05/21/2007
In the Kitchen
The measure of a man — or a woman
Sometimes, it's best to just go with the flow
He-Who-Must-Be-Fed measures.
The beans in his garden are exactly nine inches apart. The table he made me is 72 inches long to a tiny fraction of an inch. He will not use fine sandpaper if extra-fine is called for. Exactitude is his realm.
Therefore, as wife (Mars vs. Venus?) it's natural that I live organically. I think: Stuff happens, "Que sera, sera.” Organic in my mind means one thing leads to another and very often the outcome is far different from what I expect.
Certainly this is true in the kitchen — at least, in my kitchen. Events are not always restricted to food.
The case of "the fly” is one clear example. The fly buzzed around the ceiling, the swatter hung on its nail, the rocking chair beckoned me. One thing led to another and led to the broken rib and my promise never, ever to stand up on a rocking chair again.
This cause and effect, and then that effect causing something else, on and on, resulted in the "killer apple pie” that I often mention. First there was cheese added to the crust, but that led to "make it better” by adding a crumb topping, which led to "be still better with tossing the apples with melted butter” and so on.
Right now, I'm leaving the pie recipe alone for fear of having to ride a camel to Timbuktu to find a rare dusty spice that would make the pie "better yet.” Perhaps there is no such thing as perfect in the realm of organic recipes
A recent change in a potato recipe taught me that tinkering could go too far. Such creamy potatoes! Oh, make it better: add more cream. The result was mush — mush that wouldn't even make a decent potato soup, mush that might make baby food, but one that no discerning baby would eat.
Nevertheless, I am an organic cook and I tinker with recipes to the extent that as HWMBF passed by me at the stove, he frequently whispers lovingly in my ear, "You didn't measure again.” Ha! Measure? Me? At times I am lucky if I read the recipe through or even glance at a label.
Skipping label reading led to some utterly lovely shaved beef, headed for French Dip, going into the sink to be washed with water and fed to adoring dogs. The label said, "French Dipping Au Jus.” Golly, who would ever expect that that tiny, miniscule print would say, "dilute 3 cups water to 1 cup dip.”
The first dip was like putting a tablespoon of salt in your mouth.
The old joke is about the almost new bride who mistakenly used patching plaster as flour in her pancakes. After gallantly eating one pancake, her husband gently told her something was wrong and fed the pancakes to the dog. Her husband lived, but the dog ran away.
Twenty years ago, I discovered herbs. My mother used one herb — marjoram with poultry and dressings. (I do so to this day, but with other herbs, too, especially sage.) To me, the discovery of herbs opened a huge new world.
I bought books, subscribed to "Herb Companion” and used them more and more. Then, for a company dinner one summer evening, I made pesto. It was thick — too thick — but I reasoned it would melt on the pasta. It didn't, it looked and probably had the consistency of golf balls. We had to cut it with our knives and forks, and that led, it really did, to a lot of laughter.
Yet, ideas grow, kitchen ideas grow and sometimes they grow into wonderful ways. For years, I've fried smelt for HWMBF and last time he said they were the best ever. I'd added a good tablespoon of Crisco to the canola oil for frying, and for the first time, I sprinkled the smelt with Old Bay Seasoning before coating them with flour.
One thing leads to another, and now I have to fry the darn smelt again soon.
Cherry Frosted Sugar Cookies
Cookie dough:
- 2½ to 3 c. sifted cake flour
- 2 t. baking powder
- ½ t. salt
- ½ lb. butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 1 t. vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 2 c. confectioner's sugar, sifted
- ¼ c. liquid from maraschino cherries (or more, if needed
- ½ t. almond extract (rum or vanilla may be substituted)
- A few drops of red food coloring (optional)
To make cookies: Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Add vanilla extract. Add flour gradually, stirring it in, until dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Chill 15 minutes or longer. Preheat oven to 375°. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and cut with 3-inch cookie cutters 1/8- to ¼-inch thick. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes. Cookies should be firm, but not brown. Cool on racks.
To make frosting: Beat all ingredients together with an electric mixer. Frost cookies when they are cool.
— Recipe tweaked from those of Laura Mann and Edith Leet
Sally Ketchum writes and cooks from northern Michigan. Just now she is putting in her kitchen garden. This year's focus will be on Oriental eggplants and herbs new to her like Florence fennel and Papaloquelite, summer cilantro. In Mexican cafes, papaloquelite is placed in little vases on tables so that diners can break off springs to add to their dishes.
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By Sally Ketchum
