Recipes

In my efforts to appear a classy kinda guy, I've collected several recipes that have cought my interest over time. Here's the results.

Chocolate Seduction Pie

(with thanks to Cappy Harrison for posting it on soc.bi)

Melt butter, cocoa and Baker's chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until smooth.

Add sugar and half-and-half and stir until the sugar dissolves. REMOVE FROM HEAT.

Beat 4 eggs + 1 egg yolk at room temperature (this is important -- it just doesn't come out as smoothly if you put them in cold). Add and stir well. Add vanilla.

Pour into 2 pie shells, or into sheet cake pan.

Bake about 35 minutes at about 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can experiment with both the time and the temperature, since every oven is different, but it's best to err on the side of more time and less temperature. The trick is to cook it till it sets quite firmly (the finished product should have the consistency of peanut butter, with a crispy crust on top) without scorching it.

Chill completely before cutting and serve garnished with real whipped cream and/or raspberry sauce (or almonds. I really like almonds.)

Enjoy. If you're a chocoholic like myself, you won't be able to do anything else!

Jay's Basic Hummus

Ah, hummus. Second only to Nutella in the hearts of soc.biters, this great garlic-and-bean sauce has been put to multifarious, and often astonishing, uses over the years. I have managed to collect quite a few over time (The best one, I hear, is Kay Dekker's Garlic Suicide Hummus, but sadly I lost the recipe before I got around to trying it.) This is roughly based on Jonathan Marshall's recipe, which I found on DejaNews.

(Makes enough for a party (20 people) or for a week of lunches.)

Drain chickpeas into blender or mixer (you can make it by hand with a masher, but its much harder) and add remaining ingredients. Blend to a semi-stiff (ooh) paste, adding up to 1/3 cup water if needed.

"Cover and refrigerate overnight or for several hours to allow flavors to blend and mellow. Taste and re-season if necessary. Use as a dip with vegetables, pita wedges, or crackers, or as a sandwich spread with tomato, cucumber, or pepper slices." (from the Jonathan's Hummus recipe).

Fried Lo Mein in Hummus Sauce

OK, this one was a quickie inspiration, following a bout of hummus-making, and actually turned out OK (I was aiming at something like pad thai, and missed). Its very simple and fast, and if you like hummus, you should like this; it is the only cooked hummus recipe I know of. Good for a 10 minute lunch.

Lay out the lettuce in a dish or bowl to form a bed for the cooked noodles. Mix hummus in a small bowl with 1/2 tsp of oil and enough water to make it a pourable dressing.

Boil the ramen in a small sauce pan for 1 minute. Drain. In a frying pan or wok, heat the oil on high until water will dance n the surface. Fry the diced onion on medium heat until transparent. Add noodles to the frying pan, and stir fry vigorously for 30 sec. (if you want to add the flavor packet that came with it, do so now, but use no more than half the packet or it will impart too strong a flavor).

Reduce heat to low and add 1-2 tbsp. fresh cold hummus to taste, and stir into noodles for another 30 sec., being careful to avoid scorching or sticking. Remove from heat and lay noodles on lettuce. Add cold hummus to taste.Serves 1 meal or 2-3 side dishes.

Spaghetti a la StJude

(from Jude Milhon)

(from _The Cyberpunk Handbook_): "Slice a couple of Belgian endives longwise and steam the slices until their stems can be easily pierced by a fork. Put them in a strainer, shake them gently and set them aside to drain. Put a big frying pan over a flame. Hack a great whacking chunk - maybe a quarter-pound - of american gorgonzola into small chunks. Throw the cheese into a hot pan, stir it around. The cheese will seperate instantly into golden oil and vile crufty scum. You can skim the scum, which will make the dish look better and taste less intense. If your that sort of person. When the gorgonzola sizzles, add the endive slices and turn the heat all the way up. fry the slices in the cheese until their surfaces become crispy. While they're frying in the open pan, drop half a pound of fresh squid-ink pasta into boiling water. Drain the pasta when it's al dente and toss it energetically in a serving bowl with the juice of one lime and a cup of bruised (rolled on a board until they pop slightly) blueberries. Picture it : slick grey pasta with purple streaks and blue-black beads. Scummy gold-green endives. Orgiastic. Serves two."

I've actually tried it, too. You have to be really careful about burning the cheese, but otherwise, its a good if rather wierd dish. Kewl. Remember, however, that Cyber cuisine is adventurous at it heart. You should feel free to experiment with recipes like this one, as I have; my own experiences have been predicated on a number of factors, such as curiosity, perversity, and impecunity. A few suggestions from my own efforts :

Bon appetit!

Last Updated 25 April 1998