122 NOVEMBER 2019
(^1) / 2 cup loosely packed peppery greens
(such as mizuna or dandelion
greens)
(^1) / 2 cup loosely packed fresh shiso
leaves or basil leaves, roughly torn
(optional)
- Place grapes in a small heatproof bowl.
Stir together muscat vinegar, sugar, and 2
teaspoons salt in a small saucepan. Bring
to a boil over high, and cook, whisking
often, until sugar dissolves, 2 to 3 min-
utes. Pour vinegar mixture over grapes.
Refrigerate, uncovered, until pickled,
about 4 hours. Drain, reserving 2 table-
spoons grape pickling liquid. - Fill a large bowl with ice water. Remove
celery leaves from stalks; reserve leaves
for garnish. Peel stalks, and cut in half
crosswise. Using a mandoline, slice stalks
lengthwise into thin strips; place strips in
bowl of ice water. - Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise;
remove and discard core. Cut bulb into
wedges, and thinly slice on mandoline.
Place in ice bath with celery. - Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice,
honey, pepper, reserved grape pickling
liquid, and remaining 1^1 / 2 teaspoons
kosher salt in a medium bowl. Set dress-
ing aside. - Drain celery and fennel; transfer to a
plate lined with paper towels. Pat com-
pletely dry. Gently toss together celery,
fennel, and dressing. - To serve, spread goat cheese evenly
across a serving platter or divide among 8
salad plates, and sprinkle evenly with
lemon zest. Top evenly with celery-fennel
salad, pickled grapes, peppery greens,
celery leaves, fennel fronds, and, if using,
shiso leaves. Serve immediately.
MAKE AHEAD Grapes can be pickled up to
3 days ahead of time.
NOTE Wine grapes are available from
http://www.melissas.com and can be
substituted with Champagne grapes,
muscadines, or any sweet table grape.
Look for fresh shiso in the refrigerated
section of Asian grocery stores.
Creamed Corn Grits
PHOTO P. 121
ACTIVE 1 HR; TOTAL 3 HR 40 MIN
SERVES 6 TO 8This creamy, dairy-free side dish gets its
luxurious texture from sweet corn kernels
simmered in homemade corn stock. if
fresh corn is unavailable, substitute 8
cups thawed frozen corn kernels for the
ears, and water plus a pinch of sugar for
the corn cob stock.9 (10-oz.) ears fresh corn, shucked
18 cups water(^1) / 2 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise
11 / 2 cups uncooked polenta
21 / 2 tsp. kosher salt
- Using a sharp knife, cut kernels from
cobs to equal 8 cups; set kernels aside.
Bring corn cobs and 18 cups water to a
boil in a large pot over high; reduce heat
to medium, and simmer until stock has a
light and sweet corn flavor, about 1 hour
and 30 minutes. Pour corn stock through
a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large
bowl; discard solids. - Bring 4 cups corn kernels and 2^1 / 2 cups
corn stock to a boil in a medium sauce-
pan over high. Reduce heat to medium,
and simmer until kernels are crisp-
tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer half of
the corn mixture to a high-speed blender.
Secure lid on blender, and remove center
piece to allow steam to escape. Place a
clean towel over opening. Process on low
speed, gradually increasing speed, until
smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer
pureed mixture to saucepan with remain-
ing corn mixture; scrape in vanilla bean
seeds, and discard pod. Stir in vanilla
bean seeds until combined. Set creamed
corn aside. - Add^1 / 4 cup corn stock and remaining 4
cups corn kernels to blender; process on
high until smooth, about 45 seconds.
Press mixture through a fine wire-mesh
strainer into a medium skillet; discard
solids. Heat corn puree over medium,
and cook, whisking constantly, until
slightly thickened, 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove from heat, and let cool until
thickened to the consistency of pudding,
about 20 minutes. Spoon into a small
bowl; place plastic wrap directly on sur-
face. Refrigerate until ready to use. - While corn pudding chills, bring 5
cups corn stock to a boil in a medium
saucepan over high. Gradually add
polenta and salt, and cook, whisking
constantly, 2 minutes. Reduce heat to
low, and position the saucepan over the
burner so the heat source only partially
touches the bottom of the pan. Cook,
whisking often, until grains are tender,
about 15 minutes. Place saucepan
directly over heat, and whisk in creamed
corn. Cook, whisking often, until thick-
ened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup
chilled corn pudding (you may have
some left over) until blended. Immedi-
ately remove creamed corn grits from
heat, and serve.
MAKE AHEAD The creamed corn and corn
pudding can be made up to 2 days ahead.
Bring to room temperature before using.
Wild Rice with Mushrooms,
Cranberries, and Chestnuts
PHOTO P. 121
ACTIVE 1 HR 10 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 30 MIN
SERVES 6 TO 8Nutty wild rice and meaty mushrooms
anchor this effortless side dish. Delicious
at room temperature, it’s an ideal make-
ahead dish for Thanksgiving day.11 / 2 cups uncooked wild rice blend
(such as Lundberg) (about 9 oz.)
23 /^4 cups chicken broth, divided
2 bay leaves
11 / 2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise,
and finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh sage
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 lb. fresh wild mushrooms, cut into
large pieces
1 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
1 cup roasted and peeled whole
chestnuts (such as Gefen), or
toasted pecans, chopped
1 Tbsp. white truffle oil, optional
Fresh sage leaves, for garnish- Stir together rice, 2^1 / 2 cups chicken
broth, bay leaves, and^1 / 4 teaspoon salt in
a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over
high. Reduce heat to low, cover, and sim-
mer until liquid is absorbed, 40 to 45 min-
utes. Remove from heat, and let stand,
covered, until rice is tender, about 10 min-
utes. Fluff with a fork, and set aside. - While rice cooks, heat 2 tablespoons oil
in a large skillet over medium. Add leeks,
carrots, celery, shallots, and garlic, and
cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are
crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Add
chopped sage and thyme leaves, and
cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant,
about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and
remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and cook, stir-
ring often, until mushrooms are tender
and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
Transfer mushroom mixture to a large
bowl; fold in wild rice, cranberries, chest-
nuts, remaining^1 / 4 cup chicken broth,
remaining 1^1 / 4 teaspoons salt, and, if
using, truffle oil until well mixed. Transfer
to a serving dish, and top with sage leaves.
MAKE AHEAD This rice salad can be made
2 days ahead and refrigerated. Bring to
room temperature and garnish with sage
just before serving.