We begin this morning with a request from Good Neighbor, who wrote because he or she HAS a good neighbor. "I received a bottle of blue agave syrup as a gift, and I have no idea what to do with it. Can your readers help?"
Last week we printed a recipe for green tomato pie filling, and this week someone wonders how one might use green tomatoes in a pie. "Sweet? Savory? Tell me more. It makes a large quantity, using both green tomatoes and apples, and brown sugar and white sugar."
Please pay attention to these repeat requests: any lovely green vegetable, prepared to retain the fresh green ... and how to cook salmon, halibut, haddock and prawns. The fish requests came from a cook who is "picky about fish," so proceed with caution to provide the answers, please.
TASTY TWO-FER
The almost-bottomless collection of Rose Secrest's hand-printed recipes contained this treasure. It's the first time in my half-century Fare Exchange memory that a reader has used the word "innards." That might keep you reading. And although Ms. Secrest always trusts the cook's good sense, sometimes giving few details, we are pretty sure that by listing "2 chocolate bars, melted" she is telling you to use as much chocolate as suits your taste.
Chocolate Pudding
1/2 cup pitted medjool dates, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
1 vanilla bean innards (here, I believe, a scraping from the center of these long dark beans, which are available on the spice rack at supermarkets)
3 avocados, mashed
2 chocolate bars, melted
1/2 cup water
Blend. Serve with whipped cream and berries.
Crunchy Asparagus
1 pound asparagus, microwaved to desired doneness and chilled
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
2 tablespoons tarragon, minced
2 tablespoons chives, minced
2 tablespoons mustard
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Combine.
APPLES FOR LATER
Linda Johnson sent, for now, a final recipe for preserving food in season. This time she prescribes for apple season.
Apple Preserves
6 cups peeled, cored, sliced apples
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced (optional)
4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
Sterilize canning jars. Combine apples, water and lemon juice in a large saucepot. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in pectin, and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring frequently. Add lemon slices (optional) and sugar. Return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; add nutmeg. Pour hot preserves into hot jars, leaving -inch headspace. Wipe jar rims, and adjust lids. Process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Makes about 6 half-pint jars.
EASY SPOON BREAD
As it happens, there are many incarnations of spoon bread, and this one from Pat Crutchfield offers another way to spoon one's cornbread. Ms. Crutchfield wrote, "I saw a couple of recipes for spoon bread in the Food section that were not like the one my family likes, and I thought I would share it with you. It is so good and easy."
Spoon Bread
1 stick melted butter
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix with buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 (8-ounce) can of cream style corn
1 cup sour cream
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients and bake in a well-greased pan for 45 minutes.
COOKIES, AS REQUESTED
Finally, "Faithful Reader" sent this nomination for a chocolate chip cookie with sea salt flakes on top. "This recipe calls for 1 cup of dark chocolate chips and a cup of semisweet, but I am sure just semisweet or milk chocolate would do. This came from Rachael Ray."
Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies With Sea Salt Flakes
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped dark chocolate (70%), plus more for topping
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt, for garnish
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the butter in a small saucepan until it turns an amber color and smells nutty. For a deeper-flavored cookie, let it get dark brown. Transfer the brown butter to a small heatproof bowl, and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar and granulated sugar with the cooled brown butter until well incorporated and slightly fluffy. Add the vanilla, and mix. Add the eggs, and mix until the mixture is fluffy and turns a lighter brown color.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones, and mix until just incorporated. Don't overmix - flour streaks are OK. Add the dark chocolate and chocolate chips, and mix JUST until they are incorporated. Let the dough sit, covered, at room temperature or in the fridge, for at least 30 minutes. It can also be stored in the fridge overnight.
Spoon the dough onto baking sheets, leaving adequate space in between. We usually portion out 3 tablespoons per cookie, which yields 10 to 12, but you can make them any size you like. Bake until golden brown around the edges with slightly underbaked centers, 10 to 12 minutes, assuming they are about 3 tablespoons each. If you prefer a crisper cookie, bake them longer.
Once the cookies are out of the oven, top each one with 2 to 3 dark chocolate chunks and let melt (about 2 minutes). Generously sprinkle the cookies with sea salt, and let sit for about 20 minutes before serving. This will allow the cookie to firm up, yet still be warm, resulting in a crunchy exterior and chewy, soft interior.
Note: To fully stop the baking process and firm up the cookies faster, after salting the tops, carefully transfer them with a spatula to a clean baking sheet or platter and freeze for 10 minutes. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, then enjoy.
On that sweet note we end today's conversation. Next week? Let's.
REQUESTS
- Uses for blue agave syrup
- Green tomato pie
- Keeping the color in cooked vegetables
- How to cook fish
TO REACH US
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send, and know we cannot test the recipes printed here.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Email: chattfare@gmail.com