Sep 23 2014
Last evening somehow I lost my internet connection. I have two PC’s and could not get on with either one. I tried all I know with no luck. I called my provider this morning and said I was pretty sure my modem was bad. I took it in and they gave me a new one. That did not work.
I had everything ready to have my chowder for supper. At noon I cooked my grits and got them on a sheet pan to cool for 4 hours in the fridge. About 1:00 I was on the phone with my internet provider tech support. We tried different things including typing in the command prompt to try and rest things related to my problem.
He said you have a problem with the PC obtaining an IP address but let’s try the other PC. I think all we did was disable the adapter and then re-enable it and I was back on the net. A relief, the wife and I were both starting to have withdrawal from the net! He said I would need a technician to fix the one PC.
I followed a recipe by Pat on Food52, Creamy corn and clam chowder with crispy polenta croutons. I changed enough I can post but wanted to give her credit and if you want her recipe it is on food52.com.
She used fresh corn off the cob and boiled the cobs for her liquid. It probably adds to the corn flavor. She made polenta cakes and I made grit cakes. I think there is a lot of confusion of the difference between the two. Some say polenta is coarser than grits but the polenta I buy in the grocery here is finer than the mush, grit cake I buy. I read that in Italy the polenta can be either fine or coarse ground cornmeal. The only good answers I have found is Southern grits are made from variety of corn called dent corn and in Italy it is made from flint corn. But it said nothing about a different taste; only that the flint corn holds its texture better.
I think they are whatever you want to call it; I made grit cakes. I made mine from coarse ground yellow cornmeal. After they set up in the fridge I cut rounds out with a cutter then back in the fridge until I was ready to bake them. I would have liked to fry them in some butter or bacon grease but baked was healthier and easier baked. I sprayed them with a little olive oil before baking and they came out crispy.
I made some toasted gruyere sliders to have with the chowder. Normally I spread a light coat of butter on the outside of the bread or spray a little olive oil in a skillet to toast. I saw where someone used mayonnaise so I tried that. I toasted them in my Lodge steel skillet. They were great; the mayo gives a little tang that goes well with the cheese.
My wife and I both loved the chowder and sliders. For me it’s a keeper recipe and I think it would be good with clams instead of crab meat too.
After supper I sat and watched some Pawn Stars and me and the dog had our usual nutter butters! I then decided to try to work on my PC again. I tried to do the auto fix and didn’t help. I had tried the Windows restore feature twice last night but it said it could not complete the restore. This time it worked and I had my network and internet connection back! Now I have both PC’s back working.
I am a happy camper now and glad to get back in here, share my cooks and see what my friends are cooking.
Grits cooling
Bacon cooking
Done
Cutting the rounds
For the chowder
Onions sauted and corn added
Potatoes, water and butter in
Ready to serve
Grit cakes baked
Sliders done
My supper
Smokin Don
Recipe
Corn and crab chowder w grit cakes
For the grit cakes
• 1 cups coarse ground yellow corn meal
• 3 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup sliced green onion
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
1. In a medium sauce pan combine the water and cornmeal and simmer for about ten minutes, stirring relatively constantly until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients.
3. Let cool a bit and then spread evenly on a sheet pan. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours.
4. About 30 minutes before serving the chowder, cut the polenta into 3 inch rounds and bake for 30 minutes at 425F or until they crisp up on a parchment lined baking sheet.
For the chowder
• 16 oz. fresh frozen corn off the cob
• 2 to 3 cups water
• 4 strips bacon
• 2 tablespoons plus 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 cups diced potatoes (3/4 inch dice)
• Two 6.5 ounce cans crab meat, juice reserved ( about 1 1/2 cups, liquor saved)
• 4 tablespoons fine yellow corn meal
• 2/3 cup of half and half
• Toppings:
• Polenta croutons
• Sliced green onion for garnish
• Salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large sauce pan simmer the corn cobs in about 8 cups of water for about 45 minutes. Discard the cobs and strain the liquid and reserve.
2. In a soup pot cook the bacon in 2 tablespoons butter until crisp. Remove the bacon bits and reserve for garnishing the chowder.
3. Sauté the onion in the rendered bacon fat until soft.
4. Add in the corn and 2 to 3 cups water,cook about 10 to15 minutes
5. Add the potatoes, crab meat and the juice from the canned clams and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Taste for seasoning and add if necessary.
6. Whisk in the corn meal, a tablespoon at a time while the chowder is on the heat and then whisk in the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter. The chowder should thicken nicely.
7. Stir in the clam meat and the half and half. Heat but don't boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Do this about 15 to 20 minutes before serving
8. Serve the chowder in bowls, each topped with a polenta crouton, sliced green onion and a few bacon bits.
Note: I eyeball a lot but the amounts given are pretty close. By the time my grit cakes were ready my chowder was getting too thick so I added a little water before I added the cream.
I had the grit cakes made ahead and prep time and cooking the chowder was about an hour and 45 minutes.
