Fisher: Recipes That Really Work

“Every single cookbook, no matter how crackpot, has one or two good things in it. And every once in a while there’s one that is remarkable.”

Mary Frances Fisher said that years ago, and it is probably true. Her books undoubtedly fall into the remarkable category.

I’ve always thought of Fisher as more of a writer than a recipe person, but when we began cooking these recipes in our Test Kitchen, we found that every single one of them was absolutely wonderful. After you’ve tried the ones that follow, you’ll probably find yourself reading her books with an entirely different purpose.

“An oyster leads a dreadful but exciting life.

“Indeed, his chance to live at all is slim, and if he should survive the arrows of his own outrageous fortune and in the two weeks of his carefree youth find a clean smooth place to fix on, the years after are full of stress, passion and danger.”

OYSTER BISQUE (From “Consider the Oyster”)

4 cups shucked oysters

2 cups whipping cream

2 cups milk

Freshly grated mace

1/2 sweet onion

Salt, pepper

1/2 cup cracker crumbs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup whipped cream

Paprika

Heat oysters in small saucepan. Drain oysters and reserve liquor. Rinse oysters with cold water and drain well. Dry on clean piece of cheesecloth.

Heat whipping cream and milk in top of double boiler, adding mace to taste and onion. Remove onion as soon as flavor is imparted. Add oyster liquor to milk mixture.

Skim off any froth that rises to top of mixture in double boiler. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add cracker crumbs and butter. Cook few minutes until soup is well blended, stirring occasionally. Gently mix in oysters. Garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon whipped cream and dash paprika. Makes 6 1/2 cups.

“I am told by other cooks that this is not wholly dependable: Sometimes the prunes cook to bits; sometimes the sauce is too thin or too thick. I have never found this to be true, but I do know that no recipe in the world is independent of the tides, the moon, the physical and emotional temperatures surrounding its performance. Having taken all these into consideration, the only other questionables in the problem are the meat and the prunes, and my one remark about them is that they should be of good but not luxurious quality. This roast, served on a generous platter and carved at the table into thick slices, with applesauce and a bowl of buttered noodles and a crisp bowl of salad greens with good bread and wine, and cheese to follow, makes a delicious dinner to come upon. It is pungent and hearty, and the world seems more real.”

PRUNE ROAST (From “How to Cook a Wolf”)

1 (4- to 5-pound) beef or pork rump roast

2 teaspoons salt

Pepper

2 cups pitted prunes

1 onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat heavy, deep pan. Add roast, turning to brown on all sides. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add prunes, onion, garlic and 2 cups boiling water. Cover and simmer until meat is tender, 3 to 4 hours.

Remove meat to hot platter. Stir vinegar, 1/2 cup water, brown sugar, cloves and cinnamon into liquid left in pan. Cook rapidly until sauce thickens. Pour sauce over and around meat. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

“This recipe for my mother’s gingerbread must be almost identical with the excellent one that comes out of a box. It is cheaper to make, if you have the time and the oven is going anyway. It sends out a fine friendly smell through the house, and is so good that it usually disappears while it is still hot, which is too bad because it is so good cold.”

EDITH’S GINGERBREAD (From “How to Cook a Wolf”)

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup molasses

3/4 cup boiling water

1 egg, beaten

Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift flour with baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.

Beat 1/2 teaspoon baking soda into molasses. Add to shortening mixture.

Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to boiling water, then add alternately with sifted dry ingredients to shortening mixture. Fold in beaten egg until well mixed.

Pour batter into greased and floured 8-inch baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 6 to 9 servings.

Note: Mixture will seem much too thin, but do not increase quantity of flour.

“I have used this bland prescription more than once myself, recognizing a flicker across my cheekbones, a humming near my elbows and my knees, that meant fatigue had crept too close to the fortress walls. I have found partaking of a warm full bowl of it, in an early bed after a long bath, a very wise medicine--and me but weary, not ill, weak, old, not very young!”

MILK TOAST (From “An Alphabet for Gourmets”)

1 pint milk

4 slices bread

Unsalted butter, softened

Salt, pepper

Heat milk gently to simmering point. Toast bread. Butter generously.

Heat deep bowl. Break hot buttered toast into bowl. Pour steaming (but not boiling) milk over. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 1 serving.

Note: Depending on dietary restrictions, part whipping cream may be substituted for milk. Butter is optional. Homemade bread is recommended. Salt and pepper may be omitted.

“Peasant caviar can have its own strata of richness, extravagance and giddiness. I know and use three different recipes for it, depending on both my purse and my patience . . .

“ This recipe is perhaps the best, but I am too lazy to make it very often. It was taught to me by a honey-colored actress along with a lot of other gastronomical jewels.”

EGGPLANT NUMBER TWO (From “An Alphabet for Gourmets”)

3 to 4 eggplants

Minced onion

Minced garlic

Minced herbs

Salt, pepper

Vinegar

Olive oil

Place eggplants in roasting pan. Bake at 225 degrees overnight.

In morning, scrape pulp from withered and blackened skins and place, along with any juice that may have accumulated, in large bowl.

Beat vigoursly while adding onion, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, vinegar and oil to taste. Mixture should be heavily flavored. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours. Makes about 8 servings.

“The third is a fruity concoction, to quote my father. It is rich in color and texture, and a little overpowering in flavor, so that it needs a crude black bread to be eaten with it, and vodka or jolting Gibsons or some such drink alongside it.”

EGGPLANT NUMBER THREE (From “An Alphabet for Gourmets”)

1 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup olive oil

6 cups peeled, cubed eggplant

2 cups diced peeled tomatoes or 1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup vinegar

Salt, pepper

2 tablespoons oyster or Worcestershire sauce

Saute onions in olive oil until well browned. Add eggplant and stir carefully until browned. Add tomatoes, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Cover and simmer about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add oyster sauce, mix well and allow to cook slowly, uncovered, until mixture begins to look thick and dry.

Remove from heat, beat well and pack into jar. Refrigerate at least 24 hours. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

“Polenta is one of those ageless culinary lords, like bread. It has sprung from the hunger of mankind, and without apparent effort has always carried with it a feeling of strength and dignity and well-being.

“ It costs little to prepare, if there is little to spend, or it can be extravagantly, opulently odorous with wines and such. It can be made doggedly, with one ear cocked for the old wolf’s sniffing under the door, or it can be turned out as a well-nourished gesture to other simpler days. But no matter what conceits it may be decked with, its fundamental simplicity survives, to comfort our souls as well as our bellies, the way a good solid fugue does, or a warm morning in spring.”

POLENTA

2 cups polenta meal

3 cups cold water

3 cups boiling water

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup diced Jack or mild goat cheese, optional

Grated Parmesan cheese

Beef Sauce, optional

Stir meal gradually into cold water to form smooth mixture. Combine boiling water and salt. Slowly add cold mixture to hot, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.

If in double boiler, cook without further stirring for 3 hours. If in heavy saucepan, stir occasionally with wooden paddle for 1 hour, taking care not to disturb crust that forms against pan. (Polenta should be about consistency of spoon bread when cooked. If too thick, add additional hot water.)

Stir in Jack cheese. Shape into mound and cover with Parmesan cheese. Serve separately or with Beef Sauce. Makes about 6 servings.

Beef Sauce

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup olive oil

1 (1-pound, 12-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1 whole clove

2 peppercorns

Salt

Rosemary sprig

1/2 cup dried mushrooms

1 cup hot water

2 1/2 pounds beef, cut into 1-inch cubes

Oil

Boiling water or stock

Saute onion, garlic, carrot and celery in olive oil until tender and beginning to brown. Add tomatoes with liquid, bay leaf, clove, peppercorns, salt to taste and rosemary.

Soak mushrooms in hot water until tender. Strain, cut mushrooms into small pieces and add both to sauce. Cover and simmer 3 hours.

Brown beef in small amount of oil. Add boiling water and simmer until tender. Add to sauce about 1 hour before serving. Add water if sauce seems too thick.

Food Styling by Minnie Bernardino and Donna Deane