Italian White Beans, Tomatoes & Herbs

Italians have lots of easy but flavorful dishes with common ingredients like beans and tomatoes. Here you make you own tomato sauce for the beans... that's it! Get the best Roma tomatoes you can find, because they are key to this dish.

 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

1 can (14.5 to 16 ounce) cannellini beans, drained

4 ripe Roma tomatoes, halved or quartered (any thick stem part cut out)

+ 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic

4 basil leaves

1 tablespoon rosemary

4 sage leaves

1 red chili pepper, chopped (seeded, if you prefer)

1/4 teaspoon sugar (a little more if sauce if too tart) 

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano + more for serving

 

To a blender/food processor add 4 Roma tomatoes, garlic, basil leaves, rosemary, sage leaves, red chili pepper, sugar, salt and 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil. Blend until a smooth sauce. Heat the sauce over low heat for 2 minutes, then add the chopped tomato (this adds some chunky texture to the sauce), and cook until it cooks down to the desired thickness. Stir in the beans and when they have heated, mix in 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano. Serve with more Pecorino Romano on top and crusty bread on the side.

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Grease-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown. "Grease" is related to "crass," a Latin-derived adjective borrowed by English via French. "Grease" goes back to the Latin adjective "crassus," which meant "fat, thick, dense, solid." This produced the noun "crassia," meaning "fat, animal fat in melted or less than solid form." "Crassia" seems to have later become "grassia" in Latin, as Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese all have forms spelled with a "g," although Old French may have first had "craisse," then "gresse," which became "grece" in the Anglo-Norman French spoken in England, and this was borrowed by English circa 1300, most commonly as "grese." The verb form developed from the noun in about 1400 and meant "to smear with fat (grease);" thus, "to lubricate." (Note: I'm not sure about the verb's pronunciation in the U.K., but in the U.S. both "greese," like Greece, the country, and "greez," rhymes with "cheese," are heard.)      

Shrimp & Grits

This dish developed along the coast of South Carolina, where fishermen have long provided a steady supply of shrimp(s).

 

Exactly how long you cook the grits will have to do with the type of grits you use. I'm mentioning this simply to give you an idea of cooking, if you've never cooked grits before, but ALWAYS refer to the instructions on the package you have about their recommended cooking time and procedure (some will likely recommend soaking the grits first, especially for stone ground). Stone ground grits will likely take the longest to cook, because they are coarsely ground with less uniform size pieces, but they also have more nutritional value. They are ground from whole corn kernels. "Regular" grits are of a medium type grind and they generally take around 10 minutes to cook, but they are stripped down nutritionally, as are "quick grits," which are finely ground; thus, they generally require about 5 to 7 minutes to cook. "Instant grits" are finely ground grits that are cooked and dried, then they are prepared (rehydrated) with hot water, and they take less than 5 minutes in preparation. They too have less nutrition than stone ground grits. Grits are usually white, but they can also be yellow. 

Ingredients (6 to 8 servings):

1 pound raw shrimp (medium size), peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups chicken broth 

1 can evaporated milk (NOT condensed milk, which is sweetened)

1 1/4 cup regular milk

1 cup of grits

4 slices of bacon

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese 

1 tablespoon finely chopped chili pepper or 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons butter

4 green onions, chopped (white and green)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/4 cup water

2 heaping tablespoons chopped parsley

 

Rinse, drain and pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. Put the shrimp into a bowl and pour the lemon juice over them, mixing the shrimp around to coat them. Set the shrimp aside to marinate. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, preferably with a lid, heat the broth, milk and 1 teaspoon salt (I'm using only 1 teaspoon salt, as the broth also has salt) over medium heat until it boils, then gradually whisk in the grits and reduce the heat to low/very low. Stir again, then cover the pan and let cook until the grits have thickened (likely about 15 to 18 minutes). Turn off the heat, add the cheese to the hot grits and mix it in until it melts and it's well mixed into the grits. Replace the lid on the grits to keep them warm. Meanwhile, in a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and fry the bacon slices (you can fry the bacon so that it will be crispy and you can then crumble it, but I don't particularly like bacon that way, so I fry it a little less, then I cut it into small pieces). Move the bacon to a separate plate, then to the skillet (with the bacon fat/butter) over low heat, add the green onions and garlic and chili pepper (if using), saute for about 3 to 4 minutes, then add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (if using), then add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and increase the heat to medium. Add the shrimp (with the lemon juice) and saute them in the mixture until tender. Add the chopped parsley, crumbled/chopped bacon, 1/4 cup water and mix thoroughly and let heat up again. Serve some of the shrimp mixture on top of some grits for each serving.   

 

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Grit (Grits)-While "grits" is the plural form of "grit," it is not common in usage, except in American English, where it is used as a noun for "ground dried corn, usually cooked with liquid as a type of porridge.""Grit" is typically used in English as an uncountable noun that uses a singular form of a verb, as in, "There is grit all over the floor." I don't know for sure what they would say in Britain, but it's unlikely you would hear, "There are grits all over the floor," in the U.S., even if you were trying to mean there were several bits of different substances on the floor; as in the U.S., it would likely be taken to mean that you spilled your breakfast (grits) on the floor. (Hey, don't laugh, I had to clean the damned stuff up!) "Grit" and "grits" are closely related to "groat(s)" and "grout," words from the Germanic roots of English. "Grit" and "grits" go back to Indo European "ghreud" which meant "to rub, break, crush or grind to smaller pieces." This gave Old Germanic "greutan" meaning, "smaller pieces produced by rubbing, breaking, crushing or grinding;" thus also, "pebbles, coarse sand," which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "greot," meaning, "dust, sand, earth, gravel," and this then became "grete," before the modern form. English once had the forms "meregrot" and "meregrota" as forms for "pearl." Old English also had "grytt," for "coarse ground meal," and this usage was the forerunner of modern "grits," for ground corn or other grain. A verb form "grit" developed in the mid 1700s meaning, "to make a grinding sound," which is most common in reference to the action of grinding one's teeth together, which seems to be the source of the further meaning for the noun, "to show perseverance, determination or toughness" (seemingly from the idea of a person "gritting their teeth" in the face of pain). Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "Grieß,"^ originally "sand, gravel," but then also, and still today, "bits of grain, especially of semolina," and also (similar to English) "Grütze," originally a cereal porridge, and still used somewhat in that sense, although more common as a compound by type of grain used, as in "Hafergrütze" (oat grits/porridge), but more commonly in northern Germany where the cereal had various berries added, and later the use of the cereal eventually was often omitted, leaving the berries as a compote, but the name stayed anyway^^), Low German has "Gries," but this seems to be from standard German, although originally Old Saxon (the language spoken by the Saxons who did not go to Britain) had "griot," and Low German itself then had "gret," and Low German also has "Grüt(t)" as the form corresponding to standard German "Grütze," Dutch had "griet," which meant "coarse sand," and this led to that word being applied as the name for the brill (still today), a type of fish closely related to turbot (the brill live and lay their eggs in coarse sandy areas of the sea), Norwegian has "grjot" (now obsolete for "stones, pebbles"), but also "grut," originally meaning "pebbles, stones" thus also "rubble," but later, "coffee grounds," Icelandic has "grjót" for "pebbles, stones;" thus also, "debris, rubble," Swedish has "gruut" (dialect for "little bit, small amount"), and also "gryt" ("heaped up stones").

^ Long ago a sound shift took place among some Germanic dialects, where "t" became "s" or "ss" in the high dialects, which later formed the basis of modern German. For example, English has "kettle," German has "Kessel," English has "better," but German has "besser," English has "vat," but German has "Fass." 

^^ German slang use of "Grütze" means "smarts, brains;" thus, "intelligence."

Chicken Hearts & Gravy

Serve with ... what else? MASHED POTATOES! (but also potato pierogis, noodles, pasta or rice are all good choices.)

 

 

Ingredients (about 5 servings):

 

1 pound chicken hearts

1 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon homemade adobo seasoning* 

1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed in the palm of your hand

2 1/2 cups chicken stock (low sodium is fine)

1/4 cup flour mixed well with 1/3 cup cold water 

 

Rinse the chicken hearts in cold water, drain them and dry them with paper towels. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat, then saute the chicken hearts for just a couple of minutes until they begin to lightly brown. Reduce the heat to low, add the minced garlic and stir well as the garlic begins to cook. Stir in the adobo seasoning, rubbed sage, crushed thyme leaves and the chicken stock; stir well and bring mixture to a simmer, then cover. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the hearts are tender. Gradually stir in the flour and water mixture, stirring constantly. You can adjust the amount of flour and water until the gravy thickens to your preferred degree of thickness.

   

* Here is the recipe for adobo seasoning:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/11/adobo-seasoning.html

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Leather-This word, meaning "animal hide treated to prevent decomposition," goes back to Indo European "lethrom," which meant "leather." This gave Old Germanic "lethran," with the same meaning, and this gave Old English "leþer" (þ=th), which then became "lether," before the modern version. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German "Leder," Low German "Ledder," West Frisian "leare," Dutch has both "leder" and the contracted form "leer," Danish "læder," Norwegian "lær," Icelandic "leður" (=lethur"), Swedish has "läder," all meaning "leather."

English French Fries Sandwich: Chip Butty

This sandwich originated in England, but it is not uncommon in other parts of Britain and Ireland. "Chip" comes from the name of the fried potato pieces,* and "butty" comes from the butter slathered over the bread slices. The word "chips" should not be confused with the American word used in reference to very thin slices of potato that are fried (sometimes baked) until crisp, and which are then called "potato chips," as these are called "(potato) crisps" in Britain. You can use bread or rolls for the sandwich, and you can toast the bread a little, which will cut down on sogginess, as a chip butty is likely to require a good number of napkins. You can fry your own potatoes (some prefer to bake them), or you can buy some french fries, steak fries or chips to take home from a restaurant (then keep them in a warm oven, like 225F, until you are ready to place them into the sandwiches), although this may cause your personal invitation to Buckingham Palace to be canceled, IF you have one). You can top the sandwich with ketchup, or you can add some mayonnaise and some chopped herbs like rosemary, thyme or parsley, or you can add British brown sauce, which is very similar to some types of American steak sauce,** or you can give the sandwich a dose of some malt vinegar.

Ingredients (per sandwich): 

2 slices of bread or a split bread roll

butter

potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into slices about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch thick

salt

Let the butter soften somewhat to make it easy to spread. For each sandwich, butter one side of two slices of bread (or the inside parts of a split bread roll) with a good amount of butter. Fry or bake the potato pieces (then salt them to taste, but I use salted butter, so you can skip lots of extra salt if you so choose), or keep restaurant fries/chips warm in the oven until right before you put them into the sandwiches. Put a double layer of warm/hot fries/chips onto the bread or roll. If using a topping, top with ketchup or mayonnaise and herbs or brown sauce or steak sauce or malt vinegar, then place the other slice of bread on top (or close the bread roll) and press down a bit to secure the sandwich. The heat from the potatoes will begin to melt the butter, coating the potatoes in yummy, buttery delight. Have plenty of napkins handy.   

 

* British "chips" are not necessarily the same as American french fries, which are often a thinner cut of potato, sometimes referred to as "shoestring fries," although I'm not certain what the guideline is for the shoestring terminology, if there even is a guideline. British "chips" and American "steak fries" are more similar. The term "chips" of the British usage is not completely unheard of in the U.S., especially in reference to "fish and chips," as some American restaurants market this common combo under that name, while many use "fish and fries," or "fish and french fries."   

** To my knowledge (I know, that's a low standard), there is no mandatory list of ingredients for "steak sauce," but when I hear the term used, I think of "A-1 Steak Sauce," long a popular brand in the U.S., and which is now marketed as "A-1 Sauce," which can trace its roots to the 1800s in England; thus, its similarity to British brown sauce.  

WORD HISTORY:

Bare-This word goes back to Indo European "bhosos," which meant "barefoot, unshod, uncovered." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "bazaz" meaning "naked, uncovered," which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "bær" meaning "naked, not hidden."^ This then became "bar," before the ending 'e' was added to show the interior vowel was long. Some Germanic relatives also use forms to mean "pure;" often applied to "immediately usable money;" that is, "cash." The verb form was "likely" from the adjective and was "barian" in Old English, and meant, "to make bare, to uncover." Note: Some people believe there was an Old Germanic verb form that was passed down in various forms to its descendants and that's possible. Relatives of "bare" in the other Germanic languages: German has "bar," in modern times Low German uses forms in compounds for "barefoot" as "barft," "boorfoot" and "barfs" (Low German is not a standard language, but rather a number of dialects), and for "cash," as "Boorgeld," Dutch has "baar" ("seemingly" not used much, but used in reference to "cash" (baar geld) and to "gold ingots" (pure gold), Frisian once had "ber," but it apparently no longer uses a form of the word, Danish has "bar," Norwegian has "bar," Icelandic has "ber," Swedish (not standard, dialects only) has "bär."  

 

^ The change of 'z' to 'r' is called "rhotacism," and it was common in Germanic, although for whatever reason, some Germanic dialects did not always follow suit.   

What's In A Name: Abigail, Alvin

Abigail-This female name goes back to transliterated Hebrew "Avhigayl/Avhigayil," seemingly taken to mean "father's joy" or "father's rejoicing." It is derived from "av," meaning "father" and "gil," meaning "joy." Biblically speaking, Abigail was one of the wives of King David. behindthename.com says that Abigail became popular in English after the Reformation and that the name was a popular one with the Puritans. 

 

Alvin-This male name is the revived version of Old English "Ælfwine" (literally "elf-friend") and "Ealdwine" (literally "old friend"). The "-wine" ending is from an Old Germanic form that is synoymous with "friend," a word also from Germanic. German has modern "Alwin," patterned after Old High German "Adalwin," meaning "noble friend," with its Old English relative having been "Æthelwine" (later spelled "Ethelwine"). The thing to remember is, many of the Old English names declined in usage after the Norman Invasion of England, and these old names were not always passed on in updated versions thereafter. Later however, some names were revived in modified forms, but these were not always direct descendants. The feminine forms are "Alvina" and "Elvina."  

 

If you are old enough to remember the late 1950s, you'll certainly remember the popular Christmas-themed song from that time, "The Chipmunk Song," a fun song performed by a group of cartoon chipmunks named, Simon, Theodore and Alvin, or perhaps it would be better to put it, "ALVIN!!!" The song was performed and recorded by its creator, Ross Bagdasarian (his stage name was Dave Seville), who was of Armenian heritage, and he sang all of the parts of the three chipmunk characters, then he adjusted the tape speed to achieve the squeaky sounding voices he wanted for the chipmunks. The most notable part of the recording was when Dave would yell out "ALVIN," to get a response from the chipmunk, who would finally answer, "OKAY!" The song was a huge hit, hitting #1 on the American pop music charts. 

 

I consulted the following in preparation of this article: 1) behindthename.com

2) "A World of Baby Names," by Teresa Norman, published by Perigee/Penguin Group, New York, 2003

 

WORD HISTORY:

Serge-This word for a heavy woolen and silk or linen cloth mixture came to English in the late 1300s from French "serge" (dialect "sarge?"), which was from Latin "sarica," with the cloth meaning, and this was from Latin "serica," meaning "silk garments," which was from transliterated Greek "sērĭkḗ" (the feminine form of "serikós"), meaning "silken, of or from silk." Greek took the first part from "Seres," the name of a people from China from whom they got silk, although the Greeks may have first encountered the word "Seres" by contact with the Mongols. (Note: There "seems" to be no connection between the word "serge" and the name "Serge," which is a form of "Sergius.")

Indian Almond Milk: Badam Milk (Badam Doodh)

This is an Indian/Pakistani almond milk drink. The only tough part, if you want to call it tough, is removing the skins from the almonds. If that's the toughest thing you ever experience in life, you'll have had a great life. Saffron is a very expensive spice and coloring additive for food made from the crocus plant and it is labor intensive to produce; thus, you are likely to pay $15 to $25 for a small jar or vial of the spice, which is appropriately golden colored. Saffron is easily available in spice shops, many supermarkets, and in many shops specializing in food products from the Mediterranean area, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. Of course, it is available online.

 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings): 

 

32 ounces (1 quart) milk

40 almonds

2 tablespoons sugar 

1 tablespoon honey 

a good pinch of saffron threads (or 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric)

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

a small amount of saffron or turmeric to garnish each serving 

 

Put the almonds into a bowl and cover them with some hot water. Let sit for about 30 minutes, then drain the almonds. The skins should come off very easily and the almonds will be much softer too, which should help to smooth them when ground. Add the peeled almonds to a blender, then add about 1/3 cup milk and blend until like a smooth paste (add a little more milk if too thick). Heat the remaining milk, along with the sugar, honey, ground cardamom and either saffron or turmeric. Put the milk over medium heat until it approaches boiling, then reduce the heat to low, add the almond mixture, and keep stirring, you don't want the milk to burn or stick, which will give it a scorched taste. Once the milk begins to simmer, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove. Drink it warm or refrigerate it for several hours until chilled. You can strain the milk to remove any somewhat larger bits of almond. You can garnish each serving with a couple of saffron threads or a small sprinkle of ground turmeric.   

WORD HISTORY:

Denim-This word was originally used for a type of heavy woolen and silk fabric that was produced in Nîmes, with the name taken from the short French phrase "de Nîmes," meaning "from Nîmes," and the original fabric was called "serge de Nîmes." "Nîmes" goes back to the Roman name of the city, "Nemausus," which was taken from one of the Gaulish dialects of southern Gaul (now France) along the Mediterranean Sea. "Nemausus" was taken from the name of a god or spirit worshipped by the local ancient Gaulish tribe; thus, possibly meant to signify a "sanctified place." Seemingly circa 1700, the production process shifted more to the use of cotton, and by the 1840s American cloth producers were making the fabric as twilled cotton (often dyed blue) and simply called it "denim," a consolidation of "de Nîmes."     

Kashmiri Lamb Curry: Rogan Josh

This is a pretty well known Indian and Pakistani dish from the Kashmir area, a region that is divided between India and Pakistan.* There are many variations for Rogan Josh like: some use lamb, some use goat, some use boneless meat, others leave the meat bone-in, some use fresh garlic, others use powdered garlic, some use fresh ginger, others use powdered ginger, some do not use onion, some use tomato or tomato paste and I'm sure there are many more. In the U.S., and likely many other countries outside of the Indian subcontinent, Indian and Pakistani restaurants will almost certainly include "Rogan Josh" on their menus.  

 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

2 pounds lamb (boneless or bone-in pieces)

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 cup plain Indian or Greek yogurt

2 inch cinnamon stick

6 whole cloves

6 cardamon pods (cracked/crushed)

1 cup chopped onion

2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons Kashmiri chili powder (or 1/2 tbls cayenne pepper and 1 tbls sweet paprika)

(optional for heat) you can also add 1 or 2 whole red chili peppers (cut a slit in them) or 1 or 2 dried red chilies

(optional) pinch of saffron threads in 1/4 cup warm water

1 heaping teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 1/2 cups water (if using saffron in warm water, reduce the water to 2 1/4 cups)

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

(optional) fresh coriander (also known as cilantro) for garnish

skillet or pot with a lid or with foil to cover

 

Put the pieces of lamb into a bowl and sprinkle the salt over them. Add the yogurt and mix by hand to coat the meat well, then cover and refrigerate for 90 minutes. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet or medium pot (you will need a lid or foil), then add the cinnamon stick, whole cloves and crushed cardamom pods. Saute until you smell the spice aroma, then add the onion and saute for 2 minutes before adding the ginger, garlic, ground black pepper, ground mace and fennel seeds, stir and saute for 2 minutes. Add the lamb pieces and saute for 10 to 12 minutes, turning the lamb pieces often to brown them. Add the saffron/water along with the hot chilies (if using) and the chili powder and the water. Cover the pan with a lid or foil and cook over medium low heat until the meat is tender (approx. 1 to 1 1/2 hours). Serve with rice and naan bread.

 

* Pakistan was part of India until independence from British colonial rule legally took place in August 1947. At that time, Pakistan consisted of West Pakistan and East Pakistan, and the two parts were separated by about 1000 miles. In 1971, East Pakistan became the independent nation of Bangladesh, as it still is today. A "relatively" small portion of India remained as a colony of Portugal at the time of Indian/Pakistani independence. This "Portuguese India" region was generally called "Goa," although it included some territory besides Goa. This region remained under Portuguese control until late 1961, but the official declaration of this didn't come from Portugal until 1974! 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Amateur-This word is related to "amiable" and "enemy," Latin-derived words borrowed by English from French, and to "amicable," also a Latin-derived word, but borrowed directly from Latin, and to "amigo" another Latin-derived word borrowed from Spanish. "Amateur" has an uncertain origin, but it goes back to Latin "amare," which meant "to love, to like, to be fond of." This produced the Latin noun "amator," which meant "lover, friend, devoted admirer," which passed to Old French as "amateur" (also as "ameor," a form that died out in the 1500s), which meant "a lover," but also simply "a lover of something," then with the notion of "strong admiration for." English borrowed the word circa 1780 and the meaning developed as "one with a strong attachment to some pursuit, but not done for a living." Often contrasted with "professional;" that is, "one with a strong attachment to some pursuit, done with the purpose of earning money and/or other benefit." The notion of an "amateur" not pursuing money or gain has left the word open for the secondary rather derogatory meaning, "someone untrained or unqualified to perform a particular job," and the somewhat less harsh, "someone not showing an intense enough interest in some study or pursuit to earn money in that field."      

Bavarian Cream: Bayerische Creme

This famous dessert was seemingly developed in France centuries ago, where apparently it was invented for the purpose of honoring the German noble family the Wittelsbachs, as King Charles VI of France was married to Isabeau (known in German as Elisabeth) of Bavaria, who was from the House of Wittelsbach; thus, she was the queen of France. Over the centuries, Wittelsbach family members were involved in many regions of Europe, including England/Britain, as King George I was of the House of Hanover, but his mother was a Wittelsbach. Ludwig IV (Louis) was German emperor (Holy Roman Emperor) in the 1300s and Karl VII (Charles) was German emperor in the mid 1700s (note: Ludwig IV was the great grandfather of Elisabeth/Isabeau of Bavaria mentioned above). The Wittelsbach family's center of power has always been in Bavaria, but branches settled elsewhere due to marriages. Wittelsbach family members have ruled in various capacities in many places over the centuries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Bavaria, the Palatinate (Germany), Greece, part of the Netherlands, Bohemia, the Archbishopric and Electorate of Cologne. Over time, the strong association of this dessert with Bavaria has made it a German dessert, rather than French, as it originally was.

 

Ingredients (4 to 5 servings):

 

1 cup milk

3 egg yolks

6 tablespoons sugar

1 packet unflavored gelatin in 5 tablespoons cold water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

 

In a heavy bottom sauce pan, heat the milk to a simmer. Mix the yolks and sugar together in a cup or small bowl. Dissolve the gelatin in water in another cup. Add the vanilla extract to the hot milk, whisk 2 tablespoons of hot milk into the egg mixture, then whisk in 2 more tablespoons of hot milk (this will help prevent you from serving scrambled eggs rather than Bavarian Creme). Turn the heat to low and whisk the egg mixture into the remaining milk in the sauce pan, then continue to whisk as the custard heats up (do not boil), then whisk in the gelatin. When thickened, remove from the heat and let it cool, whip the heavy cream until thick, then when the custard has cooled substantially, fold in the whipped cream, distribute to individual serving dishes, or put the cream into molds, refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or overnight. Serve in the dishes or unmold the cream and the add topping of your choice, like fruit sauce or chocolate sauce.

 

Bavarian Cream topped with dark sweet cherry compote ...

Topped with Lemon Curd ...

WORD HISTORY:

Swarm-This word is related to "swirl," a word from Germanic. "Swarm" goes back to Indo European "swer/suer," which meant, "to buzz;" and was likely used for bees and other insects. This gave Old Germanic "swarmaz," meaning, "a large moving group of buzzing and humming insects," and also, "a commotion," which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "swearm," with the buzzing and humming insect meaning. This then became "swarm," where it has remained for hundreds of years. The other Germanic languages have: German has "Schwarm," Low German has "Swarm" (both German and Low German nouns are capitalized), Dutch has "zwerm," West Frisian has "swarm/swaarm," Danish has "sværm," Norwegian has "sverm," Icelandic has "sweimur," Swedish has "svärm."

 

The verb form was derived from the noun in the 1300s meaning, "for insects, often bees, to leave one living space to go to another." The figurative usage has been common as, "to have a large group converge on an area," as in: "The fans swarmed over the plane as the victorious team returned home," or, "Police swarmed over the area after the bank was robbed." Other verb examples in Germanic: German has "schwärmen," Dutch has "zwermen," Swedish has "svärma."