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 pig and a glutton, sometimes. I admit. It’s true.. The other day, for example, I made a wonderfully simple salsa, packed with the fresh flavors of late summer. That, in and of itself, doesn’t make me a glutton, but the fact that once I started eating it, I didn’t stop until I had polished off half of a family sized bag of tortilla chips does. In fact, for 2 nights salsa, chips and PBR (that’s Pabst Blue Ribbon-beer- for those not in the know) was my dinner. I look at it this way; at least I got my vegetables for the day!!!!

Seriously though, I love salsa in all its forms, from the simple pico de gallo, to complex mole like creations involving 15-20 ingredients or more, though I don’t make it as often as I should. Instead, I often take the lazy way out and just pick up a bottle at the store. Yes, I am ashamed of myself, especially as I so often gripe about people buying stuff at the store when it is so easy to make at home.

This time of year though, I’d be a fool not to make my own salsa. With so many of its ingredients at their peak of ripeness there is no way store bought can even come close to the beauty that is homemade salsa. A quick stroll through my local farmer’s market and I had all I needed to make some killer salsa, and at a fraction of the cost of the store bought stuff.

Grilled Vegetable Salsa
makes about 1 quart

4 pounds tomatoes
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
3-6 jalapenos, depending on how hot they are and how hot you like your salsa. I used 3 as my wife likes her salsa only medium hot.
1/2 bunch cilantro
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
salt

Preheat your grill. Peel the onion and remove the core. Cut it into 3 thick slices. Use 2 Tbsp. of the oil to lightly oil the tomatoes, onions and jalapenos. Grill until lightly charred and slightly softened.

When done, core the tomatoes and remove the stems from the jalapenos. Roughly cut the tomatoes into 1/6ths or 1/8ths. Place the vegetables in a blender, along with the garlic and blend until well blended but not completely smooth. You will need to do this in 2-3 batches. You shouldn’t need to add any liquid if you place the tomatoes in first. Meanwhile add the remaining oil to a large skillet and heat until smoking. Add the puree to the skillet-be careful as it will sputter and spit-and cook for 10 minutes or until the salsa thickens slightly and turns a darker red. Remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature. While the salsa is cooking finely chop the cilantro and add when cool. Season with salt. Place in the refrigerator and allow the flavors to mature for at least 1-2 hours before serving.

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.

I don’t know about the rest of the country, but this year hasn’t been a good year for tomatoes in Wisconsin.  July and August have felt more like September and October, with cool, cloudy days being the norm while 80 and 90 degree weather seems to have been the exception.  This has put a damper on the tomato harvest this year with  smaller yields and late arrival at the farmer’s markets.  While still way better than grocery store tomatoes, the tomatoes, at the market, this year aren’t up the their usual standards.  I have heard many complaints about the tomatoes rotting on the vine before being fully ripened so many farmers are forced to pick them a little sooner than they want to resulting in firmer, less juicy tomatoes that seem a little more acidic than normal.  Again, though, even in a year like this, the locally grown tomatoes are light years better than any tomato bought at your local megamart.

In the last few years, tomato tarts have become all the rage, and rightfully so.  They are a great way to showcase the various flavors and colors of the the heirloom tomatoes that have become more and more popular over the last decade or so.  Fortunately, the internet abounds with recipes for such tarts, and finding one you like isn’t that difficult.  That being the case I thought I share another great way to show off those wonderful summertime tomatoes-Scalloped Tomatoes.  Scalloped Tomatoes is a wonderfully rustic dish that seems right at home among other country fare yet there is something elegant in it’s simplicity.  In the simple recipe that follows please be sure to use “fresh” bread crumbs (from slices of fresh bread or just slightly stale bread that you pulse in a food processor) and not that dried out stuff that comes in a can, from the store.  That stuff has its place but not in this recipe.

Scalloped Tomatoes
4 1/2 cups Fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup Butter, melted
2 tablespoons Fresh chives, minced
2 tablespoons Fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon Fresh thyme, minced
6 each tomatoes, ripe, thickly sliced
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Combine bread crumbs, butter and herbs and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Press half of crumb mixture into a large (9×13) baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place a single layer of tomatoes on top. Sprinkle tomatoes with more bread crumb mixture then another layer of tomatoes. Continue until all tomatoes and breadcrumbs are used up, ending with a layer of bread crumbs. Return to oven and bake until tomatoes are warmed and the crumbs on top are golden brown (approx. 10 minutes)

This recipe is easy to adapt to suit your tastes. To give it an Italian flair, replace the butter with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add fresh Basil and Oregano to the herbs, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

I don’t know why I don’t prepare artichokes more often. Every time I make them I swear I am going to start eating them more often, but usually don’t get around to making them again for 5 or 6 months or more. It’s not that they are difficult to prepare. Sure they can be a little time consuming if you want to grill them as in the recipe below, but they can also be made without much fuss. Just peel the stems, pop off a few of the outer leaves then simmer them in acidulated water until tender. It’s then up to the diner to do the work of peeling off the leaves, one by one, and scraping away the “meat” at the bottom of the leaf. It’s messy, but a fun, interactive meal. This is the way my wife usually prepares them, then sits down to eat a couple, as her entire meal, dipping each leaf into mayo before eating. While I am perfectly happy eating artichokes this way, I was in the mood to do something a little more. I wanted to “jazz” them up a bit and since I hadn’t done much grilling lately that was the obvious choice.

The recipe contains a range for the crushed red pepper. Using only 1/2 tsp. will result in artichokes that are only mildly annoyed, 1 tsp. will result in making them rather perturbed, 2 tsp. will give you angry artichokes and 1 Tbsp.+ are going to make them pretty damned pissed. I’ll let you decide which kind you want to deal with. (continue reading…)