Pudding!

"The Matchmaker" Thornton Wilder's play turned movie later turned musical, stars Shirley Booth, Anthony Perkins, Robert Morse and Shirley MacLaine.

My sister and I laughed in giddy delight as kids, watching Anthony Perkins and Robert Morse, two lowly clerks, searching for adventure.  And the code word for when they found it? "Pudding!"

I suspect you think puddings are dull and pedestrian things.  If so, you've been eating the instant version.  Here's a recipe, dark, sweet, silky smooth, with all the promise of a sweet adventure.

Double Chocolate Pudding
adapted from Home Desserts by Richard Sax

In a mixing bowl blend two tablespoons corn starch, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons high quality cocoa powder (Note: okay, I don't sniff at any chocolate bar, I accept all, from Hershey's to Valhrona, but your cocoa's gotta be good.  No, better than good, it's gotta be great.  Break the bank, dole it out to yourself in your mochas, trust me, it's worth it.)  Whisk in two egg yolks, a whole egg, then 1/4 cup cold milk.

Over a medium flame bring 2 1/4 cups whole milk and a 1/4 of sugar to boil.  Remove from heat.  Whisk half a cup of the hot milk into the chocolate mixture, then another half a cup, then another.  Return to saucepan, and gently bring to a boil, whisking all the time. Gently boil for two minutes, by then the corn starch and eggs will have wrought their magic, making the liquid into a thick pudding.

Remove from heat, add 5 ounces semi sweet chocolate (I use chocolate chips) and two tablespoons of butter.  Whisk well.  Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Pour into a container to cool. (I will admit to eating it warm, out of the saucepan). 

In Connecticut the Jewish delis top their puddings with a splash of half and half.
I recommend it highly.

Crime and Punishment

I'm sure you've heard of Eve Ensler.  Have you heard of her documentary set in Bedford Hills Correctional Facility?

If not, I recommend it for this coming year.  "What I Want My Words to Do to You."

Then we'll meet for a discussion afterwards.

Good to Eat?

Years  back I read a book on all of the odd things people have eaten throughout history.  My daughter called recently and told me of a friend who had traveled to South Korea and eaten a fried tarantula.  It took her thirty minutes to gather up the courage, but once she did she said it was delicious.  That tops most of the food in the book Good to Eat.

Many people I know look at turnips in the same way they look at a tarantula.  I'm not quite sure why; I remember peeling, salting and snacking on them in front of the TV as a kid.  These days, I prefer Julia Child's navets a la champenoise: perfect for a cold day, savory, filling and delicious.

Peel and slice two pounds of turnips into manageable quarters or eighths.  Parboil for eight minutes.  Saute 4 ounces of bacon in 1 tbl butter until lightly browned.  Add 2/3 cup diced onions, cover and cook slowly for 5 minutes. Blend in 1 tbl flour and cook slowly for 2 minutes. Add one and 1/4 cup stock, (or water with bouillon flavoring) salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp sugar, 1/4 sage and simmer for a minute.  Gently add the turnips, coating with the liquid.  Cover and simmer until tender, around 20-30 minutes.  Add water as necessary.  Serve alongside any roast meat.

Scalloped potatoes

When I was a kid, my mom made scalloped potatoes.  We didn't have them often, just enough for them to be memorable and me to recognize the box they came in. Now, you can find dozens of recipes which kick up the simple, satisfying flavor of a potato, but this one, from the Joy of Cooking, makes me hum.

Butter a baking dish. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a pot of water to boil.
Peel and thinly slice three cups worth of red or white potatoes.
Boil the sliced potatoes in salted water for eight minutes; drain, rinse.
Cover the  bottom of your roasting pan with a layer of potatoes.
Sprinkle a two teaspoons of flour over them,
grate a tablespoon of butter over that.  Repeat twice.
(Got some chives handy? Add those between the layers)
Scald a 1 1/4 cups of whole milk.  Season with 1 tsp salt, 1/4 paprika.
Pour over the potatoes.  Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

There will be no leftovers.

5 Reasons Teachers Should be Armed

5.  To stimulate the economy.

4.  To show their students the Golden Rule--It's not for wimps, anymore.

3.  To better advocate for the arts and creative thinking.

2.  To prove might makes right.

1.  To take out bone-headed policy makers.

Over Under

So long 2012, Hello 2013!
(Where, oh where, did the aughts go?)
Thoughts on the past year--

Overrated:
Swank bars with artisanal cocktails ($12 plus a pop)
Underrated:
Happy hours!

Overrated:
Academia. Race to the Mountaintop. Teach for America.
Underrated:
The arts. The arts. The arts.


Overrated:
Cutting edge social media
Underrated:
Face time.

Overrated:
Annual New Year's resolutions
Underrated:
Daily to-do lists

And you, gentle reader?  What would you quibble with, or add?
In any case, happy new year!


PS: Here's a shameless Google plug.  But beautiful to behold.

My Christmas Countdown

 


















I'm taking the slow boat to the holiday season--

However, here are seven personal favorites:

Lemon bars
Pecan bars
Pumpkin bread pudding
Shortbread
Biscotti
Ginger snaps
Brownies


Accompanied by Donna and Blitzen.

Rereading Great Expectations

Surely, I am rereading it?
If so, why does every line spring so fresh; and why do certain passages seem so apposite
to today? (Check out an early section on the particular terror contained by small children).

I must have confused the watching with the reading, and the other night, turning off the set after viewing David Lean's happy ending, I had to wonder what had Dickens described, and so I began.
Did you know, it opens on Christmas Eve?  I had no recollection of that, either.

It is fascinating to me that the past of England is so gloriously romanticized-(excuse me, present too.
Who bloody CARES which royal is preggers?) while Dickens did a wonderful job of documenting
England's meanness and misery.  

Yes, I agree, you have to be in the mood for slightly archaic language, vivid description and incisive characterization.  Dickens shows and tells, something many modern writers seem to have forgotten.
No recipe today, I must get back to my book.