The Thanksgiving Cookbook -- REPOST

(As you can see, Thanksgiving is a couple of weeks away. I had no idea when I wrote this a year ago that Gourmet would be gone.)

With Thanksgiving next week, I thought I would post some Thanksgiving cookbooks on the site. While it may be possible to get away with a standing rib roast for Christmas, it is hard to do Thanksgiving without some type of fowl. Ruth Reichl, well know editor of Gourmet summed it up this way:

"On my watch, we will never not do a turkey. I believe very firmly that there are some traditions that should be honored. And one of the great classic American traditions is the classic Thanksgiving meal."

Lucky for you, I am not going to share a turkey recipe with you. If you can't make a turkey, call the ladies at Butterball. One piece of advice -- you have a 30 pound frozen turkey sitting in the freezer, put it in the refrigerator NOW!!

The Thanksgiving Cookbook by Holly Garrison offers a lot of plain old-fashioned help. She takes you from setting the table to the leftovers. Garrison offers buying tips and cooking info on most every bird found at your grocery or in your backyard, from squabs to turkey. She will even give you tips on a standing rib roast of a ham (but don't tell Ruth Reichl!)

The book is all text, so if you need to see the finished product you are out of luck. The recipes are calm and straightforward. While she advocates fresh vegetables, she is not adverse to cheating with beets. Don't listen!!! If you are cooking for days, there is plenty of time to roast some beets.

Beets With Lemon Sauce.

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Three 16 oz. cans whole small beets, well drained
1/8 teaspoon salt
Big pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Heat the butter in a Dutch oven or large heavy sauce pan. Stir in the brown sugar and lemon juice and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the beets until they are well coated. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the beets are glazed, about 20 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper. (May be prepared ahead up to this point and reheated) Sprinkle the beets with grated lemon rind and serve.


For another take on Thanksgiving beets, check out my recipe for Beets With Candied Ginger In Yuzu Honey at the Lucindaville site.

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Thanksgiving Dinner -- REPOST

Thanksgiving began in 1621. So very American! We set foot on the shore and begin imposing order. Of the 102 settlers who arrived at the Plymouth colony only 55 were still alive to celebrate our first Thanksgiving. Most of the thanks goes to the Wampanoag Indians, without whom there would have most probably been no survivors of the Plymouth Colony. The Wampanoag shared their food with the settlers, but more importantly, they shared their knowledge of the local flora and fauna.



A short history of Thanksgiving is found at the beginning of Thanksgiving Dinner by Anthony Diaz Blue and Kathryn K. Blue. Anthony Blue is a leading wine expert and her and his wife hail from California. There is a definite Californian color to this straight forward cookbook. You will find a range of traditional recipes alongside couscous stuffing, stuffed Cornish game hens with Zinfandel gravy and corn and tomato salad with a mustard-cumin vinaigrette.

My favorite recipe, however is for Brussels sprouts. I made Brussels sprouts for my friend, Beverly, when she came to West Virginia from Alabama. It was evidently, the low point of the visit. Beverly informed me that she hated Brussels sprouts but she graciously ate one for my sake.

How can you hate Brussels sprouts?? Seriously?

Back to Thanksgiving...

This is a great recipe for two reasons aside from being Brussels sprouts.

1. You can make this dish a day ahead of time.

2. It is served room temperature so there is no need to waste oven space.

Make it on Wednesday, take it with you and by the time dinner is served, it will be ready.

Brussels Sprouts with Maple-Mustard Sauce.

4 cups Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon coarse-grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil.

1. Trim the Brussels sprouts by cutting an X in the stalk end and removing the bitter outer leaves. Drop the sprouts into a large pot containing 7 to 8 quarts of rapidly boiling water. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and bring the water back to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer slowly for 5 minuets. Remove from heat and drain thoroughly, letting the sprouts stand for a few minuets.

2. While the sprouts are cooking, mix the vinegars, syrup, mustards, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk thoroughly. Slowly add oil, a drop or two at a time, then in a thin, steady stream. The mixture will get thicker and lighter in color.

3. Add the Brussels sprouts to the bowl containing the sauce. Toss well to coat each sprout. Serve at room temperature.

Beverly aside, give this recipe a try.

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Thanksgiving 101

Rick Rodgers has done several of these "101" type books. Thanksgiving was such a big thing in my family, that I have a hard time imagining anyone who can't throw together a turkey, dressing and pie. I forget that there are a lot of people who don't know exactly how to get it together. There are several basic cookbooks for this and Rick Rodgers' Thanksgiving 101 is a good choice.

I thought of this book because of a conversation I had with someone who never cooks. She mentioned a pumpkin roll thing (she didn't really have a name for it) but the second she started talking about it I knew exactly what she was talking about.

I don't know where this recipe originated, I think perhaps it is a standard "Libby's Pumpkin" recipe, but it has become a popular Thanksgiving dessert. As with so many things that have become "popular" this dessert had been subjected to many a horrific interpretation. So many times it looks particularly inedible. Rodgers has dressed up the recipe a bit, adding a nice "spiked cream" and some nuts. (As you know I generally have an aversion to nuts, but I do rather like walnuts so I am letting this slide.)

Pumpkin-Walnut Roulade with Spiked Cream

1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely chopped walnuts

Confectioners' sugar, for sifting

Filling

Two 3-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger


Spiked Cream

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons dark rum or brandy, optional
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, for garnish
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger, for garnish



1. To make the cake, position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 375° F. Lightly butter a 10 X 15-inch jelly roll pan. To line the bottom and sides of the pan, cut a 12 X 16-inch piece of parchment or waxed paper. At each of the four corners, cut a diagonal slash about 2 inches long. Fit the paper into the pan, folding the cut ends over each other at the slashed to form neat corners. Lightly butter and flour the paper, tapping out the excess flour.

2. In a large bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer set at high speed, beat the sugar and eggs until light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. (The mixture should form a thick ribbon that falls back on itself when the beaters are lifted about 2 inches from the bowl. It must be stiff enough to support the weight of the dry ingredients.) Stir in the pumpkin and lemon juice.

3. Sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves onto a piece of waxed paper. With the mixer on low, gradually beat in the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, being sure to reach into the corners. Sprinkle the batter with the walnuts.

4. Bake until the center of the cake springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes. Sift confectioners' over the top of the cake. Place a clean kitchen towel over the cake, then top with a baking sheet. Holding the baking sheet over the cake, turn the cake upside down and invert it onto the towel on the baking sheet. Carefully peel off the paper. Place the paper back on the cake. Using the towel as an aide, roll up the cake and cool completely.

5. To make the filling, in a medium bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer at medium speed, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until combined. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until smooth.

6. Unroll the cake and discard the paper. Spread the filling evenly over the cake and sprinkle with the crystallized ginger. Re-roll the cake (you won't need to use the kitchen towel) and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the filing is firm, at least 1 hour. (The cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

7. To make the spiked cream, in a chilled medium bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer set at high speed, beat the cream, confectioners' sugar, optional rum, and vanilla until stiff. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large open star tip, such as Ateco Number 5.

8. Transfer the roll to a long serving platter. Garnish the cake with swirls of the whipped cream, and sprinkle with the walnuts and crystallized ginger. To serve, cut the cake diagonally into thick slices.

Now, I know everyone (well, not everyone, but the ONE who gets stuck in the kitchen cooking all this food) gets rushed during this time of the year, but if you are going to the trouble of making a "homemade" dessert, do make it look edible! A last minute dusting of 10X can do wonders for cattywhompus jelly roll!

Check out Rick Rodger's web site.

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HOUSECLEANING at Cookbook Of The Day

I could be cooking...

PHONE COMPUTER ELECTRICITY

In the past two weeks my phone has been out for 5 days.

My electricity has gone off 4 days right in the middle of the day...

which in turn means my computer has been off in addition to the cloudy days where I suffer from satellite outages.

THEREFORE: We are often posting late and in clumps so we can get everything on. Do forgive us...

COMMENTS

I have enough trouble posting comments on other people's blogs and don't always think to look back at them.
Here are some comments we especially loved and wanted to share with you.


mamacita had further recommendations from our post on Baked. She says try their versions of Peanut Butter Pie and Chocolate Pie. The Baked boys also have a blog so check that out here. mamacita has the blog, What Would Jane Austen Do? Check it out.



Dean had this to say about our A Sacred Feast post: "Dinner on the grounds" is one of the great reasons to go to a southern singing! If you want to do Sacred Harp singing, anywhere in the country (and a few places not in the country), check out fasola.org for an extensive list of regular singings.

little augry wanted a few more recipes from Darling, You Shouldn't Have Gone To So Much Trouble.

Here are a couple of famous contributors:

Marianne Faithfull
Different Sweet/ Sour Pork

Pork fillet
Brown sugar
Garlic, mashed
Lemon, thinly sliced
Salt

Pound garlic and salt. Grill the pork on one side, turn and spread the garlic on the uncooked side, sprinkle liberally with brown sugar and return to the grill. Just before it is cooked, remove from the heat and cover with paper-thin slices of lemon. Grill for a few minutes longer until the lemon becomes soft and delicious.

Marianne was doing a bit of heroin during this period... I rather like the "cook until done" aspect of this recipe. And I do love the instruction about cooking the lemon until they are "soft and delicious." I need a "delicious" tester for my kitchen.

Roald Dahl
Norwegian Cauliflower

1 cauliflower
1 bag of frozen prawns or shrimp
Béchamel Sauce

Make a béchamel sauce. Add the defrosted prawns. Pour his mixture over the cooked cauliflower. A traditional Norwegian dish, easy to make and delicious. A great supper for children.

Who knew. I make a variation of this as a planned-over pasta sauce. Check out my recipe at Lucindaville. Check here for a "revolting recipes" from Dahl.

REPOSTS

We began experimenting with Cookbook Of The Day a year ago. We posted some scattered posts before we got officially into the grove. I am out of town for a few days so we are going to re-post some of our old Thanksgiving posts with some new ones to get you prepared for the holidays.

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANYOU

...for reading Cookbook Of The Day

GIVEAWAY

Don't forget the "Spice Up Your Life" giveaway.

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EASY PLAY DOUGH - A GREAT WEEKEND PROJECT FOR THE KIDS or GRANDKIDS

I've tried many play dough recipes over the years and this one is, by far, the best yet. It is made with common pantry items and is ready to play with, literally, in a few minutes!! It's soft, pliable and super easy to work with. When the kids are done with it, recipe says to keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, but with all that salt, I doubt that is necessary.
EASY PLAY DOUGH
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup table salt
2 cups water
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
food coloring (see note)

Put everything in a large, heavy bottomed, sauce pan and cook (stirring) on medium high until this comes away from the sides of the pan and thickens to the consistency of Play Doh (it just takes a couple minutes). Make sure you have a very sturdy wooden spoon to stir this with and it takes a little elbow power at the very end.

Remove the cooked dough from the sauce pan and knead it for a minute or so until it becomes smooth. I did this kneading stage with my stand mixer which cooled the dough down almost immediately (a good thing).

If you want the play dough to be all the same color, add the food coloring with the water before cooking. I wanted to try two colors, so I divided the cooked dough in half and put half in my stand mixer (for the kneading step) and I added food color paste to the dough while the machine was kneading the dough (this step can be done by hand, but I would suggest you use rubber gloves so you don't get green fingernails).

My one concern with using the concentrated food color paste was that it would come off on my hands when I "played" with the final product...it did not!! This is a great weekend project for the kids!!

NOTE: The colors in this photo were obtained by using Wilton frosting color paste, which is very concentrated color. You can use ANY food coloring (or NO food coloring) that you like.

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The Blackberry Farm Cookbook

Sam Beall, the “a” is silent, runs the kitchen and much of the rest of Blackberry Farm, an idyllic local in the Smokey Mountains. After traveling hither and yond with his nomadic parents, Sam’s mother found a dilapidated farm and made it home. Soon there was a bed-and-breakfast, a restaurant, a garden and animals. Sam went off to study at the feet of Thomas Keller at the French Laundry but, like a good Southern boy, he came home to his mama and took over Blackberry Farm.

It is a great publicity story, but what is often left out in the casual telling of this story are several facts, including Sam’s parents started Ruby Tuesdays and Blackberry Farm sits on 9000 acres, but other than that, mom did take a broken down little farm and turn it into a big-ol' renown bed-and-breakfast.

It takes nothing away from Blackberry Farm, I’m just pointing out that turning a little farm on 9000 acres into a world-class resort is a bit easier to do if you have piles of money. (The converse is also true; you can have piles of money and turn 9000 acres into a gigantic failure.) So kudos, to the whole Beall clan.

It is no doubt that after Thomas Keller, Sam Beall knows a thing or two about putting together a stunning art/cookbook and The Blackberry Farm Cookbook, falls into that category. The photographs of the farm thought the seasons are breathtaking. And, trust me, the boy can cook. While it might be remiss to have a “Southern” cookbook without fried chicken, Beall has a half-dozen fried chickens to choose from.

I am enamored of his Kimchee Collards. If you have ever cooked a big “mess” of collards, you know that they are a bit on the aromatic side and they take a long time to cook. In my family, my great-aunt Mamie, cooked the collards – no one else was allowed to touch them. She cooked them for hours with pork and in the last few seconds she cut them into shreds and drained off the pot-likker into lovely china teacups to be served next to the collards. It was a meal to behold.

Beall takes a different approach to the collards. He makes a kind of kimchee, fermenting the raw collards for several days, creating a rich and savory side to any meat, including fried chicken.

Kimchee Collards

1 pound collard greens, stems discarded and leaves cut in 1/4 inch strips
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips
4 small radishes, shaved paper thin
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup thinly sliced whole scallions
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (for more heat, do not seed)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1. Place the collards in a large colander set inside a large bowl. Sprinkle the collards with salt, toss, and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Discard the liquid that collects in the bowl. Rinse and drain the collards, squeeze them dry, and transfer them to a large bowl. Stir in the carrot, radishes, soy sauce, and 1/2 cup water. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Pour the liquid into a small bowl and stir in the honey and vinegar. Stir the garlic, scallions, jalapeno, and red pepper flakes into the collards. Pour the soy mixture over the collard mixture and stir to combine.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least two days before serving. Store covered and refrigerated for up to two weeks.

Next time you find a big mound of collards at the market and think to yourself, “I’m not cooking those in my house,” give this kimchee a try.

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The Tenth Muse

Sir Harry Luke, Baron Corvo and Harry Pirie-Gordon walk into a kitchen…

Sounds like a joke, but it’s true, well pretty true. Actually, they were in Wales walking through the heather and making up recipes. The amuse bouche Luke planned was this:

“On a thin slice of Bath Chap, trimmed to fit a disc of fried bread of the size of a half crown, lay a mushroom baked in milk as base for a piece of cold grouse as large as a thumbnail and a quarter of an inch thick.”

Baron Corvo disagreed:

“The mushroom must be isomegethic with the disc and five drops of lemon-juice should be squeezed upon the grouse just before serving.”

“No,” Sir Harry insisted, “that would be too sharp; let us add, rather, half a mulberry.”

There’s an Iron chef I would have loved to have seen, Sir Harry Luke and Baron Corvo taking on Michael Simon!

It is no wonder that Sir Harry Luke went on to write a lovely cookbook, The Tenth Muse, later updated in a second edition incorporating more recipes from his travels. Luke liberally included recipes form friends and family.

From his time as the Governor of Fiji, Sir Harry’s cook Bala, made him a lovely…

Smoked Fish au Gratin

Bone and skin any good smoked fish and cut up into small pieces. Cook slowly in a little milk, drain off the liquor. Make a sauce with butter, flour, the milk in which the fish was cooked, grated cheese, salt and pepper. Place the fish in a buttered fireproof dish, cover with the sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and cook for 10 minutes in an oven to brown slightly.

King Abdullah Ibn Hussein (L) talking with Sir Harry Luke

I'd be happy to party with Sir Harry and his boys, anytime!

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Spice Up Your Life GIVEAWAY

We have never had a "giveaway" before so bear with us. Actually, how hard can it be -- you send us a comment and we read them and one of you gets something. Since it is Cookbook Of The Day, you get... a cookbook. We recently featured Bindu Grandhi's Spice Up Your Life. In fact the day we featured it we went right home and made the cauliflower curry, again. (Still no nuts!)

Bindu has been kind enough to offer us a signed copy of her book for one of our lucky readers*. So sign up to Cookbook Of The Day (if you haven't already... and why haven't you already???) and tell us what you are going to do this week to:

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE

Then we are going to put all your answers in this hat:




And draw out the winner on Monday 16 November.

How easy is that!

*our lucky reader MUST have a U.S. address or a friend in the U.S. to take possession of the book.

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Morgan Freeman & Friends Caribbean Cooking For A Cause

Well, this may not exactly be a “celebrity” cookbook in the sense that Freeman is not actually the cook. Freeman is more of an “eater” than a cook and he is an avid sailor. He spends a great deal of time sailing the Caribbean and visiting many wonderful restaurants. When Grenada was devastated by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, Freeman gathered his friends to help with the Grenada Relief Fund.

As more and more areas were hit by hurricanes, including our own devastating Katrina, the Grenada Relief Fund expanded and changed its name to, Plan!t Now. Plan!t Now provides people in high-risk areas the knowledge and information as well as advocating for the power of preparedness.


SO Freeman gathered his Hollywood friends, like Kevin Bacon and Michael Douglas who cajoled the chefs at their favorite resort locations to offer up recipes for this fundraising endeavor, Morgan Freeman & Friends Caribbean Cooking For A Cause. The book is filled with lovely publicity picture of celebrities frolicking on the beach, or staring dramatically into the camera


or sidled up to an occasional chef.



There are so many ways this could be really bad, and yet it is quite nice. The chefs provided really lovely island dishes. The book is arranged by island, so you will find dessert and drinks surrounded by stews and okra, so if you are looking for a menu, you are on your own.

Here is a pair of recipes from Mustique. They come from Alfre Woodard’s chef. The drink and fritters will make a nifty appetizer course. The sorrel drink features hibiscus which is found in the Caribbean during December, which makes it a hard ingredient to find, however, Red Zinger tea features hibiscus so it provides a fine substitution.

Sorrel

10 cups cold water
1 tablespoon rice
5 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves 12 whole allspice berries
2 pounds fresh sorrel, washed
2 cups sugar
2 ounces Jamaican white rum or red wine

In a large pot, combine the water, rice, ginger, cloves and allspice. Bring to a boil and add the sorrel. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 24 hours. Strain off the liquid and add the sugar and rum, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Pour into bottles and refrigerate.

If you use the Red Zinger, you can leave out the rice and steep for less than 24 hours. I would leave the tea bags in for about 20 minutes and then let the rest ride overnight.

Festival Bread

Canola oil, for frying
1 cup ground yellow corn meal
3/4 cup All-Purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 – 1 cup cold water

In a large deep pot, heat 1” of oil to 350 F.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add 3/4 cup water and mix to form a dough, adding more water if necessary. Divide the dough into pieces, 1/2 teaspoon each, and roll into ovals. Slip into the oil and fry for 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden.

Festival Bread is a kind of sweet hush-puppies, eaten in much the same way as savory one, with fish.

So maybe Morgan Freeman didn’t actually cook anything, but he is working for a good cause.

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CREAM CHEESE WAFFLES

More often than not, we have sourdough waffles or sourdough pancakes on the weekends. However, recently I've been searching for a quick-fix waffle recipe and I have found a great one in our electric co-op newsletter, submitted by a lady named Sarah Wolcoff. Her deliciously moist and fluffy cream cheese waffles are oh so good!!!

1¾ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
(1) 3 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
2 eggs (separated)
1½ cups milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (my tweak)

Mix the cream cheese and 2 egg yolks together until smooth; stir in milk, vanillaextract and vegetable oil. Add dry ingredients and stir just until combined, it will be a little lumpy. Beat 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form and then fold them gently into the batter, leaving lots of fluffs of egg white (don't over mix). Cook in waffle iron. Recipe makes about 6 good size waffles

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The Pastry Queen

When I had a bookstore in D. C. I was often referred to as "The Queen" by friend and most probably, foe, alike. I was once asked by the New York Times to comment on fashion and being Southern I focused on hair. I told them, "The three most important things to Southern women are God, Family and Hair; almost NEVER in that order."

So it is no wonder I love a cookbook that features something called Texas Big Hairs Lemon-Lime Meringue Tarts written by a pastry queen. These tarts are the signature recipe of Rebecca Rather and are featured in her book aptly entitled, The Pastry Queen. As a child I was not particularly fond of meringue. My mother made lemon meringue pie and, like Rather, couldn't resist seeing how high she could get her meringue to stand-up. This meant that the meringue was at least 4 times as tall as the pie itself. I could never find a way to get through the meringue to get to the lemon, so I would carefully remove the meringue in one giant piece and set it to the side, much like one removes a crown.

Now that I am grown-up, I see the remarkable ability it takes to produce those towering meringues and would give anything for one more of my mother's pies.

Rather's book is chocked full of treats for both the eye and the stomach. It is one of those books you want to have, even though you may never cook a single recipe. But do yourself a favor and cook away.

Texas Big Hairs Lemon-Lime Meringue Tarts

Crust

1 ½ cups pecans or sliced almonds
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt

Lemon-Lime Curd

10 extra-large egg yolks (reserve the egg whites for the meringue)
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Zest of 2 lemons
2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Meringue

10 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
3 cups sugar

To make the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Arrange the pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them in the oven for 7-9 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. (If using almond slices, toast for 5-7 minutes). Coarsely chop your nuts.

With your fingers, butter eight 4 3/8 inch, 1 cup capacity disposable foil tartlet pans using about 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter total.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add the vanilla, then gradually add the flour and salt and combine on low speed until incorporated. Add the nuts and mix on low speed just until they are incorporated. Form the dough into a ball-it will be sticky-and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, divide into 8 equal portions and press into the prepared pans, making sure it comes up to the top edge of the pans. If the dough sticks to your hands, dust them with flour as often as necessary.

Bake the crust about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 30 minutes before filling with lemon-lime curd.

To make the curd:
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lime juice and zest in the top of a double boiler. Add the butter to the egg yolk mixture and whisk until melted and smooth. Cook about 40 minutes, stirring about every 15 minutes. The curd should be thick, resembling the consistency of loose custard. Transfer the warm mixture to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap onto the surface of the curd, sealing it and leaving no air between the wrap and the curd. Refrigerate the curd for at least 4 hours and up to 3 days. For express cooling, freeze it for at least 1 hour.

Making the meringue:
Set a large, perfectly clean metal bowl over a pot of simmering water. Pour in the egg white and sugar. Heat the egg whites and sugar while whisking constantly until the sugar melts and there are no visible grains in the meringue. Take a little meringue mixture and rub it between your fingers to make sure all sugar grains have melted. Remove the meringue from over the simmering water and whip it with a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on low speed for 5 minutes; increase the speed to high and beat 5 minutes longer, until the meringue is stiff and shiny.

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the broiler. To assemble the tarts, spoon the chilled lemon-lime curd into the crusts, filling them about three-quarters of the way to the top. Pile the meringue on top of the curd. Style the meringue with your fingers by plucking at it to tease the meringue into jagged spikes. Set the tarts on the middle rack of the oven and broil until the meringue topping turns golden brown, about 1 minute. Watch the tarts closely, as they can turn from browned to burnt in a matter of seconds.

What did Keats say, "a thing of beauty is a joy forever." Or at least until you devourer it!

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CHOCOLATE FUDGE & DULCE de LECHE TASSIES

Chocolate Fudge and Dulce de Leche Tassies
All Rolled Into One Gem of a Cookie

 

PASTRY CRUST½ cup butter softened
(1) 3 ounce package cream cheese
1 cup all purpose flour
Beat the cream cheese and softened butter with electric mixer until well mixed. Add 1 cup of flour while mixer is on low speed, just until well combined. Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes or until it is easy to handle (I never chill this dough). Divide this dough into 24 balls. Press the balls into the bottom and up the sides of an (UNgreased) mini (1¾ inch) muffin pan (see note).

FILLING1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup dulce de leche
In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate and butter; heat and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, egg and vanilla.
ASSEMBLYIn the bottom of each pastry-lined cup, place a teaspoon of dulce de leche (you can find a super-easy method for making this caramel HERE. Put the chocolate mixture on top of the dulce de leche (filling pastry cups  3/4  full).

BAKEBake in preheated 325F oven for 25 minutes (mine baked for almost 30 minutes) or until filling is puffed. Cool in pan for five minutes then gently lift them out. If they do not come out easily, use the tip of a butter knife to help you lift them out. Cool on wire rack.
NOTE: I imagine you could use any caramel in this recipe, although the dulce de leche is super thick and does not get runny when baked.

NOTE: I never chill this dough. Instead, I place the ball of dough in the mini-muffin cup and use the rounded end of my wooden meat grinder plunger (fits perfectly). I just push down gently and evenly on the dough and the pastry cup almost forms itself. If you don’t have anything to try this method with, just use your fingers.

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A Book of Flowers

I recently lamented that the fabulously eccentric Sitwell siblings never compiled a family cookbook. I have no doubt it would have been a wonderful document. In his memoir, Voices, Frederic Prokosch remembers Edith Sitwell:

“It was delightful to watch Miss Sitwell. Her face was rather llamalike, but she had a gift amounting to genius for adapting it to a “period.” When she spoke of the Elizabethan it assumed a jeweled symmetry. She touched an imaginary ruffle and fingered an invisible necklace. When I mentioned the medieval she looked Gothic instantaneously. Her voice grew liturgical, her hands were peaked in prayer, even the wrinkles of her dress assumed a sculptural rigidity.”

And he tells this story about Sitwell and the critic Edmund Wilson:

The butler slid past with a tray of boiled shrimps. Edmund Wilson approached the sofa with a glass in his hand. He plucked a shrimp from the tray and dipped it in the mayonnaise. He held it in the air as he sipped his whisky. I watched him with frozen horror as the shrimp slid from its toothpick and gracefully landed on Miss Sitwell’s coiffure. But Miss Sitwell ignored it and continued with serenity.
“It is always the incantatory element which basically appeals to me. In Paradise Lost the incantatory is dominant. ‘The Ancient Mariner’ is a murmuration of the cryptomagical. And as for Eliot….”
“’The Holy Men’ is pure incantation,” said Edmund Wilson. He kept peering at the shrimp with a scrupulous curiosity. “I heard Eliot read it aloud once. It was a marvel of rhythmically.”
“Even in Dryden,” said Miss Sitwell, “there is a sense of abracadabra. When I read Dryden I can hear the tom-toms beating in the jungle. Now with Pope it is different. There is still a hint of incantation but it has risen to a fragile, almost crystalline tinkle…”
I kept staring at the shrimp with a feverish fascination. It lay poised on Miss Sitwell like and amulet of ivory. I visualized it in terms of the Victorian, the Elizabethan, the Gothic. I suddenly began to rather like Edith Sitwell.”

The closest thing there is to an Edith Sitwell “cookbook” is in her edited collection entitled, A Book of Flowers. Sitwell complied a book of writings by gardeners, poets, philosophers, a saint and a few cooks. She seemed rather fond of the elixirs and waters blended in old books. Here is a famous tonic.

A Cordial Water of Sir Walter Raleigh

Take a gallon of Strawberries, and put into them a pinte of aqua vitae, let them stand four or five dayes, strain them gently out, and sweeten the water as you please, with fine Sugar, or else with perfume.

Sitwell credits the recipe to a cook for Queen Henrietta Maria of France from the 1655 edition of a book entitled, The Queen’s Closet Opened.



We never find out if Edmund Wilson retrieves the crustacean from Miss Sitwell’s coif. Use your imagination for a cryptomagical conclusion…

... and give a listen to Edith Sitwell discussing her poem, Two Loves.

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The Gun Club Cook Book

To Love and to Dine are man's chief ends and when man has lost the power to enjoy them,
death has lost its sting and the victory of the gave is a hollow triumph.
Charles Browne

In Princeton, New Jersey, a group was organized for the express purpose of shooting clay pigeons. They named themselves the Nassau Gun Club. They began shooting against other teams and these teams were invited to dinner. The Nassau Gun Club built a special room at the Nassau Club for their dinners. Then a larger room was built and a large kitchen added. Before long, the recipes of the gun club were compiled into the The Gun Club Cook Book. The book was later revised with these words from its author and shooter, Charles Browne:

"Several booksellers have found the title, "The Gun Club Cook Book," misleading and have had some difficulty in attracting the attention of possible buyers. Women associated the "The Gun Club" with stalkers of game and eaters of wold flesh, while men thought of "cook Book" in terms of Women's Social Centers and Church Bazaars. We cannot remedy this, but would ask our readers to tell their friends that the Gun Club shoots only clay birds ans is situated entirely within the precincts of civilization -- if a college town can be called civilized -- and let the men know that this is no cook book of the angel-cake variety."

The gun club boys are indeed heavy on the beef, chicken, pork and lamb. Their adventurous side offers up snails, frogs legs, an occasional whale steak ( not found in fishmongers anymore), alligator tail and chop suey. Browne recommends grabbing some La Choy for this dish.

Here is a favorite oyster dish:

Panned Oysters -- à la Gun Club

Prepare a sauce by melting 1 cup of butter and when hot add 1 tablespoon finely chopped bacon -- previously crisply cooked and drained, 2 tablespoonfuls chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Salt , black pepper and red pepper. Mix well and keep hot but do not cook any further.

The oysters are panned in a little of their own liquor and when done (their edges are beginning to curl) the sauce is added and well mixed and the dish is immediately served. The oysters may be transferred to hot ramekins for individual service and a tablespoon of the sauce spread upon each portion.

A decade or so after The Gun Club Cook Book, Charles Browne was back with the The Gun Club Drink Book. The last copy of this title I found for sale was over $800! Do you know how much "drink" you could buy for $800?

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CROCK POT BBQ PORK SANDWICHES

This is a great weekend crockpot recipe because you can turn the "extras" into many different things over the weekend. The crockpot method makes the best pork sandwich ever (and there is lots of sauce in the crockpot to make them extra juicy)...plus you can turn the extra pork into tacos, or burritos, or pork and rice just to name a few. I like to make this recipe with pork tenderloin but any pork roast will work.

2½ pound pork tenderloin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup favorite barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon dried red chili flakes
Our market sells pork tenderloin in 2½ pound packages and there are two tenderloins in each package. Cut each tenderloin in three pieces. If you are using a pork roast, trim obvious fat and cut it into pieces about the size of your fist. Mix the dry ingredients (except for the chili flakes) and rub all surfaces of the meat; place, covered, in refrigerator for an hour or so.

Brown the meat in a couple tablespoons of canola oil then put it in the crockpot. Mix the honey & dried red chili flakes into the barbecue sauce and pour over the meat. Cook on low for six or seven hours - every crockpot is different. To check for readiness, use two forks to see if the pork will pull apart easily.

Remove meat from crockpot and pull apart with two forks. Stir sauce and put the meat back in the sauce to keep it hot.

The above sandwich was made with my bun recipe which you can find HERE

NOTE: It isn't absolutely necessary to put the meat in the fridge after you put the dry rub on it, but it strengthens the flavor.
NOTE: Turn the meat over a couple of times during the cooking cycle...not absolutely necessary.

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Spice Up Your Life

Binda Grandhi DID send me a copy of her new cookbook, Spice Up Your Life. Grandhi makes food that is healthy, low-fat, Indian, spicy and flexitarian. Being fond of giant slabs of meat, I wasn't sure this cookbook would do anything for me, but even I have to eat vegetables once in a while. The recipes are easy and spicy and they never betray their flavor, even when they are good for you. So many cookbooks offer up "healthy eating" but if you won't eat it, how healthy can it be.

Spice Up Your Life does just that, it gives you spicy and tempting recipes with plenty of chicken and fish for those carnivorous eaters who might balk at anything both vegetarian and healthy. The fish recipes in Spice Up Your Life really shine. As you know, I am not at my best when cooking fish, but these recipes are clever and easy enough for me to try.

There is a great recipe for okra, Southerners are not the only okra lovers out there, it is quite big in India. Not wanting to betray my Southern heritage, but I was never a big fan of okra until I saw it being made by Indian chefs. They manage to cook it in ways that leave it crisp and delightful.

I adore cauliflower curry. Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite vegetables but I never thought of a cauliflower/ Brussels sprout curry. It is my favorite recipe in the book, though I must admit I leave out the cashews as I hate nuts in my food.

Another favorite veggie for me are beets. Here is a great recipe featuring beets.

Spicy Beets and Rice

2 c. basmati rice, prepared according to your favorite method and set aside
2 Tbsp. extra light olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 green chilies, stemmed and sliced in half lengthwise
2 beets (1 lb. each) or enough beets to equal 2 lbs, stemmed, peeled, and diced
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. powdered, unsweetened dried coconut
salt to taste

1. In a medium skillet, heat the oil. Over medium heat, sauté onions and green chilies for 7–8 minutes. Add the beets; cover and sauté 5 minutes. Add lime juice and coconut powder; sauté for 3 minutes, or until beets are tender. Turn off heat.

2. Add cooked basmati rice and mix until well blended. Salt to taste.

3. Serve as a stand-alone or with another entrée.

Truth be told, I would probably never have put this book on my wish list, and look at all the cool things I would have missed. Shame on me, come on people, lets start moving out of that comfort zone and experimenting with the unusual and even the healthy.

Grandhi has a cool website, The Flex Cook, with more info and recipes. If you are in New York, she has a cooking show, Cooking With Spices, premiering 4 November.

And remember: Eat your vegetables, especially if they are spicy!

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