Sneak Preview: Heaven and Hell

Airing Monday, this unbelievably perfect combination of fiery deviled shrimp ragu on creamy corn custard.

Celebrate the 4th of July by Having Your Flag and Eating it Too!

As the wise man once said, a video food blogger has to know his limitations. I had planned on doing a flag cake demo for the 4th of July, but since I've never made one before, I decided to do some pre-shoot research.

I figured I would watch a few clips to see how others have approached the subject. Once convinced I could do a better, funnier job, I would head into the kitchen and roll camera.

Well, after seeing this concise, clear, and easy to follow flag cake video from my friends at Howcast, I decided to just post this instead. Being a true patriot means putting your country ahead of your own selfish interests… and I'm kind of busy.

Anyway, have a happy and healthy 4th of July weekend, and (since I can’t say it at the end of the video) as always, enjoy!




Photo (c) Flickr user BL1961

Creamy Corn Custard – This is How They Serve Corn in Heaven

If you checked out my top ten list of Aspen Food & Wine highlights, you read about Christopher Kostow's impressive roasted corn custard with truffles and popcorn. Ever since that Patron-soaked evening I've been craving the sweet, silky goodness of this extremely easy recipe.

Corn custard is a wonderful side dish for all kinds of meats. Since it is so soft and light, texturally, it makes a great foil for things like barbecue pork, grilled steaks, and fried fish.

One major difference between my corn custard and Christopher Kostow's (pictured here), or any other "real" chef for that matter, I don't spend 20 minutes straining it. If you really want the ultimate creamy corn custard experience, you need put the mixture through a fine mesh sieve several times to remove all the fibrous corn kernel skins (is there a word for that?).

Since Thomas Keller wasn't coming over for dinner, I used the puree as is, and it was fantastic. If you do strain out the corn solids, you get something closer to a flan, but since you will lose a good deal of volume, you won't need as much egg to bind.

I guess I'll just have to make that version sometime, so I can give you’re the exact measurements. In the meantime, give this method a try. By the way, this is just part one. I love to use this corn custard, along with some spicy shrimp, to make a beautiful, and very summery first course. So stay tuned, and enjoy!



Ingredients for six (6-oz ramekins):
2 cups corn
1 1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne
3 egg yolks
2 eggs
butter

Stop Screaming for Ice Cream and Start Making Some

With the Fourth of July holiday right around the corner, I decided to rerun this video recipe for vanilla ice cream that I did last year. An abbreviated version of the original post follows...

When it came to choosing a flavor, I decided to do vanilla, as it really is the king of ice creams (sorry chocolate). No other flavor makes milk taste milkier, or cream taste creamier.

When I do vanilla ice cream, I prefer the old fashion "American," or "Philadelphia-style" which doesn't contain any eggs, as does the more popular French vanilla. While this style of ice cream is certainly not as rich, in my opinion that sacrifice is rewarded with a brighter, more pronounced vanilla flavor.I also use a combination of milk and cream, which is obviously much lighter than the traditional all cream versions. You can experiment with different proportions to find your "perfect scoop."

The Cuisinart ice cream maker pictured here is the one I use, and highly recommend. It's relatively inexpensive, and will provide many years of homemade ice cream and other frozen desserts. The great thing about this model is that the "bucket" is kept in the freezer, and is ready any time you are. Enjoy!




Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup cream
2 1/4 cup milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

View the complete recipe

Ice Cream Photo (c) Flickr user Yogma