Girl Detective

After this recent column on olives by City Pages food critic Dara Moskowitz, I went haring off for some to go with my other current food fixation, cheese. I’ve long been a fan of the picholines from Surdyk’s mentioned in the article. My current favorite pizza from Punch is a margherita with mushrooms and picholines. Kalamatas have long been a staple in our house and cooking. I always get ones with pits; those without are mushier and less flavorful. I don’t mind pitting olives. I put the ends of the olive between my forefinger and thumbtips, then squeeze. The olive opens like a coin purse and gives up the pit.

New Dark Chocolate Altoids. Drake loves them, too, and they’re a relatively guilt-free bribe, e.g., “Get in your carseat NOW; I’ll give you a chocolate mint.”

At our lovely dinner last weekend, my husband G. Grod and I opted for the 5-course, rather than the 7-course tasting menu. The cheese entry in the 7-course menu featured Brillat-Savarin cheese. Earlier that day, I’d intercepted R., the cheese man at our grocery cooperative, as he put out freshly cut wedges of Brillat Savarin. I bought some medjool dates to go with the cheese, so thought the extra course at the restaurant would be redundant. Yes, I may spend too much on cheese. But it’s really good cheese.

To celebrate both our birthdays and his recent bonus, my husband G. Grod made surprise plans for a babysitter and dinner out at La Belle Vie. Earlier that day, we took baby Guppy to the doctor. He’d had a cold, then spiked a fever, so we feared an ear infection. The doctor allayed our fears and said it was just a virus. We also worried about the impending winter storm, but decided to venture forth in spite of it all.

It was well worth it. We chose the five course tasting menu, and supplemented with
the foie gras first course and an additional dessert. La Belle Vie has food that is both delicious and well-presented. Each dish has numerous ingredients, yet none are superfluous, and all are complementary. From the amuse bouche of tuna tartare, to the post-check plate of petit-fours, everything was exquisite. The foie gras, with its caramelized exterior and melting interior, nearly brought tears to our eyes. That was G. Grod’s favorite, but I couldn’t decide between the Moroccan spices of the quail and the perfectly done char. It was a stunning meal, and its memory lingers long into the mundane reality of this week.

Truffle-Poached Florida Pink Shrimp with Tangerine Reduction
Sautéed Arctic Char with Razor Clams, Salt-Cod Stuffed Squid Ink Ravioli and Bibb Lettuce
Caramelized Foie Gras with Porcini Mushrooms, Sweet Potato-Chestnut Gnocchi, and Marsala
Pan Roasted Quail with Carrot Fondant and Moroccan Spices
Roasted Lamb Ribeye with Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Salsify and Red Wine
Lemon-Scented Financier With Blood Orange Curd, Mascarpone Sorbet and Candied Kumquats
Chocolate Custard Cake with Coconut Sorbet and Sweet Curry Foam

For my husband’s recent birthday, I made a hot fudge pudding cake. We had friends bring over dinner, and afterward I dished up the cake with vanilla ice cream and gave small portions to each of the children, who are 3, 2, and 1 years old. I thought they would appreciate the treat, while we parents would appreciate that they hadn’t ingested a great deal of sugar and chocolate. Instead, we found ourselves on the receiving end of accusatory gazes, and demands for “More cake! More!” None of the three were able to be placated, and all were disgruntled about what they perceived as unfair cake distribution. Here is the recipe, which was easy to make, and turned out so well that it nearly caused a toddler riot. You have been warned.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
from Cook’s Country 2/2007

Do not overbake this cake or the pudding sauce will burn in the pan and the cake will be dry, not fudgy. Store leftovers, covered with plastic, in the refrigerator. Reheat individual servings in a microwave on high power until hot (about 1 minute).

Serves 6 to 8
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup boiling water
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch square glass or metal cake pan with cooking spray. Whisk 1/2 cup sugar with 1/4 cup cocoa in small bowl.

2. Whisk flour, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, remaining 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Whisk milk, butter, egg yolk, and vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips (batter will be stiff).

3. Using rubber spatula, scrape batter into prepared pan and spread into corners. Sprinkle reserved cocoa mixture evenly over top. Gently pour boiling water over cocoa. Do not stir.

4. Bake until top of cake looks cracked, sauce is bubbling, and toothpick inserted into cakey area comes out with moist crumbs attached (see photos), about 25 minutes. Cool on rack for at least 10 minutes. To serve, scoop warm cake into individual serving bowls and top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Baby Cakes: Put a fancy spin on this homey recipe by baking up individual pudding cakes. Spray eight 6-ounce ovenproof ramekins or coffee cups with cooking spray. Fill each with 2 tablespoons batter. Top each with 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa mixture, followed by 2 tablespoons boiling water. Arrange cups on rimmed baking sheet and bake until tops are just cracked, 20 to 25 minutes.

I made yellow cupcakes with vanilla frosting for Guppy’s recent birthday, and dark chocolate cupcakes with the leftover frosting for Valentine’s Day. These cupcake recipes are easy, better than a box, and enjoyed by both kids and adults.

I can’t recommend Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country too highly, or too often. They are tremendous informational resources with reliable recipes. I’m a self-taught cook, and much of what I’ve learned is from both magazines and the companion television show, America’s Test Kitchen.

Yellow Cupcakes
from Cook’s Illustrated 1/2003

These cupcakes are best eaten the day they are made, but unfrosted extras will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To double the recipe, use 3 whole eggs and 2 yolks, and double the remaining ingredients.

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg , room temperature
2 large egg yolks , room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

3. Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin using 2-ounce ice cream scoop or heaping tablespoon. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Use skewer or paring knife to lift cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature, about 45 minutes.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
from Cook’s Illustrated 3/2005

This recipe does not double very well. Cupcakes made from a doubled batch and baked side by side in the oven yield a slightly compromised rise. It’s best to make two separate batches and bake each separately. Store leftover cupcakes (frosted or unfrosted) in the refirgerator, but let them come to room temperature before serving.

Makes 12 cupcakes
8 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa (1 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (3 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup sour cream (4 ounces)

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan (cups have 1/2-cup capacity) with baking-cup liners.

2. Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

3. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogenous and thick.

5. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

6. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes. (To frost: Mound about 2 tablespoons icing on center of each cupcake. Using small icing spatula or butter knife, spread icing to edge of cupcake, leaving slight mound in center.)

Quick Vanilla Frosting
from Cook’s Country 4/2005
Cook’s Country
If the frosting gets too soft while you ice the cupcakes, put the frosting back in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Makes about 4 cups, enough for 24 cupcakes
3/4 pound unsalted butter (3 sticks), at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon table salt

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 30 seconds. With mixer on low speed, add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix to combine. Increase speed to high and beat until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low and add milk, vanilla, and salt. Increase speed to high and beat until fluffy, 30 more seconds.

Every week, my husband G. Grod rues the day I befriended the cheese guy at our grocery cooperative. Because every week, I bring home new and different snacking cheeses, and every week G. Grod reminds me that normal people don’t spend close to $20 a week on cheese.

In my defense, the total cheese bill is not only for the snacking, or recreational, cheeses, but also for sandwich and dinner-ingredient cheeses. Also in my defense is that G. Grod, Drake, and I all enjoy the cheeses, so it’s not like I’m cheesing alone. And now that Guppy is a year old, he’s trying the cheeses, too.

I believe there are lots of things in defense of the $20 weekly cheese bill: demand for a variety of cheese produces a supply of varied cheese; money goes to a local, member-owned grocery cooperative; it’s gotta be better for us than Easy Cheese, right? (more, from Wired); many of the cheeses are from local farmers, so we’re supporting local agriculture. Trust me, I can go on from here. I have many failings, but rationalization isn’t one of them.

A recent week’s selection included a goat havarti from Natural Valley in Wisconsin; a cranberry and black walnut sharp cheddar from Prairie Hollow Farm in Dover, MN; and Big Woods Blue, from Shepherd’s Way Farms. Some past favorites have been Bucherone, a soft, brie-like goat cheese that turned up on the cheese plate at a recent dinner out; Mobay, a lovely looking sheep and goat milk combo; and Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Uplands Cheese Company.

While my cheese purchasing has yet to make our life unmanageable, there are some signs I may need to rein things in. I’ve already mentioned G. Grod’s weekly complaints. The other week as I approached the cheese case, R. the cheese man said, “I have something for you,” and disappeared into the back. He came back brandishing a cheese slicer. “I got an extra one of these from one of our suppliers,” R. said. “I figured if anyone deserved it, you did.”

I could feel guilty for buying too much cheese. Instead, I’ve used the slicer in good health and taught Drake how to use it, too.

I was researching an upcoming post on cheese, when I found the disturbing news that one of my favorite local cheese makers, Shepherd’s Way Farms, recently experienced a pair of suspicious fires, and hundreds of their sheep died.

There’s information about a relief fund on their site, but you can also support them by going out and buying their cheese. Our family enjoys both the Shepherd’s Way Friesago and Big Woods Blue. According to their website, you can find their cheeses “at most Minneapolis/St. Paul natural food stores and co-ops, Bylerly’s and Lund’s, and at specialty cheeses shops. You can also find our cheeses nationally at select stores and restaurants in California, Chicago, Washington, D.C. area, Iowa, and the Boston area.”

Both my husband G. Grod and my friend Blogenheimer sent me this link (via Boing Boing, I think) for The Cupcake Courier. While I love cupcakes, I find this a bit much. I made vanilla cupcakes for Guppy’s birthday. Unlike any other child I know, he started with the cake (not the frosting), and ate the entire thing with minimal mess. Then I used the extra frosting on top of dark chocolate cupcakes for a Valentine’s day party. I found my 13×9 Pyrex with lid was fine for holding and transporting eleven cupcakes. (G. Grod and I split one to make sure they were good enough for the party. They were.)

Recipes to come. It’s a non-napping day for the kids.

As the surface of our large non-stick surface eroded, my husband G. Grod and I began to use our cast-iron skillet more. Family legend says this skillet belonged to my great grandmother. I’m not sure this is true, though, as one of my sisters has a skillet with the same story. Plus my grandmother is a garage-sale maven, so one or both skillets may have been purchased over the decades. When I first acquired the skillet, I made the classic, wince-inducing mistake of scrubbing off its patina. Since then, we have worked hard to get it back, and it now has a pretty much nonstick surface.

It resides permanently on our stovetop. We use it for eggs, grilled-cheese sandwiches, corn bread, and any recipe that calls for a large skillet. My husband takes care of it properly, by scrubbing it with salt, never using soap, and seasoning it after every use. And it has rewarded us by becoming the most used item in the kitchen.

For a Halloween party, I bought squash for decoration, they began to go bad, I roasted them, and then had to cook them. I then bought another bunch of squash as decoration for Thanksgiving. Lather, rinse, repeat and I had three batches of roast squashes to deal with.

The pumpkin was obvious. I made Impossible Pumpkin Pie. Even though I accidentally baked it at the roasting temp (400F) instead of the called-for temp (350F), it showed again that pumpkin pie made with real pumpkin is as good or better than that from canned. The higher temp made the top bubbled and a little overbrown, but the good thing about baking is that mistakes often just make the item uglier, not less tasty.

With four cups of Hubbard squash puree, I made a simple squash lasagna from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food.

Finally, with about 2 cups of Red Kabocha puree, I made up a recipe for squash croquettes. I had good results, and will continue to fiddle with the recipe.

Brown Rice and Winter Squash Croquettes with Horseradish-Dill sauce

1 small bunch beets
1 cup roasted squash
2 cups cooked brown rice (try Lundberg Wehani for stronger flavor)
1/4 bread crumbs, more as needed
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme

1 Tbl. butter
1 tsp. brown rice vinegar

1/4 c. plain yogurt
1/2 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish

Preheat oven to 400. Trim and wash beet greens. Roast beets with skin on in foil packet for about an hour, or till very soft. Cool. Remove skin and cut into 1/2″ cubes.

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine beets, squash, brown rice, bread crumbs and herbs. Mix lightly until combined. Add breadcrumbs if mixture is too wet to form patties. Form eight small or four large patties. Place on baking sheet and bake until warmed through and golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine yogurt and herbs in small bowl for sauce. Saute beet greens in butter until wilted, then drizzle with brown rice vinegar. Divide among four plates. Place croquette(s) on greens, and drizzle 1 Tbl. sauce over each.

Added later: this recipe keeps evolving in my head. I think apple or cranberry chutney would go nicely with this.

How thrilled was I to find this at my grocery coop today? It’s local; it’s delicious. And now it’s easy to buy. I have thus far managed not to eat it straight, with a spoon. I don’t think I’ll be able to resist much longer.

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
“It’s the same thing,” he said.

I am fond of a little treat with breakfast. Are Organic Toaster Pastries

a) an oxymoron
b) plain silly
c) just another form of rationalization?
d) all of the above
e) none of the above

Discuss.

The trouble with buying food as decoration is that eventually it must be used or tossed. I am strangely and strongly opposed to throwing food away, so this usually means coming up with a wacky recipe on the fly to use up as much food as quickly as possible, or cooking several things in a row. For Thanksgiving, I bought organic and mostly local produce: apples, pomegranates, a Fuyu persimmon, a Meyer lemon, a blue hubbard squash, and a red kabocha squash. Yesterday it was clear that the apples, persimmon, and pomegranate couldn’t go one more moment. I cut and steamed the apples, then pureed them in the food mill, forgetting to save a few slices to freeze as teething treats for baby Guppy. The persimmon was so ripe that I simply cut it in half and put it through the food mill. It made a brilliant orange puree. The pomegranate was a giant pain, but I did finally extract all the ruby seeds. This morning I drizzled the persimmon over a bowl of sheep milk yogurt, then sprinkled the pomegranate seeds on top. It was gorgeous, and delicious. It reminded me of food I made for baby Guppy recently. I pureed asparagus, which was a rich, bright green, alongside a Liberty apple with deep red skin that produced a brilliant pink applesauce. Yes, it’s more of a pain to make food from scratch, but the look of of these foods enhances the flavors even further.

Life seems to be leading me lately, rather than me leading a life. Sometimes, I end up with pie. Other times, I end up in the emergency room.

Bad news first. I’ve been telling myself that I’ll get rest once the family is well again. One or more of us has been sick since the end of September. Normally good-natured baby Guppy seems to have an infection, cause unknown. He’s been feverish, fussy, and has long periods of only wanting to be held, and only by G. Grod and me. We didn’t dither on getting him to the doc, but after an ear exam and a chest xray, he had to go to the ER for further tests, which are so far inconclusive.

But about the pie. Last week, I prepared to roast a butternut squash to then puree and freeze for Guppy. But I figured I might as well roast the other two squashes I had, which I’d been using as decorations. One was a hubbard, the other a small pie pumpkin. So I roasted them and pureed the butternut, and the hubbard, and added pumpkin pie spices to the pumpkin when I realized that there was so much of it that I could freeze some for the baby and make a pie with the rest. So I did. And the good news and the bad news are that the pie was awesome. Moist, smooth, silky. I did not, though, want to learn that making pumpkin pie from scratch results in a delicious pie. I’d lived my life up to this point operating under the blissful assumption that making pie from canned pumpkin was just as good and far easier than using fresh pumpkin.

In the case of the pie, though, at least I had a delicious dessert as consolation for hard work, lots of mess, and the disintegration of a life-long belief. But unless Guppy is fever-free by tomorrow, there are more doctor appointments, waiting rooms and tests in our future. I’m having trouble seeing the upside.

I like to invent theories about things. One recent one was that babies aren’t ready for solid food till they get their first tooth. Yet baby Guppy took to solids immediately at six months and only recently got his first tooth at just over nine months. So that theory was disproved. But I noticed that even though he scarfed down purees, he wasn’t able to handle soft pieces of solid food, like banana or Os. He gagged the few times I gave them to him prior to the appearance of his tooth. But after the tooth, he’s had no problem. So my new theory is that babies aren’t ready to move beyond purees till they get a tooth, which signals the ability to chew, or at least actively gum, bits of solid food.

Here’s what’s on the menu this year at our house. Most recipes below, with attributions. The tenderloin and sweet potato recipes are in the current issue of Cook’s Country.

Oven-Roasted Tenderloin with Parmesan Herb Crust
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Corn Muffins
Savory Corn Pudding
Sugar-Glazed Roasted Carrots
Deviled Eggs
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Impossible Pumpkin Pie

Creamy Mashed Potatoes, from Cook’s Country 10/2006

This recipe can be cut in half, if desired. Serves 8 to 10
4 pounds Yukon Gold potato , peeled
12 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 6 pieces
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons Salt

1. Cut potatoes into 3/4-inch slices. Place potatoes in colander and rinse under running water, tossing with hands, for 30 seconds. Transfer potatoes to Dutch oven, add water to cover by 1 inch, and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and boil until potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat butter and heavy cream in small saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted, about 5 minutes. Keep warm.

3. Drain potatoes and return to Dutch oven. Stir over low heat until potatoes are thoroughly dried, 1 to 2 minutes. Set ricer or food mill (see box below) over large bowl and press or mill potatoes into bowl. Gently fold in warm cream mixture and salt with rubber spatula until cream is absorbed and potatoes are thick and creamy. Serve.

Savory Corn Pudding, Cook’s Country 12/2005

Serves 8 to 10
1 tablespoon unsalted butter , softened, for greasing casserole dish
Table salt
6 cups frozen corn
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 large eggs , lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2-quart casserole dish with butter. Bring large kettle of water to boil for water bath. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large saucepan for corn.

2. Add 1 tablespoon salt and corn to boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain in colander and dry with paper towels. Pulse 4 cups corn in food processor until rough puree forms, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to large bowl and stir in remaining whole corn, 1 teaspoon salt, cream, eggs, cheese, sugar, cayenne, and basil until combined.

3. Pour corn mixture into casserole and transfer dish to roasting pan. Pour boiling water from kettle into roasting pan until it comes halfway up sides of casserole dish. Place roasting pan in oven and bake until pudding is set and a few brown spots appear around edges, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove casserole from water bath, transfer to wire rack, and let set for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Make Ahead:

The corn can be cooked, processed, and mixed with the whole corn, salt, cream, cheese, sugar, and cayenne up to 2 days in advance. Refrigerate until ready to use, then stir in the eggs and basil when ready to cook.

Sugar-Glazed Roasted Carrots, Cook’s Country 2/2006

If the carrots have very narrow tips, trim the thin ends; they scorch easily.

Serves 4 to 6
1 1/2 pounds medium carrots , peeled and cut into 2 by 1/2-inch pieces, (see related Tip)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Heat rimmed baking sheet in oven for 10 minutes.

2. Toss carrots, melted butter, sugar, salt, and pepper in medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Remove pan from oven and place carrots in single layer on hot baking sheet. Roast until carrots are beginning to brown on bottom, about 15 minutes.

3. Remove pan from oven, toss carrots to redistribute, and continue to roast until tender and deep amber in color, about 3 minutes. Serve.

Deviled Eggs, Cook’s Country 4/2006

To center the yolks, turn the carton of eggs on its side in the refrigerator the day before you plan to cook the eggs.

Makes 1 dozen filled halves
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon spicy brown mustard (such as Gulden’s)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Place eggs in medium saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill medium bowl with 1 quart water and 1 dozen ice cubes. Pour off water from saucepan and gently shake pan back and forth to crack shells. Transfer eggs to ice water with slotted spoon and let cool 5 minutes.

2. Peel eggs and slice in half lengthwise. Transfer yolks to fine-mesh sieve and use spatula to press them through sieve and into bowl. Add remaining ingredients, mashing mixture against sides of bowl until smooth.

3. Arrange whites on serving platter and fill with yolk mixture, mounding filling about 1/2 inch above whites. Serve immediately.

Make Ahead

You can make the deviled eggs up to 2 days ahead. Wrap the peeled egg-white halves tightly with a double layer of plastic wrap and place the filling in a zipper-lock plastic bag (squeezing out all the air). Refrigerate until ready to fill and serve.

Corn Muffins, Cook’s Illustrated 9/2002

Whole-grain cornmeal has a fuller flavor than regular cornmeal milled from degerminated corn. To determine what kind of cornmeal a package contains, look closely at the label.

Makes 12 muffins
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
1 cup fine-ground, whole-grain yellow cornmeal (4 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to combine; set aside. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl until well combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar to eggs; whisk vigorously until thick and homogenous, about 30 seconds; add melted butter in 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add half the sour cream and half the milk and whisk to combine; whisk in remaining sour cream and milk until combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; mix gently with rubber spatula until batter is just combined and evenly moistened. Do not over-mix. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide batter evenly among muffin cups, dropping it to form mound. Do not level or flatten surface of mounds.

3. Bake until muffins are light golden brown and skewer inserted into center of muffins comes out clean, about 18 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in tin 5 minutes; invert muffins onto wire rack, stand muffins upright, cool 5 minutes longer, and serve warm.

Impossible Pumpkin Pie

1 15-oz. can pumpkin
1 1/2 c. milk, or 1 13-oz. can evaporated milk
1/2 c. biscuit/pancake mix or 1/2 c. flour plus 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 c. sugar
2 Tbl. butter, melted then cooled
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch glass or Pyrex pie plate.

Place all ingredients in blender; blend for 2 minutes. Pour mixture into pie plate and bake for about an hour, or till center is set and tester comes out clean. Cool. Serve with vanilla or ginger ice cream, or vanilla or maple whipped cream.

When I wrote about panacea songs, I forgot to mention George Winston’s December. Years ago, when I lived in Philly, my girlfriends and I would go for sushi at Genji when we needed to talk or build up emotional reserves. December was often playing in the background, and it will always remind me of good sushi and supportive friendships.

I’m not sure how I missed this, but I suspect it’s because I stay at home with my kids and no longer work in an office, where sugar fixes are SOP, but my new favorite candy is Hershey’s Take 5. The five elements are peanuts, peanut butter, milk chocolate, pretzels and caramel. Four of the elements: ho hum, been there. But pretzels in a candy bar? Bravo! I deliberately held back a few from those that we gave out, and I was very happy when Drake put some into his pile for the Sugar Sprite. Now if only they would make it in dark chocolate rather than milk.

Sugar Sprite update: Drake asked for candy the two days after Halloween, and has now forgotten about it. The remaining four pieces languish in the pantry, awaiting active duty as bribes.

Speaking of pretzels, I think Chubby Hubby is good, not great. Instead, I take Sonny’s Vanilla Bean ice cream, top it with crushed pretzels, and drizzle with Wild Country maple syrup.

Halloween went a bit better this year. Drake was excited to dress up as a cowboy, but when it came to trick or treating, he asked G. Grod to carry him between houses, so what with that and the cold, they weren’t out very long. Nonetheless, along with the slew of candy he got at preschool, Drake had PLENTY of candy.

An aside: what’s with all the candy at preschool? THEY’RE THREE. Their little bodies can’t handle much sugar. I was the odd mom out and gave organic dried apple slices. I don’t think the kids are old enough or cynical enough to resent me for that, yet.

I told Drake that he could go through his candy, pick six pieces, then put all the other extra candy in our Halloween tin. Then overnight, we’d get a visit from the Sugar Sprite (got the idea from A Toy Garden), who would take our extra candy and leave a special gift.

Drake seemed to buy this, and picked out six pieces, and put the others in the tin. I was nearly breaking my arm patting myself on the back. But this morning, he opened the tin, found the 3-pack of Guido, Luigi and a tractor from the movie Cars, and only seemed mildly excited. A little later, he asked, “Can I have the extra candy?”

I reminded him the Sugar Sprite had taken it.

“Can you call her?”

“Um, maybe. But if you want the extra candy, you’ll have to give her back the cars,” I said, thinking this would settle the matter.

He called my bluff, gathered them up, and held them out. I told him the Sugar Sprite wouldn’t be home till later, and felt very fortunate when he got attached to the cars, and agreed to enjoy his one treat (a Tootsie pop) for the day, and finally stopped asking about the extra candy.

I don’t think this stands a chance of working next year. And I bet the dried apple slices won’t, either.