New, and then old!

Growing up in Mississippi, at least in our family, blueberries were not a thing. It was strawberries for strawberry shortcake, and cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and Christmas (who can forget the sound of Ocean Spray sliding out of the can onto the serving dish). Not long ago, and for sure in the present, I had the pleasure of dining at North Pond in Chicago. One of the tasting menu offerings paired blueberry puree with a Wagyu beef filet. I know, right? Who’d-a-thunk?! But it worked, and I finally got around to trying it on my own (pictured above).

Blueberry puree is easy, and while it’s not a one-bowl dish, it comes together so quickly and easily that the use of a sauce pan, a blender (or food processor), and a strainer, along with spatulas and measuring cups, seems no imposition or impediment at all. Besides, what you get is not only delicious in its current use, but also beckons other applications.

Pork tenderloin? I can taste it.

A substitute for cranberry sauce? Sounds good to me.

Drizzled over some lemon sherbet? Or over a stack of pancakes? What’s to hold it back?

And don’t forget topping a lemon cheesecake with it. I’m all in!

Did I say new, and then old?

One of my favorite expressions, taken shamelessly from the movie “Gladiator”, is that of “hallowed antiquity”. It’s an obvious reference to something from the past that we hold dear in the present, and, if you’re the least bit in tune with how many of your/our happy memories are tied to foods, sharing them, and who we’ve shared them with, then you definitely get it. IYKYK, as they say.

As we get older, hallowed antiquity is a relative term. and for years I’ve wanted to replicate the fondly remembered cheese sauce that my mother prepared and served over cauliflower or broccoli. With no family recipe available, I relied on my own relatively recent knowledge of the use of a roux as a basis for sauces to tackle it. First try, failure. But like all cooking adventures, we learn from past failures; that, and a modicum of “Google-ing”.

The cheese sauce recipe makes enough for several servings, and I’ve not tried saving it to see if it can be used after refrigeration. While I suspect it could be re-heated, it seems like something microwave ovens were made for; or maybe a small double boiler. Worth a try, or you could scale down the recipe.

Give ’em both a try, and enjoy. On the horizon? Well, Autumn is out there somewhere, and it’s time to resurrect my favorite combo of warm gingerbread with a warm lemon sauce. Stay tuned!!!