This week's episode of The Sporkful podcast is up! Listen through the player or iTunes/Podcasts app. (And please subscribe!)
We savor meals we share with the people we love -- EXCEPT when we end up FIGHTING with the people we love about HOW TO EAT the foods we love.
This week on The Sporkful, we're tackling family food feuds. First up: Matt and Luke, two brothers originally from Washington, who can't agree on the best pancake toppings. Matt (below, center) leans towards traditional butter and syrup, but Luke (below, left) is an innovator. (Check out the jars of peanut butter and jelly on the table next to Luke!)
"When I see a pancake that’s covered with tons of other stuff, the first thing I think is whoever created that pancake was hiding something," says Matt.
Matt called into The Sporkful to get my take on his and Luke's dueling pancake philosophies. But it turns out that this breakfast brouhaha is about SO MUCH MORE than pancakes. When Matt defends the sanctity of pancakes, he's actually defending his very upbringing. And that's not the half of it.
Listen in to the full episode to hear the truth come out!
In the second half of the show, a Baltimore couple (below) calls in for help settling a cookie-related conflict that's rankling their marriage.
Chloe, an avid baker, insists on throwing away baked goods before they go stale, but her husband Jason doesn't want to waste good cookies -- even if they are a bit dry and crumbly.
"I’m flattered that [Jason] would want to eat a three-week-old cookie and that he appreciates the work that went into it," Chloe says. "But that’s now how I intended it to be consumed."
Will Chloe and Jason be able to agree on a freshness threshold for Chloe's cookies? And is this argument REALLY just about cookies?
Bonus -- get Chloe's recipe for Baltimore-style Old Bay Corn Cookies (below)! She mailed The Sporkful a fresh batch, and they disappeared in a single day. (She would approve!)
Old Bay Corn Cookies
(adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar’s corn cookies recipe)
Ingredients
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 1/3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup pureed dried, toasted corn*
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
2 1/2 tbsp Old Bay**
*You can find dried, toasted corn in the bulk food section of markets such as Whole Foods. Puree in a food processor and store in an airtight container.
**This can be adjusted depending on your taste preference for Old Bay.
Directions
Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium-high speed for 2–3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat for 7–8 minutes untilthe batter is very fluffy.
Reduce the mixing speed to low and add the flour, cornmeal, pureed toasted corn, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and Old Bay. Mix just until the dough comes together–no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Use a spoon or a melon baller to scoop dough onto baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space in between each. Cover pans with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. Remove from refrigerator once oven is preheated and bake for 8–10 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
This recipe yields about 3 dozen small cookies or 16 large cookies.
This week's episode of The Sporkful podcast is up! Listen through the player or iTunes/Podcasts app. (And please subscribe!)
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Interstitial music in this episode by BWN Music:
- "Horn In The City" by Kenneth J. Brahmstedt
- "Sweet Summer Love" by Stephen Clinton Sullivan
Photos: courtesy of Matt D. and Chloe I., FlickrCC/Leo Hidalgo, FlickrCC/Neil Conway; FlickrCC/Shana
