Dinner with Friends

We were in Wilmington last weekend for Mother’s Day and our friends wanted to go out to dinner. I just decided I wanted to cook a simple dinner and stay home! Sometimes that is the best thing to do.

I did not want to stress over a big fancy meal but wanted something healthy and simple. I found a recipe called one-pan wonder in my new issue of ‘bon appétit.’ That sounded like the recipe for me. It had new potatoes, red snapper, and onions. What not to like? Also, it used the North African spice harissa (which I have been using since my trip to Marrakesh) so my dinner was set.

My friends brought a delicious Parisian salad (arugula, olives, lardons and shaved parmesan) and a strawberry Charlotte for dessert. What we did not know was the tropical storm Ana was to make our weekend more eventful. We rode out the storm on our back porch with drinks and good food! We started with one of our favorite cocktails, the Negroni.

 

From the May, 2015 issue of ‘bon appétit’ magazine.

Note: Harissa; this chili and spice paste, a North African staple, comes in countless varieties. The ones in a tube or small can tend to be more concentrated and fiery so it is best to thin them with olive oil. The jarred ones often contain sweet peppers or tomatoes which makes them milder. I used the dry spice and mixed it with olive oil.

One-Pan Wonder

This two-technique solution, baking first, then finishing under the broiler, yields perfectly browned fish and tender vegetables.

Baked Snapper with Harissa, New Potatoes, and Spring Onions

Makes 4 servings

6 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. harissa paste

6 spring onions, halved lengthwise, or 8 scallions (left whole)

1 lb. new potatoes or small potatoes, scrubbed, thinly sliced

Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ lb. skin on snapper fillets (3-4)

Lemon wedges for garnish

Place an oven rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Combine oil and harissa in a small bowl; adjust flavor with more harissa if needed (Spiciness and flavor vary from brand to brand.).

Toss onions and potatoes with half or harissa mixture in a large baking dish; season with salt and pepper, then add ¼ cup water. Roast, tossing once, until all potatoes are fork tender, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, score skin side of fillets about  ¼” deep; season with salt and pepper. Rub remaining harissa mixture all over the fish, getting into the score marks.

Remove onions and potatoes from the oven and heat broiler. Place fish skin side up on top of vegetables and broil until onions and potatoes are tender and fish in cooked through and starting to brown on top, 8-10 minutes.

Serve fish and vegetables with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

 

From Paris Bistro Cooking by Linda Dannenberg.

Strawberry Charlotte

Serves 6

2 pints strawberries, washed, hulled, and quartered

Juice of 1 orange

2 Tablespoons Kirsch

½ cups milk

1 ½ cups crème fraiche

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

12 ladyfingers or small strips of sponge cake

1 cup raspberries

¼ cup granulated sugar

6 mint sprigs

Macerate 1 pint of strawberries in the orange juice and kirsch. Whip the milk and crème fraîche with the confectioners’ sugar until firm.

Line 6 small dessert bowls (about 6-ounce capacity each with plastic wrap. Spread about ½ cup of the crème fraiche mixture in the bottom and up the sides of each bowl. Place 2 ladyfingers or pieces of sponge cake in the bottom of each bowl. Divide the macerated strawberries and juices over the ladyfingers. Cover with the remaining ladyfingers and spread with the remaining crème fraîche. Top each bowl with plastic wrap and place a ramekin on top of each to weight the Charlotte down. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Puree the remaining strawberries with the raspberries and the granulated sugar. Strain to remove the seeds.

To serve, remove the weights and plastic wrap from the tops of the bowls and invert each Charlotte onto a chilled dessert plate. (My cooking partner called in the afternoon to make sure I was cooling his plates!) Peel off the remaining plastic wrap and spoon strawberry-raspberry puree around each Charlotte. Garnish each with a drizzle of puree and a mint sprig.

 

Choir Party/Derby Day BBQ

Last weekend we had a choir party but combined it with Kentucky Derby day so we could have an excuse to have a mint julep! The day was beautiful and just a fine day for getting my husband to get those Boston butts cooking. We always have a lot of wood to burn so my husband built himself a pit to smoke those butts. I bought 20 pounds of meat and it looked like a lot of meat so I froze one 5 pound butt for future use. In the past we have always used North Carolina spicy vinegar sauce so we used the same recipe found in Southern Food by John Egerton. Recipe to follow. I basted the butt overnight and my husband basted it as is cooked and you can strain the sauce and add it at the table.

Along with the butts I had potato salad, cold slaw, corn muffins, deviled eggs, banana pudding and a blackberry cobbler. Now I must admit I did order some of the food from Vine’s Meat Market just up the road, since I really didn’t have the room to store enough food for 30 people. Sounds like a good excuse, I guess! I did the corn bread and deviled eggs and made enough mint syrup for the mint juleps so I considered that a contribution. For appetizers I made Frank Stitt’s wonderful pimento cheese and had some olives and nuts to nibble on before the main meal.

Unfortunately several people got sick the day before (who knew) and some did not respond (as they should have) so I ended up with 16 people. A lot of food left! But those who came had a grand time sitting on the gallery sipping mint juleps. One attendee said that was as good as it gets. We had a treat after the feast of hearing Dr. Jacob Benda (our organist and choir director) play my “newly” tuned piano and hearing the wonderful soloist, Cara Waring, sing songs from Phantom of the Opera. What a wonderful treat! And those of you who missed the party, “Eat your heart out!”

And many of us did take the time to listen to My Old Kentucky Home as the horses came out and to watch American Pharoah win the 141^st Kentucky Derby.

Simple Syrup for Mint Juleps

Makes 3 cups

1 cup sugar

2 cups water

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring and swirling the pan to dissolve the sugar. Dip a pastry brush in hot water and wipe down the sides of the pan to dissolve any sugar crystals cling to the sides. Simmer for 2 minutes without stirring, remove from heat and add a bunch of mint to the syrup. Once cool, cover and let the syrup infuse for at least two hours in the refrigerator, then strain the mint from the syrup.

Keeps for weeks in the refrigerator.

Mint Julep

Serves 2

Synonymous with southern hospitality, horse racing, and hot summer evenings on a big front porch, the mint julep is a Kentucky born cocktail traditionally served in a silver cup.

4 ounces bourbon, such as Maker’s Mark

Scant 2 ounces simple syrup

8-10 mint leaves

2 cups crushed ice

2 big mint sprigs for garnishing

Combine the bourbon, simple syrup, mint leaves, and ice in a cocktail shaker and vigorously muddle with a wooden pestle or spoon, bruising the mint leaves to release their fragrant oils. Pour into a chilled julep cup or tall glass. Top with mint sprigs.

From Frank Stitt’s Southern Table

Pimento Cheese

Makes 2 cups

1 pound sharp yellow cheese cheddar

¼ pound cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

3 large red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped

½ cup homemade mayonnaise or best quality commercial mayonnaise

1 teaspoon sugar

Splash of hot sauce, such as Tabasco

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Grind the cheddar in a food processor fitted with the grating disk, or grate it on the small-holed side of a hand grater. Transfer the grated cheese to a bowl, add the cream cheese, white pepper, bell peppers, mayonnaise, sugar, hot sauce, and cayenne and blend all together thoroughly. Refrigerate and served chilled.

Barbecue Sauce

This makes enough to baste a 5 pound butt.

In a large saucepan, combine the following: 2 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity), 1 tablespoon peppercorns, 1 teaspoon celery seed, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon hot pepper flakes, 1 small onion copped fine, and 1 cup water. Bring combined ingredients almost to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for about 1 hour. Then strain the sauce, if you like, to remove the peppercorns, and apply it generously  to your meat-before, during, and if you prefer, after its cooking.

 

 

Southern Food and Beverage Museum

We happened to be in New Orleans when the Southern Food and Beverage Museum was opening in its new location at 1609 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard; that is a mouth full, so they just say OCH Blvd. It is a great place to see the evolution of Southern food and there is an exhibit from every Southern state with the better known foods from that state. There is a $5.00 admission per person but it is worth it.

I especially looked at what they had to say about Alabama and there was a big exhibit about Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q, established in 1925. He sold barbecue in his backyard before he started his restaurant in Decatur, Alabama which has involved four generations of family. Big Bob, who was 6’4” tall and weighed 300 pounds, kept moving his restaurant as it grew. He was known for his hickory fired pit barbecue, as well as his special white sauce. Big Bob’s daughter, Catherine (nicknamed Punk), added tasty pies and potato salad to the menu in the 1950s. In 1992 a new restaurant on the south side of Decatur was opened by a great granddaughter, Amy. She began bottling and selling their signature white sauce. It is sold in 8 states. They also developed an award winning red sauce.

The Lane cake, one of Alabama’s more famous culinary specialties, was created by Emma Rylander Lane of Clayton, Barbour County. It is a type of white sponge cake made with egg whites and consists of four layers that are filled with a mixture of egg yolks, butter, sugar, raisins, and whiskey. The cake is frosted with a boiled, fluffy white confection of water, sugar, and whipped egg whites. The cake is typically served in the South at birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and other special occasions. The recipe was first printed in Lane’s cookbook, Some Good Things to Eat, which she self-published in 1898. It was first called a ‘Prize Cake’ since it had won a prize at the Alabama State Fair.

Now I got to try the famous Lane Cake at the restaurant Purloo, which is in the same building as the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Of course it serves Southern food and we had fried chicken, fried catfish, mac’n cheese, grits with smoked tomato gravy. The food was very good and the blue plate special was only $15.00. Pretty good for New Orleans! The Lane Cake was delicious and had raisins and whiskey to give it a kick. Of course we shared one piece since I rarely do dessert, but I felt I just had to give this cake a try. The name Purloo means a stew of rice and chicken or some other game, but none of that is on the menu. The chef is going to change that because everyone is always asking about the name.

There are many recipes for Lane Cake but I found one that seems easy to do. It is a delicious cake and you should give it a try.

Alabama Lane Cake Classic

3 ¼ c. sifted cake flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1 c. butter, softened

2 c. granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

8 egg whites, divided by twos

1 c. milk

Sift flour, baking powder, salt. Cream butter, add sugar, beat in vanilla. Add 2 egg whites at a time and beat until all 8 are added. Fold in flour mixture alternately with milk. Begin and end with flour. Turn into 4 ungreased 9-inch cake pans lined with baking paper or waxed paper. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool in pan a bit, then turn out and peel off paper.

Lane Cake Filling:
8 egg yolks

1 c. granulated sugar

½ c. butter

1 c. raisins or dates, chopped

½ c. bourbon or brandy

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat egg yolks in large pan. Beat in sugar. Add shortening. Cook and stir over moderate heat until thick, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fruit, bourbon, and vanilla. Cool and spread between layers. Ice with boiled, or 7 minute frosting, or your favorite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mixed Greens

This is the time of year to make a salad of lots of different greens. My lettuces are in: Romaine (Cos), Paris Island Cos; Bibb (Butterhead), Buttercrunch; Loose-Leaf, Red Salad Bowl. Romaine is said to be the most nutritious and loose-leaf is second. I now get my seeds from a local hardware store that buys in bulk and packages the seeds. They are cheaper than most other sources. ‘Pinetree’ is the cheapest mail order catalogue. I also like ‘Southern Exposure Seed Exchange’ and ‘Seed Savers Exchange.”  I plant lettuce in the fall and it becomes the first to eat in the spring, before the spring seeded lettuces.

The arugula has self-seeded. The Sylvetta (Rucola selvatica, aka Wild Rocket) is almost a perennial but readily self-seeds. The Roquette or Rocket (Eruca sativa) also self-seeds but I need to re-seed it periodically. This second variety has larger leaves. Both are peppery. And I believe my self-seeded plants are better flavored than what can be bought or had in a restaurant. We really like arugula and it lasts longer than the other greens and we often just eat arugula salads with perhaps goat cheese and pine nuts.

The nasturtiums, aka Indian Cress, (Tropaeolum majus) adds a peppery note and the flowers add color.  I also plant it in the fall in pots and protect from frosts and also in pots in the spring. I like the variegated Alaska.

Some small kale, (Brassica napus), Red Russian which I have planted is used. I bought plants of Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch and Lacinato last fall which have been good for hardy salads during the winter but alas they are now gone. These coarser greens have long been used in the pot but only more recently have I learned that they make good salads. Lately I have more seen collard salads on some restaurant menus.

Swiss chard remains from over the winter.  I had also bought plants of Rainbow Swiss chard last fall and it is doing well.

Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) adds a lemony note. It is a perennial and I also have it from plants. I want some more since I also like it in the form of tarts. The French use it in soups. The form I have is called French sorrel to distinguish it from the wild common sorrel or dock (Rumex acetosella). It does grow wild around here and can also be used.

From the wild I pick violet leaves, but their flowers are not yet in. Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, I use if I can find it. I have tons of weeds here but this famous lawn weed is not that common with me.

Since learning in New Zealand that I can use Gingo leaves, I pick the small new ones. We have one of the largest and oldest Gingos in the United States, planted probably about 1850. The trunk is over sixteen feet in circumference. I would recommend if you don’t have one, to plant a Ginko or Maidenhair tree (Ginko biloba). They make a nice specimen in the lawn but are slow growing. Their singular best feature is fall color. Ours here turns a magnificent yellow on Thanksgiving.

And I have planted some French Breakfast radishes and I have green onions. I also have some violas blooming and calendula, pot marigold, whose flowers are edible and add color more than taste. Young calendula leaves are also edible. I start mine in the fall in pots and protect from frost as I do my nasturtiums. The violas and calendula flowers don’t have much taste. But nasturtium flowers have the same peppery taste as their leaves.

I love mâche or as I first learned of it from a German friend, cornsalad. It is also known as lambs lettuce. It is not tolerant of heat and I don’t have it this year. I need to find a good place to plant it where it can self-seed as it does readily. This has such a sweet, mild flavor it is best eaten alone if you have enough. You can take the whole plant and cut off the roots. This truly needs just a little olive oil.

I like to dress the salad with just olive oil, salt and pepper. You can add a little vinegar or use lemon juice as well. No recipes needed for these salads. Just use what you have in the garden or can find in the yard and go with it!