Three Base Hit-Caramelized Scallops, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, & Shortbread Cookies

What is with these sports metaphors? Anyway. Wow, three recipes in one day! We're picking up the pace. I actually only made two of them and George made the Shortbread Cookies. I'm counting it anyway, since I was there.

Harris-Teeter had sea scallops on sale for only half-a-fortune per pound. Good time to try the Caramelized Scallops. The recipe was pretty simple and the photo won my heart. I did take issue with the brining. The recipe called for 2 cups of kosher salt in 8 cups of water. That seemed excessive to me. Unless they were going to absorb all that liquid and blow up to the size of basketballs, I could not see why a dozen or so scallops would need that big a pool. They only brine for 10 minutes anyway or they get too salty. Maybe they get too salty because of the 2 cups of salt. I put them in a gallon size zipper bag and poured in about 2 cups of water with a couple tablespoons of kosher salt dissolved in it. I did drain them at exactly 10 minutes, though, because of my Cinderella complex. Patted them dry and seared them in clarified butter. They were delicious. They were tender and sweet and had a nice crunch from the sear. Three of us devoured the whole pound and a half along with roasted asparagus and wild rice and French rolls. The plates even looked beautiful.

I bought a pre-peeled and cored pineapple to try the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I also bought a bottle of dark rum, because I remembered that the topping needed it. I couldn't remember how much I needed, so I bought a regular-sized bottle for $11.95. Good thing I erred on the side of caution. Turns out, I needed 1/2 teaspoon. An airline bottle would have sufficed. We'll figure out what to do with the rest of the rum, I'm sure. The topping recipe makes about 3 cakes worth of topping. So I have topping in the freezer for 2 more attempts. I artfully arranged the pineapple in the pan on top of the topping and then poured the batter on top. Actually the cake batter is pretty thick, so it was more smushing than pouring. It looked so pretty when it was done and inverted on the serving plate. After our scallops settled a bit, we each had a slab of cake with generous squirts of Redi-Whip. It was so good. Not too heavy and enough fruit to convince yourself that it wasn't all that bad for you. I mean, it's fruit. I will make it with canned from now on, though. The fresh was good, but not good enough to justify the extra expense. Also because of the large pieces, the fruit wasn't as uniform on the pieces of cake. Like with pizza, if you're not the server, somebody is getting some of your good stuff. I'm going to make the next one with canned pineapple tidbits.

George has become obsessed with finding a way to duplicate Lorna Doones. They are very overpriced, but we really like them with our tea. I pointed out the Shortbread Cookie recipe to him and he decided to give it a try. It's a pretty easy recipe. It's just got flour, sugar, butter, and vanilla in it. I admit I wasn't really thrilled with the idea, because I figured I would end up doing most of it. I was expecting lots of, "What do I do now?" I am very happy to report that he just ran with it. A question here and there, but no hands on participation required. I thought they were so delicious. Tender, crispy, buttery. George is not convinced they are close enough to Lorna Doones. So he wants to work on them some more. He's right, they aren't exactly like Lorna Doones. They have butter instead of God only knows what kind of shortening. They don't have chemicals and preservatives. Maybe I'll show him the ingredient label next time we're in the store and remind him that if we can't pronounce it, we shouldn't be eating it.

Chicken Potpie & Piecrust Dough

This was a curious choice for me. For one thing I don't like potpie. For another I don't usually eat pie crust. The only pie crust I've ever really liked is back when I used to make unbelievably good apple pie. I had a pie crust recipe that used only butter as the shortening. Then I lost the "touch". Pie crust, in my humble opinion, is one of those things you either have the touch or you don't. I had it and then lost it. Then I lost the recipe. When I saw the recipe for the pie crust and saw that it had only butter, I decided to see if I could make pie crust again. I had some cooked chicken left over and decided to try the potpie. I think of those disgusting little frozen things with that icky yellow gravy in them, when I think of potpie. Surely, this would be better. I mean, this is Thomas Keller, for heaven's sake.

This recipe took hours. I went into it thinking: throw some veggies and some chicken in a pie crust. Oh, no, no. Each veggie is cooked in a separate pan. The bechamel sauce takes a long time and lots of whisking. I kept mumbling, "This better be a damn good potpie."

The best part was making the crust. When it all started coming together, and I started the kneading, I knew. I've got it! I've got the "touch" back. The "touch" is using your instincts instead of your brain. When you are thinking it needs more water, the "touch" tells you that you don't. Then it comes together perfectly. The dough is smooth and you want to keep messing with it, but you don't. It rolls out beautifully. No sticky mess. No tearing. I stopped mumbling. This was gonna be good!

It was better than good. It was amazingly good. The veggies were bright and distinct and full of their own flavor. Oh, so that's why they are all cooked separately. The bechamel held everything together nicely, but didn't make a soupy mess...and it wasn't icky yellow. Then there was the crust. It was flaky and golden and even the bottom crust wasn't soggy. It was the best I've ever had. I ate every crumb, even the edges. The recipe serves 6, but there were 3 of us and we ate 3/4 of the pie. The other 3 people would have left very hungry. I used the pie crust trimmings to top a peach cobbler for dessert. I am going to become a pie-baking fool.

One thing I discovered, though, is that I'm not a huge fan of thyme. It's in a lot of recipes in this book and in a lot of my other cookbooks. I find it overpowering. I've used fresh and the dried Thyme in a Bottle (sorry, couldn't resist). I've decided to invoke my powers as Queen of my kitchen and leave it out or maybe just use a pinch. My kitchen, my rules.

Relax, Julie, Relax!

I had seen the movie "Julie & Julia". That's when I decided to do this project. The parts of the movie that I remember the most are the parts about Julia. I recently finished the book. The book seemed very different than the movie. Julie in the movie is cute, funny, a bit zany. Julie in the book is a bit of a loon. The thing is, though, I remember that. I remember that time in my life when everything was a big deal. I'd get something in my head and it would be crazy time until it was done or I'd found something else to take its place. Julie gave herself a year to complete her project. That deadline was all-consuming. She repeatedly raves that if she doesn't make it, the whole thing was pointless. So, in order to make it, she makes everyone around her miserable. My 30-ish self would have understood that. My 60-ish self kept asking, "Why? What difference does it make if you don't make the 1 year goal, or even if you don't finish it at all?"

When I started my project, I didn't even attempt a time-line. This is for fun. This is for the pleasure of the experience. I can accept that I may not complete the book. There are things I don't like to eat, and so I won't. There will be recipes that I will make often and others I will never make again. I have hundreds of other cookbooks, and I'm happy that beginning this project has inspired me to get back to using them and cooking more often and cooking better food. It's made me re-remember that I really love feeding people.

I can still get ramped up. I just try harder not to. Yesterday I planned to make 2 kinds of cookies, Mexican chicken & rice soup, and the chicken pot pie from the Ad Hoc Cookbook. The soup was easy, although I don't know what happened there. It doesn't look very good. Way too much rice, for one thing. It needs more work. The chicken pot pie took the rest of the day and the cookies vanished from the radar screen. I didn't freak out. I didn't stay up till all hours and exhaust myself. I accepted that the cookies would happen another day. They were for a get-together today. I just whipped up a quick cheese spread to take instead. At 30, this would have been crazy time.

Reading the book, I kept wanting to put my arms around Julie and saying, "It's ok. Relax." It made me remember. Thirty is feeling not quite good enough. It's feeling you have something to prove. It's feeling that everyone's opinion of you is more important than your own. It's wanting everyone to like you. Sixty is knowing you're good enough just as you are. It's liking yourself. It's knowing who you are. It's enjoying the people who like you and knowing it's ok if everyone doesn't. At 60, you can start a project and then just simply change your mind. You're in charge. You get to decide. You realize that nothing is worth making everyone around you miserable. I like 60 better.

Devil's Food Cupcakes

Mix or scratch? That is the question. Whether tis truly nobler to sift and beat and use real buttermilk and sour cream and real cocoa powder OR to empty a box and throw in a couple of eggs and some water...that is the question. I made a batch of white cupcakes from a mix and a batch of the Ad Hoc Devil's Food Cupcakes for a party on Saturday. No one swooned or fainted when they ate the scratch batch, but they did disappear faster. We thought they were very good. The cake was a little denser, a little more intense, not quite as crumbly. Final answer: a mix will do when time is a factor. The truth is that I really like measuring and sifting and all the rest. So when time allows, I will make these again and again. I was actually hoping the cake would be like my mom's devil's food cake. Hers was almost pound-cake dense, but not quite. Still the best devil's food cake I've ever had. Will have to hold a seance to get her recipe.

I did not use the Ad Hoc recipe for the butter-cream icing this time. I discovered the refrigerated carton of pasteurized egg whites I bought was not suitable. The recipe said to beat into soft peaks and the carton said the egg whites would not do that. What to do? What to do? I didn't want to use 6 real egg whites, because I didn't know what to do with the yolks and didn't want to waste them. So I made my mom's standard frosting. It has enough butter and sugar to stop your heart and put you in a sugar coma, but it is so-o-o-o good! I was happy. Good, rich, chocolatey cake; lots of pink frosting; and Valentine sprinkles. Well worth the effort.

Scallion Potato Cakes

At this rate, it will take years to complete this cookbook. I actually made these a couple of weeks ago. Once again the fact that there are only two of us made adjusting the recipe necessary. The real recipe results in stacked up large pancakes of crispy potatoes topped with the green tops of scallions. Reducing it to serve two resulted in smallish pancakes that looked nothing like the picture, but were really delicious. The recipe was very easy and the only ingredients were shredded potatoes, corn starch, and salt & pepper. I am deliriously happy because I happen to love those frozen hash brown patties. Never knew the secret of getting the potatoes to stick together in patties. They have shredded potatoes and a list of unpronounceable ingredients. These, however, have just nice, fresh shredded potatoes and corn starch, period. The corn starch is what makes them stick together. Fried them up in canola oil, topped them with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and fresh thinly sliced scallion tops and had them with eggs for breakfast. The first two never made it to the table. We ate them standing over the stove while the last two cooked. They were so wonderfully crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Another keeper that I will make often.

I'm going to try to pick up the pace. I have the ingredients for the chocolate chip cookies and the devil's food cupcakes. Making the cupcakes this Friday for a get together on Saturday. The recipe makes 24. I'll try to get at least half of them to the party.

Rock Cornish Hens with Gremolata Butter

This one's a keeper for sure. Simple, basic, fresh ingredients. Butter, one of the essentials of life. I made the butter the night before. I was so excited to get to use my marble mortar & pestle that I had to have & have used exactly 3 times. Grind up peppercorns, add lemon zest, grated garlic & mash into a paste. Mix with softened butter, lemon juice, & parsley. I was only making 4 hens instead of 6, so I took Tom's advice & put a dollop of the butter on our steaks that night. Sinfully good. He also suggests variations for seafood & vegetables. Note to self to stock up on butter.

Rinsed & dried the hens & smushed the butter under the skins. Carefully following the instructions & pictures in the book, I trussed up those little chickadees. Not very well, but got the job done. I would not be good at B & D...well, not the B part anyway. Note to self: invent poultry legcuffs for the twine impaired. Result: yummy. Our friend Paula came for dinner. We feasted on the hens, baby golden potatoes in the skins, Romaine salad with oranges, red onion, avocado, & orange muscat wine vinaigrette dressing. Devil's food cupcakes & orange sherbet for dessert. SAG awards & Kung Fu Panda for entertainment. Life is good.

Adjusting My Sights

When I began this project, I planned to follow every recipe and every direction to the letter. No improvising. No substitutions. But with only 2 recipes under my belt after several weeks, it is time to adjust my sights. After all, I am a cook. Cooks improvise. They adapt. When it's the only way to reach the goal, we punt. Wow...a sports metaphor! How did that get in here? I hope that means what I think it means.

The book is written for home cooks...with homes that are not in Gastonia, NC. I have always found shopping here to be a challenge. I went out the other day for Cornish hens, avocados, orange sherbet, and kitchen twine. It took over an hour and three stores to complete my list. The manager at Food Lion had the meat guy give me the twine, since they don't sell it. Oh, Publix, how I do miss you! Some of the produce, the types of olives, and oils are just not available. I'm hanging my hopes on Charlotte with its Earth Fares, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's. And there is a Publix a mere 40 miles away. Sounds less ridiculous all the time. Some recipes will have to wait until I hunt and gather the proper ingredients. But for others, I will improvise and make do with "close enough". I'm actually taking a list of stuff with me to NY at the end of February in hopes of finding some things there.

The equipment is another issue. I have more gadgets, appliances, special pans, etc. than anyone else I know. But a 10" x 6.5" x 3" pan for the Pave' Potatoes, no. Nor does anyone else judging by my internet search. On the brink of making the search for this pan my personal Holy Grail, I took a deep breath and talked myself off the edge. First of all, the full recipe would make more potatoes than George and I could eat in a month; and the recipe is too much last minute work for me to make for a crowd. Second of all, aren't I really after learning techniques? Won't the technique be the same for half the recipe? Finally, do the squares have to be exactly 3" x 3". I think my regular loaf pan will do just fine.

I guess there really will be life lessons along the way on this project. If I keep waiting for the perfect olive or just the right pan, I will miss the bliss of enjoying the feast. So, damn the pan...I'm feasting, baby!