Month: August 2013

Cornmeal Johnnycakes

When I woke up Sunday morning, it was cold and rainy. I did not sign up for cold and rainy in August when I moved from Nebraska to Virginia. To be clear: I signed up for unbearably hot and humid summers that creep mercilessly into late September.

Anyway, when I woke up and it was cold and rainy, I wanted to go back to bed. But going back to sleep isn’t an option on Sundays: I teach a 9am BODYPUMP class, and rain or shine, there will be a group of folks waiting for me to be all chipper and hard-core and beast out some push-ups.

At home later that morning, I decided the antidote to 60-degree weather in August was a hoodie and a big breakfast. Surveying my pantry and refrigerator contents, I opted for johnnycakes — essentially a cross between a corn muffin and a pancake — with a drizzle of real maple syrup, pork sausage patties and a couple of eggs over-easy. I first found this recipe in a Williams-Sonoma catalog years ago, and I like the flavor and texture the blackberries and toasted pecans add.

It didn’t make the rain go away, but it was a nice precursor to my afternoon nap. :)

Cornmeal Johnnycakes

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Makes 12 cakes (serves about 4)

3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3/4 cup fine-ground yellow cornmeal
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional)
3/4 cup sliced blackberries

In a large bowl, stir together first five ingredients; set aside. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm milk until small bubble form around the edges of the pan and steam begins to rise; remove from heat.

Put cornmeal in a medium bowl. Add milk and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap; let stand 10 minutes. Stir in butter and eggs. Stir cornmeal mixture into flour until thoroughly combined. Let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Butter, grease, or spray a griddle or large fry pan. Heat over medium heat. Pour batter in scant 1/4-cup measures; sprinkle each circle with pecans and a few slices blackberry. Cook until golden and puffy, 1-2 minutes. Flip cakes; cook until golden, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately with fresh blackberries, blackberry syrup or compote, or maple syrup.

Raspberry Fool with Toasted Angel Food Cake

One of my motivations to start a food blog was to share experiences about food and cooking across my diverse community of friends. I would love more friends to share recipes, stories, and memories as guest bloggers, but not everyone is comfortable or has the time to share.

I love sharing recipes and stories, but I want the blog to be more about just me — I want to create community. I want to give people ideas, sure, but I also want to, well, I don’t know… DO stuff.

And then the latest issue of Bon Appetit came, and it was all so clear. Virtual cooking dates! Everybody make the same thing, over relatively the same time period, and then shares about it if they choose.

Raspberry Fool with Toasted Angel Food Cake looked simple yet elegant, and easily customizable. I shared the recipe with a bunch of friends and asked them to put their own twist on it over the same time period.

The results were pretty spectacular. I made two versions myself (confession: it was all I could do not to eat an entire cake in one sitting), and a couple friends shared their own variations — including a couple pictures. It’s not quite the same thing as hopping on a plane to see an old friend or meet a virtual one, but it does make me feel a little more connected.

Here is the original recipe, followed by the variations. What other ways might you serve this treat?

Raspberry Fool with Toasted Angel Food Cake

From Bon Appetit

2 1/2 cups raspberries (about 12 oz.)
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, plus more for serving
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
4 cups 1-inch pieces angel food cake (from about 1/3 of a cake)

Preheat oven to 375°. Spread cake pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toast until edges are golden brown but centers are still soft, 8–10 minutes. Let cool; set aside.

Using a fork, coarsely mash raspberries, 2 Tbsp. sugar, and 1 tsp. lime zest in a small bowl. Let sit 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat cream, crème fraîche, and remaining ¼ cup sugar in a medium bowl until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.

Layer cake, raspberry mixture, and cream mixture in glasses or small bowls; top with lime zest.

* * *

RHRW version #1: omit the lime zest,. Top bowls with grated chocolate, and serve with cordial glasses of raspberry wine (I like Doukenie Winery‘s raspberry merlot dessert wine)

RHRW version #2: layer cake, berries and whipped cream in 1/2-pint (or smaller) mason jars. Screw on lids and store in the refrigerator. Send them with your dinner guests as to-go desserts, or pack them for tomorrow’s lunch.

Nina’s version: substitute angel food cake for a gluten-free almond pound cake made with almond flour. Replace sour cream with Marscapone.

Carrie’s version: Add a dash of cardamom to the raspberries. When beating the cream, add a splash of Vermont maple balsamic vinegar. When assembling the dessert, layer in a little toasted coconut.

Fish Tacos

Growing up, tacos were a school lunch food, and something we sometimes ate at friends’ houses, but not a regular feature at our table. We just didn’t eat much Mexican or Tex-Mex in our family, in restaurants or at home.

These days, I’m making up for lost time. I love Mexican and Mexican-inspired food (authentic or not). I would probably eat tacos once a week if I could. Ground beef, steak, fish, chicken, pork, vegetarian… do many options, I never get bored.

I like tilapia for fish tacos because they’re inexpensive, always available and have good flavor and texture. I often use the individually packaged 4 oz. frozen fillets (2 fillets for a single serving works well). Most fish is best served immediately, not as leftovers. I only cook what I need, but I often make it two days in a row since I already have the ingredients.

Fish tacos are typically made with corn tortillas rather than flour. They aren’t as sturdy, and they break easily, especially if there’s a lot of liquid. Some people use a double layer of tortillas. I just eat quickly, and finish off anything that falls out with a fork. :) To make it paleo, replace tortillas with butter or romaine lettuce leaves.

I love fish tacos with my canned summer corn salsa. So good! Make your tacos hotter with a spicy salsa, jalapenos, or a dash of siracha, or include a shake (or three) of red pepper when seasoning the fillets.

~Red

Fish Tacos

For every 2 people:
12-16 oz. firm white fish fillets, such as tilapia or mahi mahi
Cumin, salt and pepper to taste
2 limes, divided
Olive oil
Cilantro
4-6 corn tortillas
Shredded cabbage, diced avocado, salsa, sour cream/creme fraiche, or your favorite toppings

Pat fish fillets dry with paper towels. Place fish in a shallow glass dish and season both sides with cumin, salt and pepper. Finally chop a couple tablespoons of cilantro leaves. Pat into fish. Squeeze the juice of one lime over the fish. Drizzle with olive oil. Flip the fillets a couple times to coat. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes.

If desired, whisk together a lime sour cream sauce with about 2-3 tablespoons sour cream or creme fraiche and 1 tablespoon lime juice.

Brush a grill pan with olive oil. Heat over medium heat. Grill tortillas until lightly brown. Wrap in paper towels and store in the microwave to keep warm.

Increase heat to medium-high. Shake excess marinade from fish. Grill fish until the center is opaque and the fish flakes with a fork.

Assemble tacos: load tortillas with pieces of fish, cabbage, lime sour cream sauce, avocado, salsa, extra cilantro, or other favorite toppings.

Serve immediately with lime wedges. And possibly a margarita on the rocks.