugar is a fine substitute- look for demerara sugar)

pastry bag with 1/4 inch round tip

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet, or place a spat mat on the baking sheet. Arrange racks so that they are in the center of the oven.

2. Combine water, butter, and salt in a medium size saucepan or pot over medium high heat and bring to a boil. When mixture boils, turn off heat, add flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated and mixture leaves the sides of the pot cleanly.

3. Transfer paste to a bowl and spread the paste up the sides of the bowl to quicken cooling process. Let cool for 1 minute, then add eggs, one at a time, stirring until each is absorbed before adding the next.

4. Spoon mixture into pastry bag fitted with 1/4 inch wide round tip and pipe 3” pinwheels onto the baking sheet, keeping 1” between each puff. Pipe pinwheels by starting in the center first and coiling the dough around the center. When you’ve made a 3” pinwheel, release pressure on the bag and pull the tip away to the side (don’t pull the tip up) in a quick motion. Sprinkle tops of pinwheels liberally with coarse sugar. Don’t worry about shaking excess sugar off the baking sheet or mat, it will just caramelize in the oven and add extra crunch to the pinwheels.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden and fully cooked through. Puffs should retain their shape out of the oven. If they collapse on themselves, bake for an extra minute or two.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Puree

Makes enough for 4 Napoleons

1 small can pumpkin puree

1/4 cup real maple syrup

2 tsp molasses

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

1 cup white chocolate chips, melted in the microwave

Method:

1. Mix 1/2 pumpkin puree (1 of the two parts) with the rest of the ingredients, except for the white chocolate, together in a bowl. Divide in half. Add melted white chocolate chips to one of the halves, mix and set both bowls aside.

Construction of the “Napoleon”

Pate a Choux Pinwheels

Pumpkin Puree

White Chocolate Pumpkin Puree

white chocolate chips, about 1/8 cup per person

1. Place a pinwheel cream puff in the center of a plate. Spoon or pipe about 1 tbsp of the non-white chocolate pumpkin puree onto the pinwheel and repeat layering process until you have used 3 pinwheels. Repeat with other plates.

2. Drizzle white chocolate pumpkin puree over each stack and sprinkle with white chocolate chips so your guests know the components of the dessert. Enjoy!

-M : )

Tonight’s dinner was both simple and impressive- simple for the chef, impressive for the bf. Does weeknight cooking get any better than that? I named these pork chops “Autumn” since they share the plate with mushroom-stuffed tomatoes. Stuffing, in any form, epitomizes fall to me, and here, crammed inside hollow tomatoes, it enriches a would-be tasteless fruit this time of year.

The pan sauce is simple and efficient and there’s no need to follow my recipe if you don’t have cherry tomatoes on hand (they can be kind of pricey this time of year). Instead, replace the cherry tomatoes with the chopped innards you removed from the large tomatoes and save yourself 4 bucks. The point of adding tomatoes is twofold: color and acidity. While the pan sauce has thyme in it, the red perks up the color while simultaneously balancing the stock-based sauce. The sauce, having been thickened with flour, needs the acidity to draw it out of “dullsville,” as my mother would say. No need to go there- sliced cherry tomatoes, tomato scraps, or even some lemon juice, will keep you far away.

No story necessary for this dinner, its just good, fresh, healthy food. Oh, and the stuffed tomatoes are an excellent vessel for getting more veggies into your child’s diet (or your boyfriend’s!). An untrained palate will never know there are mushrooms hiding in there, but the body that mouth feeds will reap the benefits. Enjoy! : )

Autumn Pork Chops with Stuffed Tomatoes

Serves 2

2 boneless pork chops
2 3” wide tomatoes, insides removed so only 1/2″ thick shell remains
3 large mushrooms, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced, separated in two equal portions
2 ribs celery, diced, separated in two equal portions
1 tsp fresh thyme (dried can be substituted), separated into 2 equal portions
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp parmesean, grated
1/2 cup (about 8-10) grape tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 tbsp flour (all purpose works well)
salt and pepper to taste
oil for sauteing vegetables (about 2 tbsp)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place cover a small cookie sheet or ovensafe dish with a layer of aluminum foil.

2. In a small saute pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and add mushrooms and one portion each of onions and celery. Season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Saute until golden over medium high heat, about 5 minutes.

3. Turn the heat to low, add 1/2 cup chicken stock and mix well.

4. Take the pan off the heat, add breadcrumbs and 1/2 tsp thyme to pan, and once the mixture has cooled slightly, add the egg and mix well.

5. Using a spoon, distribute the stuffing evenly into the two tomatoes. Pack tightly and place the tomatoes on the aluminum foil covered baking sheet and transfer to oven. Cook for 25 minutes or until stuffing is golden.

Stuffed tomatoes ready for the oven!

6. While tomatoes bake, place heavy skillet over high heat and season pork chops with salt and pepper. Add pork chops to pan and leave undisturbed for 4-5 minutes, until topsides look very moist and the sides look cooked halfway up. Flip and cook other side until you have reached your desired level of doneness.

7. Remove pork chops to clean cutting board to rest and redistribute juices; reduce heat to medium high and add tomatoes and remaining portions of onions, celery, and thyme to the pan. Cook until golden, add flour and incorporate well, then add remaining chicken stock and raise heat to high.

Thickening the pan sauce

8. Cook until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and turn off the heat. At this point the stuffed tomatoes are ready, so take them out of the oven and place one on each plate. Top each with 1 tbsp parmesean. Place one pork chop on each plate and spoon desired amount of sauce over each. Serve and enjoy!

-M : )

Of all four seasons, autumn has the best food. Its like Goldilocks and the three (well, four..) bears: Winter’s food is too heavy, Summer (and Spring) food is too light, and Autumn’s just right. Vegetables and Fruits get the attention they deserve, and the spices are warm without being heavy, simultaneously sweet and savory. It is often a time of indulgence, as people are eager to make desserts with the apples, pears, pumpkins, and even sweet potatoes that crowd the market shelves, but our bodies are pushed back into balance by the amount of nutrients in the available food: brussel sprouts, winter squash, leeks, green beans, and broccoli, are a few that come to mind (in addition to those mentioned above, of course).

Using fruits and vegetables in desserts has always been an interest of mine. I much prefer zucchini breads, banana muffins, sweet potato pies and berry cobblers to cheesecakes, pecan pies, and other (in my opinion) more cloying treats. Produce in desserts adds depth of flavor, texture, color, and boosted nutrition. Its also a great way to help introduce kids to unfamiliar and perhaps intimidating foods.

This recipe for Pumpkin Ginger Bars is special then, in two ways: it’s in tune with the season and it includes some healthy ingredients (like molasses, cinnamon, and pumpkin). It’s also the most addictive baked good I’ve ever made. The lightness of the filling combined with the chewy, crunchy base provides a textural contrast that most desserts lack. For me, when I have pumpkin pie, I find the crust to be superfluous, unnecessary, almost a dilution of the filling’s flavor. Not so with these; the crust is made with ginger snaps, and then covered in a thin layer of caramel, pairing perfectly with the homemade pumpkin filling. The filling is incredible on its own, but you’ll never leave tasteless crust behind when you eat these. So take a little time this afternoon to appreciate and share autumn’s bounty with these Pumpkin Ginger Bars. With two of these warm from the oven, a cup of mulled cider and a good book, you’ll be fully equipped for a cozy afternoon : )

Pumpkin Ginger Bars
Makes 28 bars

For Crust:
30 2″ gingersnap cookies (I like Sweetzels brand), crushed in a food processor
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/8 cup brown sugar

For Caramel layer:
2 bags Werther’s classic chewy caramels
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp butter

For Pumpkin filling:
1 15oz. can pumpkin puree
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 cup molasses

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a 13 x 9 in. pan (glass works especially well).

2. Combine the cookie crumbs, butter, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Dump the mixture into the greased pan and distribute evenly over the bottom. The mixture will be very crumbly but don’t worry. Press it down lightly with your hands and make sure the crust extends to the edges of the pan.

3. Bake the crust blind for 10 minutes in the 425 degree oven to help it firm up. Don’t let it get too brown!

4. Unwrap caramels and place in a bowl over a pot of simmering water to melt. Add 1/2 cup milk and 3 tbsp butter to the bowl. Once caramels have melted, stir the mixture until it is fully incorporated and keep it over the double boiler to remain warm.

5. When the crust is ready, pour the caramel mixture over the crust and spread delicately to distribute it evenly over the crust’s surface. It will be thin, but there is exactly enough.

6. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the caramel, again distributing the filling evenly.

E. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 then lower oven to 350 and finish cooking for 35 more minutes. Bars are done when the top feels firm and the filling no longer jiggles in the center.

Note: I recommend letting these cool to room temp before slicing them, and when you do slice them, make sure you use a sharp knife and press down firmly- the bottom crust is very dense. Additionally, I would refridgerate these, or they will be incredibly chewy. The fridge makes the crust crunchy rather than chewy and I tend to find them even better this way.

Enjoy!

-M : )

I wrote a post a little while ago about using Pimms in turkey meatballs to avoid wasting it. Not surprisingly, it appears alcohol is not the only item in my cupboard that is in need of creative application! I opened a box of Kashi Go Lean cereal around the time I moved to DC two months ago and since I spend quite a bit of time at D’s place and also have breakfast provided at my office, its been sitting there, half full, since then…

Two month old cereal is not my idea of an appealing breakfast, no matter how hungry I am, but I’m disinclined to just chuck it- I mean, I had made those muffins with Smart Bran cereal a while back, and while that was fresh cereal, after it was soaked in milk, that couldn’t have made a big difference, right? So, I thought this Saturday morning, equipped with a fully stocked fridge, I’d make pancakes with my stale cereal. I figured, there is a similar preparation for both muffins and pancakes, so the cereal-soaking method could work nicely in my plan to use cereal in another warm preparation.

Before I go into the actual recipe, I must stay I did have trepidations about using Kashi Go Lean in the recipe rather than another cereal like cheerios or corn pops or anything less packed with fiber. I thought, isn’t this cereal going to make crunchy pancakes? That didn’t sound very appetizing… My goal was to make the cereal indistinguishable from the batter; to thicken it without standing out. Let me tell you, the food gods were behind me this morning. : )

The only evidence of cereal in this batter was the thickness it gave. As each pre-softened nugget of cereal melted into the batter as it was surrounded by the heat of the pan, it somehow retained its shape without adding any crunch, giving way to impossibly fluffy yet hearty pancakes! I added 1 fuji apple (diced) to sweeten the pancakes and add another dimension of flavor, but feel free to omit it. So now, I share with you my second cupboard-raiding recipe: cereal reincarnated. It’s not only a great use of another would-be wasted pantry item, but depending on which cereal you’ve neglected, it can also be a great way to sneak more fiber into your morning meal! Enjoy : )

Kashi Apple Pancakes
Serves 4

1 1/2 cups Kashi Go Lean cereal (or cereal of choice)

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder (baking soda is fine to substitute, though)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1 apple, diced (I prefer Fuji) -optional

Method:

1. Combine cereal and milk in a small bowl and let sit for 15 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

3. When the cereal has almost finished soaking, lightly beat the eggs in another separate bowl and whisk in the melted butter, sugar, and yogurt. Stir in the diced apples, if using.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir just until combined. Do not overmix or the pancakes will be tough.

5. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls onto a medium-hot skillet and flip when the bubbles that appear on top of the pancakes begin to pop. Finish cooking on the other side and serve.

Such a chunky batter! I was sure these would never be light and tender, but thankfully I was wrong!

Mmm..almost ready…

D and I ate these with maple syrup and boysenberry jam (utterly delicious), but anyway you choose to serve these, enjoy!

-Maddy : )

Summer Corn Fritters with Mixed Fruit Salsa

People constantly ask me, “What’s your favorite thing to make?” As if I, having gone to culinary school, should have a set answer for this question. As if I’m not a great cook if I don’t have an answer. Please. The reason I don’t have an answer is because this is an unanswerable question. Do you ask a parent which child is their favorite? I hope not. How could someone choose a favorite dish? With every dish I make again and again I gain mastery of it, and with every new dish I make or create I expand my culinary repertoire. While these feelings of mastery and novelty are equally as satisfying in their own ways, I constantly find myself more inclined to cook a new dish over one that is tried and true.

Since I don’t cook much in my apartment in New York, when I go down to DC to visit my boyfriend, I love taking advantage of his larger kitchen and surprising him with new dishes. I also love the challenge of cooking something new. I don’t come from a family that has a rich culinary heritage, so when I started cooking when I was 12 years old, I started with a pretty clean slate. Sure, my mom taught me how to measure, mix, bake, and saute, and my dad taught me how to grill and make a mean dish of lox, eggs, and onions, but the food we ate was largely based on what we found at the supermarket that was fresh and healthy (and often, organic), rather than on recipes passed down through generations.

As a result, I feel no duty to keep certain dishes alive, nor do I feel compelled to learn family dishes before I delve into making others that truly pique my interest. I am in the clear. I can cook what I want. Maybe that lack of responsibility to pass down culinary traditions is what frees me to cook simply what I’m interested in cooking. I suppose I take full advantage of this freedom by cooking something new nearly every time I cook. Maybe not something completely new, but I always have to add a new twist. The only real exception to this is my omelet- which I have down to a science- but that’s for another post.

So the more “new” dishes I cook, the more I realize that creating a satisfying meal is more than just finding a balance in its taste elements (sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami); it’s also about finding a balance- or an appropriate contrast- in its temperature. Often, we take this for granted. For example, aren’t most fried foods served hot with a cold sauce? Have you really ever thought about how pervasive this is? I have, and here are some examples: crab cakes with remoulade, fried fish with tartar sauce, falafel with hummus, chicken wings with blue cheese dressing….I could go on and on. The thing is, all of these cold elements aren’t healthy (save, hummus), so while they add a cold contrast, they only really serve to make an already unhealthy food even unhealthier. My solution was to create a healthier fried dish with an even healthier cold element to satisfy my craving of having a dish with a contrast in temperatures: corn fritters with mixed fruit salsa! The corn fritters are sweet and savory, as is the salsa, which includes peaches, mangoes, pineapple, red onions, lime juice, and cilantro. Serve this as an appetizer, as a vegetarian entree, or add grilled shrimp, for a heartier meal. Enjoy! We did : )

Summer Corn Fritters with Mixed Fruit Salsa

Yield: 4 Servings

For Salsa: (hint: make this first so it can macerate in the fridge while you cook the fritters. The flavors will meld and yield you a better result. Adjust the salt right before serving. )

2 yellow peaches, diced

1 large mango, or two small mangoes, peeled and diced

1/2 pineapple, trimmed of rough exterior and inner brown seeds, diced (eat the other half as a snack or save for later)

1 small red onion, minced

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup cilantro (or to taste), minced

1/4 cup canola oil

slightly less salt than desired, to taste

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to macerate, at least 30 min, but up to 5 hours.

For Corn Fritters:

3 ears fresh corn (white, yellow, or mixed), shucked, kernels cut off the cob with a large knife.

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup cornmeal (don’t buy cornmeal just for this, you can substitute 1/4 cup flour if you don’t have it in your pantry)

1 egg

1/2 cup milk (or buttermilk, if you’re feeling adventurous)

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/8 cup cilantro, minced

1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced (optional)

salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

Canola oil (or peanut oil, if no one’s allergic), for frying

Method:

1. Mix flour and cornmeal in a large bowl. Mix the egg and milk in a separate bowl until well incorporated and add to dry ingredients. Mix gently, leaving some flour in clumps. Fold in corn kernels, cilantro, jalapeno (if using), and 2 tbsp canola oil. Be careful to only mix to incorporate the ingredients, no further. Over-mixing will activate the gluten in the flour and yield you a tough fritter rather than a delicate one. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Batter will be very thick.

2. Heat enough oil in a large pan to come a 1/2 inch up the sides, over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, test a spoonful of the batter to check the seasoning, and adjust the salt/pepper/cayenne as necessary. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil and spread each with the back of a spoon to a diameter of 2-3 inches. They should be about a 1/4 inch thick. Shallow fry on one side until golden brown, flip, and finish browning on the other side. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with the salsa piled on top, or served on the side.

*Note: These are also excellent with guacamole! (Guacamole: Mash 2 avocados, add 1/2 small onion (minced), 1 small tomato (seeded and diced), the juice of 1/2 a lime and 2 tbsp minced cilantro, and adjust salt to taste. Add 1 minced jalapeno (seeds and ribs removed) or 1/2 minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce, if you want it spicy.)

Enjoy!

-M : )