5 August Monday

Sunset at Land’s End. How must the first Easterners, having traveled through deep river valleys, wind swept prairies, daunting snow-capped mountains, and sweltering arid deserts, have felt beholding the sea, the journey’s end. I’m glad they did it and not me, it takes twenty minutes in a Lyft from my apartment.

The last few weeks have been staple repertoire, nothing new that you haven’t read about before, assuming you read this little blog at all. I made a ham and spinach quiche, a cheesy cornbread casserole, polenta with poached eggs, Tomato Basil soup with grilled cheese. Oh yes, there it is.

One of the things I am not so great at as a home cook is repeating recipes to the same standard as the first time. It’s like somehow because I’ve done it once it magically doesn’t require as much effort or attention. Both things are wrong. I am making an effort to not cut corners or be careless. So, have I learned anything as a result of these repeats? Yes. What?

I came up with this one myself, I think. At least, I hope. I’d love to get just one good quote into the mainstream culture, maybe this is the one. Ready?

“Simmering is not the beginning of boiling, it is the end of heating.”

Now, think about that. “Simmering is not the beginning of boiling, it is the end of heating.” That could be my big quote, right? Or my first big quote. I mean, it will need some time to catch on, and you could be a big help in that area. You could work it into a few conversations with various friends, and really get something started. I recommend you begin several conversations about poaching eggs. You can do that, right? It’s not hard.

It’s also true, and a great think to have in one’s mind just before one adds a shelled raw egg to simmering water to be poached. The white should be so delicate and tender, holding its mass yet undulating as it is tilted from the spoon.

Soak polenta in cold water for a while before heating the whole pan with the original water when cooking. I never see this step in Italian cookbooks, so maybe it is sacrilege. Whisk the polenta vigorously to make it softer and well emulsified. Add butter, then cheese, then salt. For some reason, adding salt earlier gives the polenta a slightly gray color.

OK, now onward to new and bright things! First a sneak preview of this week’s offerings from Chez Me:

That’s right kids, it’s local wild caught halibut season. This week, we’ll be “having our way with Halibut”, featuring fresh ceviche followed by a quick culinary trip to Alaska for a heapin helpin of Caddy Ganty. What? WHO? What in the world is Caddy Ganty?

Well, it turns out Caddy Ganty was the wife of some guy, Mr. Ganty I guess, who got sick and tired and just fed up, literally, with dry halibut. Did she give up? Did she sit in the corner and sulk? Did she scream into a pillow? Well, maybe, there is no historical record of that. But she did come up with a dish for our noble friend the Halibut, and ensured her niche in history by naming it after herself. Thing is, it sounds delicious. Halibut marinaded in wine, covered in a mixture of sour cream, mayonaise, dill, lemon, paprika, topped with breadcrumbs and baked in the oven. I will serve it with herb rice.

Thar she blows! It’s Caddy Ganty, and boy, is she thrilled with her catch!

That’s a Halibut. They are huge, ugly, and have strong teeth to bite you with, so let’s be happy about killing and eating them.

Wednesday, we Go East, young man! with Salt and Pepper Fried Chicken Wings, Garlic and Ginger braised Broccoli. It will also be Farmer’s Market Day, so hopefully Peach Pie too! Also, Chicken stock making day.

Friday-Chicken Pho, Brownies.

Enough.