Aetheric Research, Ltd.

A traditional drink from India, Lassi has a lovely cooling taste excellent for hot days and hot foods.  The one ingredient that may be difficult to find is rose water; try a middle-eastern or other ethnic market.

2 c plain yogurt

1/2 c cold water

6 or 8 ice cubes

3 tbs fine caster or powdered sugar

a small splash of rose water

(opt: 1/2 tsp cardamom)

Blend ingredients together until smooth.  Those who frequent smoothie bars will recognize the texture desired immediately.

Optional variants include mango (requiring mango nectar and milk, and taking out the water) and the traditional salty version (with more spices and salt rather than the sugar).

Cooking is always more fun when it produces a flashy result.  Shrimp Fra Diavolo, for instance, is delicious, easy, and impressive.  Crepes Suzette takes the flaming pan to the breakfast table, where the fire is used to reduce the sauce immediately before serving, producing a lovely caramelized concoction.

The history behind the dish is somewhat controversial–the chef who reportedly invented it relayed some unlikely circumstances behind its first (royal) consumer–but it does have a fairly simple method of preparation.

The first part–the crepes–can be made according to whatever recipe you like.  For instance:

1c flour

2 eggs

1/2c milk

1/2c water

2 tbs melted butter

pinch salt

Mix ingredients together; let the batter sit for several minutes to rest.  Oil a crepe pan–other pans will work, but the result will not be nearly as good–and heat it; pour about 1/4c of the batter–five serving spoonfulls, about–into the pan; flip once things solidify a bit, and repeat the process until you have enough crepes to work with.

The ‘Suzette’ part involves an orange sauce, which consists of:

1/2 stick unsalted butter (4 tbs, approx)

3 tbs sugar

The juice of one orange, and the grated rind thereof

1/3 c Grand Marnier or comparable orange liqueur

Melt the butter in a large skillet, and when it starts foaming, dissolve the sugar in it.  When smooth, add the juice and rind of the orange.  Stir.  Reduce the heat to a very low setting.

Fold four crepes in half.  Add them one at a time to the pan, folding them in half again with tongs (so as not to burn your fingers).  Work quickly to make sure the sauce ends up evenly distributed.  Remove from heat, and add the liqueur; wait a moment for it to warm, then light with a match–preferably a long one, to avoid burning your fingers.

When the flames go out, decant the crepes onto plates and serve immediately.

The peanut butter cookie is a long-time favorite, combining sweet and salty flavors together with a simplicity of manufacture that’s hard to match.  They’re easy enough to make, and like all cookies are delicious when fresh from the oven.

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine peanut butter, butter, and sugars together; cream together until smooth.  Mix in vanilla and egg, then the dry ingredients.  

Refrigerate the dough for an hour, then form into small balls and place on a cookie sheet; flatten the balls with a fork for the traditional pattern.  Bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 10 minutes, longer for crispier cookies.

Enjoy!

The word ‘biscuit’ is very culturally specific–in Great Britain, when they refer to a biscuit, they’re talking about what Americans would refer to as a cookie.  In the US, biscuits are rather different–buttery, fluffy, almost pastry-like in structure but half leavened with baking soda rather than the steam from hot butter.

The perfect biscuits are made in the Deep South, land of fried everything and soul food.  In terms of health, they’re fairly high up on the list of “worst things you can eat”, especially as (as a breakfast food) they are typically served with gravy, with bacon and sausage, or with other greasy, cholesterol-laden artery cloggers.  

They’re also incredibly delicious–when made right.

The basic recipe is as follows:  

2c flour

1/4 tsb baking soda

1 tbs baking powder

1 tsp salt

6 tbs unsalted butter, very cold

3/4 c buttermilk–approximately, may require more or less.

Combine the dry ingredients.  Cut in the butter until the mixture has the texture of coarse meal.  Add buttermilk until you have a wet, sticky dough.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; quickly pat down to 1/2″ thickness and cut into biscuits using either a round cutter or a knife.  Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet in a preheated oven @ 450 F until golden brown.

There are certain specific requirements for this style of biscuit:  first, no kneading.  The light, fluffy texture of the biscuit depends on not drawing out the glutens in the flour; this is why the butter is worked in while it is very cold and why, after the buttermilk is added, as little interaction with the resulting dough as possible is called for.  The baking powder does the bulk of the raising work, but the baking soda is required for tuning the mixture–buttermilk is slightly acidic, and the soda will react with this to help the rise.  The arrangement of the biscuits on the baking sheet (as noted in my source for this version of the recipe) also matters:  adjust the separation according to how much “crisp” you want in the sidewalls of the biscuits.

Interesting results may be obtained by adding herbs spices to the flour mixture before the addition of the cold fat and the buttermilk.  If the biscuits are going to be served as an accompaniment to, say, chicken, use herbs that compliment those being used to flavor the chicken–tarragon, for instance.  For pork, a little sage in the biscuits might work.  For nearly anything, some ground red pepper adds a very lovely zest.

With this biscuit recipe, a variant on shepherd’s pie can be made fairly easily:  layer, in a baking or casserole dish, some meat and vegetables, then lay a batch of the above-mentioned biscuits (spiced, preferably) over the top; bake long enough at 425 or 450 to brown the top layer, then reduce heat to 350 F until the ingredients are cooked through.  I have no name for this particular recipe, but having made it several times, it has always turned out quite deliciously.

I have got to come up with a better name for it…but this is how you make it.

Prepare a batch of spiced buttermilk biscuits:

Combine 2 c flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, a generous pinch of red pepper (cayenne or similar), and a generous pinch of tarragon.  Cut in 6 tbs butter, per the standard biscuit method, until it’s combined fully with the flour mixture.  Add ~3/4 c buttermilk and stir until you form a sticky dough–you may require more buttermilk depending on humidity, etc.  Set aside in a cool place like the refrigerator.

Cut 2 chicken breasts into cubes, and arrange at the bottom of a small, lightly oiled casserole dish.  Add any spices or herbs you wish to use.  

On top of the chicken layer, add vegetables.  Frozen mixed vegetables will do, but fresh is always better.  Cover the chicken entirely.

Retreive your biscuit dough and arrange into a layer across the top of the chicken and vegetables, covering the whole of the arrangement.

Place in an oven preheated to 425F until the top of the biscuits is brown; reduce heat to 350 until everything below is properly cooked.  Glass casserole dishes help here.

This should serve ~4 people.  Enjoy!