Blueberry Corn Pancakes
It's summer, I have blueberries, Carolyn's coming over, so if that doesn't spell Blueberry Corn Pancakes, I don't know what does.
These are good. Real good. Like make-them-for-the-vegan-guy-or-gal-who-just- slept-over good. But only if you want him or her to become obsessed with you. As it turns out, Carolyn is already obsessed with me, so this only made her more obsessed. But we're not going to sleep together. We stopped doing that years ago.
Just kidding. We're still doing it.
I mean just kidding. We never did that.
Anyway, back to the food! These are better than your average bear pancake. Little tweaks, like the addition of cornmeal and lemon zest, give these that fancy lift up to the better-than-ordinary, dare I say extraordinary?
Mind you, the batter is shockingly thin. I didn't think they going to end up pancake-y, but lo and behold, they magically morphed in the pan.
What else is there to say? It's all good, it's so good you will eat too many of these and have to go jogging to feel OK about yourself.
But it's worth it.
SFO: 10
Um, yah!
What a rare treat to have Jonathan over! He's a wonderful actor with whom I've had the privilege of performing in two shows. In one of them, we shared a huge dressing room that became known as "Gerry's Deli" because our third roommate used to bring bags and bags of antipasti and wine and serve it to the entire cast, who'd assemble on our couches. All that to say, Jonathan and I have enjoyed food together, but cooking for him brings it to a whole new level. As a fellow Jew, I knew he'd appreciate this old world treat, blintzes.
Savory Buckwheat Crepes
Jonathan got very excited about the idea of buckwheat crepes. I think it has to do with his fondness for kasha. While the buckwheat flour here doesn't really provide that strong kasha flavor, it does lend a weight that your average crepe doesn't have.
I&T warn that the buckwheat variation is a little trickier to execute, but I can't say I felt challenged by it. Again, I used my cast iron skillet, which, when properly greased, works great for crepe-making. I wonder if my pan was a little too hot, though, because I was finding it difficult to achieve a thinness of crepe. I'd pour in the batter, then swirl and swirl, but it was like I couldn't swirl it fast enough to spread it out super thin. Also, this batter is thicker than the plain one, so that might account for this issue.
But hey, this is Eastern European food - it should be hearty like peasant, no?
The crepes on their own taste great, although I have to say, they're a little on the sweet side...
SFO: 10
Potato-Spinach Blintzes
Here's another Brunch dish that I'm repurposing for dinnertime, this time as an entree. I'm doing the Potato-Spinach variation because I knew that I was making the Mushroom Gravy, and I thought mushroom on mushroom would be overkill.
I&T say to use "1 pound of cooked, chopped fresh spinach" but I find that somewhat confusing. One pound of fresh spinach, cooked and chopped? Or cook a $#!tload of spinach and then weigh 1 pound of it? In any event, I took the easy way out and defrosted a one pound bag of frozen chopped spinach, and it worked great. The filling came together nicely.
Typo alert: I think that it must be a mistake when they write "1/2 pound Yukon gold or other waxy potato (about 2 medium-sized potatoes)." Two medium sized potatoes weigh closer to a pound. A half pound of potatoes would make a meager amount of filling for 8-10 blintzes. I think I ended up using even more than a pound of potatoes for my filling, and yes, in an effort to used up all the filling, I overstuffed the blitzes, but not by much. I made eight gigantic blintzes. But given the weight of the crepes, the overstuffing seemed proportionate.
As for the assembly, I wasn't particularly happy with the way it was going following I&T's directions. That might work for a more delicate blintz, but these were gezuntah blintzes and Jonathan had a much better idea: fold the top side over the filling, then fold over the right and left sides, then roll to seal on the bottom. Much tighter and cleaner. The ones that I folded that way were more likely to "seal" in the panfrying portion of the process.
Again, here's another potato dish that's amazingly satisfying. The buckwheat crepe combines really well with this savory filling. There's still a protein punch missing here, but you're so full and happy, you really don't care. As suggested, I served a green salad with this, which I'm going to assert is mandatory. Without something light like that on the plate, I might feel like I was going to starch hell.
SFO: 10
Mushroom Gravy
I had high hopes for this one...
I have no complaints about the cooking process. It's really straightforward and simple, once you get past all the slicing. But the flavor... meh.
I think I need to try making it again with bouillon/a different broth. I used the Trader Joe's low sodium vegetable broth, which I just don't like. It's too... orange. Is it tomato that makes it so orange-y? Whatever it is, it has too assertive a flavor, and I think it ruins whatever I put it in, especially something particularly susceptible, like this sauce. The broth is such a big component. Maybe I just need to make I&T's homemade veggie broth recipe already...
SFO: 8
(nothing offensive here, but it doesn't compare well to a dairy-mounted mushroom sauce)
Remember when Judith and Ryan were supposed to come over and Judith got sick and only Ryan came?
Well, this is that dinner, rescheduled!
No Chinese theme this time, though. We're in the realm of Spain now. But first, I have to use up the rest of my Costco chestnuts....
Chestnut-Lentil Paté
Exactly as I&T described, this spread has a sweet and woodsy taste. To look at it, you'd think you were getting a sort of hummus, but then the taste of chestnuts takes over the experience, and the lentils are really just a background binder. I followed the serving suggestion of Melba toast and sliced tomato, the acid of which really helped balance out the sweetness and creaminess of the spread. And now as I'm reading the recipe again, I'm noticing the suggestion of adding a sprinkle with salt, which I think I would have appreciated if I had caught it at the time.
Ryan and Judith loved this. I thought it was OK. But again, not a huge chestnut fan.
SFO: 9
(one point off for the foreignness of chestnut flavor)
Chickpeas Romesco
I've never made a Romesco sauce before, but I'm fascinated by the concept - creaminess via ground almonds. Unfortunately for me, another key ingredient in a Romesco is the dreaded red bell pepper. Alas, what's a pepper-hater to do? Just make it and shut up.
Another first here for me was fire-roasted tomatoes. It's an interesting twist on your regular canned tomatoes, a little taste of char.
As usual, this recipe is easily made and has great flavor. Even with my profound hatred of pepper flavor, this sauce is so balanced and nice that I was going back for seconds.
SFO: 9
(one point off in honor of those who want a "there" there)
Saffron-Garlic Rice
For me, this was the highlight of the meal! So much flavor! And pretty too! They say the toasted almonds are optional, but I completely disagree. They are mandatory! I loved the big hit of garlic too. And frankly, I thought the saffron component was a little stingy. If I make this again, I might amp that up...
SFO: 10
Chocolate Chip Brownie Waffles
This recipe comes in the brunch chapter, but I thought it was a viable candidate for dessert. And it was! No need for toppings, we just ate these plain!
The batter for this is so thick, you're not really pouring it into the waffle iron, it's more like you're spooning it and spreading it out. My waffle iron is shaped to make four squares, but these waffles come out more like big circles because the batter just doesn't flow to the corners. No matter, they were still amazing. Not too sweet, which I like, although sweet dessert purists might appreciate some kind of sauce or sugar topping.
SFO: 10
Sweet Crepes
Even after all my cooking adventures, this was my first attempt at crepes!
I love that this batter happens in a blender - just dump everything in and blend the crap out of it. The only thing is, you have to think ahead, given the need to refrigerate the batter for a while....
I don't have a crepe pan, so I opted for my big cast iron skillet. I was prepared for lots of messed up crepes, as everyone (even I&T) warns that it takes some practice to get a decent result. But I had good crepes, right off the bat! The skillet worked perfectly - of course it was greased within an inch of its life, but that's how you do it, right?
The batter made six generously sized crepes, and Sam and I ate three of them. (OK, I ate two and she ate one.) We filled some with Not-Tella (yum) and others with berries (also yum). That little bit of sugar in the batter was just right, and the crepes tasted like the lightest, most delicate pancakes ever.
These are a real treat, and so easy to make!!
SFO: 10
As I mentioned yesterday, my lovely and beautiful goddaughter Samantha is visiting for a special godparents weekend! Her godmother Patty Ben (aka my godwife) also lives in NYC, and since they were going to be spending the day together, I thought we should all start out with a vegan brunch!
Mushroom and Spinach Strata
Strata with no eggs is a funny concept, since I think eggs are really the star of a strata. This custard is made from the usual vegan suspects: tofu, mustard, lemon juice, etc., and I was curious to see if the substitution would work.
While I feel the results were mixed, the gals were decidedly in favor. I thought the herbs were a little overwhelming and that the sour notes (i.e. the lemon and mustard) in the custard dominated in a bad way. Also, because the custard doesn't have the same soaking abilities as egg, I thought the bread could have been cut into smaller pieces, since there were some big, dry-ish chunks in there.
But like I said, I was in the minority. Seconds were served to all, and the following morning, Sam even wanted leftovers! That says it all!
SFO: 9
(Clearly they're feeling a 10, but I'm feeling a 7 here, so I took an average.)
Diner Home Fries
Yup. That's exactly what these are! Just like diner home fries! I thought the potato slices were kind of big to start, but by the time these are done cooking, there's been a fair amount of crumbling away, and the finished product is nicely proportioned.
As you now know, I hate bell peppers, and Sam doesn't like potatoes, so these weren't particularly popular. But after I picked out all the peppers, I was very happy with the results.
SFO: 10
(Nothing to object to here. Unless you're Sam and I.)
Banana-Nut Waffles
First Veganomenkrantz brunch recipe! AND first waffles ever!! My guest today is my little jazzy baby, Alysha. (If you don't already know her, you have to check her out here, singing one of my songs.)
I've never owned a waffle-maker. It was one of those things that seemed too fetish-y, too specific. And I just never developed enough of an obsession with waffles to justify buying one. But that's one of the reasons why I love projects like this one. It forces you into cooking and buying things that you wouldn't typically gravitate to. And I'm so glad I did!
These are amazing! Great taste, texture, everything! My waffle iron is the kind that you put on the stove, not a plug-in version. And since it was the first time I've ever used it, I'm not sure if the tender waffles I ended up with are due to the recipe, the waffle iron, or how long they were cooked. While I suspect I could have gotten more color and crust if I cooked them longer, they were so yummy and deluxe that I didn't want to risk ruining them.
One of the things that really hits me when making all these quick, easy, amazing recipes is: why don't people cook at home more often? It's so easy! And fulfilling!! I mean, homemade waffles!! C'mon!
SFO: 10
(Alysha doesn't even like waffles, but she really liked these.)
