appeteaser

Adapted from this recipe, doctored to make it my own. It still needs some work (more seasoning, mainly) but I think it’s a good start.

1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp dried rosemary
1 large egg, separated
3/4 cup corn (I had frozen, which I thawed)
1 cup peanut oil, for pan-frying
Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Maple syrup (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, paprika, cayenne, and rosemary.
2. Combine the egg yolk with corn kernels and add to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. (The mixture will be very dry.)
3. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat.
4. Beat the egg white until soft peaks form. Fold into the corn mixture.
5. Add large spoonfuls of the corn batter to oil (it should bubble and sizzle immediately when added to the pan).
6. Once the fritters are golden brown on the bottom, carefully flip and continue cooking until golden brown on that side.
7. When done, remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup (optional).

roasted curried carrot soup

December 12, 2012

appeteaser, somethin' on the side, the underwear diet

1 Comment

With this first recipe since my hiatus, I will take baby steps to actual recipe testing. In Phase One–to last as long as I allow it–recipes will not include exact measurements, but will be significantly more structured than all previous recipes. Here we go:

1 pound carrots, peeled
1.5 tablespoons curry powder
0.5 teaspoons salt
0.25 teaspoons pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, medium dice
1.5 tablespoons butter
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1-inch segment of ginger, peeled and minced
Lime zest (I dunno, like, 2 big strips?)
Avocado
Cilantro, rough chop
Scallion, whites/greens/whatever, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roughly chop the carrots into uniform size pieces. Toss with curry powder, salt, pepper, and 0.5 tablespoons of olive oil. Roast on a baking sheet for 25-30 minutes, or until tender and golden brown.

While the carrots are roasting, sweat onions in butter and the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Once the onions start to soften, add garlic and ginger and continue cooking over low heat. When the carrots are finished roasting, add them to the pot with the aromatics, toss in lime zest, and cover with water.

Cook the soup for 30 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with avocado (slices, chunks, or scoops) and scallions.

scotch eggs

March 19, 2012

appeteaser, the main event

2 Comments

Being that it was just St. Patty’s Day, is it wrong to write about Scotch Eggs? Yes? Then I don’t wanna be right. This dish is fairly straight forward, but requires just a bit of time, patience, and a gentle touch.

Start by making the eggs, which should be cooked just shy of hard-boiled (in a pot, cover eggs with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat off, cover the pot, and cook for 9 minutes. Remove the eggs, run under cold water, peel). Sprinkle the eggs withS & P and encase each egg in bulk sausage (also seasoned gently with S & P).

Roll the balls (hehe) in flour, then beaten eggs, and finally breadcrumbs (seasoned however you like). Fry in canola oil, using one ball (hehe) as a tester, making sure the sausage is cooked through. Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle a bit more salt right when they come out of the oil.

Scotch eggs can be dipped in mustard and served with little more than a simple, fresh salad.