Cooking for Two - Bruce Weinstein [1]
Unfortunately, buying just what you’ll use isn’t always so easy. At first glance, the modern supermarket is of little help. These days, everything is super-sized; tomatoes and onions have swollen to terrifying proportions.
But our big supermarkets can actually be quite helpful. Many now have butcher counters that will sell you one or two chicken breasts, or a quarter pound of hamburger; many sell grains or spices in bulk, allowing you to measure out what you need. At gourmet markets—and some neighborhood supermarkets that are getting in on this act—you can now buy a sprig of rosemary or a handful of mushrooms. Beets are in tubs; tomatoes, in baskets. True, you may have to dig for the petite versions under their gargantuan kin, but they’re down there. If not, let the produce manager of your market know there are people like you looking for smaller-sized bags of things like potatoes.
In our recipes, there are two notable exceptions to the “buy what you use” rule. First: dairy products. There are quantities in the ingredient lists such as “2 tablespoons heavy cream.” There was simply no way to make a two-serving cream soup using a whole carton of cream—not without creating what could only be described as a soup milk shake. We experimented with powdered cream, but it turned gummy in soups. Besides, it’s not readily available. So up front, we admit we created recipes that used less than the whole when it comes to dairy. That said, cream is such a treat in your coffee the next morning!
The second exception is dried spices, various pantry staples, and the like. Of course, you can’t buy the exact amount of, say, the flour you need for a recipe. Nonetheless, if stored properly, pantry staples will last for months, so buying a little now pays off the next time you cook.
fish and casseroles smell
after three days
Pet peeve number one: making a big pot of stew and then having to resort to strategies like eating it for three days running, or dividing it into small batches that get shoved to the back of the freezer, then pitched six months later. So the economics of cooking for two is not only to buy what you’ll use, but also to make what you’ll eat.
For workday dinners in minutes, how about a pasta dish such as Ziti with Curry Carrot Cream Sauce that makes just enough for two without leftovers? For dinner on a cold Sunday night, try one of the three stuffed baked potato recipes, each individual casseroles that bake up light and very comforting, a winter warmer in two potato skins. For a summery salad that makes just enough so you don’t have to get up from the deck and put things in the refrigerator when the fireflies come out, there’s Southwestern Chicken Salad or fresh Seafood Salad.
There are also plenty of small-batch baking recipes: cookies, cakes, and cobblers. You can indulge tonight without indulging all week. And there are a few things fit for quiet celebrations, the kind two people can have: Crawfish Stuffed Artichokes and Lemon Meringue Tarts.
Tea for two. It wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
Before You Start Cooking
notes on equipment
Most equipment for small-batch baking is a matter of common sense—use a small whisk, not a big balloon, to beat one egg and a teaspoon of sugar. But some pieces of equipment are necessary for precision’s sake.
Baking Dishes Use a baking dish that’s exactly the volume indicated. Smaller sizes mean volume variations are proportionally more momentous. Using a 3-cup instead of a 2-cup ramekin is like using a 9 × 13-inch baking dish instead of a 9-inch square.
If a savory recipe calls for a 1-quart round soufflé dish, use a 1-quart baking dish with sides at least 3 inches high. When a recipe calls for a shallow 1-quart casserole dish, use the standard 1-quart variety, most likely square, with sides about 1½ inches high. In truth, with the exception of the Crab Saffron Soufflé, all the savory casseroles will work in either baking dish because the volumes are identical. The baking times,