Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin: January 2009

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Bread Puddings

Dorcas Annette Walker

Taste buds are individual and intriguing. What makes one person love one food while another hates the sight of it? The cultural background and part of the country you are raised in is a definite factor. But even within a family unit there are often different likes and dislikes of certain foods. Bread Pudding is one dish that you either love or hate and can be eaten hot or cold. To me there is something comforting and soul satisfying on a cold wintery day to pop a Bread Pudding into the oven and let its aroma fill the house.

Bread Pudding originated in the 13th century and became known as the “poor man’s pudding” due to its creation as a means of salvaging stale bread. By the 19th century Bread Pudding had become a classic Christmas dish. The bread was soaked in milk or water then sugar, butter, fruit and spices was added and the Bread Pudding was either baked or steamed. Sometimes the custard mixture was poured into a hollowed out loaf of bread and baked. The Victorian era showed the popularity of Bread Pudding by having a folk song and a Bread Pudding dance.

Today Bread Pudding is made by pouring custard over cubed bread and baking it. From humble origins it now shows up in upscale restaurants, but remains a more popular dish in the United Kingdom than here in the United States. Bread Pudding is also featured as a rich treat in trendy establishments. Portia Little, a cookbook author, has been given the title, “Bread Pudding Queen” with her collection of 1,000 recipes for Bread Pudding as a dessert or main dish ranging from chocolate and pumpkin to cranberry orange.

The possibilities for Bread Pudding are endless. One can use any kind of bread, leftover coffee cake, muffins, donuts, or even hamburger and hotdog buns. You can also add spices, cereal, nuts, fruit, marshmallows, cookie chunks or candy to a basic Bread Pudding recipe. Bread Puddings can be either steamed or baked in the oven, crock pot, microwave, grill, or on the stovetop. Even the most humble Bread Pudding can be dressed up with a variety of sauces, whipped cream, ice cream, or ice cream sauces.

Bread Pudding

Cut up six slices of bread or crusts into one inch squares and place into a 9 x 13 buttered baking dish. Then sprinkle 2 c berries (your choice) or for a Carmel pudding 1c brown sugar and 1 c raisins on top.

In a blender combine:
4 c milk
4 eggs
½ c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Whip on high until all the ingredients are blended then pour over the bread crumbs. Spread thin slices of 3 tb of margarine over the top and sprinkle on cinnamon. Bake at 350º for one hour- the first 30 minutes covered and the last 30 minutes uncovered- until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Preparation time is ten minutes and this recipe servers sixteen. Serve hot by itself or with a cream sauce!

Weekly tip: Basic cream sauce for Bread Puddings~ In a small saucepan bring to a boil stirring constantly with a Wisk: 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 stick of margarine, 1 c sugar, and 2 tb of flour. Remove from heat as soon at the mixture comes to a boil and stir in 1 tsp of vanilla!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Mountain Cookin page and blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Orange Jello Salad

Dorcas Annette Walker

Now that the holidays are over I often find myself wondering what to do with all the oranges that have accumulated from school sales and church handouts with candy Christmas Sunday. So this week I made up a batch of Orange Jello Salad using up some of my oranges. With all the colds and flu going around this is a great way to build up a vitamin C barrier against all the germs.

Oranges always bring back memories of past Christmases when every year we’d head out of the cold weather to Florida where my parent moved after I got married. I always looked forward to the warm sunshine as a welcome break in the middle of winter feasting my eyes on the green grass and flowers blooming after being surrounded by a bleak landscape. I’ll never forget the fascination my toddler daughter had when she discovered an orange for the first time. Dawn carried it around the entire time we were there smelling and playing with the round orange ball that barely fit in her tiny hands. Despite all the Christmas toys she received, Dawn always returned to play with her orange. After my mother died we went back once more to Florida during the spring to visit the hospital where she had worked for so many years giving a picture and plaque in her memory. The state seemed so empty without her presence. Even the sunshine didn’t feel as warm as before. Florida had become a strange place instead of the warm homecoming that I had always associated it with. As we were traveling back home I suddenly smelled a sweet fragrance through the open car window. Within seconds we were surrounded by blooming orange groves on either side of the interstate. Thousands of orange blossoms danced in the bright sunshine. I sat up and took a deep breath as our kids began to chatter excitedly. Our silent car came alive with laughter as everyone began sharing incidents about grandma and past holidays. I realized then that my mother would always live in our hearts. All it would take was the sight of oranges to trigger off precious memories. So every time I see an orange my heart gives a happy skip and I smile.

The first oranges grew in Asia, but now are grown in many parts of the world. Oranges grow on evergreen trees with thorny branches producing shiny dark green leathery leaves. Orange blossoms are white and very fragrant and bloom in the spring while the previous year’s oranges are still on the tree. The fruit is green before ripening and has a tough outer skin while the inside is divided into segments (usually ten) that hold seeds called pips. Some orange trees can be grown from seeds while others can only be started from cuttings. Oranges are easy to transport due to its tough skin and can be piled into heaps or carried in containers without being easily damaged. Oranges are a very good source of fiber and vitamins, especially vitamin C.

Orange Jello Salad

Stir together in a large bowl:
1 (3.4 oz) pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 (3oz) pkg of orange jello
1 (20 oz) can of crushed pineapple
Add 1 (16 oz) container of cool whip and mix thoroughly.

Peel, separate, and cut into small sections three large navel oranges. (You can substitute 1 can of mandarin oranges.)

Then fold in 1 (10.5 oz) bag of mini marshmallows. Chill and then serve. You can garnish with orange peels and curls!
Preparation time is about15 minutes and this recipe serves 20.

Weekly tip: For fruit salads use fresh fruit when in season and canned fruit out of season. You can always add cottage cheese or nuts of your choice for a healthier salad!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Million Dollar Shortbread

Dorcas Annette Walker

Want to feel like a millionaire? Then try my recipe of Million Dollar Shortbread from Scotland. Since my mother’s side is English my sister always had a hankering to take a trip over to Europe. Last year Lois got her heart’s desire when she and her husband went on a tour of Ireland. Being an avid tea drinker my sister was in seventh heaven enjoying all the teas and scones. Her husband, Ted, who prefers coffee, was not quite as enthusiastic. Among their tour group was a couple from Scotland whose husband loved to cook. My sister and this Scottish chef compared different eating cultures. Before parting he gave my sister a recipe for a Scottish favorite often used at tea time. During cold winter days this rich tasting recipe will make you feel like a millionaire.

Scotland is credited with the birthplace of shortbread that evolved from a medieval-type biscuit of a twice-baked enriched bread roll. When butter was first substituted for yeast shortbread was born. The word shortbread comes from the word shortening. Although shortbread was probably made as early as the 12th century, Mary, Queen of Scotts is attributed to its popularity. Round shortbread was cut into triangles or made into individual round biscuits or rectangular shapes known as fingers. There are many varieties of shortbread, but traditional shortbread consists of three main ingredients: flour, sugar, and butter. In the beginning shortbread was a luxury reserved for holidays or special occasions like weddings. Today shortbread is an everyday favorite and enjoyed around the world.

Some quick facts about shortbread: January 6th is National Shortbread Day, in Shetland a decorated shortbread is broken over a bride’s head before entering her new home, one specialty shortbread manufacturer will put customer’s photos on their shortbread cookies, shortbread is packaged in airtight containers (often a tin box or canister) to keep its desired crispness, and shortbread was classified as bread by bakers to avoid paying a biscuit tax.

My recipe of Million Dollar Shortbread consists of a crisp cookie layered with gooey Carmel and topped with a thin layer of chocolate that will instantly appeal to anyone with a sweet tooth. This rich indulgent treat can be eaten with a cup or hot tea or coffee, milk, or hot chocolate and makes an ideal sweet snack. Preparation time for my Million Dollar Shortbread is around twenty minutes and this recipe makes 48 triangular pieces.

Million Dollar Shortbread

Mix together and press on a greased cookie sheet:
2 sticks of real butter (melted)
½ c sugar
3 c self-rising flour
Bake at 350º for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.

While the shortbread is baking bring to a rolling boil in a small saucepan:
1 stick of real butter
1 can of condensed milk
1 c brown sugar
¼ c of light corn syrup
Lower heat and cook for ten more minutes stirring constantly until thick and Carmel colored. Pour over baked shortbread and let cool for thirty minutes.

Microwave for one minute:
½ 12 oz pkg of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Stir until runny and spread over top of firm Carmel. Let cool for fifteen minutes. Cut the shortbread into two inch squares and then in half to form a triangle. Store in an airtight container!

Weekly tip: Easy chocolate garnishes: after melting chocolate spread in a thin layer on a cookie sheet, cool, and then push a metal spatula along the edge of the firm chocolate to form curls or cut out shapes with cookie cutters and refrigerate until ready to use; dip fruit or nuts partway into melted chocolate and let harden on waxed paper; or melt chocolate in a closed zipper-style sandwich bag, snip a tiny edge off the bottom corner, and holding tightly to the top drizzle over brownies, cookies, cakes or other desserts!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Pinto Beans

Dorcas Annette Walker

I thought I’d start the New Year out with a main dish that every southerner is born and raised on. It wasn’t until I came south that I had my first taste of Pinto Beans and cornbread. I’ll have to confess that it took me awhile to appreciate this southern staple that appeared regularly at every meal my husband (the new preacher) and I were invited to. Even though I realized that Pinto Beans are nutritious, high in protein and fiber, I was puzzled by the enthusiasm this dish automatically created at the mere mention of its name. A greater shock was seeing mountain mothers’ mash up cooked Pinto Beans and feed to their infants. I began asking questions and learned that Pinto Beans was one main staple that kept folk from starvation during the Civil War and the long years that followed its massive destruction in the south.

I had thought I had grown up poor, but now I was confronted with stories of real poverty. Girls my age confessed that as a child they were so poor they didn’t own a toothbrush. They would go out into the woods and use the tender branches of a bush to clean their teeth. When I worked at the local hospital invariable during the winter months talk would start among the staff about not being able to wait until having the first taste of fresh cooked cabbage. Even young girls waxed enthusiastic. Personally I wondered what on earth was so great about cooked cabbage until I realized that after long winter months of eating only beans and cornbread fresh garden produce was indeed a cause for celebration.

While the South uses Pinto Beans up North white, navy or great northern beans are used to make bean soup. For over a century bean soup has been a traditionally featured item in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate restaurants every day. One story says that the Senate bean soup tradition began early in the 20th century at the request of Senator Fred Dubois of Idaho while another credits Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota in 1903.

My Pinto Bean recipe can be adapted for cooking in a crock pot as well as on the stove. Pinto Beans and cornbread make an excellent nourishing winter meal. You can find my southern cornbread recipe on my Creative Mountain Cookin blog. The secret to good southern Pinto Beans is slow cooking. You can adjust how soupy or thick you want your beans to be by cooking longer or adding more water. My Pinto Beans takes at least four hours of cooking time- it can be left simmering on the stove all day long- and this recipe serves eighteen. Leftovers can be frozen for another day.

Pinto Beans

Soak a 32 oz bag of pinto beans overnight in a large bowl of water. Rinse beans and put into a large kettle.

Add:
meaty hambone or hunk of pork fat (fat back)
one large onion chopped
1 tb salt
1 tsp baking soda
Fill the kettle with water and bring to a rolling boil. Turn the heat down to maintain a slow boil and cook for four hours stirring frequently. Serve hot with cornbread and onions!

Weekly tip: You can thicken soups by adding a couple tablespoons of oatmeal, instant potatoes, barley, or rice when cooking, which also adds richness and flavor!