Elevating Comfort

Fresh spins on old favorites

Alton Brown and I disagree about comfort food.

On his promotion tour for his latest book, “Food for Thought,” Alton — a TV personality, chef and author — said we shouldn’t mess with “comfort” food. It doesn’t need “elevating.”

I disagree. If I hadn’t elevated my grilled cheese sandwich, I would still be eating Velveeta on Wonder Bread. Our tastes change and so can our comfort food.

Grilled cheese is fun to elevate. I don’t know if I eat it the same way ever.

What can be more comforting than chocolate chip cookies? My “go-to” recipe has changed so much over the years and only gotten better, if I do say so myself. As part of my devotion to elevation, I hope you enjoy some of my elevated grilled cheese ideas as well as my current chocolate chip cookie recipe.

I prevailed upon fellow YVW food writer and friend Stella Fong to share some of her elevated recipes: Salted Matcha and Black Sesame Rice Crispy Bars, and Korean-inspired Nachos with Bulgogi and Kimchi.

I hope these inspire you to elevate.

Sorry, Alton Brown…

Enjoy!

Salted Matcha and Black Sesame Rice Crispy Bar, serves 12

~From Stella Fong

· ½ c. unsalted butter

· 10-oz bag of marshmallows

· 2 T. matcha powder

· 6 c. crispy rice cereal

· ¼ c. black sesame seeds

· 2 oz. dark chocolate chips

· ½ t. coarse sea salt

Butter a 9 x 13-inch dish and set aside. In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt and brown the butter, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Lower the heat and add the marshmallows and matcha powder, stirring until all the marshmallows have just melted. Remove from heat.

Add crispy rice cereal and black sesame seeds and mix to combine. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and gently press into the cereal. Sprinkle the salt over everything and let it rest until the chocolate sets. Slice and serve.

Korean-inspired Nachos with Bulgogi and Kimchi, serves 6

~From Stella Fong

Serves 6

Bulgogi

· 1 c. peeled, coarsely chopped ripe Asian or Bosc pear

· 4 garlic cloves

· ½ yellow onion, coarsely chopped

· 1 t. minced ginger

· 1 pound boneless sirloin, tenderloin or skirt steak, very thinly sliced (see note)

· 2 stalks green onion, coarsely chopped

· 2 T. soy sauce

· 1 T. roasted sesame oil

· 1 T. light brown sugar

· ½ t. black pepper

Nachos

· 12 oz. tortilla chips

· 2 ½ c. mozzarella shredded

· 2 - 4 T. Gojuchang

· 3 T. mayonnaise

· 2 T. Hoisin sauce

· ½ c. coarsely chopped kimchi, juices drained

· 3 stalks green onion, thinly sliced

· 2 to 3 T. black or white sesame seeds

In a food processor, process pear, garlic, onion and ginger until creamy, about 1 minute, to create a marinade. In a bowl or zip-lock plastic bag, combine beef, marinade, green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and pepper. Mix well. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly grease or spray with vegetable oil. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Working in batches, cook meat until browned, about 2 minutes. Repeat until all of the meat is cooked. Set aside.

On the prepared baking sheet, evenly layer tortilla chips. Next, evenly layer the cheese. Layer the meat on top with juices drained from it. Drizzle Gojuchang, mayonnaise and hoisin sauce next. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with drained kimchi, green onions, and sesame seeds.

Note: To thinly slice the beef, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it for about 1 hour. The firm meat makes for easier slicing. Cut the beef across the grain into 1/8-inch thick slices

Kay’s Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies

~From Kay Erickson

· 2-¼ c. all-purpose flour

· 1 t. baking soda

· 1 t. salt

· 1½ t. corn starch

· ¾ c. unsalted butter, softened (preferably European with 83% butterfat)

· ¼ c. butter-flavored shortening

· ½ c. granulated sugar

· 1 c. packed light brown sugar

· 1 t. vanilla extract

· 2 large eggs

· 12-ounce package semi-sweet or dark chocolate morsels

· ⅓ c. toffee bits

· 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and corn starch in small bowl. Beat butter, shortening, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels, toffee bits and nuts.

Refrigerate dough for 2 hours. Remove dough and let set for 10 minutes at room temperature. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Variations: Decrease all-purpose flour to 1¾ cup and add ½ cup of whole wheat flour. I have also used 2¼ C almond flour instead of all-purpose flour. If I have small, leftover amounts of mini M&Ms or butterscotch or peanut putter chips, I add them with the chocolate chips.

Elevated Grilled Cheese

~From Kay Erickson

Bread Possibilities

· Country white bread

· Farm style bread

· Italian white bread

· Marbled rye

Cheese Choices

· White or yellow American

· Smoked Gouda

· Provolone

Topping Cheese

· Gruyere

· Fontina

· Mozzarella

· Brie

Between the Slices

· Favorite deli meat

· Peeled, thinly sliced apple

· Bread and butter pickle slices

· Sliced pepperoncini

Butter the outside of the bread. Occasionally I will spread the inside of the bread with wholegrain or Dijan mustard.

Start layering. I start with 2 or 3 slices of the cheese, then layer on my filling. I top with freshly grated cheese and then top with the other slice of bread.

Set a flat-bottomed nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Place the sandwich on the skillet and cover with the lid or a large metal bowl. Cook for about 5 minutes or until toasting on the bottom. Flip and repeat for another 5 minutes util both sides are golden.

Cut the sandwich in half and serve. Yes, slice it. You want to see all the layers you’ve created.

TIP: If you are adding pickles or pepperoncini, I would blot them before adding to the sandwich so there is less slippage.