Monday, June 23, 2008

Cooking Week - Jack (and Ben) cook dinner

This week is Cooking and Science week at our house. I asked Jack what he wanted to learn to cook and he said, "Cookies. And bacon." Who could blame him? Well, today we started one science experiment (growing crystals on river rocks) and the boys made dinner. It was great!
Menu:
Tilapia stuffed with lobster and breadcrumbs
Salty fingerling potatoes*
Salad
Mango-blueberry fool*
*recipe below





















What, you don't wear a superhero costume when you cook?
















Salty Fingerling Potatoes
Chez Carnes, we have a high tolerance for salty food. If you don't, these potatoes will probably be a bit much for you. You could probably increase the water or decrease the salt. Regardless, these potatoes are irresistible, even without butter. This is Alton Brown's technique.
1 1/4 lb. kosher salt (Morton is saltier than Diamond)
2 qts. water
2 lbs. fingerling potatoes, cleaned (I think small red potatoes would be great, too)
Put all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Cook until tender when poked with a fork, about 20-25 minutes. Immediately remove from water and place on drying rack. The excess salt will crystallize and look like frost on the potatoes. You can toss with butter, cheese, chives, pepper, etc., but they are delicious plain - very buttery tasting with salty, earthy skins.
Mango/Blueberry Fool
My boys and I love fruit. I was counting just for fun tonight and realized that just today they've had strawberries, bananas, grapes, mango, and blueberries throughout the day. When I took out some frozen mango chunks so we could make this dessert, they started eating them right out of the bag, despite how cold they were. When I finally closed the bag, Ben said, "Mommy, that's my favorite, favorite food."
This recipe is based on one from http://www.epicurious.com/.
1-2 cups mango chunks
2 T. sugar
2 T. lime juice
pinch salt
1/2 cup cream or milk or yogurt
1 1/2 cup blueberries
Blend mango chunks, sugar, lime juice, and pinch of salt until smooth. Add enough cream, etc., to create a pourable consistency. Pour mango mixture into bowl and mix in blueberries. Pour into 4-6 small glasses. Chill for half an hour and garnish with blueberreies and lime zest before serving.







3 comments:

Alison... said...

I am a salt freak - love it... but 1 1/4 lb salt in a recipe???? Yikes that's a lot! but it still sounds delish...

Stephanie Carnes said...

I know it sounds crazy, but most of the salt stays in the pot - it doesn't even dissolve completely into the water. The potatoes have a light coating of salt. I'm sure they are not low in sodium, though!

Kristen said...

jack must get it from me. I just made a margarita pizza in my wonder woman outfit.