Sept 2004 Cahoon Farm

recipes

Each layer of this meal resonates with flavor.

Serve with crusty, freshly baked bread, a libation crisp and white, and a little sentimental music playing softly in the background.

Lobster Salad with Portobello Mushrooms

Balsamic Grilled Eggplant with Ricotta

Perfect Lemon Pound Cake with Italian Meringue and Raspberry Cointreau Sauce

The important thing about creating a lobster salad is to not detract from the luscious shellfish itself. This means avoiding heavy dressings of any kind. Mayonnaise? I think not. This salad is simple and scrumptious, generously portioned; the mushrooms provide a dash of the unexpected.

Three whole live lobsters, 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds each

Three or four cups mixed baby salad greens (mesclun)

Juice of 1 lemon

12 to 16 ounces small Portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 stick of butter, divided, plus additional butter if desired

3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced and divided

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Kosher salt

Cracked pepper

To cook the lobsters, fill a large stockpot, or two smaller pots, two-thirds full of water, add a teaspoon or two of salt, and bring to a full boil. Very quickly, submerge the lobsters, one at a time, waiting until the water recovers a bit before adding the second and then the third lobsters, Cover with lid slightly ajar, lower the heat to medium/medium-high and simmer for approximately 17 (for smaller lobsters) to 20 minutes. When lobsters are done, use sturdy tongs to remove from water and set aside. When cool to the touch, break off the claws and the tails, place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Discard the body. Refrigerate at least three hours. When chilled, crack the claws neatly across the broadest part. Remove the meat from two, discard cartilage, and set aside the remaining four cracked claws. Remove the meat from the tails, remove and discard the dark vein of intestine, and slice into bite sized pieces. Place in small bowl. Season lightly with cracked pepper and a scant pinch of salt, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Cover the bowl and return to the refrigerator or let stand.

Set skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add two tablespoons butter and then the sliced mushrooms. Sauté for three to four minutes. Add half the minced garlic, season with salt and pepper, and sauté one more minute. Remove to small bowl. Wipe out the skillet and melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter; add the remaining garlic and cook one minute. Remove from heat.

For those who would like additional butter to pass at the table, melt another 6 to 8 tablespoons. Additional minced garlic may be quickly sautéed in the butter if desired. Pour into small serving bowl or gravy boat.

Divide the salad greens among four plates and sprinkle with lemon juice, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Along one side of each plate, distribute the sautéed mushrooms. Arrange the lobster pieces on the salad greens, then place one of the cracked claws on each plate as well. Spoon the melted butter evenly over the lobster. Sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve immediately.

Serves four.

Balsamic Grilled Eggplant with Ricotta (top)

Balsamic vinegar gives the eggplant a nice bite, after grilling or quick sautéing. The contrast between the cold, creamy ricotta and the hot, tangy eggplant and sauce is delightful.

Two medium sized eggplants, or 3 or more smaller ones

Extra virgin olive oil

One 16-ounce container of fresh whole milk ricotta, allowed to drain if watery (must be prepared at least six hours before)

Good quality balsamic vinegar

Cracked pepper

2 cups homemade tomato sauce (see recipes)

Chiffonade of basil

Low-fat ricotta? Why bother? Remember, you’re not eating a whole container, just a few dollops. So go ahead and use very fresh, whole milk ricotta.

If the ricotta you have purchased or made yourself seems firm enough, you may skip this first step. Earlier in the day, or the night before, rinse and set out two large layers of cheese cloth. Dump the ricotta into the middle of the cloth; pull up the four ends and tie to make a bag, or secure the ends with a string. Suspend this bag over a bowl to catch the liquid that will drain; cover everything with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.

Peel the eggplant if desired (I usually do), discard the ends, and slice into roughly ½ inch slices. If you are very handy with a knife, eggplant cut the long way looks very attractive. (Alas, I am not that handy, so I usually slice into rounds.) If there are slices in the middle of the eggplant that seem riddled through and through with seeds, discard these. They won‘t be any good. (Smaller eggplants, not always available, are better for this reason. Do avoid those huge garden mutations.) Set out two layers of paper towel out on a clean counter or large bread board. Salt the eggplant slices lightly, set them out in a single layer on the towels and allow them to “weep” for 30 minutes or so. Lightly press the surfaces of the slices with more clean towels to absorb any bitter liquid. Season with cracked pepper.

If you have some well-seasoned homemade tomato sauce at the ready, heat two cups of it in a small saucepan over a medium-low flame until hot. Keep warm. What if you don’t? Try this: I use Hunt’s canned sauce when I need only a small amount, because of two reasons: it has no added sugar, which I detest in tomato sauce, and the added spices are fairly subtle, agreeable, and consistent. When I open a can of Hunt’s, I know what I’m getting and know I can work with it, every time. So, for a meal like this, to prepare a quick sauce I would heat two or three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and when hot, toss in two cloves of minced garlic. Sauté for one minute. Toss in to the hot oil a bit of dried oregano, which will go very well with the eggplant, then add the can of sauce. Stir well. Add cracked pepper, quite a bit, and a few shakes of cayenne pepper as well. Allow this to simmer for ten minutes or so, over medium-low heat. Taste and adjust seasonings. You want the sauce to be on the spicy side, as the contrast with the eggplant and the creamy ricotta will be divine. When the seasonings seem just right, keep the sauce warm until needed. (Note: you’ll want it quite hot when you’re ready to serve.)

If you are able to grill your eggplant, whether out of doors or with one of the many kitchen grills available, by all means, do so. Simply brush the eggplant back and front with a bit of olive oil and grill away until tender and etched with lovely sear marks. But, if you must sauté, all is not lost. Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over a medium-high flame. When hot, add eggplant slices in one layer and sauté until golden brown, a few minutes on each side. (Keep slices warm in a 200 degree oven until all are ready. Don‘t, however, try to hold them this way for very long.) Arrange on warmed serving plates or platter, and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, some kosher salt and cracked pepper. If you’ve sliced your eggplant lengthwise, place a dollop of ricotta near the bulbous end; if you’ve got round slices, just plop in the middle. Flatten the cheese a bit with the back of the spoon, and top with one or two spoonful of hot tomato sauce, a drizzle of olive oil, and a bit of basil. Allow two to three slices per person.

Serve immediately.

Perfect Lemon Pound Cake (top)

A fair amount of trial and error went into crafting this recipes, which is based on one found in an edition of the Boston Cooking School Cook Book from the 1940s.

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 ½ cups sugar

5 eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups cake flour

Don’t begin this recipes if the butter and eggs are not at room temperature. Cold butter will not incorporate the air necessary to provide the cake its lift. And if you add cold eggs to even a perfect butter and sugar mixture, the mixture will seize and you’ll literally see the volume reduce. So set your eggs and butter out on the counter a good hour or so before you begin. Yes, of course, I have in my baking life set my eggs in a pot of warm water, and I have partially nuked the butter in the microwave. But you want a perfect pound cake, don’t you?

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lavishly butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, and put the pan in the refrigerator to chill while preparing the batter.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until it is light and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, and continue to beat until well incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Then add the lemon extract (yes, 1 tablespoon) and the baking powder; beat in lightly.

Stir in the flour gently with a spatula . Mix thoroughly but lightly, on the lowest speed for the least amount of time necessary to blend together (we‘re talking 30 seconds here), or simply continue to mix in by hand.

Settle the batter into the chilled loaf pan, smooth the top with the spatula, tap it soundly on the counter to remove trapped air bubbles, and bake it in the middle of the oven for about an hour and ten minutes. The cake should turn a beautiful light golden brown. A toothpick or skewer inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean.

Allow cake to cool in pan on a rack for about ten minutes. I like to set it on one side and then the other, just to allow it to draw naturally away from the pan. Then remove from pan and finish cooling on the rack. Dust top with confectioner’s sugar if desired.

To serve, top slices with small scoops of Italian meringue. Drizzle as desired with the Raspberry Cointreau sauce.

Italian Meringue (top)

This is my mother’s recipes, a longstanding favorite, simple to prepare and a joy to serve.
The perfect accompaniment to a variety of cakes and fresh fruit desserts.
Lighter and far more elegant than purchased ice cream.

2 egg whites

½ cup sugar

¼ cup water

2 egg whites

1 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the water and the sugar into a small saucepan and stir well, dissolving as much as possible. Set aside.

Beat the egg whites until nearly stiff. Then set these aside.

Place the saucepan over a medium-high flame and without stirring, bring to a vigorous boil. Several times during heating, lift the pan and twirl the contents about, to wash down any crystal formation. The mixture will be hot enough when bubbles come together quite furiously across the surface. You do not need a thermometer to judge this -- your eyes will tell you when. A temperature as precise as one for making candy is not necessary.

Remove the pan from the heat and very slowly pour the mixture into the egg whites while beating. (This process cooks the egg whites, bringing them beyond the temperature at which salmonella is a concern.) Continue to beat until rather cool; cover and place bowl in the refrigerator.

Clean the beaters and pour the cream into a medium sized bowl. Beat until quite stiff. Beat in the vanilla. Cover and refrigerate.

When the egg white mixture is quite cool, remove from refrigerator and beat again with clean beaters, just to get as much height as possible. Remove whipped cream and with a spatula fold the egg whites into the cream thoroughly but with a gentle touch. When well blended, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.

Raspberry Cointreau Sauce (top)

Beautiful to behold, lovely on the tongue.

1 pint raspberries

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons Cointreau

Yes, you may use frozen berries for this recipes. Because they will be cooked and strained from the sauce, the result will be very much the same, though cooking time may be slightly longer (some frozen berries have additional moisture).

Rinse and clean the raspberries, if fresh. Place in medium sized sauce pan, along with the sugar and liqueur. Over medium-high heat, stir until mixture liquefies and begins to boil. Then reduce heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes to twelve minutes.

Test the sauce. Remove a tablespoonful from the pan and pour it onto a clean, cold plate. Does it set up fairly quickly? You want a consistency somewhere between a sauce and a syrup. This is not too critical, but do avoid over simmering -- you’ll end up with jelly, wonderful in its own right, but a little too thick for our purposes.

Strain thoroughly, removing all seeds and pulp. Skim any foam from the surface, and pour the delicious sauce into a clean and sterilized jar. Cover and refrigerate. Will keep for several weeks. Serve chilled, or allow to stand at room temperature for five to ten minutes, if sauce becomes too thick.