Avery's Studio on the FOX syndicate

Clam Chowder at Henry's

The communal nature of food. The gathering of friends to partake in common experience - food, drink, laughter and music.

It was such an evening last week as the glass artist, the professor, the grad student, and the theatre director shared champagne (picked up on a recent trip to Napa Valley) and some fresh clam chowder.






CLAM CHOWDER

1. Heat two tablespoons of bacon grease Saute a half cup of onion.
2. Add one pound of diced potatoes and saute until coated by fat. 3. Add one tablespoon of flour and saute until potatoes and onions are coated.
4. Add one cup of clam juice and bring to a boil while stirring.
5. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
6. Add one cup of whole milk and one cup of cream along with 1 pound of clam meat to the pot.
7. Stir and heat through until hot, but NOT boiling.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Spoon into bowls.
10. Add parsley to garnish and serve with hardtack.
11. Enjoy with friends.

Happy New Year!

After a great NYE dinner last night at The Boot, we finally rolled out of bed today and cooked collard greens, black eyed peas, ham, and corn bread. Although Avery is known for making amazing corn bread, the rest of the items are a little out of our normal expertise.

A lovely traditional dinner was had, however, and now we'll sit back and see if those collards will bring monetary returns!

Happy 2009!

Breakfast in Georgia (Kellett edition)

I made it to my parent's place in Georgia last night after a long drive from the Old Dominion. (Although, the trip did include a brief stop at a splendid glass shop in Greensboro. That made the journey a bit happier!)

Since their guest room shares a wall with the kitchen, I awoke to the sounds of Dad banging things around in an attempt at breakfast.

It seems he's been cooking more, and even my mother ,who reserves her praise unless things are truly phenomenal, says he's getting "better." So, I jumped in as his sous-chef and we made an omelet, hash browns, and some of my mom's sour dough rolls.

Now, it isn't much to look at, but my dad and I have had some carefully guarded distance over the past few years and this little meal... I think it's the beginning of better times to come. Sigh. I like breakfast.

Cinnamon Raisin Pancakes with Jack Apple Compote

After a fun night, (and a funner morning, wink, wink) we rolled out of bed to make coffee and create breakfast. Our brunches tend to be egg and veggie based, but the fridge being a bit bare left Avery holding a red apple and saying, "What can we make with this?" Being the oatmeal pancake lover that I am, I said, "Jack Daniel's Apple Compote!" And so the morning began...

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes for 2

• 1/2i-sh cup flour (pref. organic wheat)
• 1/2 cup of rolled oats
• 1 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 pinch of black pepper
• 1 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon
• 1/3 cup of raisins
• 1 cups of milk (buttermilk is even better!)
• 1 egg

1. Stir together dry ingredients.

2. Add milk and beaten egg.

3. Preheat oven to 200. (so you can keep the pancakes warm after you make them)

4. Heat skillet to just over medium and grease pan with butter (yes, butter, just this once...)

5. Pour pancake-sized dollop of batter in skillet.

6. When it starts to get bubble on top, flip the cake.

7. Cook until golden brown on each side.

8. Place cake on plate or pan in the oven.

9. Repeat 5-7 times until out of batter and all pancakes are made. (for us this usually makes about 3 apiece - WAY more than we can eat!)

Jack Apple Compote

• 1& 1/2 red apples (with or without skin) chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar or molasses
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 shot of Jack Daniel's whiskey

1. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat

2. Add Apples and cook until soft

3. Add sugar or molasses and let simmer over medium until ready to pour over pancakes

Served with sausage, cantaloupe, and scrambled eggs this delightfully sweet brunch came together quickly and contained all the good things a brunch should - sweet, savory, and a little dash of Jack Daniel's.

Nuevo Huevo Rancheros

This morning found Kellett in town and Avery ransacking his fridge to pull breakfast together...

Some churizo sausage, spring onion, thai hot sauce, roma tomato, and lime juice made a salsa-ish sauce to go over the toasty warm corn tortillas, sunny-side-up eggs, and a little shredded cabbage.  The resulting sweeter, spicier spin on huevos rancheros made for a lovely start of the weekend, reunion meal.

>From Brunch

Roasted Asparagus, Grit Cakes and Scrambled Eggs

After returning home from giving the final this morning, I roasted some leftover fresh asparagus, made the leftover grits into grit cakes and scrambled up some eggs. I love how a stocked fridge makes for great breakfasts!