Cheesy Pancakes with Corn and Avocado

The Ultimate Beta cooks! Notice I did not say "bakes", I said "cooks". Yes, I made dinner. I have only cooked dinner for the AlphaChef three, maybe four times in our nearly 13 years together. Seriously, we counted.

Always these were special occasions, starting with a lengthy, indecisive recipe search and shopping for special ingredients. It always culminated in an anxiety filled evening, which was so painful for us both, ultimately the AC steps in to save the day. This is why I make breakfast, although there is some timing involved, I can whip up some pancakes and serve. Easy, low stress.


Well, I guess change is good. It just hit me, the idea that my favorite cottage cheese and yogurt pancakes could be made savory. With corn and some kind of sauce. Avocado. Oh yeah, Lynn's Corn and Avocado Salad would be perfect. I can do this, I thought. And it worked. I wasn't stressed out at all.

After sampling, The AC said, "If I got this in a restaurant I'd be pleased..." WHAT???? Arguably the best compliment he has ever paid me.

 I have to say, this is a proud development. I am finally understanding the joy of cooking. After all these years, it's a bit exciting. This does not mean the Ultimate Beta is a cook, but it means I have potential and that makes me smile.

The pancakes are based on the first recipe ever posted on this blog. Based on a Bittman recipe, they are tangy, sweet and full of protein. Since this was dinner, I cut the recipe into a quarter, so we had two small cakes each. We happened to have an abundance of corn, so I added some to the batter. Also added some shallots, fresh parsley, basil, garlic and black pepper. This is very flexible, you could add any herbs and spices. I cut the sugar out.


Cheesy Corn Pancakes
1/4 c large curd 4% fat cottage cheese
1/4 c  fage greek yogurt 2%
1/4 c flour
1 egg yolk
2 egg whites
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 shallot, diced
1 small sprig fresh parsley, minced
1 small sprig lemon basil, minced
1/2 clove garlic, minced
a pinch of salt, black pepper to preference
kernels of 1 small corn cob
unsalted butter for pan frying

1. Place a frying pan over med-high heat.
2. In a largish mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese, yogurt and egg yolk.
3. Mix the flour and baking powder in another bowl and dump into the first.
4. Stir in the corn, add the herbs, garlic and shallots (as below).
5. Add a small amount of salt and a healthy bit of black pepper.
6. Beat the egg whites until distinct and fold into the batter.
7. Add butter to the frying pan, scoop 1/4 cup amounts of batter onto the frying pan, make sure you take a bit of the egg white each time. Turn when golden.


Avocado/Corn Chutney
1/2 large avocado, cubed
kernels from 1 small corn cob
1 small sprig parsley, minced
1/2 shallot, minced
juice of 1/4 lime
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sugar
salt and black pepper to taste
Add lucky's habenero hot sauce at the end if desired

Just dump it all into a bowl and mix.

I served the cakes smothered in the chutney. Yes, I realize I'm stating the obvious here (I'm frequently accused of over-emphasizing points by my employees, guess they're right). The crispy, buttery, cheesy, tangy goodness, covered by the fresh, crisp corn and creamy avocado was quite fabulous, if I don't say so myself...

Faux Bayou Shrimp Boil- Better Than The Real Thing. Well Maybe.

Everyone loves a good shrimp boil, or crayfish if you're lucky enough to have connections to Louisiana. The problem? It's definitely saved for a special occasion and for a large crowd, so you might do it once a year? Once in your life?

The traditional crayfish/shrimp boil goes like this: you buy a ton of crayfish or shrimp, some quartered corn on the cob, sausage, potatoes, get a huge boiler and put it in your driveway, throw it all in, toss in your Cajun spice packet, when all the shrimp/crayfish float, you lift everything out and dump it on a picnic table covered in newspaper where everyone descends on the mess. It tastes good, gets people together, creating happy memories- and sore fingers from all that crustacean peeling.

Our whole beta/alpha process often starts at the gym. We meet at the water fountain, I say: what's for dinner? I want something different... AC: I was thinking shrimp sauteed in olive oil and herbs with something else. Me: I don't want shrimp. I want sausage. How about corn on the cob and sausage. Why don't we make it all. we could make it like a thing... AC: Really, sorta like a Cajun boil? I don't know, I was going to keep it simple, that sounds like a lot... Me: just one sausage and we haven't had corn yet, I really want corn...AC: is it in season yet?? Me: Of course, it's been in the stores for awhile... AC: Okay, I'll think about it...Then we both move on to the treadmill (him) or the stationary bike (me).

So, that's how it goes, it's a simple process with all the results you see here. This ended up really good. Perfect summer evening meal, took less than 40 minutes to make, resulted in 2 servings and a much better Cajun spice mix than you get with the kit. Thus, making the shrimp boil accessible to us on a much more regular basis and now to you.  

Ingredients:
1 beer brat or andouille sausage
4-5 red new potatoes, cut into quarters
6-8 medium large raw shrimp with shells
3 garlic cloves chopped medium
1-2 Thai or Cayenne chile peppers minced, or sub in 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper or ground dry Cayenne pepper. Fresh is best - far better flavor.
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh sweet basil
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 to 1 tsp ground cumin (depends on if you want the cumin flavor upfront or in the background)
1/2 tsp turmeric or a pinch of saffron
salt and black pepper to taste
2 ears sweet corn, cut into thirds
a lot of olive oil, coat pan with 1/4 inch deep

Instructions:
Cook the corn and potatoes via your preferred method (corn is pretty much the only thing we ever microwave- a little water in a (gasp!) plastic bag, steamed for about 5 minutes, turns out perfect). When both are done, set aside.

Heat the pan on med-low and saute the garlic, crushed peppers, paprika, cumin, turmeric, salt and black pepper in the oil for about 5 minutes.  

Add the parsley and basil, the sausage cut into 4-6 pieces and shrimp for 2 minutes. Flip the shrimp and cook for 2 more minutes. When the shrimp is done, add the corn, and potatoes into the pan. Remove the shrimp and continue to cook potato, corn and sausage for two more minutes....make sure eveything is well coated with oil/spice.  Remove and plate.

I hate peeling shrimp and this sauce was particularly yellow, so I made AC peel them for me. He says that cooking them in the peel adds depth of flavor, I told him I would forgo the flavor in favor of nails that aren't yellow for days- he'll peel mine before cooking next time. Surprisingly, the real stand-out in this dish was the corn. The combination of the oil and spices rendered it perfectly sweet, buttery and spicy all at once.

So there you are, a quick down and dirty "cover" of a shrimp boil that turned out, dare I say, better than the real thing. Sometimes perfection needs to be tweaked to work with everyday life.