sprinklefingers

Oh my lord, I am obsessed with Laurie Colwin. While she’s no longer with us - and died way too soon - when I read her work I sometimes close my eyes and wish with all my might that I could have known her. Of course, I close my eyes and wish with all my might about a lot of things and none of them have come true - but this wish is one definitely worth trying for.

A Writer In the Kitchen is my favorite work of Colwin’s. I’ve read it three times - and each time I read it I feel a sense of going home. It’s comforting and funny, insightful and warm, personable and loving - all of this adding up to (in my opinion) the perfect book. 

If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Colwin, I insist you go get something by her. Now. Or later today. Or maybe this weekend. If you can’t figure out where to start, I suggest A Writer in the Kitchen. Maybe it will cast a spell on you, too.

Here’s one of my favorite Colwin passages - she’s describing how to make scrambled eggs in a double boiler. I just love her…

You scramble the eggs and add a tablespoon of cream. You then put a lump of butter into the top of a double boiler and when it melts, add the eggs. Stir constantly, remembering to have your blood cholesterol checked at the soonest possible moment. Stir as in boiled custard until you feel either that your arm is going to fall off or that you are going to start to scream uncontrollably. It is wise to have someone you adore talking to in the kitchen while you make these eggs, or to be listening to something very compelling on the radio. If you have truly mastered the art of keeping a telephone under your chin without its falling to the floor, a telephone visit always makes the time go faster.

Go to the library! Go to the bookstore! Get some Colwin!

My kid is just a few weeks into his fifth year and already it’s different than four. As if someone flipped a switch, his already amazing brain kind of exploded and became even more amazing. He’s tuned in. He’s thoughtful. He’s full of love. And most of all - most of all - he gets me. 

I have favorite parts of every day with him - waking him up in the morning and seeing his bedhead. Sitting him down for breakfast and listening to him talk about his plans for the day. Seeing his reaction when there’s a pile of buttermilk biscuits (or chicken satay or chicken soup or fruit salad) on the dinner table. But lately my favorite part of each day is reading to him before bed.

You see, he’s become completely obsessed with Edna Lewis. At first I know he was feigning interest just to placate me. I’d gush on about her and her thoughts on food and her amazing recipes and he’d nod and smile. But then I found this book and he went from pretending to be interested to being obsessed. We have read Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie nightly for weeks straight - he loves the seasonal approach - he loves the sing-songy rhymes - he loves the idea of spending the summer stocking the larder - he loves the recipes. 

He thought we should share one of Edna’s recipes with you. Corn Pudding is, hands down, his ‘most favorite food in the whole world’. And, in fact, he loves it all the way to Pluto and back (a journey, he’d like to remind you, that would take 10 years…so that’s a lot of love.)

This dish is rich. And filling. And packed with full-fat dairy. I wouldn’t make any alterations to the ingredients if I were you. Instead, I’d enjoy a smaller portion and savor the good stuff. 

Corn Pudding
Inspired by Edna Lewis
From the recipes found in Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie by Robbin Gourley.

Serves 8

Notes: Of course it’s not corn season. But that’s okay. We’ve found that you can make the pudding with frozen corn and the results are definitely acceptable. Using fresh corn cut from the cob results in a kernel that melts into the pudding a bit more than does the frozen, and both ways are delicious.

The recipe includes freshly grated nutmeg, and you really shouldn’t leave it out. It adds so much dimension to the finished dish.

You need:

• 3 T unsalted butter, melted - plus more for buttering your cooking vessel 
• 2 heaping cups best quality frozen corn - or 4 ears worth of corn cut from the cob
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 t kosher salt
• 2 large eggs (use pastured or farm eggs if you can find them)
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 dashes of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 - 3/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 T cornmeal 

Make the Corn Pudding:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and butter a 1.5 qt ceramic baking dish.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the corn with the sugar and salt and stir well. Set aside
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks are fully combined with the whites then (while whisking) add the milk in a slow stream. 
4. To the milk and eggs, add the melted butter, cayenne pepper and nutmeg then whisk until combined.
5. Add the liquid to the corn/sugar and stir until combined.
6. Scatter the 2 T of cornmeal on the bottom of your baking vessel then gently pour in the corn pudding.
7. Find a roasting pan larger than the dish the corn pudding is in and place the corn pudding inside. Fill the roasting pan with water until it reaches about 3/4 of the way up the sides of the corn pudding dish.
8. Pop the whole thing in the oven and bake for 1 hour or until set and golden brown.
9. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

We like corn pudding with just about anything. Most recently we had it with braised red cabbage, sausages and roasted kale. In the summer I dream of eating big bowls of it with fresh garden tomatoes on the side. Of course it’s a dream because no one should really eat big bowls of this stuff - a small serving is all it takes to experience the deliciousness. [I cannot believe I just said that. But, alas, it’s true.]

Why in the world does something like Duncan Hines Frosting Creations exist?

I must be completely wrong, but I thought the country was finally picking up on the fact that putting huge amounts of gross junk in your body isn’t good for you? But, of course, giant corporations keep pushing the (complete) crap onto grocery store shelves and people keep buying it. And I can see it - busy mom wants to make a cake (or cupcakes) but is short on time so she buys a tub of Duncan Hines ‘starter’ frosting at the megamarket and grabs the packet of magical Frosting Creations dust and decides it can’t hurt - a powder that has the power to turn frosting blue and flavor it like cotton candy?  The kids will love it AND the shade of blue perfectly matches little Billy’s party color scheme! 

But hold on a second. I should be nicer. And more understanding. Maybe the reason so many tubs of frosting (and now packets of magical frosting dust) sell is because busy people don’t realize how easy it is to make homemade frosting. Frosting that can be whipped up with real ingredients and flavored with real flavorings. Not cotton candy, but vanilla. Or vanilla bean. And cinnamon. Lemon and lime. Orange. Chocolate. Coffee. Almond. Mint. Or a combination - chocolate and coffee. Orange and chocolate. Cinnamon and vanilla. It’s a complete cliché, but the possibilities truly are endless. Is it as easy as opening a tub of frosting and a packet of powder? Not quite. But it’s nearly as easy and definitely worth the extra effort. I mean, what ingredient makes frosting blue and flavors it like cotton candy anyway? Not something I want to put in my mouth, that’s for sure.

Here’s a quick and easy (just three steps!) recipe for simple buttercream - the kind you remember from your days of licking the beaters in your childhood kitchen. I’ll also include tips & tricks on flavoring the icing…just no cotton candy!

Vanilla Buttercream

 Ingredients:

• 227 g  softened unsalted butter 
• 1247 g sifted (lump free) powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup whole milk (approximately)

Make the buttercream: 

1. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth.
2. Add the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla.
3. Begin to add milk, starting with half of the amount, and then continue adding it until the buttercream is smooth and the desired consistency is reached. You want it to be spreadable but not at all runny.

Using the Vanilla Buttercream:
Orange: Add 1 T of orange juice and the zest of 1 orange as you’re adding the milk. (You can also do the same with lime or lemon juice & zest.)
Vanilla bean: split and scrape one vanilla bean and add the seeds to the butter before creaming.
Maple: Add 4 T maple syrup IN PLACE of 4 T of milk. Spice it up with 1/2-1 t cinnamon if you’d like!
Chocolate: Add 5 T best quality cocoa powder plus 1/4 t kosher salt with the powdered sugar. You may need to increase the milk by a smidge. (For chocolately chip buttercream: Chop some chocolate until it’s in shards. Mix in the chocolate shards to your liking.)

Using the Mint Buttercream:
Choco-Mint: add 5 T best quality cocoa powder to powdered sugar. At the end add more plain milk if necessary - but just a touch!


Now, I seriously do not want to hear about you making bubblegum flavored frosting with the help of a magical powder…got it? Good.

Oh, Easter.

Mine flew by in a frenzy of seersucker pants and chocolate eggs. Add in brunch for eight prepared by moi (my French classes are really paying off), some sunshine and a few glasses of bubbly and you’ve got a pretty perfect day…if I do say so myself.

Brunch was delightful: We feasted on pain perdue (there’s that French again), bacon, a yogurt bar (complete with granola, fresh fruit, saucy figs and honey-preserved hazelnuts) and the most delicious asparagus you can imagine.

Here’s the recipe:

Roasted Asparagus with Meyer Lemon + Duck Eggs
serves 4-6
inspired by Sophie Dahl

you need:

• 6 duck eggs*, hard boiled (perfect instructions here)
• 20-24 stalks asparagus (about 2 bundles), washed with tough ends trimmed
• 1 large or 2 small meyer lemons, zested & juiced
• 4 T best quality olive oil, plus some for drizzling
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano
• truffle oil for finishing

make it:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Arrange the asparagus on a sheet tray in a single layer. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
3. Roast the asparagus for 15 or so minutes or until blistery and browned in spots - take care to not overcook.
4. While the asparagus is roasting, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil then season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
5. Finely chop the eggs. A serrated knife will come in handy here.
6. Once the asparagus is roasted, the lemon/oil has been whisked together and the eggs have been chopped, plate your dish:
   Arrange the asparagus on your plate or platter then top with the parm. Next, drizzle the lemon/oil over top. Then scatter the chopped eggs all over and dot a precious few drops of truffle oil around the plate.
   If you’d rather plate individually, follow the same instructions only do it smaller and repeat it several times.

I ate so much asparagus yesterday. I literally could not stop eating this. The duck eggs were so perfect when eaten with the bright meyer lemon - then add in the saltiness of the parm…and the earthy flavor of the truffle oil. OH MY GOD, so SO good.

Add in some crusty baguette for soaking up the lemony goodness, and you’ve got one delicious dish on your hands.

With all the spring asparagus around, you really have no excuse but to make this!

*Yes, you could make this with chicken eggs, but the duck eggs really make this heavenly. You can procure duck eggs from your local farmer’s market or well stocked fancy foods shop.

Oh, technology. Sometimes I love you. Sometimes I hate you. Sometimes I’m on the fence about you.

Here’s something I’m on the fence about: Craftsy has an Alice Medrich-taught chocolate cake class on tap - you pay a one time class fee of $59.99 and you get to watch the ‘class’ as many times as you’d like for as long as you’d like.

Huh.

On one hand, online learning makes a lot of sense to me. But (there’s always a but!) as someone who has taken many a cooking class and who has taught just as many, I like the idea of real, live teaching. I like the idea of real, live learning. But mostly - mostly - I like the opportunity for mistakes that in-person teaching/learning provides.

Let’s face it. Things are never going to go as perfectly as a cookbook in your home kitchen. Last week I dropped an entire saucepan of Marcella Hazan tomato sauce INSIDE my cooktop. And just yesterday I had to throw out a pan of scrambled eggs - I accidentally had the stove turned up to high when I added the eggs to the pan.

But my favorite mistakes are the ones I make in front of others - outside of the safety of my 1960’s home kitchen - while teaching classes. Here’s an example: I was teaching a class on cinnamon rolls and attempted to make a batch of sticky sauce as a topping. It took THREE tries before I came up with a batch that wasn’t scorched. Or the time - again, while teaching - that I overscooped the batter I put into the wells of a cupcake pan and ended up with a massive batter spill that coated the bottom of the oven. Burnt batter, anyone?

In both of these situations I was able to use these screw ups as teachable moments (can you tell I have a 5 year old? I am all about teachable moments these days) - but screwing up in front of a bunch of people who view you as an expert is really rather helpful - it levels the field. And it provides the opportunity for me to explain how to fix mistakes. This bit of information (how to remedy screwups) is literally some of the most valuable information you can have in your kitchen arsenal. Because if you can fix problems along the way - with caramel or whatever it is - you’re really in control.

So, back to online classes. When they’re slick and edited and totally put together, that element of screwups is stripped away. And the student is forced to look at perfection and strive for perfection with the delusion that everything they ever make should turn out perfectly the first time around. And, seriously, that’s just not always going to happen.

So, while I love the idea of an online chocolate cake class, I love the experience of real, live mistakes even more. Of course, it helps if you can handle people laughing at you.

Or is that laughing with you?

Time Magazine’s Josh Ozersky takes on foodie kids - and explains how getting kids into the kitchen might be the best way to get them to enjoy more than chicken nuggets.

AMEN.

click on the quote to head to the article…

Cooking is better for kids than eating; it makes them aware of how much work goes into making something good to eat, and it will inevitably give them standards that will make junk food look bad. (Delicious, yes, but bad – or at least, recognizable as junk food, rather than, “food,” which is what it is for many kids.) It’s also a kind of emergency home economics for an era when few households have an adult at their disposal full time…Who knows? Once these kids learn to cook, maybe they’ll become good eaters too, and skip being “foodies” entirely.

As if things couldn’t get any crazier, I’m now - again - a student.

I somehow managed to carve out enough time to take French classes. And, yes, I’m already behind on homework. And, no, I can’t remember the word for Wednesday. And, yes, my grasp of the formal and informal is lacking. But, it’s really (really) fun - and I feel like I’m ahead of the game given the amount of French baking terms that are rattling around in my head (if only that were enough!)

At this point I’m simply trying to stay ahead of my kid who begins his full immersion French elementary school in the Fall. He’s already signed up for French language summer camp, and I’m sure that after two weeks of daily French he’ll be able to show me who’s boss (in French). So, really, my French classes are just an exercise in self-preservation. I’ve got to stay on top somehow!

And speaking of staying on top: I’ve got a recipe for you. For a little something I call Saucy Figs. You’ll want these to stay on top of your yogurt (or oatmeal!) forever. Really.

Saucy Figs

you need:

• 24 dried black mission figs (about 10 oz) stemmed and quartered
• 1 cup water
• 2 T honey
• 1 T maple syrup
• 1 vanilla bean, split & scraped
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 2 pinches cardamom 

make the saucy figs:

1. Combine the figs through the cardamom in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. 
2. Bring the concoction to a slow simmer over medium heat, taking care to stir often. 
3. Let the figs simmer for 35-40 minutes or until they are very soft and saucy.
4. Remove from the heat and let cool a bit before scooping into a jam jar for refrigeration.
5. Allow the figs to chill in the fridge before use.

Seriously, I love these on plain yogurt. And I stir them into my oatmeal. And last week I topped them with a crumble and served them for dessert. They’re as at home on the breakfast table as they are on a cheese plate. That’s what I call versatile. AND that’s what I call delicious.

Stay tuned for more on the kid’s French school. It’s going to be quite an adventure - it’s a new school and an incredible addition to Portland’s unique education scene. I’ve volunteered to help formulate the school lunch plan - a task I literally could not be more excited about…and a task that’s sure to lead to many opinion-filled posts!