Text 34950, 125 rader
Skriven 2013-03-18 03:19:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: Corn 266
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 ML> When the stuff came out, the Chinese were enthralled.
 ML> One recipe that has become a classic is essentially
 ML> chicken broth and cream-style corn with a few Asian
 ML> spices - I won't post a version because I'm not quite
 ML> certain that I approve.
 NB> Haven't had that in quite a while, but we have had it and enjoyed it
 NB> on occasion...  :)  I think it was at the little local Chinese
 NB> restaurant that got sold off to Hispanics that couldn't keep it going,
 NB> when the owners decided to retire and move elsewhere...  :)  I think
 NB> their version might have had some sort of seafood in it as well...  :)

Yes, there is crab and corn soup and I believe shrimp
and corn soup as well.

 ML> Title: My Favorite Corn Casserole
 NB> Basically a corn souffle of sorts...

Kind of, except that it doesn't really souff.

=


 NB> I used to use it in cornbread... For corn on the plate, a good frozen
 NB> is better than canned... Back in the dark ages when I tried diets, the
 NB> instructors all warned against corn in general, and cream-style in
 NB> particular, as being diet-breakers..  One doesn't have to be a pig,
 NB> though, of course..  ;)

Corn gets demonized some places, extolled others. I admit
I like cornfed beef (which is supposed to have lots more
cholesterol), and the fiber in corn corn (which I like in
many forms) should to some degree counteract the badness.

It would be interesting if it turns out to be poison when
things shake out from all the research, a century or two
hence. I understand that white rice and white wheat
products are getting all this bad rap as well - I wonder
if people will figure out whether it's the loss of the
fiber or of the B vitamins that is more crucial. I once
read an interesting book called The Conquest of Beriberi,
in which polished white rice was culprited as a great
killer of the middle classes that used it. I wonder if
there's something about corn as well.

Swisher and I were idly flipping channels, and I found
this nerdy-looking guy turning out hideous-looking and
rather too plain food, despite his obviously being a
pretty smart fellow. Turned out to be Mark Bittman.

THE MOTHER OF ALL BUTTER COOKIES
Categories: dessert, dairy
Yield: about 48

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c cornstarch
3/4 c sugar
1 pn salt
8 oz chilled unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 ts vanilla extract
1/2 c milk, approximately

Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine flour, cornstarch, sugar,
and salt in a food processor, and pulse once or twice.
Add butter and pulse 10 or 20 times, until butter and
flour are well combined. Add vanilla and egg and pulse
3 or 4 times. Add about half the milk and pulse 2 or 3
times. Add the remaining milk a little at a time, pulsing
once or twice after each addition, until the dough holds
together in a sticky mass.

Remove the dough from the machine to one or more bowls.

To make cookies, drop rounded ts of dough (you can make
the cookies larger or smaller, if you like) onto a nonstick
baking sheet, a sheet lined with parchment paper, or a
lightly buttered sheet. If you want flat cookies, press
the balls down a bit with your fingers or the back of a
spatula or wooden spoon. Bake 11 min, or until the
cookies are done as you like them. Cool on a rack, then
store, if necessary, in a covered container.

From Spice Drops to Cut Outs.
Variations on the flavor of these butter cookies are
limitless. Here are a few suggestions:

-- Butterscotch cookies: Substitute brown sugar for half
or more of the white sugar, or simply add 1 Tb of molasses
along with the egg.

-- Citrus cookies: Omit the vanilla, and add 1 Tb of lemon
or orange juice and 2 ts grated lemon or orange rind along
with the egg. A couple Tb of poppy seeds can also be added.

-- Chocolate chip cookies: Stir in 1 c chocolate chips.
(The butterscotch variation is good with chocolate chips.)

-- Other chunky cookies: To the finished batter, add about
1 c of M&Ms (or similar candy), roughly chopped walnuts,
pecans or cashews, slivered almonds, raisins, coconut, or
dried cherries or cranberries. Or combine any chunky
ingredients you like.

-- Ginger cookies: Add 1 Tb ground dried ginger to the dry
ingredients. For even better flavor, add 1/4 c minced
crystallized ginger to the batter by hand (this works well
in addition to or in place of the ground ginger).

-- Spice cookies: Add 1 ts ground cinnamon, 1/4 ts each
ground allspice and ground ginger and 1 pn ground clove
and mace or nutmeg to the dry ingredients.

Or you can make rolled cookies by freezing the dough for
15 min or refrigerating it for at least 1 hour. Working
half the dough at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured
surface; the dough will absorb some flour at first but will
soon become less sticky. Do not add more flour than
necessary. Roll about 1/4" thick, and cut with cookie
cutters; decorate as you like. Bake as above, reducing
the cooking time to 8 to 10 min.


Mark Bittman, NY Times 12-16-98
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