Betty Lives!

This entry is courtesy of my dear friend Drew from Garrison Confections.  I mentioned him in the last entry but he deserves more than a passing wave.  First of all, he makes the worlds greatest chocolates.  Hear me: WORLD’S. GREATEST.  Seriously, if you think you’ve had the best bonbons, you haven’t lived until you’ve gone through a box of Garrison’s.  Like chocolate-covered orange peel? His will blow your mind.  So sure that you despise white chocolate? Take one bite of Garrison’s white chocolate bar with orange - it’s like the best push-up orange sherbet Popsicle you’ve ever eaten (and a little like a Johnson’s baby aspirin in the best way possible).  I swear, he’s not paying me for this.  But he is southern, and he does call me “Sweetie”, which I cannot resist.  Doug and I order chocolate pretty regularly so for Mother’s Day I got a big box and because he knows I love it, Drew also tucked in a pint of homemade pimiento cheese.  Garrison chocolate+pimiento cheese=happiest day of my life.

Pimiento cheese is a southern  concoction comprised of cheese, mayo and pimientos, rather than a straight cow product.  It is also served as a specialty at the Masters in Augusta, who knew?  I’ve made it myself with additions such as grated onion, garlic salt and even pickle relish, but Drew says that only his is the real thing.  And because he used “Darlin’” at the end of that sentence I’m inclined to believe him.  Here is Andrew Garrison Shotts’ Real Pimiento Cheese recipe:

1 lb sharp cheddar, grated

1 lb mild cheddar, grated

1 1/2 cups mayo

3 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp salt

2 4-oz jars diced pimientos

Mix well and eat on saltines like this:

or like Drew on a ham sandwich with iceberg and tomato.  Or straight up on a spoon for breakfast as I have been known to do (occasionally).

Betty Crocker’s All-Time Favorites

The best recipes-by popular demand

1971

and

Ma Gastronomie

Fernand Point

1969

Not only did I make a cake, I made an AWESEOME cake!  I am very, very proud of myself because this recipe incorporated all the things I hate about baking - sifting, measuring, patience - and I totally nailed it anyway! And this brings my dessert-for-company repertoire up to a stunning THREE, including pudding and poached fruit.

Frankly, Angel Food is made for novices.  Sift 1 cup cake flour with 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar.  Measure 1 1/2 cups egg whites (this meant 11 eggs for me) into a bowl with 1 1/2 tsp cream of tarter and 1/4 tsp salt.  Beat on medium speed until foamy and then add 1 cup granulated sugar, a little at a time, until the mixture is stiff and glossy.  I used a little less sugar because I feared a cotton candy-type concoction.  Then fold in 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and the flour-sugar mixture a little at a time until it disappears.  “Push” (I love that!) the batter into an Angel Food tube pan, poke through with the back of a wooden spoon to break air holes, and bake for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees until golden.  Here’s the cool part, and maybe all you Angel Food pros know this trick: Betty says to “invert the tube pan on a funnel and let hang until cake is completely cool, at least 2 hours.”  Very smart trick so the cake doesn’t deflate under it’s own weight.

The Waldorf part of the recipe comes next and this is where I got  a little creative.  Betty directs you to cut off the top inch of the cake and dig a sort -of tunnel all the way around with a curved knife or spoon.  The tunnel is then filled with chocolate-flavored whipped cream.  But I took a look at those 11 leftover egg yolks just lying there and my heart broke, they needed to be used.  I thought, “An old French guy will know what to do with all these yolks!” And sure enough, Fernand Point came through with his peerless culinary classic, Ma Gastronomie  Crème Chocolat Pyramide is made by melting one pound of semi-sweet chocolate in four cups of milk with a drop of vanilla added.  Meanwhile 10 (!!) egg yolks are whisked with five ounces of sugar.  Once the chocolate is melted into the milk, add a drop to the eggs to temper them and then add all the eggs into the milk.  Heat very slowly until thick.  I was feeling insecure about how the Crème would turn out so I called my friend Drew at Garrison Confections.  He makes the world’s best bonbons and is a pastry genius.  He did the calculations in his head and confirmed for me that once the Crème cooled it would have a mousse-like texture.  Thanks Drew!

I filled my Angel Food with the Crème but felt it was too thick to use as icing.  Instead, I whipped about a cup of heavy cream and folded an equal amount of the mousse into it which worked out perfectly.  Look at me! Winging a dessert recipe! Did I mention that I am very, very proud of myself?  Although my Angel Food Waldorf didn’t look quite as perfect as the one in the book:

I still gave myself a gold medal for it.

p.s. You only need a fraction of the amount of Crème that Point’s recipe makes, but we have found many other uses for it so far including one I like to call “straight from the bowl”.

Spices, Salt and Aromatics in the English Kitchen

Elizabeth David

1970

When I was in my early twenties I had a British boyfriend who was wonderful in many ways but also dreadfully British.  Every time a waiter asked if he wanted coffee my boyfriend would raise an eyebrow and ask in his whithering accent: “Is it an American coffee or is it a proper coffee?” It never failed to make me want to crawl under the table and hide.  It also brought to mind one of my favorite authors, Robertson Davies, who describes a character in his book as being “English, in the exaggerated manner of the English abroad.”

I think that quote can often be extended to the English When They Write About Food, although not in every case. I love Simon Hopkinson, for example, and I think Jamie Oliver has some great recipes even though he looks dirty.  But Nigella Lawson makes my skin crawl.  If you haven’t seen it already, go check out this take-off on British cooking shows called Posh Nosh.  Think of Nigella while you watch and you will die laughing.

Elizabeth David is wonderful and a legend and if you would like to know more about her accomplishments you can read this. According to David, khichri is “the dish from which the English evolved kedgeree.” Kedgeree is a nasty combination of curry, smoked haddock and hard-boiled eggs so it’s a mystery to me how they arrived there from khichri, which turned out quite delicious.

Six peppercorns, the seeds of six cardamom pods and six allspice berries are ground and combined with 1/4 tsp each ground ginger and ground cloves.  She also suggests some cumin and turmeric to suit individual tastes so I added 1/4 tsp each of those as well.  The recipe begins with one ounce of clarified butter, melted.  I had no ghee, misread the recipe and melted four ounces of butter instead but extra butter never hurts.  One onion, thinly sliced, is sauteed in the (pool of) butter, then the spices get added, then four ounces each red lentils and Basmati rice.  Stir around in the fat, then add “1 heaped dessertspoonful” of salt, one Tbl Tamarind pulp and three glasses of cold water.  The mixture is cooked over medium heat, uncovered, for 20 minutes and then covered and cooked for an additional 20 minutes over low heat.  Because I was using brown rice the second cooking was closer to 35 minutes.  Finally, you add a squeeze of lemon juice and  serve.  One thing that I’ve noticed repeatedly in older recipes is that there is a final addition of something a little acidic to brighten the flavors and I’ve come to appreciate that in all my cooking.  The khichri was delicious and I served it as instructed with a yogurt and mint raita and also some sweet chutney.  Additionally, I roasted cauliflower with some garam masala and toasted some naan that was in the freezer.

Mushroom Recipes

Countess Morphy

1966

I heart the Countess!  I was trying to find something Spring-y and for some reason I grabbed this book.  The Countess never disappoints, at least with her ideas.  Execution is another thing.  If I had followed this single recipe to the letter it would have necessitated jumping around to four different pages for The Veal, Mushroom Stuffing, Mushroom Garnish, and brown Mushroom Sauce which is actually a variation of Sauce Espagnole.  No thanks.

The Countess, being a Countess, refers to her Paupiettes as “Collops”.  I bought cutlets and hoped for the best. Each cutlet is coated with a layer of Mushroom Stuffing.  The stuffing is made from finely chopped mushrooms cooked in butter, seasoned with salt and cayenne and mixed with half their weight of breadcrumbs.  I used one pound of mushrooms to stuff two pounds of veal cutlets.  After they’ve cooled, the mushrooms are bound with an egg and seasoned further with 1 tsp grated lemon rind and a squeeze of lemon juice.  This bit of lemon added a lot of brightness to an otherwise heavy preparation.

The cutlets get layered with stuffing,rolled, topped with bacon and tied.  I used toothpicks because I was feeling tired and lazy.  Although the recipe says to brown one sliced carrot, onions, and celery in bacon fat and THEN add the veal, I did the reverse because that is how I was taught.  The pan browned nicely so when I added the stock for cooking the veal it became rich with the caramelized veal juices.  So, browned veal, browned veg, add stock to cover halfway (no amount given, no stock specified), cover and cook in a “slow oven” for one and half hours.  Instead of the Mushroom Sauce I simply pureed the liquid and vegetables that were in the pan.  And because it was promising to be brown rolled in brown sauced with brown garnished with brown, I added some chopped fresh herbs to the sautéed Mushroom Garnish. And couscous.  Voilà:

I’ll say the same thing I did last time.  The Countess is lovely, but beware those of you who expect a nice, detailed list of ingredients and a thorough, careful explanation of how to prep.

The Eating in Bed Cookbook

Barbara Byfield

1962

I know I’ve done this one before but since Doug is away for over a week and missed both my birthday and our son’s, I thought it would be appropriate to pull one from the “Just Because You Love Yourself” chapter.   A mini-pity-party with onions.

A fresh baguette from the fabulous Italian bakery Court Street Pastry, a sliced Vidalia onion, truffle butter (!!), sea salt and some mesclun on top.   Honestly, there is no better lone indulgence.

And how great is this:

Have I mentioned that the front and back cover of the book are designed to look like mattress ticking? Sadly, this is the only cookbook Byfield penned.  Other than that there are numerous fantasy/horror books for children and some detective novels.  I may track them down just for her incredible illustrations.

The Eating in Bed Cookbook

Barbara Byfield

1962

I just love this book.  I love the way she writes, I love the idea of indulging yourself by eating in bed, and I love, love, LOVE her illustrations.  Remember the Onion Sandwich?

I made the Ether because it was time to break open the cherries that I had put up in Brandy back in June and because I wanted an excuse to buy more Di Camillo Niagra peaches from Blue Apron. Also, it’s in the chapter called “Poleaxers” which are “nothing more or less than Eating-in-Bed’s answer to sleeping pills” of which I take many and often.

Byfield says: “I cannot believe the occasion would arise when any of the preceding recipes should fail to put you to sleep, but if you have doubts, back them up by this dessert.  I doubt you’ll be awake long enough to eat it.” Since my alternative is Ambien, that sounded about right.

Line a sherbet dish with finely crumbled  macaroons (the dry French kind, not the kosher kind) and sprinkle them with a very good brandy.  Place on top a well drained stewed half of pear (I used peach) and cover it up well with fresh sour cream (I used creme fraiche).  Flavor with much more brandy and serve cold.  I added a cherry from my brandy for good measure and let me be the first to say that this WORKS! I went to bed tingly and happy and slept like a baby.

Here is my Ether and some of the ingredients:

Yes, just like this:

Illustrations for Suleyman’s Comfort:

Just Because You Love Yourself

Final page:

Bull Cook and Authentic Historical Recipes and Practices

George Leonard Herter and Berthe Herter

1964 (ninth edition)

Thank you to Charlie S. for yet another fantastic recommendation and thank you to Alan Palmer at Blue Apron  who lent me Volumes II and III. What would I do without the two of you?

George Herter owned a sporting goods store and catalogue business from the 1950’s to the 1970’s.  He  was a gun and rifle enthusiast and had his own line that he marketed through the catalogues.  This cookbook shows that he was also an avid history buff, opinionated eater and all-around crank.  It is a cooking tool, survival manual, travelogue, cultural thesis, and restaurant guide all rolled into one giant, crotchety treatise. And  I have come to envision Herter himself as part George W. Bush, part Archie Bunker and part Unabomber.  Here are some of my favorite quotes, although the list is far from exhaustive:

“Hollywood, thank goodness, is dead.  Television has at least done incalculable good in destroying this evil group.  Hollywood created an era where prostitutes were made national heroines simply because they bedded well with some studio owners.”

“Sauerbraten was invented by Charlemagne.”

“This recipe has done more good I believe than any other recipe in the world.” (regarding a recipe called Church Builder Chicken which is comprised of chicken, bacon, canned lima beans, canned corn and canned tomatoes)

“Chicken Kiev is served very well at the Cafe Exceptionale in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  This is the only restaurant in North America that does serve it well.”

“Esoffier was one of the world’s good cooks.”  (damning with faint praise anyone?)

“Seattle’s restaurants, with the exception of a very few sea food restaurants, are nothing at all to brag about.  Most of them sell atmosphere, not food and at very high prices.”

“Never underestimate the Chinese People.  The Koreans and Japanese are also pure Chinese.”

“This is the most fabulous recipe for preparing spaghetti that has ever been devised and is one of the few really original recipes of the past 100 years.”  (It is spaghetti with Roquefort)

“Mayonnaise cannot be bought in grocery stores.”

When Herter makes statements like these it’s hard to imagine truthfulness or accuracy in his culinary research, but then again he clearly went to great trouble.  Who knows if Chicken Kiev was invented by a Frenchman named Appert? I’m too lazy to verify.

The back portion of Volume I is what I like to call the “lifestyle” section: How to Make Soap; The Indian Method of Quitting Smoking; How to Dress a Deer; In case of a Hydrogen Bomb Attack You Must Know The Ways of Wilderness Survival.  Now you see why this book was self-published (nine times apparently).

Alan did point out though, and I totally agree, that the traditional recipes he gives are very well written and accurate.  I chose the broiled steak because Herter dedicates four entire paragraphs to this preparation and therefore it deserves respect.  No measurements are given,  just directions.  Melt enough butter to cover the bottom of a pan and while warm but not hot, soak up both sides of the steak in the butter for 10-15 minutes.  Then salt and pepper the steak and broil at 500 degrees, basting with the pan juices.  Herter cooks his steak for 30-40 minutes but in this house we would rather eat shoes than well-done meat.  After the steak is cooked, lift it with tongs “never a fork”, spread it with more butter and let it rest.  Simple directions but very specific and I have to say that I have never, ever been able to achieve the nice char and crust on a steak the way I did with Herter’s method.  It was spectacular.

I made Potatoes Madrid because Herter calls it “the finest of eating”.   Take three heaping teaspoons of butter and melt in a frying pan, add three good sized shallots and fry until barely beginning to brown.  Boil three large potatoes (I used 6 smaller,  buttercream potatoes) then mash.  He doesn’t specify so I did not remove the skins.  Add two teaspoons butter, two teaspoons of cream and the browned shallots.  Once again, simple but spectacular.

p.s. That’s plated with some yummy organic purple kale that I sauteed with artisanal bacon and garlic.  Herter would probably shoot me for ruining his perfectly good food with my fancy-pantsy vegetables.