Is browned butter the new e.v.o.o.?

Because I'm seeing it everywhere:

Brown Butter Cookies
Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
Brown Butter Brown Sugar Shorties (more cookies)
my last post ;)

I've noticed trends in food blogs before. A certain ingredient that just keeps popping up: chickpeas or morels or curry. Maybe not that surprising if you assume that food bloggers are reading and being inspired by other food blogs.

If browned butter is the new trend, all I can say is YUM!!! (Especially to those brown butter brown sugar shorties. I will be making them soon, if at all possible.)

Orangette's Brown-Buttered Corn

I apparently did not charge my camera battery the other day and so I have no photographic evidence of what I brought to our Thanksgiving feast today. It's a tasty dish that I first discovered here and has become a staple of sorts at holiday meals when I'm asked to bring a dish. If you've never had browned butter anything, you must try this recipe. Aside from on-the-cob, corn has never tasted so good.

Some of the things I love about this recipe... You can make it with fresh, frozen, or canned corn. (Fresh is best, of course, then frozen, then canned.) You can also make it with fresh or dried thyme (opt for fresh if you can find it -- the aroma is unbelievable). I always forget about the parsley, but it still tastes good. It doubles/triples/quadruples/whatever with just the slightest increase in cooking time. It saves well and tastes great reheated. And, AND ... it goes with just about anything -- turkey/potatoes/stuffing, grilled fish tacos, steak, whatever!

It's too late to try it for this year's Thanksgiving, of course, but consider it for Christmas or anytime in between.

an omelette inspired

button mushroom, originally uploaded by Corey Holms.

The other night I went to the grocery store in the perfect state of hunger -- I wasn't so hungry that I was ravenous, but I was just hungry enough to be inspired by much of what I saw in the store.

I was craving a salad and so bought my usual salad fixings: red leaf lettuce, hothouse cucumber, feta, red wine vinegar, olive oil, splurged on an out-of-season red pepper. Mmmm...

With that in mind and the knowledge that I had both button mushrooms and white cheddar cheese at home, I decided that an omelette would be make a nice, light entree to accompany my salad. I bought thick-cut bacon, some brown eggs, and half a gallon of whole milk and then headed home.

The salad was easily assembled while the omelette was cooking. No problem.

The omelette itself:

1. Two strips of bacon were cut into 1/2" strips directly into the pan with kitchen shears (this is one of the only thing I actually use kitchen shears for, oddly enough).
2. While the bacon began to sizzle over medium heat, I sliced (somewhat thinly) 3 or 4 button mushrooms and -- as the fat began to render -- added them to the pan.
3. I whipped up an egg and 3 egg whites (oh, the waste -- I know -- but it's so much fluffier with whites), added a splash of milk, a touch of water (an old trick from my friend's older brother and master omelette maker), and some s & p. As soon as the mushrooms and bacon were sufficiently cooked, I poured the egg mixture into the pan.
4. Using the spatula to pull the egg away from the side and allowing the uncooked egg to run underneath it (a trick learned from my brother, of all people), the omelette slowly cooked.
5. When there was no more egg to run over the side, I covered the pan with a lid for just a minute (to insure the top of the omelette was also cooked -- no slimy, uncooked egg for this eater).
6. Removing the lid, I grated some white cheddar directly onto the omelette.
7. I used the spatula to fold the omelette in half while still in the pan and then slide it onto the waiting plate.
   

Sitting down to eat, I was rewarded with a satisfying and yet relatively light evening meal. I'll have to do this again sometime.

brownies

A confession: I stole the following recipe from another blog. But that's what cooks do, right? We steal and we tweak and then we present it as our own. However, since my tweaking was the result of ingredient availability and not culinary genius, I submit my humble thanks and acknowledgments to The Wednesday Chef a.k.a. Luisa Weiss and her post on Nick Malgieri's Supernatural Brownies.

I've never made brownies before, but after making (and eating) these ... I don't know that I'll ever be willing to try another recipe. They are well-deserving of their name.

Supernatural Brownies
Yields 15 large or 24 small brownies

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, more for pan and parchment paper
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips)
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, such as muscovado (I used light brown sugar)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 3/4 cup whole walnuts, optional (ick. hate nuts in brownies. left these out.)

1. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment (not to be confused with waxed) paper (take the time to do this ... it made brownie removal soooo easy). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave (noooooo - no microwaving, folks), melt butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly. In a large bowl or mixer (do it by hand ... feels better, I promise you), whisk eggs. Whisk in salt, sugars and vanilla.

2. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour just until combined. If using chopped walnuts, stir them in. Pour batter into prepared pan. If using whole walnuts, arrange on top of batter (sad). Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Cool in pan on rack. (But don't cool them too much ... you should eat them while they're still warm and a bit gooey and with really good vanilla bean ice cream ... the kind that's made with real sugar, please!)

Try this recipe. I assure you, you will love it.

Thai Green Curry - a foray and a variation

I have never attempted Thai food before. Well, once I made a Thai chicken coconut soup recipe from Cooking Light, but beyond that I've been too afraid to venture into that world. It is one of my favorite cuisines. How could I ever presume to rival the tasty goodness of Thailand?

With a little help from my dear friends at The Savory Spice Shop and their home-mixed Thai Green Curry, that's how.

What follows is a recipe I picked up in the shop, with a few variations of my own. This recipe can be easily adjusted to fit your needs (or whatever you happen to have in you fridge).

Want a vegetarian option? Substitute fried tofu for the chicken and equal parts oil and water for the fish sauce (add a splash of soy sauce with the basil to give it a little salt).

Don't have (or don't like) green beans? Substitute any chopped veggies: zucchini and squash work well, green or red bell pepper, broccoli, a handful of edamame. Add a can of drained, sliced bamboo shoots or water chestnuts. Curry is the catch-all dish ... take whatever you have in your fridge and toss it in.

(Spicy) Thai Green Curry with Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cubed
2 cup coconut milk (not the light variety - blech!)
1/3 - 1/2 lb fresh green beans, chopped into 1 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup canned, diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 t ground turmeric
2 T Thai Green Curry (Savory Spice Shop)
2 T fish sauce
pinch dried basil

1. In a bowl, toss cubed chicken with turmeric and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat coconut milk over low heat for 5-6 minutes.
3. Mix curry with fish sauce to form a paste.
4. Whisk paste into coconut milk, add tomatoes, and cook for 5-6 minutes.
5. Increase heat to medium, add chicken, and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Reduce heat to low, add green beans and stir thoroughly. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until beans are cooked (but still have a bite).
7. Stir in basil and continue cooking, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes.
8. Serve over rice. (I like to use brown ... its chewy texture soaks up all the saucy goodness. Mmmmmmm.)

An obsession with salad

salad w/ mizithra, originally uploaded by Wanderings.

My recent traveling companion in Europe found my obsession with green veggies quite amusing. If I didn't get them every day, I went into a kind of emotional panic. I love green beans. I love broccoli. And I LOVE salad.

Tonight I built my meal around this salad, which I've adapted numerous times from my friend Verda's Classic Green Salad. This version had a new twist - mizithra cheese. I had walked into the grocery story planning on making a Greek salad, but when I reached up for my favorite tasty imported feta I noticed a new addition to the imported cheese selection. Mmmmm... Verda's salad with Mizithra.

What else could I do with it? Well, I've always wanted to imitate The Old Spaghetti Factory's "spaghetti w/ browned butter & mizithra", so I headed over to the pasta aisle and picked up some whole wheat linguini. And since my brother taste-tester is a carnivore, I also picked up some chicken thighs and garlic.

The Chicken:
Oven at 450.
Chicken pieces arranged skin side up on a broiler pan.
Make a paste of crushed garlic, dried oregano, sea salt, and a little melted butter and spread it around under the skin.
Brush the rest of the melted butter on top of the skin and sprinkle with a little more salt (I used course grey sea salt and it was amazing!).
Bake at 450 for 45 minutes.

The Pasta:
Cook the pasta as directed, being careful not to overcook. It should have a bit of a bite left. Remember to add a touch of salt to the cooking water.
Melt butter in a frying pan at a low heat (I was winging this one). I think I remember correctly that you're supposed to continue to heat it until the foam has subsided and it starts to give off a nutty smell and acquire a slightly browned appearance.
Toss the spaghetti w/ the butter in the pan, then transfer to a serving dish.
Grate copious amounts of mizithra onto the spaghetti.
Finish with a generous sprinkling of freshly ground pepper.
*Also good with parmesan instead of mizithra and olive oil instead of butter.

The Salad:
Choose your own ratio of ingredients...
red leaf lettuce (I think it mixes with other ingredients better than romaine)
thinly sliced carrot (the originals ... not the babies)
thinly sliced cucumber (make sure you peel it if it's not an English cucumber)
grated mizithra (or parmesan)
dressing: oregano, olive oil, sherry (or red wine) vinegar, s & p