Current Attractions

The simplest, most modern outlet for a bachelor's gourmet endeavors is the 110-volt one on the wall. Any man capable of breaking an egg can now make Béarnaise sauce. A pillowy rich concoction of egg yolks, butter and tarragon vinegar, it's made in a blender in minutes. Just a few years back, however, it required the kind of job that daunted some professional chefs. The electric cord is not only a conductor to the loftiest culinary arts; it can radically transform simple things like coffee. The man who savors his Mocha and Java knows that coffee beans should be ground minutes before they go into the pot. If you own a blender, you can grind freshly roasted coffee beans in all of 15 seconds. If you're particular about the exact degree of pulverization you want, you can grind the beans in one of the new electric coffee mills. In either case, the brew and its aroma which follow will bring forth smiles of delight. If you like to sip espresso or cappuccino, and you want the real Latin potion rather than the slow drip variety, there are electric espresso coffee-makers that sit serenely on your table, and in a matter of 60 seconds pour forth their jet-black brew right into the waiting pitcher or demitasse cups. Give the electric skillet credit for demolishing the old wheeze that good cooking is necessarily difficult. Good cooking requires sensitivity and precision, rather than labor. For centuries the professional chef's dream of the perfect saucepan was one that would heat evenly, hoard its heat within a narrow temperature range, and thus liberate the chef from the chore of continuous pan watching. The electric skillet or saucepan, now matured into the electric chafing dish, performs this feat infinitely better than anything heretofore known in the pot-and-pan kingdom. Any cook who's handled a delicate fare like oysters or frogs' legs knows that prolonged heat at a high temperature will turn them to rubber. Too low a heat will inhibit their flavors. By a mere flick of the dial, the electric skillet can be set to sauté them in a few minutes. Another setting will simmer them gently, and a third will keep them warm until the (continued on page 213) current attractions (continued from page 122) last straggler pulls up to the buffet.

Perhaps the prime advantage the appliance-attuned host has over others is that when his guests are taking their ease around his cocktail table, he, too, is able to relax, and devil take formal dinner protocol and clock watching. For fostering this kind of civilized relaxation, there are hot buffet servers, hot tables and hot serving wagons, all of the plug-in family, in many sizes and models. Any casserole, plate, pan or platter placed on them should have a perfectly flat bottom for maximum surface-to-surface contact. Hot foods that should never under any conditions wait for the guests--such as shirred eggs or soufflés--don't belong on hot tables. But chowders, casseroles, stews and most sauce dishes or sauces actually become mellower during their warm-up period.

The sheer profusion of electrical kitchen gadgetry already begot and still being born at an explosive rate, is so great that a cook must use a certain amount of restraining judgment in deciding just how much his atelier shall hold. If the job of vegetable peeling reminds him too vividly of K. P., he may buy an electric potato peeler that removes not only potato skins but shaves the hides off beets, carrots, asparagus and broccoli stems. If he wants to add to his oven space, there's a portable electric roaster. The ham that comes out of the electric roaster may be carved with an electric carving knife, fitted with dual blades that snick back and forth like a hedge trimmer. His ham can be served with a madeira sauce kept warm in an electric sauceboat, accompanied by French bread nestling in an electrically warmed breadbasket. In time he'll learn that if he wants only a few teaspoons of minced shallots, it's actually easier to mince them by hand with a French knife than to use the electric vegetable-mincer attachment which must be assembled, disassembled and rinsed for a relatively minor job. On the other hand, if he's cutting Spanish onions for hot onion soup at a midnight party, the electric slicer turns out to be a heaven-sent time- and tearsaver. The absolute summit of the how-lazy-can-you-get department, it seems to us, is reached with the battery-powered pepper grinder.

Most pieces of electrical equipment have individual personalities. The electric open-hearth broiler, for instance, with its source of heat beneath, rather than above, the steaks and chops, is one of the few portable broilers that really browns the meat rather than cooking it to a neutral gray. Fat dripping past the hot rods falls into a pan far enough below the heat so that the chance of a conflagration is nil. An occasional wisp of smoke and some spattering will show up from time to time, but you'll never find yourself groping in the dense smoke screen laid down by most permanent indoor broilers. The open-hearth broiler won't char food like a fierce charcoal fire or gas flame; but the resultant beef or lamb flavor has a clean natural taste which veteran beefeaters or lambeaters find delicious.

The electric brochette or upright electric skewer stove radiates a gentle, easy-going heat. For delicate foods such as scallops, sweetbreads or chicken livers, where only modest heat is required, the electric brochette does a handsome job. Shish kabobers should allow about one half hour cooking time for lamb on the electric brochette. Large cubes of food won't fit; the space between the skewer and the hot cage allows pieces no larger than one inch in thickness.

For the history-bent chef, the electric waffle iron is a reminder that one of Thomas Jefferson's most significant deeds has been comparatively neglected. Jefferson introduced waffles to the United States. As early as the Tenth Century in Europe waffles were being celebrated in ballads. While waffle irons are supposed to have originated in Holland, the French seized upon this ingratiating form of pastry, and developed it over the centuries into its many variegated and delicate versions--waffles made from rolled biscuit dough, waffles of light yeast batter, waffles with sweet-cream filling and butter-rich waffle cakes. Needless to say, waffles in the electric waffle iron are now an effortless art.

To illustrate how little energy is needed for high-voltage gastronomy, try any of the following recipes, each designed for four portions.

[recipe_title]Cold Cream of Almond Soup[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 cup blanched sliced almonds[/recipe]

[recipe]2 12-oz. cans chicken broth with rice[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]3/4 cup light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons very dry sherry Salt, white pepper, cayenne pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon minced chives[/recipe]

Preheat oven at 375°. Spread almonds in a shallow pan and roast in oven until light brown, stirring occasionally to brown evenly. Avoid scorching. Set aside 2 tablespoons almonds for garnishing soup. Place balance of almonds in blender with chicken broth and milk. Blend 30 seconds. Remove from blender and stir in cream and sherry. Add salt and pepper to taste and a dash of cayenne. Chill soup in refrigerator, at least 3 hours. Pour into prechilled cups. Float reserved almonds on top and sprinkle with chives. Soup may be heated and served hot if desired.

[recipe_title]Curried Frogs' Legs[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1/2 lbs. frogs' legs[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup flour[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon paprika[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon curry powder[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons minced onion[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon minced garlic[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon minced parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup chicken broth or stock[/recipe]

[recipe]8-oz. can Italian plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons cognac[/recipe]

Cut feet from frogs' legs. Cut each pair in half. Upper and lower parts of legs may be detached or left whole. Put flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, paprika and frogs' legs into a paper bag and shake well. Remove legs from bag and pat off excess flour. In electric skillet preheated at 300°, heat salad oil and butter until butter melts. Sauté frogs' legs until meat is firm, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add curry powder, onion, garlic, parsley and wine and stir well. Simmer 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and tomatoes. Reduce heat to 250° and simmer 8 minutes. Add cognac. Correct seasoning. Serve at once or keep skillet at warming temperature on dial until serving time.

[recipe_title]Veal and Onion Scaloppine[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 1/2 lbs. Italian-style veal cutlets[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic[/recipe]

[recipe]2 large Spanish onions, cut julienne[/recipe]

[recipe]1/3 cup very dry sherry[/recipe]

[recipe]12-oz. can chicken broth[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon anchovy paste[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon butter[/recipe]

Pound cutlets thin with meat mallet. Preheat electric skillet at 300°. Add salad oil. Sprinkle cutlets with salt and pepper and sauté until meat is light brown. Pan may not hold all cutlets at one time, but as they shrink during cooking, additional meat may be added. Cook until meat juice in pan bottom has evaporated and drippings turn brown in pan. Add thyme, garlic and onion and sauté until onions are limp, not brown. Add sherry, chicken broth and anchovy paste. Stir well to loosen pan drippings. Reduce heat to 250° and cook 10 minutes longer. Add butter to gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

[recipe_title]Skewered Chicken Livers[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 lb. fresh or thawed frozen chicken livers[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons sherry[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon soy sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cloves garlic, crushed[/recipe]

[recipe]1 medium-size onion, sliced[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon sesame oil[/recipe]

[recipe]2 3-oz. cans whole mushrooms, drained[/recipe]

[recipe]2 5-oz. cans water chestnuts, drained[/recipe]

Bring a large saucepan of water to a rapid boil. Add livers. As soon as water resumes boiling, remove from heat and drain livers. Cut livers into two or three pieces each, so that no piece is larger than 1 in. across. Place livers in a bowl with sherry, soy sauce, salad oil, garlic, onion, fennel seed and sesame oil. Marinate overnight. Divide chicken-liver pieces, mushrooms and water chestnuts among the eight skewers of the electric brochette. Arrange pieces of food alternately. Preheat brochette 10 to 15 minutes. Broil skewered livers 25 minutes. Serve with Béarnaise sauce.

[recipe_title]Béarnaise Sauce[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1/4 cup dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons minced onion[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon crushed whole pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]3 egg yolks[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. sweet butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 large sprigs fresh tarragon, minced, or 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon minced fresh chervil or parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, cayenne pepper[/recipe]

Pour wine and vinegar into small saucepan. Add onion and pepper. Simmer slowly until liquid is reduced to approximately two or three tablespoons. Watch pan carefully so that all liquid does not evaporate. Strain into electric blender. Add egg yolks and blend slightly. Melt butter in small saucepan over moderate flame. Avoid browning. Start blender after removing pouring cap, and very slowly add melted butter, no more than a tablespoon at a time. Remove sauce from blender. Stir in tarragon and chervil. Add salt to taste, and a dash of cayenne pepper. Keep in a warm place (not over direct heat) until serving time.

[recipe_title]Mustard Shish Kabob[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1/2 leg of lamb, cut into 1-in. cubes[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons Dijon mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons white wine vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon rosemary[/recipe]

[recipe]3 cloves garlic, crushed[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1 large green pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1 large sweet red pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Butter, at room temperature[/recipe]

Be sure pieces of lamb do not exceed 1 in. in thickness. In a mixing bowl place the mustard, vinegar, oil, rosemary and garlic. Stir well. Add lamb and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Mix well so that lamb is thoroughly coated. Marinate in refrigerator at least 3 hours before cooking. Remove from refrigerator about one half hour before broiling. Cut peppers into 3/4-in. squares. Preheat electric brochette 10 to 15 minutes. Fasten meat and peppers alternately on skewers. Broil 25 to 30 minutes. Brush with butter just before serving.

[recipe_title]Waffles and Apples, Rum Sauce[/recipe_title]

[recipe]4 medium-size apples[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup maple syrup[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup light rum[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons heavy dark rum[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons sweet butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup heavy sweet cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]2 egg yolks[/recipe]

[recipe]1 whole egg[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon vanilla[/recipe]

[recipe]cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup cake flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons sugar[/recipe]

Peel and core apples and cut them into thin slices, about 12 slices per apple. Place apples in saucepan with maple syrup, light and dark rum and butter. Simmer, covered, until apples are just tender. Avoid overcooking. Keep warm until serving time. Whip cream in a small narrow bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar. Chill in refrigerator. In well of electric blender put egg yolks, whole egg, vanilla, milk and salad oil. Add cake flour, baking powder, salt and 2 tablespoons sugar. Blend until smooth. Stop blender and scrape sides with rubber spatula if necessary to blend dry ingredients with liquid. Preheat waffle iron. Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons into each section of iron, or until batter is about 1 in. from edge. Bake until steam is no longer visible from sides of waffle iron. Spoon apples onto waffles on serving plates. Top with whipped cream

The above is a mere skimming of the surface. The current attractions of plug-in prandials and potables are such that the appliance-hip chef need never join the Hot Stove League.