Mixing it up

Cooking is an eclectic, free-form style of expression for Edward Spengler, a day trader who loves nothing better than cooking for his wife or a group of eight to 10 longtime friends.

Planning ahead and following recipes are not for him. He looks to cookbooks, magazines or his herb garden for inspiration and just runs with it.

"I don't like to do things the same way more than two or three times," he says.

For routine, nightly meals his wife, Susie Dressler, chooses the protein and lets Edward tangle with the details of preparation.

Dinner parties give him the opportunity to take charge of a multi-course menu.

"One dish is just not enough to do," says Edward. "I like to be busy. Frequently I'll make the whole thing unless someone insists."

Sometimes he lets food-and-wine-centric friends pitch in with appetizers, wine and dessert.

The compliments flatter the ego and the camaraderie of good friends feeds the spirit.

"We have a small collection of people who have been cooking and eating and drinking together for 20 years," says Edward. "It's semi-formal, but I don't ever dress for that. I wear a T-shirt."

Their evenings together run a leisurely five hours or so, starting with appetizers and generous amounts of champagne, perhaps a first course with another wine, a main course with yet another vintage and dessert with coffee and perhaps a dessert wine.

"One of my friends was a professional chef, trained in France," says Edward. "He brings beautiful things and he makes superb wine."

Thanksgiving is at Edward's house, Easter at someone else's, and so on. Between holidays they squeeze in dinner parties for no particular reason.

"I get a bad feeling of longing if I don't cook for people on a regular basis," he says.

Though he plans ahead for the dinner parties, weeknight meals are impromptu affairs. The night we talked, Susie had chosen ground turkey for the protein; he decided to make burgers with fresh herbs, finely chopped ginger and fresh garlic.

A few days earlier, faced with a whole chicken, he prepared stock from the backbone and wing tips, added a mango he found in the fridge, threw in some cilantro, red chiles and herbs and processed the sauce with his immersion blender.

"The hot in there is important, otherwise it would be too sweet," he says.

Edward specializes in nothing, enjoys just about everything but baking. His favorite tool is a 12-inch French steel fry pan, seasoned and darkened to a nonstick finish without the artificial surface.

"When you heat it screaming hot, the way you should…sticky things slide around and make a marvelous crust if you leave them there" he says.

He reads Saveur, "the only good cooking magazine beside Cook's (Illustrated)," and finds inspiration watching his grandson cut radishes.

Today he offers a favorite first course of seared scallops in vermouth and shallot sauce and a main course of Cornish hens. The hens roast with orange slices and herbs and an apricot glaze.

For an Asian style menu try his Sauce for Rice made with teriyaki sauce, hot chiles and fresh ginger. It is simple enough for a weeknight, special enough for company.

Cornish Hens a la Edward

2 Cornish hens

2 cups water

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 large onions, chopped

1 orange, peeled and cut crosswise into 8 slices

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

¿ cup white vermouth

6 tablespoons apricot jam

2 tablespoons butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

For the stock: With a sharp knife, cut along the backbone of the hens; remove backbone and chop. Remove wing tips. Add chopped bones and tips to saucepan with 2 cups water; heat to boil, reduce to simmer, skimming impurities off the top. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the hens: Split hens lengthwise through the breast; dry and season with kosher salt and pepper.

Sprinkle all the onion into a roasting pan large enough to hold hen halves without touching (at least ½ inch between each piece. Layer the orange slices over the onions so there will be two slices under each hen half. Lay a sprig of thyme over the orange pairs and add a sprinkling of rosemary.

Place hens, skin side up, on the orange and herb layer. Pour the stock and bones into the pan and bake until internal temperature is about 155 degrees, about 30 minutes. Remove pan; place birds on baking sheet and tent with foil until ready to glaze.

For the sauce: Place roasting pan on stovetop and heat contents to boiling. Add vermouth to deglaze pan, scraping up browned bits. Strain liquid into saucepan.

Bring juices to a boil, add apricot jam and immediately reduce to a simmer; stir until dissolved. Swirl in butter until incorporated then brush birds generously with sauce. Place under broiler skin-side down for 1 to 2 minutes. Brush again with sauce, turn and broil skin-side until dark brown. Plate and serve with sauce on side with crusty bread.

Serves two.

Cook's note: Serve with Riesling or white Burgundy.

Nutrition values per serving: 667 calories, 19 g fat (10 g saturated), 54 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 49 g protein, 247 mg cholesterol, 195 mg sodium.

First Course Scallops

8 large scallops at room temperature

Kosher salt

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

4-5 tablespoons butter, divided

1 cup or more chicken stock

2-3 large shallots

½ cup vermouth

Dash cayenne pepper

About 8 ounces mesclun or baby greens

Caviar, for garnish, if desired

Turn oven to warming temperature. Place empty plate in oven to heat.

Dry the scallops and season with a very small amount of salt.

Heat a large, heavy, nonreactive skillet over high heat until moderately hot. Add olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter; heat pan until oil just starts to smoke. Add scallops gently, leaving space between them to facilitate browning. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until brown. Flip and brown on other side. Remove to heated plate and place in oven to keep warm.

Turn heat down to medium and add chicken stock and shallots. Simmer and scrape up any browned bits. Add vermouth and turn the heat to medium high, bringing liquid to a boil. Reduce liquid by about half and add a dash or so of cayenne pepper and remaining butter 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until all is incorporated and sauce has attractive sheen.

Arrange greens on four plates; spoon about half the sauce over the greens. Place 2 scallops on each plate and drizzle remaining sauce over all. Garnish one scallop per plate with a dollop of caviar, if desired. Serve with crisp baguette and butter and a chilled white French burgundy.

Serves four.

Nutrition values per serving: 305 calories, 23 g fat (9 g saturated), 10 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 8 g protein, 42 mg cholesterol, 233 mg sodium.

Sauce for Rice

5-6 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

½ jalapeno or 1 serrano chile, finely diced

½ teaspoon brown (toasted) sesame oil

Juice of 1 key lime or 2-3 tablespoons lime juice

½ inch piece ginger root, very finely diced

3-4 grape tomatoes, finely diced, or meat only of 1 plum tomato, diced

1-2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

In a medium bowl. Combine teriyaki sauce, chopped chiles, oil, lime juice, ginger, tomatoes and cilantro. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before serving. Ladle generously over rice.

Serves six; enough sauce for 3 cups cooked rice.

Nutrition values per serving: 14 calories, .4 g fat (0 saturated), 2 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 0 protein, 0 cholesterol, 217 mg sodium.