All About Me is a new category introduced in 2006 where I answer the tough questions posed to celebrities and others of that ilk in magazines. It was brought about by the many requests for more personal information (OK - they were all from the same person...Mike, who ironically, probably knows more personal information already than most anyone else who reads this blog).
Mike, frankly, thinks my blog sucks. I swear to him that others like it, but no dice. He doesn't want to know about furniture and cooking and design and movies and books. He wants to know about my life. I tried to explain that was never the purpose of my blog, but no dice. He wants more.
Mike, here it is. And don't say I didn't warn you. ;)
These questions were asked of Teri Hatcher in Bon Appetit magazine (Jan. 2006)...
We know that you're a great cook. When did you discover the kitchen?
When I got married, I could not cook - anything. I am a very messy cook and my stepmother (who raised me) is a neat freak. After the cookie dough hit the ceiling one evening, I can't say that I was encouraged to cook at home.
In grad school, I took a lot of night classes because I always had two or three odd jobs that I could do during the day. Night classes seemed much cozier and I started baking for our breaks in class. I would try different recipes - and people enjoyed it. The food, but also the camaraderie of the cookie or cake. After I tipped my toe in the water, I started trying other dishes.
My boyfriend at the time - now my husband - did all of the cooking back then. After I started cooking, it became a kind of hobby for me. I would read cookbooks and food magazines like some read novels.
Are you a recipe follower or a make-it-up-as-you-go-cook?
I generally prefer to follow a recipe at least once first and then add my own additions later. But if something's not working or I just get a whim, I will change it.
Any cooking secrets that you'd like to share?
I always add beef broth in place of most red wine in recipes - it's too strong for my taste. You can also add chicken broth in place of white wine if you find that taste too strong. And when you're making white cakes, just by a cake mix and in place of the water put an equal amount of buttermilk. It will taste better than most homemade white cakes, with much less work.
Do you like to collect things for your kitchen?
Just cookbooks. And recipes. I have binders and binders full of recipes I've copied or borrowed throughout the years. I get them out and remind myself from time to time what I haven't tried yet. Apart from that, I like smart-alecky signs in my kitchen. I collect those. (Martha Stewart doesn't live here. Two choices for dinner: Take it or leave it. etc. etc.)
What are your favorite foods?
Ice cream, pizza, sauteed mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, eggs Benedict, anything blackened
What three things are always in your refrigerator?
Eggs, butter and milk
Your most memorable meal?
When I was 13, my parents took me to White Pillars, a fancy restaurant in Biloxi that closed long ago, for my birthday dinner. After our meal was through, the lights went out and they came from the second floor of the grand staircase singing Happy Birthday with a huge cake with sparklers on top. I kept telling my father, "Someone else has the same birthday as me." I never even dreamed it could be for me. I'll never forget it - but I have no recollection of what I ordered. They were famous for their Eggplant Josephine, so I'm guessing that, but I'm not sure.
And just to end this first edition of All About Me in style, here's the recipe for their Eggplant Josephine, courtesy of The Commercial Appeal.
Eggplant Josephine
1 large eggplant
2 tbsp. flour
Olive oil, to saute
1 pkg. (8 oz.) mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 jar (26 oz.) Italian meat sauce
Crab meat topping:
1 lb. crab meat
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Sauterne wine
Hollandaise sauce:
2 egg yolks
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. dry mustard
Salt, white pepper to taste
Peel eggplant and slice about 3/4 - to 1-inch thick. Flour and saute in olive oil until slightly brown. Set aside.
To make crab meat topping: Melt 1/4 cup butter and add wine. Add crab meat and simmer about six minutes. Set aside.
To make Hollandaise sauce: Beat 2 egg yolks until frothy. Blend in mayonnaise and add Worcestershire. Add salt, white pepper and dry mustard.
When ready to bake, lay one layer of eggplant slices in shallow pan. Cover with a layer of crab meat, a layer of meat sauce and a layer of shredded cheese.
Bake at 450 degrees until cheese is melted, bubbly and begins to brown. Serve with heated Hollandaise on each slice.
