Fare Exchange: Everything from toffee to grilled cheese to couscous

Welcome to the mid-October world of good food. We are hot on the trail of Pigs in a Blanket, whipping cream biscuits and gluten-free snickerdoodles like those sold at Trader Joe’s.

The requester, Carrie Cupcake, (we can assume not her real name ) also recommended Sally’s Baking Addiction as her favorite blog for her favorite food. Then she asked you to provide a recipe for “Pigs in a Blanket made with a roll-out dough.” Her description made me wonder whether that dough is frozen puff pastry. As she is first and foremost a baker (and a sixth-grader), Ms. C. “would also like to copy the snickerdoodles at Trader Joe’s and make biscuits made with whipping cream.”

EASY TOFFEE

From a sweet page in the most recent missive from Phyllis Burzese, here is a toffee that is made in the microwave, a handy way to simplify an often-complicated recipe.

Tantalizing Toffee

2 1/4 cups walnuts

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup butter

1 (6-ounce) package semi-sweet or milk chocolate pieces

Coarsely chop 1 cups of the walnuts for toffee. Finely chop remaining cup walnuts for topping.

In a 2-quart glass measuring cup with handle, combine sugar, water, corn syrup and butter. Microwave at High 5 minutes. Stir well until sugar dissolves. Microwave at High 16 to 20 minutes or until mixture reaches 300 degrees. Stir in coarsely chopped walnuts and quickly spread in buttered 15-by-10-inch jellyroll pan. Let stand until cooled completely.

Place chocolate in 2-cup glass measure. Microwave at High 30 seconds; stir to melt completely. Spread over cooled toffee. Sprinkle finely chopped walnuts evenly over chocolate. Let stand several hours until chocolate is set, then break into pieces. Makes about 2 pounds.

MACAROONS

This recipe came from an anonymous reader via Betty Crocker’s cookbook. These are thin and wafer-y.

Peanut Macaroons

1 egg

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon water

1 tablespoon Gold Medal flour

1/3 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Beat egg until lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar and water.

Mix together and gently fold in flour, salt and baking powder. Add and mix just enough to blend in, the roasted peanuts (1 cup shelled, brown husks removed).

Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased wrapping paper parchment paper on baking sheet. Bake in a 325-degree oven until set and delicately browned, 14 to 15 minutes. Remove from paper immediately.

Makes about 3 dozen 2-inch macaroons.

GRILLED CHEESE

Straight from New York University and A.S. came this recipe. “When I fixed it for my friends, they started calling me Mom.”

New York Grilled Cheese

Buffalo mozzarella cheese slices

Sourdough bread loaf, sliced

Pesto sauce

Butter

Pasta sauce

Cover one slice of sourdough bread with slices of mozzarella. Spread top bread slice with pesto and put pesto-side down on mozzarella. Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet on the stovetop and grill, turning once or more until cheese is melted.

Cut in half and serve immediately with a warm dish of pasta sauce for dipping the sandwich.

CORNBREAD

From Lookout Mountain, Karen Cline found a good old Southern cornbread, and she credits “Cooks’ Country.” This one has no flour, just cornmeal.

Unlike sweet and cakey Northern versions that are better suited to the dessert table, Southern cornbread recipes contain neither sugar nor flour, making them savory enough to join the main course. We wanted to develop a proper Southern cornbread.

While any 10-inch oven-safe skillet will work here, our first choice (for both tradition and function) is a cast-iron skillet. Avoid coarsely ground cornmeal, as it will make the corn bread gritty.

Toasting the cornmeal gives it a richer corn flavor.

Southern-Style Skillet Cornbread

2 1/4 cups cornmeal

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

To toast the cornmeal, adjust oven racks to lower-middle and middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat 10-inch oven-safe skillet on middle rack for 10 minutes. Bake cornmeal on rimmed baking sheet set on lower-middle rack until fragrant and color begins to deepen, about 5 minutes. Transfer hot cornmeal to large bowl and whisk in buttermilk; set aside.

Add oil to hot skillet and continue to bake until oil is just smoking, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from oven and add butter, carefully swirling pan until butter is melted. Pour all but 1 tablespoon oil mixture into cornmeal mixture, leaving remaining fat in pan. Whisk baking powder, baking soda, salt, and eggs into cornmeal mixture.

Pour cornmeal mixture into hot skillet and bake until top begins to crack and sides are golden brown, 12 to 16 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack.

Makes 12 servings.

COUSCOUS

The topic of interesting and varied grains has once again come forth, and Tish Morgan offered a simple suggestion for couscous.

Couscous

Boxed couscous from Near East brand

Water

1 tablespoon dried mint

1 teaspoon garlic powder

According to directions on box, mix enough couscous and water to make 4 servings. Just before water is absorbed, stir in dried mint and garlic powder.

Cook until water is absorbed.

This works well served in small bowls or cups, or packed into bowls and inverted on the plate.

The original recipe came from an Atlanta restaurant.

FINDING FARRO

Here’s a final grainy word, this one from A. E., on farro. “I found this information on popsugar.com. ‘Quinoa used to get all the attention as one of the most nutritious whole grains, hailed as one of the best superfoods ever, but farro is quickly gaining popularity. A little softer and more tender in texture, it’s similar to rice, so people who can’t deal with the slightly nutty flavor and poppy texture of quinoa will love spooning into a bowl of farro. It’s important to note that farro is not a gluten-free grain.’ The article went on to say that they are almost equal in terms which one is healthier. Now, where to buy farro and how to cook it best?”

It’s good to end with a question, to keep you thinking and hopefully sharing your ideas with the rest of us.