Traverse City Record-Eagle

Sally Ketchum: In The Kitchen

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June 3, 2008

In the Kitchen: Cooking shows you care

BY SALLY KETCHUM

The cook has concern, even worry, about target diners. Cooking for yourself is easiest. Then, you might, as He-Who-Must-Be-Fed does, spoon chili from can to mouth over the sink. In this case, "fine dining" then means the right brand, with beans.

Sometimes we, especially women, might dine alone with a good book. Silver, a linen place mat and china cup are nice then, but they somehow add to the loneliness, too. On the other hand, some days peace and solitude are mighty welcome, china or not.

My friend Glenn says that good cooks cook best for those they love. Robin Mather Jenkins, former Detroit News Food editor and now a Chicago food editor, wrote marvelous columns about just that -- impromptu cooking for lovers at midnight or pulling not much out of the fridge to cook up a whole mess of wonderful tasting stuff for the beloved who arrives unexpectedly.

Reminds me of a chocolate cake recipe that is called, "Better Than ? Chocolate Cake." The cookbook says, "People have determined that this cake is better than sex;" but I substitute "sunshine," "money" and sometimes even "fishing" when I serve it to certain outdoorsy men.

There's cooking for family or guests, and then there's amateur or professional catering -- cooking for someone else's party. This has three elements: cook, host and guests. For me, this is often a three-ring circus, depending upon the participants. Making blue and purple Jell-O Jigglers for the kid to treat his class or baking a square yard of carrot cake for the Ladies Circle to serve at their potluck is a cinch, a simple story.

Providing hors d'oeuvres and desserts for a three-day celebration for a 50th wedding anniversary, guests being multiple generations of an extended family, is another story, perhaps "War and Peace" or, more likely, "A Comedy of Errors."

The attempt is also an educational experience; here are some things I've learned so far:

Some like chicken liver, some don't. I simply adore chicken liver. I especially covet it in appetizers, whether wrapped in bacon and broiled, whether cooked and pureed into a spread, and especially the classic Jewish chopped chicken liver. How can one not love it? I even love making it, rendering the fat into lovely oil, the pink livers turning a milk chocolate color, squeezing the knife against the cut onion to extract juice into the mix. Ah, chopped liver!

Yet, when I mentioned my repertoire of chopped liver recipes to the host, an anguished cry escaped his throat, something like a prolonged, "Yuck," with the "Y" a twangy "Yeeeek." Regaining vocal control, he said sternly, "No. No chicken liver. At all. Ever." Chagrined, I continued down my list to shrimp.

I learned other things, too. It's easy to ignore the obvious, like season. We first met to plan the party during a blizzard, and settled on an opening buffet for arriving guests consisting of sandwich-type stuff and two hot soups. The party is the end of June. Hot soup, anyone? We've switched to chilled Vichyssoise and a yogurt cucumber recipe.

The host also yearned for a grand dessert finale. "Baked Alaska, flambéed," he said, "for the anniversary dinner." Again, June, daylight at 10 o'clock? Nope, there's not much drama when you're lighting a match to brandy at 6 p.m.. Perhaps we'll eat late.

While party cooking for the freezer, I discovered a lot of little things.

-- Coating "pebble" ingredients (raisins, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, etc.) keeps them evenly distributed through the dessert. Toss them in a little powdered sugar or flour before adding them and they won't sink to the bottom.

-- Read the inside of wrappings before you throw them out. I found great new recipes inside the wrap of different brands of cream cheese and one in a frozen Stouffer's dinner carton.

-- Plan with transportation in mind (good thought for family picnics, too). I carefully secured a banana cream pie on the passenger seat of the car, and went around a sharp curve. The pie remained secure, the filling slid over onto my lap. "Yeee-uck!"

-- Ice cream pies are great for a party like the anniversary event. They freeze well, transport well and, once again, this party's in June.

-- This works. Keep happy, keep positive and keep in mind: Cooking for someone says, "I care." It even might say, "love you."

Swedish Sugar and Cardamom Cookies

1/2 lb. butter (2 sticks)

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg yolk

1 T. whipping cream

2 c. flour

1/4 t. ground cardamom

1/4 t. baking powder

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 c. chopped nuts (pecans preferred)

Ligonberry (or your favorite) jam

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Thoroughly cream butter and sugar together. Beat in the egg yolk, cream, flour, cardamom, baking powder and vanilla. Fold chopped nuts into dough.

Shape dough into walnut-size balls. Make a dent in each ball with your thumb (to hold a bit of jelly when baked). Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes, and check to see if "dents" are OK. If not press a thumb into them again. Bake 3 minutes longer. Take cookie sheets out of oven with potholders and fill each dent with a bit of jelly. Put the cookies back into the oven and bake another 13 to 15 minutes, check at the end. They should be a very, very light brown. Makes 3 to 4 dozen, depending on size of balls.

--Bread Garden, Sally Ketchum

Sally Ketchum is a northern Michigan writer and columnist who specializes in food journalism. "Bread Garden," a children's novel, will be published this summer. Ketchum can be reached at ketchum1985@gmail.com.

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