Dayrecipe Food Community

Crema Espesa

It isn’t uncommon to see three of four buckets of cream in Central, West-Central and Tabascan markets: from thin, sweet and fresh to well ripened, thick and tangy. It’s all heavy cream — not the light, low-butterfat “cream” that is cultured for sour cream here — so it has a richer, glossier texture. And you can bet it’s not pasteurized, because the process would have killed the natural bacteria that perserves and thickens the riper cream.

To me, this thick, ripe cream (similar to French crème fraîche) is one of the great pleasures of Mexican cooking. Mixing a little milk or cream into our commercial sour cream is a passable substitute here, but nothing like the smoother, less acidic taste of this recipe

Makes about 1 cup.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons buttermilk

DIRECTIONS 1. Preparing the cream. Pour the cream into a small saucepan, set over low heat and stir just until the chill is off; do not heat above 100°F (lukewarm). Stir in the buttermilk and pour into a glass jar.

2. Ripening the cream. Set the lid on the jar (but don’t tighten it) and place in a warm (80-90°F) spot. Let the cream culture and set for 12 to 24 hours, until noticeably thicker (perhaps almost set like yogurt or sour cream). Stir gently, screw on the lid and refrigerate at least 4 hours to chill and complete the thickening.

Cook’s Notes:• Don’t let the cream get too hot or the culture will die and the cream will simply spoil. It’s true that any active culture (yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk) can replace what was destroyed in pasteurization. Buttermilk is my favorite thickening/souring culture, however, it seems to work more slowly, giving the cream a chance to develop a ripe flavor but not much acidity.

• Start a full day ahead (or longer, if the incubating spot is cool). The cream will keep for 1 1/2 weeks or more, covered and refrigerated.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• for almond crunch
• 1large egg white
• 3tablespoons sugar
• 3/4cup sliced almonds (2 1/2 oz; preferably with skins)for pears
• 3firm bosc pears
• 1tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4cup sugar
• 2tablespoons di saronno amaretto or other almond-flavored liqueur
• 1/2cup water

DIRECTIONS Make almond crunch:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together egg white and sugar, then add almonds, stirring until coated. Spread in a thin layer on a buttered baking sheet and bake in middle of oven until golden, 15 to 25 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack, then break into pieces.

Increase oven temperature to 425°F.

Roast pears:
Halve pears lengthwise and core (preferably with a melon-ball cutter). Spread butter on bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar. Arrange pears, cut sides up, on sugar, then brush cut sides with 1 tablespoon Amaretto.

Roast pears, uncovered, in middle of oven until barely tender, about 25 minutes. Add water, remaining tablespoon Amaretto, and a pinch of salt to baking pan, then baste pears with pan juices. Roast pears, basting twice with pan juices, until tender, about 15 minutes more.

Serve pears warm or at room temperature, drizzled with pan juices and topped with almond crunch.

Cooks’ notes:
• Almond crunch can be made 4 days ahead and kept in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature.
• Pears can be roasted 1 hour ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr

Serves 6 to 8 (makes 40 profiteroles)

INGREDIENTS

Maple squash is a time-honored Thanksgiving staple, but there are plenty of other ways to go with butternut. See our variations, below, for a few ideas.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 5lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (10 cups)
• 2cups water
• 1 3/4teaspoons salt
• 1/3cup pure maple syrup
• 3tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
• 1/2teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS Simmer squash in water with 1 teaspoon salt in a 5-quart pot (water will not cover squash), covered, until squash is very tender, about 15 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid, then drain squash in a colander.

Purée squash, syrup, and butter in batches in a food processor until smooth, adding reserved cooking liquid if purée is too thick. Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in pepper and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt.

Cooks’ note:
Purée can be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat in a microwave, double boiler, or preheated 350°F oven, adding water as needed, before serving.

Variations:
• Add crumbled bacon: Cook 6 bacon slices in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain, then crumble and sprinkle over purée.
• Add 1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger to purée along with pepper and salt.

Clams with Oregano and Bread Crumbs

This “red sauce meets Guido in Little Italy” classic has much more to do with the clams than what you may be used to eating. Note that the bread crumbs here are fresh — that is to say, made only from today’s bread, not from day-old bread (and definitely not the kind that comes in a can).

Makes 4 to 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 24 medium littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 3 cups kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/8-inch dice
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch dice
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

DIRECTIONS Carefully open the clams, discarding the top shells, and drain the clam liquid into a small mixing bowl. Set aside. Loosen the clams from the bottom shells but do not remove them. Pour the salt onto a baking sheet so that it is at least 1/2-inch deep and arrange the clams in their half-shells in the salt.

In a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat until smoking. Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and cook 6 to 7 minutes, until softened and light golden brown. Add the bread crumbs and continue cooking another 3 minutes, until they are light golden brown as well. Remove the mixture from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and cool. Stir in the oregano and the reserved clam liquid.

Preheat the broiler. Pack about 2 teaspoons of the crumb mixture loosely into each clam shell. (Remember that the clam, not the stuffing, is the most important part of this dish; stuffing should surround and enhance the clam, not overpower it.)

Place the clams under the broiler and heat through, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, just until the crumb mixture is deep golden brown; you’re not really cooking the clam. Drizzle with a drop of olive oil, and serve.