Skillet Corn

Over the weekend, I went to the farmer's market to pick up some vegetables.  I wasn't sure what to get but I saw they had sweet corn.  It seemed a few weeks early, but I love sweet corn and I grabbed some ears in the hopes that it was sweet and not starchy.   Thankfully it was very crisp and sweet so I ate one as is.  Someone suggested I make skillet corn which is something I never heard of.  After making it the first time, I thought of it as really good creamed corn with the kernels still intact and crisp.  It is definitely delicious and I was craving it again tonight.

Most recipes for skillet corn just have it as a side or a simple dish you just eat from a bowl.  I wanted it to be dinner, so I topped it with pico de gallo that I made with tomatoes from the same market, sliced avocado and a poached egg.

I began by removing the kernels from 4 ears of corn.  I set the cobs to the side so that I can scrape the whole surface with a butterknife to get all the corny goodness.

I technically didn't use a skillet, but I did put a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pot.  To this I added about half a small onion, 2 cloves of garlic and half a chile serrano (someone sent me a picture of some jalapeño corn bread and it sounded good).

I then added the corn kernels and cob scrapings to the pot.  I let this cook together on medium high heat for a few minutes, making sure to stir to coat the corn in the mixture.

I then added a tablespoon of flour and mixed it into the corn.  I let this cook together for a few minutes longer before adding water. 

I added about a cup of water, I wanted the corn to be somewhat submerged.  I let this all simmer on low for about 30 minutes.  Some recipes I found said 45, others said 15. I just picked something in between.  I think a reason for a longer cooking time is to get as much corn flavor into the sauce that forms, but I didn't want the corn to get too soft or overcooked.

The acidity and crispness of the pico de gallo was a great contrast to the sweet, slightly creamy corn.  Normal recipes call for butter or bacon to add some richness.  I added the egg with the hope of stirring the yolk into the corn to achieve a similar affect, also because eggs are just really good on things. I added the avocado to add another type of richness to complement the corn and provide another contrast to the pico de gallo.

breakfast today

These are some photos I took of breakfast from this morning.  I ran over to Gene's Sausage Shop in Lincoln Square to pick up some ingredients.  Below is the pepper bacon I picked up.  I fried it in a cast iron skillet before putting in the oven over a wire rack to make the edges crispy. 

I made eggs that I whisked with garlic, thyme, clotted cream and cold pack cheddar cheese. I slowly scrambled the eggs over low heat until they became fluffy.  I placed this over a piece of rye toast.  To go with the eggs and bacon I also picked up potato sausage.  I heated it up by placing in the skillet that I used for the bacon and roasting in the oven.

The bacon was really good.  It was probably some of the spiciest pepper bacon that I've had.  The eggs were very rich but went well with the rye toast.  

morning after Christmas breakfast

I was lucky enough to have spend Christmas day with Drew's family where we aquired massive amounts of leftover ham.

We were both off after Christmas so I was able to make a bigger breakfast.  I started with a frittata I made with ham and gruyere.  I served some potatoes and toast with farmer's cheese and honey to go alongside.  A satisfying meal to start a relaxing day.

smoked salmon scrambled eggs

In my previous post, I mentioned picking up some smoked salmon along with the shrimp.  I wanted to make a quick post about what I did. 

First I have to say that the piece of salmon I got looked delicious, it was calling my name from the cases at Calumet Fisheries.  The particular piece I got was rubbed in garlic in black pepper prior to smoking.  I had to eat a few pieces of it alone and it was delicious.  One of my favorite combinations with smoked salmon are eggs.  I think they compliment each other so well and really allow the salmon to shine through.

I proceeded to remove the meat from the salmon and set aside.  scramble was made simply: eggs, smoked salmon and a touch of bleu cheese.  I've had salmon omelettes and scrambled eggs in the past with cream cheese or goat cheese so I felt that just a touch of bleu cheese would give a nice tang. I beat the eggs and let tossed them in a large skillet.  I let them set up a little bit before moving moving them around.  I then folded in the salmon and a bit of the cheese, took off the heat and covered. I wanted the eggs to maintain their creamy quality.  I served along some corn bread that I cut into pieces and toasted which went well with the texture of the salmon and eggs.



picadillo

Picadillo to me is one of those classic dishes that comes together easily and gets better the longer it sits.  There are many variations but typically it is a combination of ground (or chopped) beef with diced veggies.  Sometimes a few raisins and pieces of hard-boiled egg are thrown in as well.

For my picadillo I decided to combine ground beef with carrots, potatoes and green beans.  I chose not to go with raisins but I will be adding an egg later on.  To begin I sauteed onion, garlic and chile serrano until the onion became translucent. 

I then added the ground beef.  After the beef browned, I added the vegetables.  I cut them all relatively small so they could cook more quickly.  I threw the potatoes in a bit early but soon after I added the carrots and green beans.  I lowered the flame and let the beef sit for a bit while i combined a spice mix.

 I wanted to add some additional flavor to the picadillo, so in a small bowl I combined ancho chile, cumin, mexican oregano, salt and pepper.  These spices added warmth and smokiness to the beef.  I allowed everything to cook together for a few more minutes.

I served the picadillo in a bowl with sliced hard boiled egg.  Normally the egg is mixed in with the beef but the egg on top adds a nice touch.  I served with warm tortillas and dinner was ready.  The leftovers the next day were just as good if not better, so it is best to make a large batch!

baked eggs

Breakfast is definitely my favorite meal.  There is something very gratifying about being able to wake up early while everyone is still asleep and make something special happen.  There is nothing like being able to brew some coffee and have that first cup before anyone else, all while cooking.

I have been experimenting with this baked egg dish that has lots of flavor and allows for perfectly runny eggs.  That experience of breaking into the yolk of a well cooked egg is the best thing about breakfast.

The dish I made is a baked egg on top of spinach, bacon and a bit of gruyere cheese.

To prepare the spinach I sauteed onion and garlic in olive oil.  To this I added a couple handfuls of baby spinach and let it wilt down in the pan, absorbing the flavors of the onion and garlic.

I cooked the bacon in the oven, using cooling racks in a cooking sheet so that the fat drips off the bacon.  I found that this makes for crispier bacon.

it was really hard to not just have this for breakfast:

To bake the eggs I used small gratin dishes.  The cooked spinach formed the bottom layer, on top of which I added bacon and gruyere cheese.  Finally I topped all the ingredients with eggs, a splash of heavy cream, and some cracked pepper.

waiting for the oven:

After about 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven, the egg whites set and the yolks came out runny and somewhat custardy in texture.  to go with the eggs, I made sticks out of a couple sesame bagels which I then toasted with a bit of butter.  These make a perfect tool for digging out all the eggy goodness.

breakfast is served:

breaking into the yolk:

meals for a special day part 2: dinner

For anniversary dinner I decided to go with a more French-inspired approach.  The main course was a dry aged ribeye steak, potato leek gratin, and green beans with almonds.  For dessert: classic creme brulee.

I began with the gratin because this took longest to make.  I thinly sliced potatoes and leek and began to layer these in a buttered casserole.  Each layer consisted of potatoes, leeks, minced garlic, butter, gruyere cheese, and heavy cream.  I continued this until i had about 8 layers.

Building the gratin:

I cooked the gratin for about an hour and a half until the top was crispy and golden brown.

still bubbling out of the oven:

The second side are green beans with almonds.  I first blanched green beans in boiling water for a few minutes and then tossed these in a pan with butter, garlic and sliced almonds.

Finally, the star of the dish is a dry aged ribeye steak.  The ribeye was prepared very simply by searing the steak in an extremely hot cast iron skillet on both sides then placing in an oven for a few minutes until medium rare. 

I removed the steaks from the skillet and created a pan sauce by adding some garlic to the pan and then deglazing with a bit of red wine.  I added a good deal of pepper, reduced the wine to half and added a bit of butter for richness.

Creating the pan sauce:

The dinner went over very well, the steak was cooked perfectly, the green beans were crisp, and the leeks melted into the gratin.

anniversary dinner:

I was very excited to make dessert because I decided to splurge and purchased fresh vanilla beans.  I also purchased a kitchen torch for the express purpose of creating the sugar crust for the brulee.

vanilla bean:

To create the brulee I split the vanilla bean in half and simmered it in heavy cream.  In the meantime I whisked egg yolks with sugar until creamy.  I added the heavy cream to the egg a bit at a time making sure not to scramble the yolks.  I placed the custard mixture into ramekins and baked in the oven in a water bath until the custard set.

To create the sugar crust, I sprinkled sugar over the top of the cooked custard and used a torch to brulee the sugar.  

flame on:

Dessert came out well.  The custard was perfectly creamy and the fresh vanilla added a complex woody flavor.  The crust was crunchy and contrasted beautifully with the smooth custard.  

Dinner overall was very memorable, for many reasons.  I am very proud that I was able to put together a romantic French meal, and I'm looking forward to many more.

meals for a special day part 1: breakfast

Today is my anniversary and to celebrate I'm making two special meals featuring ingredients we both love.  Part one for today is breakfast: poached egg with spinach and bacon on a corn biscuit with a guajillo goat cheese hollandaise.

To prepare the biscuits I mixed masa harina with butter, salt, pepper, and milk.  I folded in sweet corn and baked in an oven until they were flaky and cooked through.

Cutting out some biscuits:

While the bicuits were in the oven I fried bacon until crispy and tossed some baby spinach in the pan to wilt.  I added a bit of salt, pepper and garlic and cooked through to combine the flavors.

Can't have spinach without the bacon:

To prepare the guajillo goat cheese hollandaise I softened dried guajillo chile in boiling water.  I place goat cheese, two eggs yolks and the softened guajillo chile in a blender to combine.  I added some of the boiled water a bit at a time to cook the egg to thicken the sauce a bit.

Dried guajillo waiting for hot water:

Finally, I poached eggs in a shallow pan filled with water and a bit of vinegar to keep the egg in tact.  To complete the dish I placed a biscuit on the plate and covered with the spinach/bacon mixture, which I then topped with a poached egg and the guajillo goat cheese sauce.

I had a great time making this dish.  It was fun to experiment with an egg sauce and corn biscuits.  The flavors complimented each other well and the dish overall was very enjoyable, something I definitely will be making more often in the future.

Huevos al Horno con Pollo y Garbanzos en Salsa Morita

Tonight I made baked eggs with chicken and garbanzos with salsa morita.  I used left over chicken meat and chickpeas from a soup a made to form the main protein element in an egg bake.  To begin I sauteed the chicken and chick peas in olive oil in garlic.  There was no need to add salt, the chicken was sitting in broth for a couple of days.  I tossed in a few handfuls of spinach and wilted it for a couple of minutes.  After cooking the chicken I set this aside to cool for a bit.

Another element that I added to this was a salsa that I made from chile morita, chile guajillo, garlic, bay leaves, oreganod and cumin.  I soaked the chiles in boiling water for a bit before blending all the ingredients.  The chile morita (roasted, dried red jalapeño) adds a smokey flavor while the dried guajillo chile adds a deep red color and a bit of sweetness. 

In a large casserole I used tostadas to form a bottom layer to this dish.  I covered the tostadas with the chicken and cracked some eggs over the top.

I baked in the oven until the whites set a little, trying to keep the yolks runny.  I put the rest of the salsa in a bowl which I served on the side.