The Robert E. Lee Family Cooking and Housekeeping Book

Having a pile of family recipes is a lovely thing but usually a family thing. What happens when you find yourself with a pile of recipes attributed to the family of Robert E. Lee? That was the dilemma faced by Anne Carter Zimmer. Zimmer is the great-granddaughter of Robert Edward and Mary Custis Lee and her maternal grandfather was Robert E. Lee Jr.

As a child, Zimmer, like most self-conscious teenagers, was slightly embarrassed be the family connection. As she grew up, she realized the importance of her heritage and realized that her family recipes were more than just an assemblage of household tips, but a historical record beyond the scope of her immediate family.

A page from the collection featuring a Sally Lund Cake

She set out to translate the fragmented recipes and advice into a workable collection of recipes for the modern cook, enlisting a group of cooks to test and re-test the recipes while she searched for the family significance of each recipe. It was not always an easy task.

‘Sometimes what we did was more treasure hunt than testing, and occasionally serendipity served us well. "Butter the size of a goose egg" was an easy measurement to track down, because somebody's sister-in-law raised geese. But the size of a "bottle of oil" remained questionable and a "dripping box of flour," impossible to determine. Two receipts for caromels [sic] made a primitive chocolate fudge that either crumbled or relaxed into puddles; only later would I puzzle out why. And eventually I learned (from an eighteenth-century source) to make boiled puddings, but only after producing ugly, gluey concoctions that looked, as one helpful tester remarked, "like a brain."”

The result is the The Robert E. Lee Family Cooking and Housekeeping Book, a cookbook/history of days gone by. Since it is summer and since it is miserably hot, we felt that a refreshing drink from Robert E. Lee might be just the ticket. (Now we know that being a boy and being a general, Robert E. Lee most probably never lifted his hand to make a drink or food, but we are giving him credit anyway.)

Robert E. Lee's camp cooking kit

Roman Punch

Juice of 5-6 lemons
3 cups sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) currant jelly
2 quarts minus 1/2 cup water
1 cup brandy
2/3 cup black rum
About 5-6 tablespoons or bags of green (or black) tea

Heat about half the water with sugar and jelly, stirring to dissolve. Make tea with the rest. Combine the two mixtures. Cool, add lemon juice, brandy, and rum. Ripen overnight at room temperature or up to 3 days in refrigerator, then freeze if you like. Makes about a gallon.

Time to gather around the Burn Pit (actually, gathering around the air conditioner might be more fun) and lift a glass to the Confederate Dead, or to Wednesday. It doesn't matter as long as you are lifting a glass!

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Saved By Soup

My friend, Ann, who doesn't cook, has several cookbooks with the full intention of cooking. Recently she chastised me for stealing her "soup" book. She said she brought it out for me to see, but she never got it back. I thought that was odd. I am very much a "stew" kind of girl. A "chowder" girl. But really, soup is not my thing. So I checked the soup/stew category on my book shelves to no avail. I searched low then high. Tucked away high, high on a shelf (where I usually put books I don;t really think I will ever cook from!) sat Ann's soup book, Saved By Soup by Judith Barrett. Judith Barrett has written several risotto books (which I might add, sit within easy reach on the shelf.) which I love very much.

Anyway, if you insist on soup, this book is pretty good. My favorite section s on fruit soups, which I am more inclined to like than say, Asian broths of which there are several. Here is the closest thing to a stew you will find in Saved By Soup.

Home-style Chicken and Vegetable Soup

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 pound boneless, skinless white-meat chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
2 medium-size carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, trimmed and chopped
1/4 pound fresh fennel (about half a small bulb), tall stalks and leaves discarded and bulb finely chopped
1 medium-size zucchini, trimmed and diced
1 large Yukon Gold potato (about 1/2 pound), peeled and diced
2 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with their juices
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, season with salt to taste, and cook, stirring, until all pieces have turned white and are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and place in a small bowl.

Add onion, carrots, celery, fennel, and zucchini to the pan and cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in chicken pieces, potato, tomatoes, and broth and bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potato is tender and the chicken cooked through, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in parsley, and serve.

OK, Ann, you were right! I did have the book. I am returning it pronto!

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The Art of Simple Food

Salad: Open a bag of lettuce. Twist off the top of that Ranch dressing and add to lettuce. Salad right? You are so very wrong. If you don't believe me, then tell that to Alice Waters. In her book The Art of Simple Food: Notes and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution, she waxes downright poetic about the simple garden salad. In Waters' hands it doesn't seem the least bit simple.

"For me, making a garden lettuce salad — washing beautiful fresh-picked lettuces and tossing them together with a scattering of herbs and a vinaigrette — is as much of a joy as eating one. I love the colorful variety of lettuces, bitter and sweet; the flavor and complexity of herbs such as chervil and chives; and the brightness of a simple vinaigrette made with red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a whisper of garlic, which highlights the lettuces and herbs without overwhelming them.

For a salad to have flavor and life, you have to start with fresh, just-picked lettuces. I’m fortunate to have a small kitchen garden in my backyard where I grow various lettuces and herbs for salad, but if you don’t have such a garden it can take some real dedication to find good greens. Farmers markets are the best places to start. When my garden is not producing, or when I’m away from home, I shop for head lettuces and try to create my own combinations of lettuces, arugula, chicories, and whatever tender herbs I can find. I generally avoid the salad mixes, especially the pre-bagged ones, which usually seem to include one or two kinds of greens that don’t belong with the others. If there is a lovely mixture from a local salad grower, fine, but otherwise try to buy the best head lettuces you can find and make your own mix.

Wash the lettuce, gently but thoroughly, in a basin or bowl of cold water. First cull through the lettuces, pulling off and throwing into the compost bin any outer leaves that are tough, yellowed, or damaged. Then cut out the stem end, separating the rest of the leaves into the water. Gently swish the leaves in the water with your open hands and lift the lettuce out of the water and into a colander. If the lettuces are very dirty, change the water, and wash again.

Dry the lettuces in a salad spinner, but don’t overfill it. It’s much more effective to spin-dry a few small batches than one or two large ones. Empty the water from the spinner after each batch. Any water clinging to the leaves will dilute the vinaigrette, so check the leaves and spin them again if they’re still a little wet. I spread out each batch of leaves in a single layer on a dish towel as I go. Then I gently roll up the towel and put it in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve the salad. You can do this a few hours ahead.

When the time comes, put the lettuce in a bowl big enough to allow you to toss the salad. If you have some, add a small handful of chives or chervil, or both, either chopped quickly or snipped with scissors.

Toss everything with the vinaigrette, using just enough sauce to coat the leaves lightly, so they glisten. Beware of overdressing small, tender lettuces: They will wilt and turn soggy. I usually toss salads with my hands. (I eat salads with my hands, too.) That way I can be gentle and precise and make sure that each leaf is evenly dressed. Taste, and if needed, finish the salad with a sprinkling of salt or brighten it with a splash of vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste again and see what you think, then toss one last time and serve the salad right away."

OK. There you have it. Here is a fave salad variation. I adore cukes and this gives a variety of ways to go about making a lowly cucumber into a divine salad.

Cucumbers with Cream and Mint

There are many varieties of cucumbers, each with its own flavor and texture. I especially like Armenian, Japanese, and lemon cucumbers.

Peel and slice:

2 cucumbers

If the seeds are large and tough, cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon before slicing. Place in a medium-size bowl and sprinkle with:

Salt

In another bowl, combine:

1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Fresh-ground black pepper

Stir well. If water has accumulated with the cucumbers, drain it off. Pour the dressing over the sliced cucumbers and combine. Coarsely chop:

3 mint sprigs, leaves only

Toss with the cucumbers. Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Serve cool.
Variations

Add pounded garlic to the dressing.
Serve alongside sliced beets dressed with oil and vinegar.
Grate or dice the cucumbers and serve as a sauce over baked salmon.
Parsley, chervil, basil, or cilantro can be substituted for the mint.
Substitute plain yogurt for the cream.
Add spices such as cumin, coriander, or mustard seeds to the dressing.

One of the reasons i really adore this book is the way the recipes are written. They have an old-fashioned feel. they have that very "American Cookbook" list of ingredients carefully measured out, but when you read the recipes you know in your heart that Alice Waters hasn't raised a measuring cup to make this recipe.

I love that!

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X-treme Cuisine

After some foofy cookbooks last week, we thought we offer up the flip side today with Robert Earl's X-treme Cuisine. Gone are the tailgating and wedding brunches...here we have hang gliding, skateboarding and surfing. The tenor of this book is 14-year-old-boy. There is a fair amount of bodily function info, enough to leave an 8th-grade football team more obnoxious than ever. This is not the kind of extreme cuisine that involves eating warthog or live grubs, this is x-treme in that X-Games way. The X's are the tip off.

To Robert Earls' credit, he does try valiantly to introduce elements of fine dining into his tome. He has lovely diagrams for setting a table and offers a Q & A as to why there are two different forks. (One for meat and one for vegetables was a plausible answer.)

He shows our x-treme sports junkie a couple of napkin folds.

And if you need to throw a formal soiree at a surfing beach and find you have nothing to hold the place cards, grab all the Sex Wax you can find. Who knew Mr. Zog and his Sex Wax could be so handy!

Now before I give you a recipe, let me take this moment to make a brief observation... the recipe's these x-treme athletes offer up are strikingly similar to those offered up by the Junior League set we visited last week. I have no great anthropological answer for this, but if you are in a grocery store and find Tony Hawk and Miss Manners heading for the Velveeta, take cover.


Her is a tasty little number from renegade snowboarder Dave Seoane. Amazingly, it does not call for cheese, canned soup or potato chips!

Cinema Zucchini

Ingredients

10 strips of your favorite bacon
1 can of stewed tomatoes
3 baby-arm-size zucchini
1/2 onion, sliced
A handful of mushrooms

What to do

First fry up bacon until golden brown.
Then add the stewed tomatoes, zucchini, sliced onion, and mushrooms.
Feel free to add your favorite spices such as garlic, oregano, and cilantro.
After the zucchini is fully cooked, simmer on low for 15 minutes.
Goes great with your favorite red meat.

If you have a wayward 15-year-old and need a gift, this just might the ticket.

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The WASP Cookbook

Alexandra Wentworth is the author of the WASP Cookbook (the Protestants, not the bugs.) She comes by her waspness honestly, after all, her name is Alexandra Wentworth. She is the daughter of Mable Cabot who was formerly, Muffie Brandon who was the social secretary for one, Nancy Reagan.

Muffie is the one who is not Nancy

One a far more interesting note, she is the granddaughter of Janet January Elliott Wuslin Hobart, the famous explorer. (OK, not that famous either, but she would have been if Wuslin, her husband and fellow explorer, hadn't stolen all the credit.)

Janet riding a camel, 1921

This begs the question, how does the granddaughter of an explorer and the daughter of social secretary end up on the Starz Network? Even the waspiest among us can take a wrong turn!

So in the late 1990's Alexandra Wentworth published the WASP Cookbook. It wasn't meant to be a best-seller. It has the feel of one of those books that got published because Muffie had lunch with Buffy whose son just got a job from his brother Biff's Harvard roommate who works at a publishing house owned by Tad's dad who was having lunch at the Somerset Club(see Cookbook Of The Day) and said that Ali was between jobs and gee wouldn't it nice if she were a published author.



So they published a few copies in a cheesy blue velveteen with flaky gold titles and then remaindered most of them. As time marched on, they became quite the collector's item, so now that $1 remainder could set you back about $40.

I will say this for Wentworth, she is pretty funny. Unable to find a good WASP resturant or cookbook she writes in her introduction:

"...this is what prompted me to track down some old prep school chums (off doing graduate work at Cornell, having babies in Bedford Hills, or in prison for insider trading) to collect their family recipes and cooking secrets.

I discovered that, because most food is prepared for wasp's at the country club or by their help, most recipes were not written down in any kind of organized text. of course, occasionally, you can find recipes on the back of a Crane's stationary envelope or a yellow index card stuffed into an old Architectural digest magazine. But for the most part, WASP cuisine has survived almost entirely through an oral tradition handed down from mothers to daughters or from butler to butler."

The WASP Cookbook is divided, like so many cookbooks, into seasons. For Spring there is the Barn Party. Summer features a Croquet Breakfast. Autumn has A Middleburg Foxhunt, while Winter features the perfect items for the Blessing of the Hounds.

Here are just two favorites...

Katie's Hunt Spread

3 cups ground country ham
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Place the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve with stone-ground wheat crackers.

or try this...

Jane's Tomato Pudding

8 cups canned tomatoes, peeled and drained
1 1/2 cups seasoned croutons
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix ingredients in a large bowl and pour into a casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour, or until bubbly.

Just in time for the Vineyard Antique Show!

Featured on Lucindaville's Famous Food Friday

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The Somerset Club Cook Book

The Somerset Club began informally in the mid- 1820's. It was known as the Temple and the Beacon and finally the Somerset Club. It's present location combines two townhouses built roughly at the same time the club formed.

In 1819, David Sears built a townhouse at 42 Beacon Street on Beacon Hill that was designed by Alexander Parris. An addition was built in 1832, followed by an adjacent house at 43 Beacon Street for his daughter, known as the Crowninshield-Amory house.



In 1851 the Somerset Club purchased the Crowninshield-Armory house and dubbed it the Beacon Club until it was renamed the Somerset Club in 1852. In 1871 the Somerset Club purchased the David Sears townhouse, combining the two into one big clubhouse.



John Sears, great-great grandson of David Sears said of the club,

“It’s a place where you go to have a pop and talk about whether the salmon were biting and whether or not you’ve navigated the pond ‘round the fourth hole and how are the kids."

In a 2002 article marking the 150th anniversary of the Somerset Club, it's then President Samuel"Spike" Thorne laid out the rules.

For those who can make the cut, the Somerset affords an escape from the all too oppressive present. Here there are no baseball caps worn backwards, no harried wannabes, no remarkably rude teenagers sprouting metal from their faces. The club, of course, has its rules, and they’re strictly abided by. For example, a tie is a must. Work papers are forbidden in the dining room and almost everywhere else. And no electronics are allowed.

“Somebody comes here and opens up a cell phone, we tell him to put it away or get out,” says Thorne. Also, it is to be remembered that this is a social club — no touchy talk of politics here. “One does not enter the dining room or the bar with the idea that one has to bring forth a stimulating point of view on a hot topic of current interest."

From 1904 until 1944, the Somerset Club kitchen was helmed by Chef François Lombard, who kept detailed notes. In 1963, the club assembled a collection of recipes with the help of cookbook writer, Charlotte Turgeon.
Here is a lovely soup made from Jerusalem artichokes.

Crème Palestine

4 Jerusalem artichokes
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
salt and pepper

Pare the artichokes and slice quite thin. Cover with water in a small saucepan, dot with 2 tablespoons of butter, and stew for 20 minutes or until the artichokes are tender. Melt the rest of the butter in another pan. Stir in the flour, and when it is well blended stir in the broth gradually until it is all incorporated into a smooth sauce. Force the artichokes through a fine strainer or spin in the blender. Combine with the sauce and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tasty and brahmin!

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Holiday Eggs

Well, you know my love of all things egg! So it is really hard for me to turn down an egg book. This one is entitled Holiday Eggs. It is written by Georgeanne Brennan. Brennan always turns out a lovely product and Holiday Eggs is no exception. Combined with the recipes are tips for using the shells as tiny vases, votive candles, or napkin rings.

The photographs are, as always, well done. The book is simple and easy to follow. As with most "egg" books, there are a lot of scrambled eggs/omelettes of eggs mixed with whatever! Still, there are worse things in life than eggs mixed with stuff, especially if that "stuff" is a nice truffle.




Brouillade with Truffles

8 eggs
1 ounce black truffles, scrubbed and minced
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Crack the eggs into a bowl and add truffles. In the top part of a double boiler, whisk the eggs and truffles together. Add the butter and place over simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened into a creamy mass of tiny curds; this will take about 15 minutes. Whisk in the salt and pepper and serve immediately on warmed plates, accompanied by slices of baguette or other country style bread, plain or toasted.

Of course, one might buy illegal drugs cheaper than a truffle, but I have yet to see a Coke Omelette, so in lieu of a big old truffle, you could always cut back on the butter and add a few drops of truffle oil.

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Looking for me...

Please don't make me relive it again... Check out my post at Lucindaville.

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SoNo Baking Company Cookbook

John Barricelli is a baker, and quite a good one. He always wanted a French style bakery in a little neighborhood and he finally opened The SoNo Baking Company in South Norwalk, Connecticut, hence the SOuthNOrwalk of the title.

After working in restaurant kitchens, he moved over to Martha Stewart Living and was cast on their PBS show, Everyday Food. Here are John and Martha torching a cake!

The recipes in the book are very "bakerly" and exacting. Of course, I feel many baking books are just too exacting, really, but then, I bake. Here is Barricelli's signature cookie recipe. I had guests this week and one of them remarked she loved EVERYTHING ginger. On her next visit, I am going to make a batch of these.

Ginger Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for rolling
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; set aside.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Beat in the egg and molasses until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, beating until combined. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour (and up to 24 hours).

3. Arrange the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick silicone baking mats; set aside. Place the extra sugar for rolling on a plate; set aside.

4. Use a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop to scoop out the dough, and roll into balls between your hands. Roll the balls in the sugar to coat, and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

5. Bake one sheet at a time, rotating the sheet two-thirds of the way through the baking time, until the cookies are deep golden brown and the centers are firm, 15 to 20 minutes.

6. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack, and let cool completely. Continue to roll and bake the remaining cookies in the same way.

Truth be told, I am not going to wait for her return... in fact, that bread looks rather fetching...

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FLUFFY WHITE FROSTING

This is a fantastic frosting recipe, for many reasons. First of all, it is delicious. After that, it is super easy, super quick, it takes no special ingredients, it is pretty to look at and it is very versatile. It is a classic.

 In a large  GLASS OR METAL bowl, put two egg whites, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon of almond extract...set aside.
.
In a saucepan, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, dash of salt and 1/3 cup of water. Cook and stir until it just comes to a boil and sugar dissolves.
.
Start beating your egg whites and extracts on HIGH while you slowly drizzle in the hot syrup. Keep beating on high until stiff peaks form like this:

With a hand held electric mixer, this can take up to 7 minutes, but with my stand mixer it only takes about 4 minutes. Recipe makes enough to frost a 9" two layer cake or a 10" tube cake.

NOTE: To get these lovely big swirls, use a Wilton tip # 1M...it is a huge tip and will duplicate these swirls with total ease...I promise.
Very light, this frosting is a dream to work with.

NOTE: The bowl AND beaters that you use, for this frosting, can have NO TRACE of grease or oil on them (or the frosting will not whip properly...right out of the dishwasher is perfect). A big stand mixer, like a Kitchen Aid, works the best, but this can be done quite successfully with a hand held electric mixer too (it just takes longer).

NOTE: While this frosting holds up well in all kinds of weather, it WILL form sort of a skin over the soft fluffy frosting if left in dry air for several hours. To prevent this, just cover it if you are not going to eat it the same day.

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PEANUT BUTTER BLONDIES (and a thank you)

These peanut butter blondies are dense, moist and packed full of peanut butter flavor; they are the consistency of a good brownie and would make an excellent addition to any lunch box, bake sale or weekend treat served with a big glass of cold milk.

½ cup peanut butter
1/3 cup butter (room temperature)
2/3 cup white sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
.
In a medium mixing bowl, cream the peanut butter and butter together; beat in the sugars, eggs and vanilla just until well mixed. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix just until everything is well mixed.
,
Bake in a greased 9" x 9" baking pan at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched (my oven took 34 minutes). Frost and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Cool before cutting.
.
PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
½ cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons milk
Warm the peanut butter in the microwave just until it gets very soft, then whip everything together, starting with the lesser amount of milk and adding more if necessary.

Thank you very much for all of the warm birthday sentiments. Your kind and generous words made my (potentially traumatic) 60th birthday a lot easier for me. Thank you friends!!

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BROWNIE BITES

So what does a baker do to celebrate her 60th birthday? She bakes something

SHE really likes!!!

 

 

 

 I found this little recipe gem on My Tasty Treasures last winter; she calls them Fudge Brownie Cups; I call them addictive!!! Donna frosts hers with melted Hershey's chocolate, but since I made these for my birthday, I frosted them with my all-time favorite chocolate cream cheese frosting. These little beauties are moist and chocolate-y and so easy to pop in your mouth. My son calls them "wicked good". Fortunately for me...as all bakers know, calories consumed on your birthday do not count!!!

 

 

 

 2 sticks butter, room temperature

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 + 1/3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
20 tablespoons flour

Lightly butter mini-muffin pans (I used Bakers Joy spray). Melt together, butter, semisweet chocolate and brown sugar in a pan over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth (*keep it as cool as possible).
.
Remove from heat and beat in vanilla, then eggs, one at a time, stirring until well mixed. Fold in flour and blend well. (*let this batter sit for about 10 minutes before you bake it and it will be easier to work).
.
Spoon one (*rounded) measuring teaspoonful into each spot. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 10 to 12 minutes (*my oven took exactly 11 minutes). Remove and cool completely.

NOTE: grease or spray pans between each batches of brownie cups. This recipe makes 60.
.
CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup baking cocoa
8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
.
The butter needs to be really warm, but not melted. Stir the cocoa into the butter and mix well; whip in the cream cheese and add vanilla, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently so that you get a nice smooth butter-cocoa-vanilla-cream cheese mixture. Beat in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating until really smooth in between each cup of powdered sugar.

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HOT FUDGE SUNDAY CAKE

Click On This Photo For
The Full Yummm-factor

 

The first time I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it because it had a lot of things going for it. First and foremost, it is an ooey-gooey chocolate dream. Secondly, there are no mixing bowls (you mix it right in the baking pan). Thirdly, it does not require any special ingredients (not even butter or eggs). And finally, this super-tender chocolate (sponge type) cake bakes on top of a rich hot fudge sauce…need I say more?

¾ cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
½ cup unsweetened baking cocoa (divided)1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups boiling water
1½ teaspoons instant coffee granules
Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350°. In an (un-greased) 8”x8” baking pan, mix flour, white sugar, ¼ cup of the cocoa, baking powder and salt (stir it up to combine); add the milk and oil and stir until the batter is well mixed.
.
Mix the brown sugar and ¼ cup of cocoa together and sprinkle evenly over the batter (DO NOT MIX IT IN).
.
Combine the boiling water, vanilla and instant coffee and gently pour it over everything (DO NOT MIX IT IN).
.
Bake for 35 minutes (the hot fudge sauce will bubble up from underneath and around the edges of the cake as it bakes). Allow this to cool for 15 minutes before you serve it (just make sure it's very warm when you serve it).
.
To serve, top a slice of cake with scoop of vanilla ice cream and spoon the hot fudge sauce (from the bottom of the pan)over the ice cream.
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As simple as this dessert is…it is just unique enough (and delicious enough) for company as well.

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Perennials: A Southern Celebration of Foods and Flavors

My friend, Jim, brought me a copy of Perennials: A Southern Celebration of Foods and Flavors, compiled by the Junior Service League of Gainesville, Georgia.

It is one of those eclectic Junior League cookbooks, with some great recipes and some truly funny recipes and some that one might just deem, inedible.

On Saturday, my goddaughter called hoping to find a recipe for a simple syrup. She was getting ready for the Kentucky Derby in true Alabama fashion. She was organizing Mint Juleps and snacks, but she had no intention of actually WATCHING the race. Still, it was important to have all the trappings, regardless of the actual event.

I gave her the two parts water, one part sugar, boil for 10 minutes and cool recipe. Some people use the equal parts sugar and water, but I find it a bit too sweet.

Perennials has a nice Mint Julep recipe.

The General’s Mint Julep

18 mint leaves on stem, divided
2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon sugar
Finley crushed ice
2 1/2 ounces 86 or 100-proof bourbon

Partially tear 12 mint leaves, leaving them on the stem. Place the leaves in a large glass or silver julep mug with water and sugar. Stir slowly until sugar is dissolved. Fill with ice. Add bourbon. Add more ice to fill as bourbon melts the original ice. Stir. Tear remaining mint leaves; place atop ice. Serve with a straw.

Well, clearly, this is a Georgia recipe. Who makes a single Mint Julep? People in Georgia.

Nina's Mint Julep -- one of many...

In Alabama, we make a big old pitcher of Mint Juleps because we serve the General and the rest of the troops. And while a horse race is nice, it takes about 2 minutes – Mint Juleps have far more staying power.

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Cosmic Cuisine

Cosmic Cuisine is one of those books I picked up at a tag sale and not because I had some overriding desire to cook within my zodiac sign. I'm a Pisces, so the general rule is cook fish. I didn't have a great deal of hope for this cookbook until I hit upon the wonderful properties of Mercury, and those pesky Virgo's who have a strong taste for liquorice. Who'd a thunk it.

I love liquorice, but I am no Virgo, so there you have it. But even so, I was so taken by this recipe that I couldn't wait to make it. And to add insult to injury, you need to let flavors meld for at least 24 hours.
Still, I am totally hooked. In a few days, I'll let you know the verdict.

Liquorice Gingerbread

4 tablespoons butter plus extra for the cake pan
generous1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoons ground liquorice root
pinch salt
3 eggs, beaten
scant 1 cup milk
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda


Grease an 8 inch square cake pan with butter. In a bowl, cream the butter, sugar and treacle (molasses). Sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt into the bowl and beat well. Add the eggs. Warm the milk, dissolve the bicarbonate in it and add that to the mixture. Beat until it starts to bubble slightly. Pour into the cake pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 F for about 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Leave the gingerbread undisturbed for the first 40 minutes in the oven. Take the cake out of the oven and leave to cool in the pan. When cool, turn the gingerbread out and store it in a container and do not eat for 24 hours. Makes one 8 inch square cake.

I'm off to make this right now...

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Derby Entertaining (Redux) (Repost)

So I only have the one Derby Cookbook, so a repost is in order. Begin with the words: Today is the

(Tomorrow is the) Kentucky Derby, and though not officially recognized on the calendar, a virtual Southern holiday. Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a Southerner, the Derby is a good illustration of the commitment and stamina one must have. Here are the statistics:

The actual running of the Kentucky Derby--

2 minutes

The actual partying for the Kentucky Derby --

10 days

This gives you an average of 5 days of parties for every minute of activity. Using this equation, add up SEC Football, Mardi Gras, Decoration Day, Derby Day, Mother's Day, All-Saints Day, All-Souls Day, Bear Bryant's Birthday, and... oh, yeah, Thanksgiving and Christmas; multiply by 5 and you will find that being a Southerner requires partying every single day of the year! This may explain why I have so many cookbooks and so little time!

This being said, I feel you should have a recipe for derby pie!. Actually, the term "derby-pie" is trade marked and registered, so the recipe I am giving you is for a traditional, Kentucky-bourbon-chocolate-chip-nut-pie-which you may name as you please. If you are wondering, according to the DERBY-PIE® website:

"DERBY-PIE® was born nearly a half century ago as the specialty pastry of the Melrose Inn, at Prospect, Kentucky. Once developed, a proper name had to be given. Because each family member had a favorite, the name DERBY-PIE® was actually pulled from a hat. And what a winner! By 1968 DERBY-PIE® had become so successful that the name was registered with the U.S. Patent Office and the Commonwealth of Kentucky (that's the reason for the ®!). Since then it has been baked and distributed solely by Kern's Kitchen, a small family operation."

Rather than face legal action, the pie that dare not speak it's name is known as: Kentucky Derby Pie, Thoroughbred pie, and of course...

Run for The Roses Pie

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup chopped pecans
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon
9-inch unbaked pie crust

Combine the sugar and flour in a large bowl; mix in the butter. Add the eggs, pecans, chocolate chips, vanilla extract and bourbon; mix well. Pour into the pie crust. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

This is from Derby Entertaining. Not to be confused with the famous, Decoration Day Entertaining.

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