Technically, spoon bread is made with cornmeal, but I prefer the texture of this pudding-like dish when made with coarse, country-style grits. Instant grits and even polenta will also give the dish good corn flavor and a wonderful texture. If using one of these substitutions, follow the package directions for cooking times.
Ingredients
For the sweet potatoes:
2 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in 1-inch chunks
2-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 eggs, separated
For the grits:
3 cups water
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. chopped shallot
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Pinch cayenne (optional)
1-1/4 cups stone-ground grits
2 Tbs. heavy cream
Nutritional Information
Preparation
Put the sweet potatoes in a large pot; cover with water and 1-1/2 tsp. of the salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and purée the potatoes in a food mill or ricer. Fold in the remaining 1 tsp. salt, the white pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Set aside.
While the potatoes boil, cook the grits. In a medium heavy-based pot, bring the water, garlic, and shallot to a boil. Add the butter, salt, and cayenne. Gradually whisk in the grits. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the grits are cooked and creamy and just start to pull away from the side of the pot, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and fold in the cream.
Heat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, mix the sweet potato purée with the grits. Mix in the egg yolks. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks; gently fold them into the sweet potatoes. Spread the mixture in a 9×13-inch casserole and bake until pudding sets and the top is lightly browned, about 35 minutes.
I wouldn’t say no to a scoop of vanilla ice cream with this dessert.
Ingredients
4 ripe but firm pears
1/2 lemon
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. Scotch whisky (optional)
Nutritional Information
Preparation
Heat the oven to 375°F. Peel the pears, cut them in half lengthwise and, using a melon baller, scoop out the cores. Rub them all over with the lemon half to prevent browning.
In a large (10-inch), heavy-based, ovenproof skillet, melt the butter. Add the sugar and brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Arrange the pears in the pan, cut side down, in a single layer. Bake the pears uncovered, basting occasionally with the liquid in the pan, until they begin to soften and color slightly. Depending on the pears’ ripeness, baking time can range from 20 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Transfer the pan to a burner and boil the mixture left behind over medium-high heat until it reaches a rich, golden-brown color and smells like caramel, 2 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk the cream into the caramel until smooth. Add the vanilla, salt, and Scotch, if using. Serve the sauce over the warm pears.
Wine flavors are subtle but important in this salad, so use a wine you wouldn’t mind drinking. I like to keep the potato skins on both for looks and nutrition.
Ingredients 2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled 1-1/3 cups dry white wine (or 1/2 cup white-wine vinegar) Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbs. minced shallot 2/3 cup chopped scallions
Nutritional Information
Preparation Boil the whole unpeeled potatoes in generously salted water until fork-tender, 20 to 30 minutes., depending on size. As soon as you can handle the potatoes but while they’re still warm, slice them just under 1/2 inch thick with a very sharp knife. In a small saucepan over medium heat, boil the wine until it’s reduced by half. (If using vinegar, don’t cook it.) Sprinkle the salt, white pepper, and hot reduced wine (or the vinegar) over the warm potatoes; toss gently. Add the olive oil, tossing just until combined, and then add the shallots and scallions. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve at room temperature.
Variations on this potato salad are endless, but here are a few that I especially like. Follow the basic recipe above — just omit the scallions and substitute one of these combinations:
Chopped tomato, diced crisped bacon, and hard-cooked egg
Chopped anchovies and sliced roasted red peppers
Chopped olives, minced garlic, and cubed chicken or turkey
Lemon juice, caviar, crème fraîche, and snipped chives
Paprika, capers, and smoked salmon (To avoid cooking the salmon, don’t add it until the salad is at room temperature.)
This makes a great side dish for roast lamb, chicken, or pork. Or serve it as a main course topped with some tomato sauce or roasted vegetables.
Ingredients 4-1/2 cups water 1 tsp. salt; more to taste 1 tsp. unsalted butter 1 cup polenta 1/4 lb. soft fresh goat cheese 1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh sage
Nutritional Information
Preparation In a medium heavy-based pot, bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the salt and butter. Slowly whisk in the polenta. Continue to cook over high heat, whisking constantly, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for another 15 minutes, whisking frequently. The polenta should be thick and creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the goat cheese and sage. Taste and add more salt, if needed. Pour the polenta into a warm serving bowl and let stand for a few minutes, allowing it to firm up slightly before serving.
This no-stir method—combining cornmeal, water, and a little salt in an oiled nonstick skillet and roasting it in the oven (as opposed to frequent stirring in a pot on the stove)—produces wondrous results: creamy polenta with an appetizing sheen and the voluptuous, bosomy quality that well-made polenta should have. Varying the proportion of water to cornmeal lets you adjust the polenta’s consistency from runny to firm and lets the polenta take on many different guises: a simple steaming bowl served with a little grated cheese; a bed for stews and ragoûts; layered or stirred with greens and cheese for pies or gratins; or slices or cubes to fry or grill and top with fresh herbs and cheese.
Twice the time, but worth the wait
Cooking polenta this way takes longer than if I were doing it on top of the stove, but it leaves me free to take care of the stew, greens, or whatever else I’ll serve with the polenta. I also love this no-stir method because:
• I don’t get tired from stirring, nor do I have to deal with a sputtering pot. • The polenta gets an appealing toasty corn flavor and aroma from oven roasting. • The polenta doesn’t get watery because of too much liquid added at the end of cooking to thin it out before serving. If you’re used to stirring, this method will require a leap of faith, but trust me. The cornmeal and water may actually separate in the oven and not come together for more than half the cooking time. But don’t worry—they will.
A wide, deep uncovered skillet lets the cornmeal roast in the open heat
I use a wide, deep, uncovered skillet to expose a large amount of cornmeal to the open heat. This toasts the cornmeal as it cooks, teases out more flavor, and adds a roasted quality.
A large nonstick sauté pan or skillet is key. With nonstick, there’s no scorching on the bottom, and the polenta slides out of the pan like a dream.
Be sure your pan is ovenproof up to 350°F, which is the temperature I’m using here to cook the polenta. I’ve had good results with a three-quart nonstick sauté pan by All-Clad Ltd. The 12-inch heavy-gauge aluminum nonstick “Peking” pan developed by Joyce Chen is also good, especially if you’re doubling these recipes to serve eight. If you don’t have a skillet, a well-oiled four-quart saucepan works, too, but the cooking may take a little longer because the pan is deeper. I’ve also used a small uncovered Chinese clay pot with a glazed interior and short handle, which works beautifully for smaller batches. You can find one in a Chinese market for under $10.
Mix the cornmeal, water, and salt in a greased ovenproof skillet, and then bake uncovered at 350°F for 40 minutes.After 40 minutes, stir, taste for salt, and bake for another 10 minutes. If you double the recipe, double the cooking time.
Dress up a plain bowl of polenta
A simple bowl of steaming polenta is wonderfully comforting by itself, but it’s also terrific with:
• a dusting of aged Parmesan. • Gorgonzola with chopped walnuts. • soft cheese, such as ricotta or mascarpone, stirred in. • a heavy sprinkling of chopped herbs and a drizzle of fruity olive oil. • a saute of bitter greens or wild mushrooms • a topping of slow-cooked sliced onions
A fresh bag of cornmeal smells sweet
Polenta is, of course, made from cornmeal, which you can find in supermarkets and health-food stores. A good batch smells bright and sweet; a stale batch will have a cardboardy smell and taste.
Cornmeal comes in fine, medium, medium-coarse, and coarse grinds. Here, I’m using coarse and medium-coarse grinds because I prefer the texture of the finished polenta to that produced by fine cornmeal. I think American stone-ground meal is wonderful. Imported Italian vacuum-packed cornmeal is excellent, too, but it’s pricier.
Some distributors even label the box “polenta”; this is fine as long as you don’t buy instant polenta, which is flavorless in comparison to its longer-cooking cousin. If the only cornmeal you can find is Quaker or another major brand name that isn’t coarse, make sure that it’s yellow rather than white (white is all right; it’s just a little bland) and that it’s a medium grind.
Try to use a bag or box of cornmeal soon after you buy it. You’ll get a fresher corn taste this way. I recommend storing cornmeal in the freezer, tightly sealed (storing it in the refrigerator can produce mold). The better mills in this country dry their corn and grind it as needed, so if you can get cornmeal that has been ground recently, your polenta will be that much tastier.
Runny, soft, or firm polenta depends on the amount of liquid
Runny, soft, or firm polenta depends on the amount of liquid No matter what grind of cornmeal you’re using, the consistency of the polenta will depend on how much water you use. Use the chart opposite to guide you. I usually use just water, but half milk and half water gives a rich, mellow flavor. Quite a few chefs I know use chicken stock, although I don’t myself. Be aware that if you want to keep the polenta for a few days to use for wedges, slices, or dumplings, polenta made with stock or milk won’t keep.
Yield: Yields one 9-inch tart (with enough dough for another tart)
Servings: six to eight.
This jewel-like fruit tart actually tastes as good as it looks, thanks to a light, creamy pastry cream and a tender pâte sucrée shell.
Ingredients For the pâte sucrée: 5 oz. (10 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened at room temperature 3-1/2 oz. (3/4 cup) confectioners’ sugar, sifted 1/4 tsp. salt Seeds scraped from 1/4 vanilla bean, or 1 tsp. vanilla extract 4-1/2 oz. (1 cup) all-purpose flour 2 oz. (1/2 cup) cake flour 1 large egg For the frangipane: 3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened 6 Tbs. sugar 3/4 cup finely ground almonds 1 Tbs. all-purpose flour 2 egg yolks For the light pastry cream: 2/3 cup milk 1/4 vanilla bean, scraped, or 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 egg yolks 2 Tbs. sugar 1 Tbs. all-purpose flour 1/4 cup heavy cream For the fruit: A mix of fresh, ripe fruit (try apricots, peaches, berries, apples, tropical fruits, or whatever’s in season) Apple jelly, gently heated until runny
Nutritional Information
Preparation Make the sweet pastry dough: Put the butter, confectioners’ sugar, salt, and vanilla in a food processor; process until very soft, smooth, and well blended. Sift together the two flours. Add them and pulse just until incorporated; the dough will look slightly crumbly. Add the egg and process agian until smooth and creamy. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide it and shape each half into a disk. Wrap each disk well in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour. (You’ll only use one disk for this tart; freeze the other one for up to four months.)
Roll the dough and then line the tart pan Let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes so it softens slightly. Unwrap it and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough into a round, using even pressure and turning the disk a quarter turn after each pass of the rolling pin. Flour the work surface and the dough very lightly as needed. Continue rolling until the dough is a shade more than 1/8 inch thick and very even.
With a docker or a sharp-tined fork, prick the entire surface of the dough. Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it to a 9-inch tart pan. With the pricked side of the dough facing down now, unroll the dough round and drape it over the pan, taking care not to stretch it.
With your thumb, carefully push the dough down into the pan where the base and sides of the pan meet, and then push the dough carefully onto the sides of the pan, pinching to make neat, straight upper walls.
With a paring knife, trim off any overhang so the dough doesn’t extend higher than the pan. Chill the lined tart pan for at least 1 hour. Make the frangipane Heat the oven to 325°F. Cream the butter with an electric mixer until it’s light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to cream well. Add the ground almonds, flour, and yolks, blending well after each addition. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Put the frangipane in a pastry bag with a wide tip and pipe an even layer into the chilled tart shell.
Bake in the heated oven until the shell is thoroughly browned on the sides and the bottom and the frangipane is a deep gold, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool the tart, still in the pan, on a rack. Make the pastry cream: In a saucepan, heat the milk with the vanilla pod and seeds until it steams; let it steep, off the heat, for a few minutes. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and flour. Pour a bit of the hot milk into the yolks and whisk to blend. Pour the yolk mixture into the rest of the milk and put the pan back on medium heat, whisking constantly and rapidly until the mixture boils; let it boil for 1 minute, still whisking, and then take it off the heat. Pour the pastry cream into a bowl; put a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream and chill at least 1 hour. Beat the chilled pastry cream with a mixer or a wooden spoon until it’s lighter, looser, and lump-free.
Whip the cream until it holds soft but definite peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream.
Put it all together: Put the cream into a pastry bag with a wide tip and pipe an even layer into the shell. Arrange the fruit in a pretty pattern, placing the pieces upright when possible. With a clean pastry brush, coat the fruit with a thin layer of the apple jelly to glaze.
This earthy, brick-red rice is made by frying the uncooked rice with a purée of ancho chiles. The addition of milk tones down some of the chile-induced heat.
Ingredients
4 medium to large dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4-1/2 tsp. unsalted butter
1/3 cup blanched, slivered almonds
3 Tbs. olive oil
1-1/2 cups long-grain rice
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1-3/4 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
1-1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
1 avocado, peeled and cut into large dice or slices (optional)
Nutritional Information
Preparation
Put the chiles in a small saucepan. Cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, cover it, and let the chiles soak for 10 to 15 minutes; drain. Put the chiles in a blender, add the garlic and 1/3 cup water, and blend for at least 1 min., starting at low speed and gradually turning to high speed, to make a purée; set aside.
Melt 1-1/2 tsp. of the butter in a small skillet over medium to medium-low heat, add the almonds and cook, stirring often, until they are golden brown but not burned. Pour onto a plate and set aside.
Heat the olive oil and the remaining butter in a large pot or Dutch oven (with a good lid) over medium heat, add the rice and onions, and sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 to 6 minutes. The rice and onions should be starting to turn golden. Turn the heat to between medium and medium high, stir in the chile purée, and continue cooking, stirring every 30 seconds, until almost all the moisture has evaporated and the rice no longer sticks together, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the broth, milk, salt, oregano, and thyme, stirring to mix well. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pot, turn the heat to very low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the toasted almonds, cover the pot, and let the rice steam, off the heat, for about 15 minutes. Serve with a dollop of the sour cream and the avocado.
