Double Corn Pudding

This is basically a cheese strata (remember the 70's?), but it uses cubed polenta instead of bread. It can be made ahead, and it's familiar enough, at least to those of a certain age, that it won't frighten carnivores. The key is to use good sharp white cheddar -- you don't want some neon orange monstrosity. I use Trader Joe's Cabot Extra Sharp, $5.99 a pound. It can be served hot, warm or at room temperature, and it travels well, cut in slices or still in the pan, making it perfect for picnics or potlucks.

I always have cooked polenta in the freezer, but if you're making it from scratch, a pound of dried polenta makes a bit over 3 pounds of cooked. I suppose you could use the store bought polenta that comes in rolls, but I haven't had to try that, and you could probably substitute frozen or canned corn, but I haven't had to try that either.

1 pound cooked polenta, cut in 1/2" cubes
3 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cobs
4 eggs
1 cup of buttermilk
1/2 t curry powder
1 t vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
2 t Dijon mustard
4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
grated parmesan cheese
olive oil for pan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the polenta, corn, eggs, buttermilk, curry powder, Worcestershire sauce and mustard, and stir well until thoroughly mixed.

Lightly oil a glass pie plate with the olive oil. Sprinkle a little parmesan over the bottom to promote a brown crust. Add one third of the corn mixture, top with one third of the grated cheese. Repeat twice. Sprinkle additional Parmesan on top.

Bake until nicely browned and puffy, an hour or so.

This recipe serves four to six, depending upon what else is going on.

Three Layer Chocolate Cake

This cake is a birthday tradition in our family, and has been since 1968 when I found the recipe in the Time/Life American Cooking cookbook. The frosting is about the only thing I still use sour cream for, having discovered Trader Joe's 2% Greek yogurt. As good as that yogurt is though, I don't think it would cut it for frosting.

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares
12 T butter (1-1/2 sticks), at room temperature
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 t vanilla

2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 t salt (omit if using salted butter)

1-1/2 cups of milk

FROSTING

3 ounces walnut pieces
21 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 t salt
1-1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature


Melt the unsweetened chocolate and cool it to room temperature. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs singly incorporating well after each addition, then the melted chocolate and vanilla.

Sift together the dry ingredients. Add 1/4 cup of the dry ingredients into the batter, then 1/4 cup of milk. Continue alternating milk and dry ingredients, incorporating well after each addition until the batter is smooth.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a baking sheet, toast the walnuts until they are lightly golden and fragrant. If you are over 45, set a timer so you don't forget about them. Remove and cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, butter and flour three 9" cake pans, and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Divide the batter equally AMONG (NOT between -- bad grammar is almost as bad as bad food!)the pans. Bake the cakes for about 20 minutes -- until the cakes are pulling away from the sides of the pan a bit and are firm to the touch. A toothpick or cake taster should come out clean. Turn the cakes out on racks to cool and remove the parchment paper.

Make the frosting: Melt the chocolate. Add it to the sour cream and salt and blend until well combined.

Frost the top of each cake(about a quarter of an inch thick). Stack the layers on a cake plate and frost the sides. Add additional frosting to the top if you have it. Strew the walnut pieces on top of the cake and push them gently into the frosting so that they adhere.

Avocado Buttermilk Soup

This is quick, easy and delicious -- a great soup for when the weather is hot. Makes a wonderful light meal accompanied by a salad and a baguette, or an elegant starter. Quantities can be multiplied, although for very large quantities you'll need to blend it in batches. This soup can be made ahead and kept chilled in the refrigerator. If you do this, bring it to near room temperature -- that is slightly chilled not cold -- before serving.

1 avocado, peeled, coarsely chopped
2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup of buttermilk, or more to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lime juice
chives for garnish

Combine all ingredients except the chives in a blender and process until everything is smooth and well incorporated, scraping down the sides with a spatula as necessary. If the soup is thicker than you would like, thin with additional buttermilk.

Pour into indivual bowls and garnish with chives. I think zest of lemon and/or lime would be a nice garnish as well, and next time I make this I want to see how it is with a bit of pimenton as a garnish.

The quantities given here make enough soup for two to three people.

Black Bean Chili

This recipe is adapted, simplified basically, from one in Deborah Madison's The Greens Cook Book. It makes eight very generous servings at a cost of 62 cents (Seattle) or 40 cents (Tucson) exclusive of garnishes and polenta. Like most soups and stews, this is better made a day ahead and reheated, making it excellent for entertaining. Additionally, chili is a familiar concept and won’t frighten the carnivores.


2 cups black beans
1 bay leaf
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons oregano
2 tablespoons chili powder
4 teaspoons sweet (mild) paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium yellow onions, ¼ inch dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes, including juice
½ teaspoon chipotle puree, or to taste
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or to taste


Garnishes:

pasilla peppers, roasted, peeled and diced
green onions, sliced
crumbled cotija or feta cheese
sour cream or Greek yogurt


Put the beans and bay leaf in a large kettle and cover them with water by a couple of inches. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Put the cumin in a large ungreased skillet and toast until they begin to color. Add the oregano and chili powder, stir and continue to toast until the mix is very fragrant but not scorched. Turn off the heat, add the paprika and cayenne and stir to combine. Remove the spice mix and reserve.

In the same skillet sauté the onions in the oil until they are soft. Add the garlic and spice mix and cook five minutes. Add the tomatoes and chipotle puree and simmer 15 minutes.

Add the tomato mixture to the beans and continue to simmer until the beans are quite soft. Season to taste with salt, vinegar and additional chipotle, if necessary.

Serve over polenta, garnished with cheese, peppers, sour cream or Greek yogurt, and green onions.

Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Blueberry Sauce

This quick and easy cake is an adaptation of a recipe I found on epicurious.com. You don't even have to get out the mixer, and it cooks in about half an hour. It has been very well received every time I've made it. In place of the blueberry sauce, you can substitute sliced, lightly sugared stawberries and whipped cream.

Cake:
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup sugar
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
2 large eggs at room temperature
Zest of two lemons
¼ pound butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Glaze:
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted
Juice of two lemons

Sauce:
4 cups whole fresh or frozen blueberries
½ cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Zest of one lemon


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9” pyrex pie plate with deep sides and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar and baking powder in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Combine buttermilk, eggs, lemon peel vanilla and butter in small bowl and stir to combine. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and fold in with spatula until just blended. Pour the batter into the pie plate and bake until the cake pulls away from the sides and a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, make the glaze: Put lemon juice into powdered sugar and stir until well combined and free of lumps. If the glaze is too thick, add a bit more lemon juice or water until glaze is of spreadable consistency.

When the cake is done, remove it from the oven, place a plate over it, and, using oven mitts, invert the cake onto the plate. Remove the parchment paper and, while cake is still hot, ice the top with glaze. Cool completely to room temperature.

Make the blueberry sauce: reserve half the blueberries. Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring, until the berries are soft and the mix is syrupy. Remove from the heat and add the reserved berries. With the back of a wooden spoon, gently crush some of the fresh blueberries. The sauce can be made up to two days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Before serving, bring to room temperature, or rewarm