I spent a little time this week looking back over nearly two years of the recipes and rants I’ve shared in these newsletters - and aside from the consistent surprise I feel when I realize I’m writing something like 1800-2000 words a week (though to be far, most of that’s instructions and ingredients) i’m also not completely unhappy with some of the things I’ve turned out.
So, this week, while I recuperate, replan, refresh, this week’s edition is reruns.
That' clips show joke I’ve used in the past was feeling a little worn out, but I still managed to make it a TV joke but it does beg the question, in the age of streaming, are reruns still a thing?
Anyway, here are a few favorites from the last couple years - and I’ll be back next week with a new menu … but here’s a little preview.
Pretzeled Everything Parker House Rolls
I am a sucker for dinner rolls, the soft pillow, just slightly sweet rolls (nee marshmallows) that you used to get at places that had prime rib Sundays. Every time I think they’ve disappeared or, fallen out of favor, I find them as a component of the bread service, or a “bread ’n spread” at the kind of twee little place that serves them in a miniscule casserole dish or tiny cast iron skillet. For $9.
These Parker House rolls have a few modifications on the traditional. First of all, they’re pretzeled – a coating of baking soda and water enables a chemical interaction called the Maillard reaction, which gives them that distinctive pretzel flavor and color. Second, they’re coated with Everything seasoning – because, well, everything seasoning is delicious. I make my own because I have a dehydrator and I’m almost a parody of myself, but Trader Joes, your local bagel shop (shout out to CBUS’s own Blocks Bagels), and other provisioners have off the shelf versions that are great. Finally, shiro (white) miso adds salt, but also a depth of flavor that makes them richer and tastier than expected. You can bake these in a sheet pan, a casserole, or – as I usually do – in a cast iron skillet, which really just makes them look cool.
I use a digital scale for most baking measures. It improves accuracy and reduces the amount of dishwashing. Ok, mostly the accuracy thing.
200 g whole milk
350 g AP flour + extra for bench flour
20 g corn starch
7 g instant yeast
30 g unsalted butter + extra to grease pan
10 g granulated sugar
15 g shiro miso
2 tbsp Everything Bagel Topping
1 egg
½ cup water
2 tsp baking soda
Warm the milk to room temperature.
Add to the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add the yeast and allow to bloom for 10 minutes.
Melt the butter and add to the milk/yeast mixture.
Add sugar, flour, corn starch, and miso.
Knead in the mixer until a smooth dough has formed – about five minutes.
Transfer to a greased bowl and cover. Place in a warm place to rise until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 400°F
Shape the dough into a ball, and portion into 16 evenly sized triangles.
Roll each triangle into a roll – Start with the small end and roll towards the center
Using a circular motion on an unfloored portion of your workspace, gently shape each piece into a ball.
Place the balls in a well buttered/greased pan and allow to rise, covered with a towel, until almost doubled in size.
While rising, boil ½ cup of water.
Add 2 tsp of baking soda to the boiled water and stir well to dissolve.
Whisk 1 egg until beaten smooth in a separate bowl and set aside.
Once the dough doubles, gently brush the rolls with the baking soda mixture and allow to dry slightly.
Brush the rolls again with the beaten egg and allow to dry until just tacky.
Generously sprinkle with everything bagel topping.
Bake at 400°F until well browned on top.
Allow to cool. Gently reheat in a warm oven or microwave right before serving.
Yellow Pepper Ceviche
Ceviche are perfect summer dishes because … well, really because they’re cold. But also because they’re a way for people who’re maybe not completely totally comfortable with raw seafood to enjoy raw seafood. The acid in the marinade partially “cooks” the fish – so if you’re a little squidgy about the raw part you can tell yourself it’s not raw.
It’s raw. Really. The “cooks” is in quotes because it doesn’t cook it. It does break down some portioned in a way similar to cooking, but it’s not really cooking. But don’t be afraid if it for that reason. Be afraid of it because unless you’re making it yourself, or you’re you know – in the Midwest where mayonnaise is considered spicy – a real ceviche can be perfectly wonderfully face numbingly spicy.
Me, I like it that way. I recognize not everyone does. You can choose which sort of chili you want to use, and whether or not to include the seeds and ribs. Seeds and ribs carry most of the heat, so leaving them out will give you a much milder chili.
I use pureed yellow bell pepper as a base here because it’s easier and cheaper than Aji Amarillo (which I am using in one other recipe here this week) but also because it’s mild. That lets you customize the heat level yourself by using other peppers to build the spice profile.
Also, it’s really cool looking. It’s intensely bright yellow. And we all know looking cool matters.
1 lb fresh red snapper filet
1 large yellow bell pepper
1 hot pepper (serrano, red finger, fresno, jalapeno)
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp finely minced red onion
1 tbsp finely minced cilantro
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
green onion, cilantro, edible flowers for garnish
Remove the stem and seeds from the yellow pepper and cut into 1 inch pieces.
Add the pepper and lime juice to the container of a high-speed blender, and process on high until very smooth.
Pour the resulting liquid through a fine strainer to remove any solids and reduce foaming.
Trim, and very finely dice the peppers. You may choose to remove the seeds and ribs (milder) or include them (spicier).
Add the diced chilis, red onion, minced cilantro, salt, and red onion to the pepper and lime mixture.
Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Remove the skin from the fish by placing it skin side down on a cutting board, and gently running a long knife the length of the filet.
Discard the skin (or use to make fish stock for paella!) and cutting on the bias (diagonally) cut the filet into very thin slices.
5 minutes before serving pour a portion of the marinade into a bowl, add the fish, and pour the remaining liquid over the top.
Garnish with fresh herbs and edible flowers.
Seared Cabbage with Fried Shallots, Crispy Potato Strings, Chilies, Yogurt, and Tamarind
One of Washington DC’s now legendary restaurants, Rasika, became famous for making upscale interpretations of traditional Indian dishes. The food is amazing, the service warm and fast, and the room interesting and hectic and comfortable and classy all at once. It was so popular that the team behind it opened a second location only a mile away, serving the same food, in much the same atmosphere. It’s a great restaurant, and there are a lot of reasons for calling it that, but anyone who’s eaten there more than once will interrupt you before you finish talking about any of those reasons. “The spinach. The Spinach Chaat.” It’s usually followed by a glassy eyed expression and something that – if they’re trying – a slightly more sophisticated version of Homer Simpson’s drooling noise. It’s because it’s that good. Crispy fried spinach topped – in the tradition of Chaat – with tamarind, yogurt, and chilies. I’ve been at tables there that’ve ordered four plates of the stuff.
This isn’t that amazing Palak Chaat, but it owes a lot of its flavor to that dish, and to plates of Aloo Chaat and Alu Dahi Puri Chat I’ve had elsewhere. Smokey, crunchy, spicy, sweet, sour, salty all in one place. I’ve played around with using seared cabbage “steaks” as a base for experimentation before, and I thought it would work well with those flavors. It did.
1 small green cabbage
1 medium tomato
1 large shallot
1 serrano chili
1 medium russet potato
2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ cup yogurt
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup + 1 tsp neutral oil
Wash and peel the potato and cut into long, very thin julienne strips (I use a handy-dandy julienne peeler for this task).
Place the potatoes in cold water to wash off the starch and keep them from discoloring.
Peel trim and slice the shallot very thin (I use a mandoline).
Add the shallot and the oil to a cold pan.
Place the pan over a medium flame.
Cook, stirring constantly until the shallot is a light brown color.
Remove the shallots and drain on a paper towel.
Remove the potatoes from the water, and dry using a clean towel.
Add the potato to the hot oil, and fry, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are crunchy and medium brown.
Remove the fried potatoes and allow them to drain and cool on a paper towel.
Add the tamarind concentrate, the ground cumin, brown sugar, and 4 tbsp of water to a pan. Bring to a low simmer and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Slice the cabbage in half, then cut two 1 inch thick “steaks” from either cut side.
Season the slices with salt and garam masala.
Heat a lidded pan large enough to hold all 4 steaks over high heat.
Add 1 tsp of neutral oil to the pan and arrange the cabbage slices in the pan.
Cook until the cabbage is seared and browning on one side, then turn.
Reduce the heat to low, and cover.
Cook until the cabbage is cooked though – about 10 minutes.
Dice the tomatoes.
Remove the stem and cut the chilis into very thin slices.
Place 1 slice of cabbage on each plate.
Top with a drizzle of yogurt, fried potato strings, tomatoes, sliced chilies, fried shallots, and tamarind sauce.
Whole Roasted Snapper with Fragrant Chili Sauce
Whole fish makes a spectacular show piece and it’s also a really easy dish to make. This whole fish – with it’ coating of shimmering fragrant oil and aromatic is even easier – because that flavorful finishing bath can cover all manner of sins. The recipe here calls for Snapper, but the same recipe will work for almost any white fleshed fish. In fact, I had originally intended flounder or fluke – but our local fish mongers didn’t have much in stock – what with it being only a few days before. A lot of our neighbors celebrate with lots of fishes.
You can vary the spiciness of this dish by swapping out the serrano for milder jalapenos, or head in the other direction by simply adding more chilies or using Thai finger hots.
Serves 4 as a shared main
1 whole red snapper – cleaned, scaled, and gills removed
¼ cup chili oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
Juice of one lime
4 makrut lime leaves or 2 tsp lime zest
2 green onions
2 serrano peppers
2 red Fresno or other mild fresh red chili peppers
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
salt
Have your fishmonger clean, scale, and remove the gills from a whole red snapper.
Finely julienne the lime leaf (if using)
Finely slice the green onions.
Finely chop the red and green chilis, discarding the stems.
Add the lime juice, the fish sauce, garlic, ginger, chilies, and lime leaf to a non-reactive bowl.
Preheat your oven to 450°F.
Use a very sharp knife to score cuts into the fish on both sides.
Season the fish with salt.
Place the whole fish, in an oven proof pan, or on a sheet pan lined with a rack, into the oven and cook until the flesh is flaking from the bone – the time will depend on the size of the fish, but usually 8-10 minutes.
While the fish is cooking, add the chili oil to a pan over medium heat and keep warm.
Remove the fish from the oven, and place on a preheated plate.
Add the chili mixture to the hot oil and pour the oil and aromatics over the fish.
Garnish with herbs and serve immediately.
Not Actually Banana Flan
This rich simple custard pulls two magic tricks. It makes its own sauce, and it tastes like bananas. That second one is a trick because there aren’t actually any bananas in it. Cinnamon scented cream, vanilla, eggs, and caramel combine to make … well, a banana flavor that isn’t bananas. It might not actually be magic – but it kind of seems like it to me.
It’s also a cheaters version of a classic flan. Rather than baking a custard, we’ll set it with gelatin and cornstarch. It’s 90% perfect with 30% effort.
1 cup whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
11 cup granulated sugar, divided
3 egg yolks
1 1-inch piece cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp corn starch
3 sheets gelatin or 1 packet powdered gelatin
pinch of salt
Bloom the gelatin in 1 tbsp cold water.
Add the milk, cream, and ½ cup sugar to a thick bottomed pot over medium heat.
Add the sugar and crumble the cinnamon stick into the milk.
Heat until just simmering, then remove from the heat.
Strain to remove the cinnamon then return to the pan.
Stir the gelatin into the hot milk mixture.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites, cornstarch, and vanilla.
While whisking vigorously, slowly pour 1/3 of the milk mixture into the egg mixture.
Reverse the process, and – while whisking - slowly pour the tempered egg mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk.
Return the pan to the heat, and stirring frequently, cook until the mixture just simmers.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Add the remaining ½ cup of sugar to a dry pan over medium low heat.
Cook undisturbed until the sugar has melted completely and turned a rich caramel color.
Carefully pour the burnt sugar mixture into 4 glass bowls or ramekins, turning to evenly coat the sides, and letting a thicker portion form on the bottom.
Allow the sugar to cool completely.
Pour the custard mixture into the bowls or ramekins.
Carefully place a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the custard (this will prevent a skin from forming)
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
To serve, invert the custards in a bowl or on a deep plate.
The custard will release (though sometimes it takes a minute) and the dissolved caramel will both form a sauce and color the tops of the custards.