Pan-fried Grits Cake フライパンで焼いたグリッツケーキ

This is an off-shoot of the “Cheese grits casserole” my wife made. Realizing these grits cakes were basically the same texture as traditional cheese grits just shaped differently she got the idea they could be removed from the ramekins they were cooked in, cut into pieces and pan fried. Initially I had doubts the  process she suggested would be possible but as shown in picture #1 we managed it. They were firm enough for her to remove them from the ramekins. Then she asked me to slice the cakes into rounds. Using a thin long fillet knife coated with oil, I was able to slice them (picture #2). To pan fry the rounds, I first dusted both sides with flour and then fried them. This added a nice crunchy crust and they were better than the original form. We had this as a light lunch with a salad made of baby arugula, green beans (pre-steamed), skinned Campari tomato topped with home made cheese curd my wife made, dressed with honey-mustard dressing.

Next time, we’ll probably prepare them this way by cooking them in a baking dish or a small sheet pan so that it is easier to cut into squares for pan-frying.

Beautiful spring season. The iris are in full bloom. What a joy!

Mini Cheese Grits Casserole ミニグリッツキャセロール

Recently we purchased a box of grits to make a dish of shrimp and grits. But the quantity of grits we used to make that dish didn’t make a dent in the large amount of dried grits remaining in the box. So my wife took it upon herself to find a way to use up some of it.  She found this recipe at Southern Living web site. The original recipe was for a make-ahead breakfast dish for a large crowd. The idea was to basically put the dish together the day before so the next morning all that had to be done was to cook it in the oven. After looking at the quantity of ingredients called for in the recipe we decided that we were definitely not feeding a crowd that big so we significantly reduced the the size of the recipe. Also, since we were not going to be eating it for breakfast we saw no need to make it up a day ahead and store it in the fridge overnight.  We had it as a lunch with salad which included my wife’s home-made mango chutney seasoned cheese curd. This turned out to be a variation of standard cheese grits but in a more elegant individual presentation. It was quite good although next time we thought we could reduced the amount of cheese a bit.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups broth 

3/4 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 teaspoons salt, (divided, 1/2 in the grits, 1/2 in the egg mixture) 
1/2 cup half-and-half (or buttermilk)
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne 
1 large egg
4-6 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
several teaspoons of sauteed shallots and mushrooms.  

Directions
Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high. Add grits and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until grits are thickened and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together half-and-half, mustard, pepper, eggs, egg yolk, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in grits and cheese until cheese is melted. Divide mixture evenly among the ramekins. (We used 4 small and 3 medium sized ramekins as shown in pic #2). Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake in preheated oven until puffed and edges are set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

These were quite good. Lots of rich flavor with the cheese and shallot mushroom mixture adding a lot of depth. The cayenne pepper added a nice bright note. My wife noted that next time she would just make it in a baking dish and then cut it into square pieces for serving. What ever the presentation this makes a mighty fine “side” for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

Shrimp and Grits with Poached Egg 温玉のせ海老とグリィツ

Dishes made with grits used to be a breakfast staple for us. These included such things as shrimp and grits and grits with poached egg. One day recently, my wife mentioned, “we have not had grits for a long time.” So, we got a package of “instant” grits. We used them for a sort-of-combination lunch dish of shrimp and grits with home pasteurized poached eggs. When I got ready to take a “serving” picture, however, I noticed everything was sort of white (except maybe for some light pink from the shrimp). To brighten things up I snarfed some baby arugula and tomato from the salad I had made as a side dish. This was a really gentle but satisfying lunch.

Ingredients: (2 servings)
1/2 cups grits
2 cups liquid (either milk or water, we used the liquid the shrimp were poached in.)
2-3 pats of unsalted butter
6 large shrimp (we used shell-on frozen shrimp)
2 pasteurized eggs

Directions:
Thaw the shrimp in cold 2% salted water for 30 minutes. Drain out the shrimp but keep the salted water. Add the salted water to a pan. When it boils, turn down the heat and add the shrimp. Let them gently poach for 2-3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan and peel off the shell. Add the shell back into the poaching liquid and gently boil for a few minutes. Strain out the shells and set aside the poaching liquid. Slice the shrimp in half length wise.

Cook the grits for 5 minutes using the poaching liquid, stirring occasionally. When the grits have thickened turn off the flame and add the butter. Taste and if needed add more salt.

Top the cooked grits with the shrimp and the poached egg in the center.