Newer Recipes

These recipes are only a few years old in our family, but have quickly become favourites that me make again and again.

There is a book my sister received a few years back, Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide To Hosting The Perfect Funeral.  It seems odd to outlanders, but in the south we like to feed people.  Other places don't understand it, they simply see us shoving food at each other as our waistlines grow larger.  The Civil War had a direct impact on food for southerners; everyone, black and white.  As the losing side, food became scarce in the latter years of the war, to becoming almost nonexistent post war.  The south knows what it is to starve and it is so ingrained in us that our entire culture is nothing but food.  You came over for a visit, let me feed you.  You lost a loved one, let me feed you.  You just moved in, let me feed you.  You have no food, let me feed you.  Your boyfriend broke up with you, let me feed you.  It may not be healthy in the medical way, but it is healing in the emotional way.

A mess of homemade chicken and dumplins doesn't really fix the problem of your parents having just died, or that your cat ran away or your home burned down, but it makes your heart happy and helps take away the pain.  It really does.  So, it's no surprise that food that just makes you heave a sigh of wonderful is a huge deal in terms of a funeral.  There are two recipes from that book that we make over and over again because it is some damn fine food, funeral or no!

Broccoli Squares

I am not even a fan of cooked broccoli, as I prefer it raw, but this casserole just tastes like creamy butter with a zing.  It is an absolute favourite, and a rather easy side dish that we like to prepare quite a bit.

2 C cooked broccoli

1 C mayonnaise

1 C evaporated milk

3 eggs, well beaten

1 Tbs butter

1 tsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

Tabasco to taste (though we never do this part)

Mix all ingredients together.  Pour in lightly buttered 8 inch square pan.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Mary Mills Abington's Chocolate Sheet Cake

We're not fans of solid chocolate cake, or sheet cakes, but this one is to die for!  heh heh heh  I'm so punny!

Cake:

2 C flour

2 C sugar

3 1/2 Tbs powdered cocoa

1 stick butter

1 C water

1/2 C vegetable oil

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 C buttermilk*

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

Mix flour, sugar, and cocoa in bowl.  

02.  Boil butter, water, and oil for 1 minute.  Add to first mixture

03.  Combine beaten eggs with buttermilk, vanilla, and baking soda.  Beat until well mixed and add to previous mixture.

04.  Pour into large, greased 10 1/2 x 15 x 1 inch pan.  

05.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Do not overcook!

*If you do not generally keep buttermilk around, then there's an easy way to get around this.  It's preferable to use actual buttermilk from the store when the recipe calls for it, but sometimes I'm in the middle of making the cake and then realize we are out, so this is tried and tested and works perfectly well.

Add 1 Tbs lemon juice to 1 C of regular whole milk.  Whisk.  Set aside until the milk starts to curdle (only a few minutes) & you're ready to continue your recipe.

Frosting:

1 stick butter

3 1/2 Tbs powdered cocoa

1 Tbs milk

1 box confectioner's sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 C chopped pecans

01.  Bring butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil.  Add the sugar and mix well.  Add vanilla and pecans.

02.  Spread frosting over hot cake.  Let cool.  The frosting is more of a nice thick glazing.  It's fantastic.

This one makes a lot of cake, so if you are a family of four be prepared to really want some cake (yeah sometimes we really want some cake!), otherwise it really is perfect to bring to a large gathering.  We generally leave the pecans out and it's still quite tasty.    

Since we're on the topic of buttermilk, I'll jump straight into Flammkuchen (flahm koo-hen).  This is a dish that is served in the border towns of Germany and France.  A few years ago, I started teaching myself the German language (and learning modern and historical cultural aspects as well as food).  This was the first German dish that I made and I haven't looked back since.  It's really easy to make and so amazing.  What makes it amazing is the crème fraîche (crehm frah shay).  You can see the conjunction of borders here as crème fraîche is the french word for this tangy cream, and Flammkuchen is the German word for the overall dish.  The Germans have their own name for the tangy cream (as do southerners and other people, Quark or Clabber are basically the same thing), while in France the dish is referred to as tarte flambée.

Flammkuchen, or flame cake, is really just a gourmet thin crust pizza, so there's nothing to be scared about.  It is ridiculously easy but takes a bit of time.  And I'm not the greatest cook in the world.  It it's too involved, I will mess it up.  So, if I can do it, then so can you!  Which, oddly, I've heard that several times recently.  "Well, if Sarah can do it!..."  But, really it is true.

Crème fraîche

This is where the time comes in.  It's easy to make and you can't mess it up, you just need to remember to make this 2 days prior to making the Flammkuchen.  And for this you'll need the real, store bought buttermilk (Bulgarian style is my top preference for this recipe - it's just thicker than regular buttermilk, but either will do).  The crème fraîche will last in the fridge for two weeks.  And there is loads of other things you can use it for, besides Flammkuchen.  

1 - 2 Tbs cultured buttermilk

2 C heavy cream  

01.  Combine both in saucepan and heat only to tepid.  Use candy or milk frothing thermometer, registering not more than 80 degrees.

02.  Pour into clean glass jar, partially cover, and let stand at room temperature (65 - 75 degrees) for 8 - 24 hours or until thickened.

03.  Stir and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.

Flammkuchen

I am also not very good with making doughs, but this one is super easy.  And of course you can add any toppings you want.  This was just one of a few varieties of traditional toppings for Flammkuchen, which also are my favourite toppings, so we just stick to this.

Crust: 

250 g (2 C) flour

2-5 Tbs canola oil (can use vegetable)

150 ml (2/3 C) water

pinch of salt

Toppings:

250g (1 C) Crème fraîche

1 red onion

1 Tbs butter

125g (1/4 lb) bacon

salt and pepper to taste

1 clove garlic

01.  Combine ingredients for crust.  Dough should NOT be sticky.

02.  Slice onions into rings.  Saute in butter until clear (not caramelized).  Cook bacon to your liking.  Crumble or cut into small, bite-sized pieces.  

03.  Finely chop or press the garlic.  Add garlic, salt, and pepper to the 1 C of crème fraîche.

04.  Roll out dough as thinly as possible.  Place on parchment sheet lined baking tray.  

05.  Spread Crème fraîche mixture over dough.  Top with the onions and bacon.

06.  Bake for 10 - 15 minutes at 400 - 450 degrees or until dough as begun to create bubbles and you see a nice browning.

I actually have to turn this three-parter recipe post into a four-parter.  The three other recipes I have will take up too much room, but I did save the best for last!