I don’t know why I don’t make crepes more often. They are relatively simple to make, don’t take a whole lot of time, and my wife loves them. Besides, like so many of the things I like to cook, they are quite versatile and are easily customized to your own tastes by adding any variety of fillings from savory to sweet.

This week I am looking for some different ways to use up the awesomely sweet corn we have been receiving in our CSA box. Don’t get me wrong, in summer there is nothing better than super sweet corn on the cob, slathered in butter and sprinkled with salt and pepper, or prepared the Hispanic way; coated in mayo, grated cheese, and cayenne pepper. But doing that would make for a rather boring blog.

Today’s post contains 3 recipes, 2 of which many people seem to think are beyond the skills of regular home cooks. As you should know by now I don’t think many recipes are beyond the realm of home cooks. First are crepes. For some reason people have come to believe that making crepes is a difficult process, but if you can make pancakes you can make crepes. Trust me, crepes are really easy to make and should be in every cook’s pantheon of recipes. The second one, butter sauce, AKA Beurre Blanc, is a little more difficult to make. It can be a bit more difficult to make but, all it really requires is a close eye while making the sauce, and even then, if you break the sauce it can be redeemed so there is no reason not to learn this technique. Once you learn to make a standard butter sauce you open up a whole world of variations to compliment just about any dish imaginable.

Corn Crepes with Curried Chicken and Kale
serves 4

Corn Crepes
2 cups corn, freshly cut off the cob (frozen will work if you can’t find fresh)
2 cup flour
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

In a food processor process the corn until somewhat smooth. Add the eggs, milk and butter, pulsing to combine. Add the flour salt and pepper. Again, pulse just to combine. Pour batter into a bowl and allow to rest for at least 1 hour. Heat an 8″ nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add a scant 1/4 cup of crepe batter, tilting and swirling the pan to cover the bottom of the pan uniformly.

Allow to cook for about 1 minute or until the top starts to look dry. Use a fork to gently lift up an edge of the crepe, then using your hand pull the crepe from the pan and flip it over. Cook 30 seconds longer the remove to a rack to cool. Repeat the process, using up all the batter. Makes 14-16 crepes. Once cooled stack, with wax paper in between and wrap in plasic is not using right away. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Ginger Butter Sauce
2/3 cup white wine
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
2 inch fresh ginger, chopped
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, diced and chilled

Combine the wine, shallot and ginger in a nonreactive sauce sauce pan. Place over high heat and reduce until only 2 tablespoons of liquid remain. Reduce heat to low. Grabbing 2-3 tablespoons of butter at a time, add to the saucepan, whisking constantly to keep creamy. Once that first addition of butter is fully incorporated add the next, continuing until all the butter is used up.

Add salt to taste. Keep warm, at the back of the stove. IF the sauce gets too hot or too cold it will break. Also if you add too much butter at any one time the sauce will break. Don’t worry, all is not lost. If that happens, in a clean pan reduce 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/3 cup of heavy cream to 1-2 tablespoons. Slowly drizzle in the broken butter sauce, whisking vigorously to re emulsify the sauce. For a bit of added insurance you can always add 1/3 cup of cream to the original recipe during the first step, before you make your reduction. This makes the process a little more forgiving, although I urge you to try it without the cream first.

Curried Chicken and Kale Filling
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
2 Tbl. vegetable oil
1 Tbl. fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 bunch kale, stems removed and julienned
2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 lemon
1 container (6oz) greek style yogurt
salt
pepper

Heat a saute pan over high heat. Add the oil and the onion, cooking until the onion is slightly browned. Add the ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken breasts and cook until browned. Add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the kale and continue to saute for 3 minutes. Add the water and squeeze of lemon juice. Cover and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove lid and stir in 2 tablespoons of the yogurt. Add the remaining yogurt and season with salt and pepper.

To Assemble
Place 2 crepes on each of 4 plates. Equally divide the filling between the 8 crepes, placing in a line along the center of each crepe. Loosely roll each crepe around the filling and place side by side. Drizzle with about 1/4 cup of the Ginger Butter Sauce and garnish with fresh herbs; either chives or parsley.

I’m a big fan of Indian food, but I have to admit that I haven’t spent much time cooking it. This is a situation that I am planning on remedying in the near future. But I don’t let this lack of actual experience hinder me from experimenting with the flavors of India. I have read enough and dabbled enough that I feel pretty confident that I can create a dish, that if not authentically Indian, is, at least, a well inspired creation that evokes the tastes and aromas of the subcontinent.

Probably the biggest hindrance to some one new to Indian cuisine is the large array of spices found in this cuisine that aren’t usually found in the standard American spice shelf. While coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper are quite common here, less common, and integral to Indian cooking, are spices such as green cardamon, ajwain, turmeric, fenugreek, among many others. While one could break the bank trying to hunt down and buy all these spices at once, my suggestion is to pick up a few and use those as the basis for your explorations into the cuisine. As you grow more confident, and prepare Indian dishes more regularly, you can then slowly add more spices to your kitchen. My suggestion would be to start with cumin (whole seeds), coriander (whole), ajwain (whole), green cardamon, turmeric, and garam masala (the standard spice blend of India- like BBQ spice here,each family seems to have their own special recipe for it). These spices, along with what you already have on your spice shelf should get you quite far. While far from being inexpensive I rely on Penzey’s Spicesfor most of my spices, especially those that are less common.

This vegetable curry came about last night from my desire to cook a vegetarian dish (something I am trying to do more regularly to keep my doctor happy), a need to use what was in the house (as bill paying had wiped out the check book until later in the week), and because of a craving for Indian food and flavors. While easy to prepare, it does take a few of those more difficult to find spices, but it is well worth it. Even my wife, who is not nearly as big of a fan of Indian food as I am, absolutely loved it.

Garbanzo and Green Bean Curry

1/2 tsp. cumin seed, whole
1/2 tsp. coriander, whole
1/4 tsp. ajwain,whole
3 pods green cardamon, crushed, seeds removed and pods discarded
1/2 tsp. turmeric, ground
1/4 tsp. cinnamon, ground
1 medium onion, peeled, halved and sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 cups carrots, cut into a thick julienne
1 15oz can garbanzo beans
1 15oz can green beans
1 15oz can tomato sauce
3-8 dried red chiles (depending on how spicy you like your food)
salt
pepper

Combine the cumin, coriander, cardamon seeds, and ajwain in a spice grinder (or mortar) and roughly grind. Add the turmeric and cinnamon and set aside. In a saute pan melt 3 Tbsp. butter over high heat. Add the onions and cook until starting to brown. Add the garlic and carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Add the spices and cook for 3 minutes longer. Add the garbanzos an green beans along with half a canful of water. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Lower heat to medium-low. Add chiles and cover. Allow to simmer for 1 hour. Remove lid and allow to continue to cook until sauce thickens and coats all the vegetables. Serve over rice.

Serves 3-4 as a main course or 6-8 as a side dish.

So I decided to sit down and write this post while my 3 year old daughter is in the bathtub. Big mistake. My office is right across the hallway from the bathroom and I leave the doors open so that I can keep an eye on her while I work. Unfortunately, she is a lot more interesting than anything I can think of to say, so I sit listening to her, trying to come up with something…anything to say, but each time I come up with some great culinary insight to impart, my thoughts are scattered as my daughter comes up with another classic one liner. Right now it is an argument between Ariel (the Little Mermaid for those of you not in the know) and her father, King Triton, with Genevieve playing both parts. Earlier it was a soliloquy about how bad Daddy is for forcing her to take a bath before having a snack, with something muttered, in there about, calling the police on me. Yes, I am a mean, mean Daddy. But it looks like I’m not going to get much writing done tonight, so I might as well give up trying.

As part of my resolution to try and start eating a little healthier, I’ve started looking for ways to cook up vegetables that make them taste less “vegetably.” Yes, I know that’s not a word, call it creative license (again, hard to think when the kid is now singing at the top of her lungs, at least she can carry a tune half way decently, for a 3 year old). It’s not that I don’t like vegetables, they’re just not my favorite things in the world, in general, though I do have a few favorites.

This recipe combines 2 of my favorite vegetables, tomatoes and cauliflower, and seasons them with spices from one of my favorite cuisines-Indian. This flavorful dish makes a great accompaniment to most any main dish or would make a great addition to a vegetarian platter.

Tomato Braised Cauliflower Curry
3 each dried red chile peppers (I used Tien Tsin peppers)
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, whole
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, quartered lengthwise and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp. curry powder
2 cans (14.5oz. each) diced tomato
1 head cauliflower, cut into flowerettes

Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the chile peppers and cumin seeds. Saute, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute or until the seeds start to brown and release their aroma.

Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until onions have softened. Add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add in the 2 cans of tomatoes, simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cauliflower. Stir, cover and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 15 -20 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure that the cauliflower is covered in the spicy liquid.

Season with salt and pepper and serve.

It’s a sad state of affairs, but, believe it or not, chef’s don’t often eat well.  Working around food all day, constantly tasting and sampling, we often find we miss meals and aren’t really all that hungry anyways.  Even when we are hungry we rarely have time to sit down and enjoy a meal.  Most of our meals are eaten “on the fly” which usually means throwing something between 2 pieces of bread and wolfing it down between tasks.  Despite that fact, I love sandwiches.  The variety is endless and a well crafted sandwich can be a work of art, in my opinion.  Of course most people go through life not giving much thought to the lowly sandwich.  We “slap” sandwiches together because they are easy, we’re in a hurry, or we don’t know what else to fix. It’s too bad because with just the smallest amount of work sandwiches can be so much more than just quick fuel. With this blog I hope to help combat that mindset. Sandwiches, in all forms, will make their way into posts here as I have lots of great, satisfying sandwich recipes to share. Don’t worry, this isn’t turning into a “sandwich” blog. I still plan tackling plenty of other foods and topics, but expect to see sandwiches appear here regularly. Today’s recipe is quite simple but makes a great luncheon entree when served with a small salad.

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich
2 stalks celery, small dice
1/2 medium onion, small dice
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, small dice
1/4 cup Raisins (preferably golden raisins, but regular works well also)
2 1/2 cups Chicken breast, cooked and diced
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup Pecan pieces
1 Tbls. Curry powder
salt
pepper
Red Leaf or Green Leaf Lettuce
12 slices Whole Wheat or 7 Grain Bread (any hearty, whole grained bread works best though any bread is fine)

Toss diced apples with lemon juice. Toast the pecans on a sheet pan until starting to brown. Allow the pecans to cool and mix all ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among six slices of bread. Top with lettuce then the other slices of bread