A Requiem for my Blenders

monochromatic soup and sandwich

Today, I finally burned out my 10+yo. hand blender while making mayonnaise. Although I never used it much before stated this project, I did pack it and move it with me to at least 5 different apartments. It will be missed. Sadder still, its demise comes less than 24 hours after my daughter dropped my blender on the kitchen floor taking a huge jagged chunk out of the top of it.

Long story. . . I had to use my 16 oz. baby food maker/food processor to blend the cauliflower soup. Huge mess. No more homemade mayo either.

I made the soup because I had never used white truffle oil before. It was also the only cauliflower soup that wasn't heavy on the milk fat.

Both of these are from Epicurious.com, but I modified the sandwich.
Cauliflower Soup with Truffle Oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 pound cauliflower florets (about 5 cups)
2 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon white truffle oil

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add cauliflower and sauté 2 minutes. Add broth. Cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 25 minutes.

Working in batches, transfer soup to blender and purée until smooth. Return soup to pot. (Soup can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate.) Bring soup to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle truffle oil over.

Serves 6 as a first-course.

Grilled Cheddar and Fennel Sandwich
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
2 teaspoons curry powder (hot)
butter
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 baguette
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 lb Grafton Cheddar
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fennel bulb

Cook shallot and curry powder in oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring, 2 minutes, then transfer to a small bowl and stir in mayonnaise and lemon juice. Wipe skillet clean and set aside.

Cut 16 (1/4-inch-thick) diagonal slices (about 6 inches long) from baguette. Spread 1 side of each slice with butter, then turn over and spread opposite side with curry mayonnaise. Cut cheese into thin slices no wider than bread slices. Divide cheese among 8 slices of bread, then top with fennel and remaining slices of bread, buttered sides up.

Heat skillet over moderate heat until hot, then cook sandwiches in 2 batches, turning over once and pressing occasionally, until browned and cheese is melted, about 7 minutes per batch.

Makes 4 servings.

If I make this sandwich again I'm going to use major grey's or mango chutney instead of the curry mayonnaise.

Serious Chocolate Ice Cream with Whole Coffee Beans

recipe #110

I was looking thru an ice cream cookbook from the 70s that my mother had and I found a recipe for coffee bean ice cream. I was really looking forward to trying it out until I read that the coffee beans soak overnight and then are strained out. The beans are tossed. I wanted ice cream with beans in, so I made this:

Serious Chocolate with Whole Coffee Beans Ice Cream:
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
handful of coffee beans
1 c. quality cocoa powder (I used some stuff I brought back from France last year)
2 egg yolks
2 c. heavy cream, whipped

milk if you need to thin it out a bit while stirring.

1. heat the sugar and water, when it starts to boil, throw in the coffee beans and boil for 2 minutes
2. remove from heat and add cocoa. blend. Add whole milk if you need to thin it a bit.
3. Add egg yolks and blend.
4. Allow to cool to room temp or colder. I sat mine on my fire escape in 40 degree weather for 30 minutes.
5. Fold in whipped heavy cream
6. Throw it in an ice cream maker for 20 minutes.

Serious ice cream. Do not eat if you want to sleep. Do not feed to children. . . or at least not children that you have to supervise.

If the crunching down on a whole coffee bean in your ice cream sounds bad, toss the beans in a grinder for 1 or 2 seconds. It will still give you some texture.

the kind of cocoa that I used

Nockerln aka Austrian Pancakes

recipe #109

I was unaware of these all egg pancakes before this morning. I served them with the all popular blueberry sauce. These pancakes can also be made savory.

meringue-like texture

This recipe is from The Joy of Cooking 1971 edition:
Nockerln
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter into a 10 inch pan
butter should be hot when the pancake mixture is added to it.
Beat until very light:
4 egg yolks
2-4 tbs. sugar
add:
1/8-1/4 tsp. vanilla
Whip until stiff:
4-6 egg whites
Fold the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Heap the souffle into the hot skillet by the spoonful. Allow 5 minutes total cooking time. Brown one side, turn over and brown the other side. Center should still be very soft.

serves 2 or 3.

Do not attempt these on a cast iron griddle or pan. They end up looking like this:

kind of a mess

resuced from the griddle, they kindo fo look like scrambled eggs, but have a souffle texture

Amazingly, even my 3 yo. would eat them. See proof above.

Homemade Bánh mì

Bánh mì made in my own tiny kitchen

recipe #108

I really cannot believe that I have never had a Bánh mì before last Thursday. I feel somehow more complete now.

Today I made not a bad substitute for the real thing. This one was with chicken (as the recipe called for). Next time I will substitute a pork chop that I pound to about 1/4-1/8 of an inch thick. I also will not skimp on the mayo.

I modified this recipe but it is originally from epicurious.com:
Bánh mì
Marinated carrots
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon (rounded) salt
6 cups shredded peeled carrots

Sandwiches
1/4 cup soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons five-spice powder
2 whole star anise ground in spice mill or crushed to a rough powder
6 large skinless boneless chicken breasts pounded to 1/4-1/8 inch
or
pork chops bone removed and pounded to 1/4-1/8 inch

6 6-inch-long pieces baguette, split lengthwise, some of soft centers removed
Mayonnaise
1 English hothouse cucumber, cut into 6-inch-long 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 red onion, halved through stem, thinly sliced crosswise, rinsed, drained well
12 fresh cilantro sprigs
2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise

For carrots:
Whisk first 3 ingredients in large bowl until dissolved. Add carrots; toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours. (Can be prepared 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.) Drain well.

For sandwiches:
Mix first 8 ingredients in 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Add chicken or pork; turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature 1 hour, turning often.

Broil cut sides of bread until lightly toasted. Spread mayonnaise on bottom half of baguette pieces. Top with cucumber slices. Top each with 1 chicken thigh, drained daikon and carrots, then onion slices and cilantro sprigs. Sprinkle with jalapeño slices, soy sauce, and ground black pepper. Place top baguette piece over, pressing to compact, and serve immediately.

Makes 6.

I made this sandwich after having a few really disappointing Bánh mì experiences on Brooklyn over the weekend. I went to 2 different Bánh mì shops. One was fine, the other was terrible. I tried a grilled pork, a shredded pork, a BBQ pork and a standard pork roll pate version. The shredded I took a bite of and gave up on. I'm not sure what was mixed on with the pork. But it was some sort of intestine or organ I just didn't feel up to.

shredded pork and something 'else'

The grilled one was terrific.

yum

Both those were from Ba Xuyen at 4222 8th ave in Brooklyn. It was a nice shop, the women behind the counter were helpful and friendly and they make a mean thai iced bubble tea. Next we swung by Thanh Đa Inc. II at 5624B 8th Avenue. Small shop, kind of mean guy behind the counter. We get sandwiches and start on the long long drive upstate. 2 hours in I get hungry and try the #1 aka classic Bánh mì. I ate 1/4 of it before I was overwhelmed by mayonnaise (and I love mayonnaise). I had to put it down. 45 minutes later I still had the ever more disgusting aftertaste of bad Bánh mì lingering. My sister had to lie down for a while after she ate hers. Avoid Thanh Đa Inc.

Cold Weather Dinner

recipe # 105, 106, 107

I'm going to make cold weather & winter food with wild abandon for the next month and a half. As of December 7th we are pulling up stakes and leaving for LA. After that I doubt I'll see another northeastern winter for a while. Kind of sad.

So for now it is all roasting, squash, roots vegetables, Brussels spouts, poultry, stews, soups, breads, mushrooms, baked desserts. . . .

I learned how to truss a chicken before making the chicken recipe. There is a clear explanation of how to do it here.


This one is From Bouchon by Thomas Keller:
Mon Poulet Rôti
One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)

Unsalted butter
Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

Now, salt the chicken — I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone — I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip — until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

This is from Craft of Cooking by Tom Colicchio:
Creamless Cream Corn
10 ears of white corn
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh tarragon

Shuck half the corn and remove the kernels from the husks. Place the corn in a blender and discard the cobs and husks. Purée the corn with 1/3 cup water. Press the purée through a fine sieve and reserve.

Shuck the remaining corn, cut the kernels from the cobs, and reserve. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and pepper and cook until the onion begins to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved corn, salt, and 1/2 cup of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is almost tender, about 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer the strained corn purée into a double boiler set over barely simmering water. Cook gently, stirring frequently, until the liquid thickens to the consistency of heavy cream, about 3 minutes. Season the purée with salt and pepper. Remove the corn and onion mixture from the heat and stir in the corn cream. Add the tarragon and adjust the seasoning if necessary with salt and pepper.

Serves 6


This is from epicurious.com:
Parsnips and Carrots with Orange Butter Sauce
1 cup water
1/2 pound parsnips, peeled; halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
1/2 pound carrots, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick
pieces
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a skillet combine the water, the parsnips, the carrots, and salt to taste, simmer the vegetables for 15 minutes, or until they are just tender, and stir in the orange juice. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, and transfer the vegetables with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Boil the liquid until it is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the zest and the butter, stirring until the butter is melted. Spoon the sauce over the vegetables.

Serves 2

The Parsnips where fine.

The chicken and the corn were something else all together. I don't think that there is any reason to ever make roast chicken another way. Same with the corn. The corn is amazingly good. I thought it was great before I added the tarragon, but the tarragon put it over the top. I cannot imagine how good it will be when corn is in season.

Banh Mi Thit Cha and Green Tea Candy

UPDATE: recipes for banh mi here and here.

I found a recipe for a 'vietnamese sandwich' on epicurious.com and was planning on making it later this week. This is what prompted me to order what was called the 'vietnamese sandwich' or banh mi thit cha at lunch today from Nha Trang Palace in Brooklyn Chinatown (good, friendly, fast restaurant). The sandwich was $3.00. It was fantastic. There was a layer of something mayonnaise/pate like on the bottom of the sandwich and the shredded carrots were pickled. I think that the 2 different kinds of meat on it are both pork.

I'm going to try every vietnamese sandwich I can find from now on.

We also got some fantastic greet tea candy that reminds my husband of milk duds.

highly recommended

kind of chewy, not too sweet

We are going back for more of both tomorrow.

Tamarind Granita

Today I learned that tamarind is an important ingredient in Worcestershire sauce.

I'm giving my sister, Bronwen credit for this one. It is really good. My daughter actually ate 2 servings of it even though I thought it would be too tart for her. It would be a good cocktail base too. Add some vodka and you've got a nice drink.

Here is the very simple recipe:
Tamarind Granita
1.5 cups of sugar
3 cups of water
1/4 good tamarind concentrate

In a saucepan combine water and sugar, bring to boil then remove from heat. Add tamarind concentrate then cool to room temp. Throw mixture into an ice cream maker for 20-25 minutes than store in the freezer. The mixture will not harden like sorbet.

photos shortly.

And . . .

An interesting article from The Journal of the American Medical Association stating that the health benefits of eating fish out weigh the health risks.

Szechuan

recipes # 102, 103 & 104

I'm starting Szechuan cuisine, or sichuan or szechwan or 四川菜. Depending on how you spell it. I started very basic.

First, from Sichuan Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop:
Zhong Dumplings - Zhong Sui Jiao
circular dumpling wrappers
Filling
60 g piece fresh ginger, unpeeled
1 egg
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
3/4 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
450 g ground pork
Dipping sauce
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chili oil (the homemade variety, not store bought, see my recipe for hong you, chilli oil)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed and mixed with
2 teaspoons cold water

1. Smash the ginger with the flat side of a cleaver or heavy object and leave to soak for a few minutes in 200ml cold water.
2. Mix the egg, wine and salt and pepper into the pork, then gradually add the ginger-water (discarding the crushed pieces), so it is absorbed by the meat to form a fragrant, floppy paste.
3. Mix the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl; always add the garlic at the last minute to make the most of it's flavour and fragrance.
4. Fill each dumpling wrapper wth a good teaspoon of filling, and seal to make a half-moon shape. Seal with a series of little pinches if you want it to look good and authentic! Make sure dumpling skin is sealed so that the filling can't ooze out. Lay the dumplings out seperately on a lightly floured surface.
5. Heat a large pan of water to a vigorous boil over high heat. Throw in a couple of handfuls of dumplings. Stir once to prevent sticking. When the water has returned to the boil, throw in a coffee cupful of cold water. Allow the water to return to the boil and throw in another coffee cupful of cold water. When the water has returned to the boil again, the skins should be glossy and the meat should have cooked through.
6. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon, drain well, and serve hot with dip. Continue cooking the dumplings in batches.
7. FYI - the cold water is added to stop the water from boiling too vigorously and tearin the dumplings apart.

Here is the chili oil recipe that goes with the dumpling recipe.

Hong You
100 g chili flakes or coarsely ground chilies, with seeds
550 ml peanut oil or peanut oil or corn oil
1. Put the chili flakes into a glass preserving jar.
2. Heat the oil over high heat until smoking hot.
3. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes to 120 - 130 degrees celcius. (I don't have a themometer, I just cool for 10 minutes).
4. Pour onto the chilies, stir once or twice and leave to cool in a shady place. The oil and chilies will fizz and swirl around at first but the chilli flakes will settle as the oil cools. You can use the oil immediately, but the flavour and fragrance will improve after a couple of days.

hung you oil

I boiled the dumplings and then pan fried them until they were just slightly brown. They are much better that way.

For the main course I made:
Sichuan Green Beans
1 lb chinese long beans or regular green beans, cut on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon bean sauce (preferably Koon Chun)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (black or mushroom)
2 tablespoons vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon chili paste (to taste)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1. If using regular green beans, steam or parboil them for 5 minutes. (Regular green beans are thicker than Chinese long beans so they take longer to cook). Rinse cut beans in cold water.
2. Combine the bean sauce, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch, chili paste, and sesame oil. Add 2 tablespoons cold water.
3. Heat both oils in a wok until smoking. Add beans and stir-fry for 10 minutes or until beans are bright green in color and slightly wrinkled.
4. Add sauce and stir-fry until sauce thickens.

I used the long beans. It's a terrific recipe. Good hot or cold.

Szechuan Sesame Chicken
1 medium egg white
2 teaspoons cornflour
500 g chicken breast fillets, cut into strips
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons chili sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 teaspoon whole szechuan peppercorns, roasted
2 tablespoons spring onions, trimmed & finely chopped
1. Beat the egg white with the cornflour, pour into a shallow dish and add the chicken strips. Turn to coat, cover with clingfilm and leave in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
2. Heat a wok, add the peanut oil and when hot, add the chicken pieces and stirfry for 2 minutes or until the chicken turns white. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper. Pour off the oil and reserve 1 tablespoon of oil. Wipe wok clean.
3. Reheat wok, add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil with the sesame seeds and stirfry for 30 seconds, or until golden. Stir in the dark soy sauce, cider vinegar, chili sauce, sesame oil, sugar, chinese rice wine, Szechuan peppercorns and the spring onions. Bring to boil.
4. Return chicken to wok and stir-fry for 2 minutes, making sure the chicken is coated evenly with the sauce and sesame seeds. Serve immediately, with rice (or mixed salad).

I didn't love this one although other people liked it fine. I think I screwed it up somewhere along the way.

Both of those are from recipe zaar.

maybe photos later

Crawfish Bisque & Stuffed Crawfish Heads, interrupted.

crawfish heads, unstuffed.

Crawfish Bisque is, for the most part served with stuffed crawfish heads. I've never stuffed a head or made a bisque so I decided to put the crawfish in my freezer towards this project.

I filled a pot, threw them in a pot and boiled them. This is what it looked like when they were finished cooking:

grey sludge water

Red Flag. Disgusting water.

As the recipe directed I then started to remove the meat from the tail and separate the head from the bodies. This went okay for the first 1 or 2. Crawfish are kind of gross. More giant insect than tiny lobster. The 3rd of 4th crawfish I picked out of the pot looked like it had lived at the bottom of a toxic puddle for most of its life. I scrubbed it and the grey scum that covered the bottom of its body came off a bit but it looked like a job for ajax. Tossed that one. Picked up the next, same thing. In fact, about 70% of these guys were partially covered in sludge.

dirty crawfish? normal?

Is this normal?

Was I being paranoid and crawfish phobic when I decided to toss the lot of them? Seriously, if this is normal, I would like to know.

I have eaten plenty of bottom feeders, but never before have I come across one that needed to be scrubbed with ajax.

They came from Freshdirect.

I would really like to stuff some crawfish heads when I find some good ones. Back burner for this recipe until then.

Here is the recipe that I was going to use:
CRAYFISH BISQUE: A CREOLE DISH
(La Cuisine Creole, 1885)

Parboil the fish, pick out the meat, and mince or pound it in a mortar until very fine; it will require about fifty crayfish.

Add to the fish one-third the quantity of bread soaked in milk, and a quarter of a pound of butter, also salt to taste, a bunch of thyme, two leaves of sage, a small piece of garlic and a chopped onion. Mix all well and cook ten minutes, stirring all the time to keep it from growing hard.

Clean the heads of the fish, throw them in strong salt and water for a few minutes and then drain them. Fill each one with the above stuffing, flour them, and fry a light brown.

Set a clean stewpan over a slow fire, put into it three spoonfuls of lard or butter, a slice of ham or bacon, two onions chopped fine; dredge over it enough flour to absorb the grease, then add a pint and a-half of boiling water, or better still, plain beef stock.

Season this with a bunch of thyme, a bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste.

Let it cook slowly for half an hour, then put the heads of the crayfish in and let them boil fifteen minutes. Serve rice with it.

UPDATE:
My sister, who is a chef, tells me I was being paranoid.

New England Fish Chowder and English Muffins

fall comfort food

recipes #100 and 101

It's sweater season here. This is good news food wise. Soups, breads, baking, roasting, squash, apples. . . .

I decided to start with chowder, which I have never made from scratch before.

Last month at the farmers market we bought some fish that I just found at the back/bottom of the freezer. Neither of us could remember quite what it was, but it was white and looked like it would be flaky, so chowder seemed like a good plan for it.

The other thing is that this is recipe #100. 100 recipes have really changed the landscape of my fridge. I no longer have mayo (I can make it myself now!) but I have 6 different kinds of mustard. I always used to have english muffins in my fridge. They were good for breakfast, sandwiches, burgers, the kids loved them. I realized I had no idea how they were made, so, I learned.

This recipe is modified from epicurious.com:
NEW ENGLAND FISH CHOWDER
4 ounces bacon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions (14 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch dice
6 to 8 sprigs fresh summer savory or thyme, leaves removed and chopped (1 tablespoon)
2 dried bay leaves
2 pounds Yukon Gold, Maine, PEI, or other all-purpose potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/3-inch thick
5 cups Strong Fish Stock, Traditional Fish Stock, Chicken Stock, or water (as a last resort)
1 cup corn kernels
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds skinless haddock or cod fillets, preferably over 1 inch thick, pinbones removed
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or up to 2 cups if desired)

1. Cook bacon in a heavy cast iron pot until crispy. Remove bacon, chop and reserve.

2. Add the butter, onions, savory or thyme, and bay leaves to the pot and sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 8 minutes, until the onions and softened but not browned.

3. Add the potatoes, corn and stock. If the stock doesn’t cover the potatoes, add just enough water to cover them. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, cover, and cook the potatoes vigorously for about 10 minutes, until they are soft on the outside but still firm in the center. If the stock hasn’t thickened lightly, smash a few of the potato slices against the side of the pot and cook for a minute or two longer to release their starch. Reduce the heat to low and season assertively with salt and pepper (you want to almost overseason the chowder at this point to avoid having to stir it much once the fish is added). Add the fish fillets, and reserved baconand cook over low heat for 5 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and allow the chowder to sit for 10 minutes (the fish will finish cooking during this time).

4. Gently stir in the cream and taste for salt and pepper. If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder after it has chilled completely. Otherwise, let it sit for up to an hour at room temperature, allowing the flavors to meld.

serves 8 as a main course.

english muffins are made on a griddle

I used half whole wheat flour with this recipe:
English Muffins
1 2/3 cup milk
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 package active dry yeast
1 heaping tablespoon granulated sugar
1/3 cup warm water
1 large egg
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
5 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. salt
Cornmeal or bread crumbs
1. Heat the milk and melt the butter in it. Cool.
2. Combine the yeast, water, and sugar. Allow to proof for a few minutes.
3. Combine the cooled milk mixture with the yeast mixture in large bowl. Add the egg, salt, and vinegar, along with half the flour and mix at medium speed for about 5 minutes. Add in remaining flour and mix well. The mixture will be sticky. Cover and allow to rise in draft-free area for 1 hour.
4. Pour cornmeal or bread crumbs into a bowl. Grease two baking sheets. Take approximately 1/2 cup of dough into your hand and form a ball. Flatten and place in cornmeal, turning once. Place muffin on the greased cookie sheet and flatten to a 3-inch circle. Allow muffins to rise for about 8 minutes.
5. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. Place the muffins on the griddle and cook 7 minutes on each side. Allow to cool completely.

The english muffins turned out a bit less nook and crannies full, but they were good with the chowder and with butter and jam. I think I'll make wider, thinner ones next time.