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Pink Fluff…

ED3E9926-A38A-4138-85CF-C2BA010C2FCDI made some Pink Fluff. From the cradle to the grave, for any occasion, Pink Fluff seems to bring colorful cheer or soothing comfort.  Baby Showers, Wedding Teas or Bereavement food- Pink Fluff can adapt to the occasion. We Southerners do love our color coordination- Pink Fluff can become Blue Cloud, Orange Whip, Puffy Cherry, Apricot Dreams or pale yellow Pineapple Pillow. Pastel Perfection. It’s been said, if the girl’s dress matches the punch- chances are she’s a bridesmaid; if her sash or corsage matches the Fluff, she’s in the bridal party.  Groomsmen even get in on the act- wearing color coordinated ties, cumberbunds (pronounced- cum-bah-buns in the South) or at the very least the boutonnieres match the punch and fluff. Tough guys might not admit it, though as one recipe exclaimed – Pink Fluff – but men love it! 

B8F21724-9E24-412A-9ED9-705C06ECCDDABaby Showers may offer Blue Cloud if the baby is a boy, Easter Dinners might have several colors of fluff to match the décor of Dyed Eggs, Easter Bunny Ribbons or Egg Hunting Children’s Attire. Young ladies- wait, who am I kidding? Ladies of all ages do love Pink Teas and Luncheons with Petit Fours, Colorful Punch, Tea Sandwiches and Table Linens in a profusion of pink cloud perfection; always Pink Fluff has a starring role on the luncheon plate, as a light or frozen fruit salad.

BD94623B-0D98-4AFF-AD6F-601FF7AA5C04As light as angel wings, Pink Fluff seems entirely appropriate as Funeral Food- really…it’s the perfect thing- easy to digest, soothing and cool. The dearly departed would love knowing her family is enjoying the heavenly concoction – Pink Fluff.  I am proud to say, I know ladies who still think to include this light and tender dish to bereaved families. I combined several recipes to make mine. 71FC1F79-7954-4018-9C23-F09442231FE7

The old ones relied on sugar preserved fruit, whipped cream, cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. The newer ones rely on dry sweetened gelatin, non-dairy whipped topping, cottage cheese, canned pineapple or pie filling and often included miniature marshmallows, chopped pecans. Best of all, when the season begins to warm and the air is tender but thick with humidity, no cooking is required for light and sweet Fluff.

Camellia’s Pink Fluff 

In a large bowl, mix Jello and non-dairy Whipped Topping. Thoroughly combine. Add one container of small curd Cottage Cheese. Blend in Strawberry Pie Filling and a large can of Crushed Pineapple with juice. Blend well. Refrgerate until ready to serve. Keep for days chilled! Serves a crowd. 2AE0A37E-D759-426E-9CA1-1E0F806EC6C5

*To change out flavors, use different pie fillings or fruit- for instance Blueberry Pie Filling and Berry Blue gelatin will make a wonderful rendition of Blue Cloud. Lemon Pie Filling, Mandarin Oranges and Orange Gelatin transform into a wonderful Orange Whip Cherry Pie Filling and Maraschino Cherries with chopped Pecans is another classic rendition of Pink Fluff . Fluff may be frozen and served using an ice cream scoop.**Don’t knock any Fluff, Dream Whip or Cloud until you try it!

If you know how to make Pink Fluff – I strongly suspect you were born and raised in the South. If you recognize Orange Whip or Blue Cloud – you’ve lived in the South long enough, attended various occasions where this mid century delight, in all of it’s various forms has been served .

As light as angel wings, Pink Fluff defies culinary category- Is it a congealed salad or is it a decadent dessert? Some use it as a dessert – As one Church Hen from the excellent cookbook – ‘The Church Ladies’ Divine Desserts’ said – ‘It’s a sin to tell a lie, but if you need a last minute dessert that looks as if it took you hours to make, you should try this one.’ Mrs. Nuntiata Buck’s* version is called Cherry Fluff.  Several other versions include Pink Fluff in the Salads sections of their Cookbooks with the admonition- ‘Substitute flavors  of gelatin for a variety of taste and to match color schemes’

Many congealed salads, from Tomato Aspic to Apricot Dream are found in old Southern cookbooks. Though Christopher Columbus is credited with bringing Lettuce Seed to the New World and Thomas Jefferson popularized Lettuce Salads in Early Spring- Southerners simply could not keep fresh lettuce chilled throughout the year especially in warm weather- so Fruit based, cool Congealed concoctions were thought to be essential at mealtime in our hot and humid environs, where fruit abounds to such a degree that fruit was preserved, jellied, dried and even made into wine. Serving fruit at mealtimes was an essential part of the early Southern diet. Mid-century Post War recipes for sweet fruit salads are found in abundance, as commercially made gelatin became widely available and refrigeration was possible, the recipes became more numerous and refined.CD3EE6DF-7AEB-4893-8660-DF3EB073C7D0

I made Pink Fluff. It’s for a children’s party but it could just as easily have been made for the sick, a wedding, the sad, a bridesmaid luncheon or a tragedy. These last few weeks have brought relief, sadness, sickness and even light and airy happiness to our own sweet cottage door- perhaps that’s why I chose to make Pink Fluff. There are few of life’s events where soothing food is not welcome. If you don’t know what to do or say- make a comfort food offering. To coddle and make over folks in times of sadness or at special occasions. Offering a plate of good food is either festive or restorative and I have to believe -always welcome.

Love y’all, Camellia

*A huge thanks to Lucky and JuJu for the inspiration and recipe input for Pink Fluff! *’The Church Ladies’ Divine Desserts’ written by- and compiled through the efforts of a multitude of African American Church Ladies is one of my personal treasures, you may be able to find a copy of it on Amazon.com *Frozen Pink Fluff tends to darken a bit, I think due to the sweetened condensed milk and is a wonderful alternative to ice cream. *All photographs are obviously mine.

Posted on by Camellia's Cottage · 12 Comments

Southern Macaroni and Cheese…

9DAB44D7-5A97-4F75-9591-EFAA23D66764Southern Macaroni and Cheese sits warmly quivering on a plate when it’s been scooped out with Sharp Cheddar Cheese strands as thin as guitar strings, mingled with a rustic egg Custard clinging to an absurdly small amount of round elbows of macaroni. This is the iconic comfort food of my youth- well, if you don’t count a hot bowl of buttered grits. My mother, my grandmother, my great aunts and their double first cousins all made it basically the same way. Some were busy homemakers who took care of their families, paste waxed hardwood floors, sewed draperies, our dresses and even doll clothes; others were busy working women who also found time to cook- but with an amazing affinity to cook food fit to eat. My grandmother was a busy florist who also took care of my granddaddy and her son who was a disabled veteran- there was no time and certainly no reason to mess up extra pots and pans to make a fine Béchamel Sauce when baking a dish of macaroni and cheese. Could she make fine sauces? You bet she could- and did. I recently found, written in her own beautiful hand*, a cheese sauce so delicate, it was unbelievable.

DC22850C-036B-4EED-989F-09D1789D43D3Still. Nothing so delicately wrought as a béchamel sauce fit her idea of what a big hearted  dish of common elbow macaroni and red wax rind Rat Cheese, as they called it, coarsely grated along with a seasoned custard made with fresh eggs and whole milk; apparently her folks agreed. Fresh from a hot oven Southern Macaroni and Cheese wasn’t made with a sauce- No, our family’s macaroni and cheese was fine- more than fine…mouth wateringly divine. It was a work of obscure art, barely noticed on a plate lunch- Mimi’s was a perfectly seasoned custard base with a triumphant topping of a half pound of cheese laced with a smidgen of bread crumbs if she took a notion or had the time and inclination.  7D2D1ABC-13CD-40CF-BE05-154ADD8315CB

The absurd thing about these home chefs, is that very few wrote down their wonderful but commonly served recipes. I’m always frustrated when I’ve tried to re-create the old recipes including classic Southern Macaroni and Cheese. Though, guess what? I rarely write the recipes down either! Always tweaking, trying my best to make it taste like the well remembered comfort food. And mostly I do a decent rendition of an old heirloom rendition. So much is about feel, taste, texture- the type of pan and whether it’s properly seasoned …the pan and the recipe! Maybe grandmother’s old cheese sauce recipe provided a new clue- and so did a recipe from her cousin Ruth’s basic Macaroni and Cheese- wisely bound into a family cookbook! Both jogged my memory of Mimi’s near perfect palate when it came to seasonings. The sauce had dry mustard and I certainly recall the familiar pinch of cayenne pepper!

Chef Scott Peacock recalls his own Alabama mother’s Macaroni  and Cheese; he makes note of the fact that ‘mouse cheese’ isn’t as readily available these days and  modern cheddar cheese ‘needs the addition of… dry mustard to heighten the flavor.’  Well, there you go- surely, my grandmother must have added dry mustard and cayenne pepper! All of these years…who knew what one little pinch could do? Some southerners put a bit of grated yellow onion in the custard, I prefer the tops of green onion on mine!

1FF36D60-7A5C-46C2-857E-FD0886F55FAFWe Southerners love our Plate Lunches- a Meat and Three or a Vegetable Plate which almost always includes Macaroni and Cheese prompting that old corny saying-

‘Only in the South would Macaroni and Cheese be considered a vegetable!’

Ah yes, go ahead and make fun- we can take it- because we never ate a whole plate of Mac and Cheese and called it a Meatless Meal…okay, we can’t because those green vegetables had bits of ham or Salt Pork and the Okra might be fried in Lard! The point is, we never ate just a plate of macaroni and cheese! Vegetable Plates are almost augmented with Macaroni and Cheese, Squash Casserole or Scalloped Potatoes- cheese dishes are always a hit as a side on a plate lunch. We all have childhood memories of someone, anyone who could make a meal with bits of meat, cheese and vegetables. Southern Macaroni and Cheese was considered a side dish and anyone who ate a whole rich plate of Southern Macaroni and Cheese- could bypass the emergency room and be taken straight to Johns- Rideout Funeral Home!  Rich, yes. Whole Plate of it. No. Side dish, yes! So, here goes my latest and hopefully greatest rendition of Southern Macaroni and Cheese. I’ll call it mine because I still can’t be sure it is exactly our family recipe- just as close as I can get!

9DAB44D7-5A97-4F75-9591-EFAA23D66764Camellia’s Southern Macaroni and Cheese

  • You will need: 1 – 1 1/2 cups of cooked small Elbow Macaroni (please cook it first! and please do not add more than called for!)
  • 3/4- 1 lb. of Sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated- please do not buy it pre-grated!)
  • 2 large eggs or if you’re feeling generous you can add 3,
  • 1 1/4 cup of whole milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of Dry Mustard, 1/2 teaspoon Salt and a pinch or two of Black Pepper.
  • 4 Tablespoons Melted and cooled Salted Butter (plus more butter for buttering a 9×9 glass baking dish)
  • Scant handful of Bread Crumbs – unseasoned.

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook and Drain Elbow Macaroni- don’t over drain please. Allow to cool. Butter 9×9 glass baking dish. Spread Elbow Macaroni evenly on the bottom of the baking dish. For uncooked custard base: In a mixing bowl, beat eggs slightly- add whole milk, 1/3 lb of the grated sharp cheddar cheese, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, salt and black pepper. Blend custard mixture very well. Pour custard mixture over the cooked elbow macaroni. Drizzle 4 Tablespoons of Melted Butter over all. Top with scant handful of breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, briefly, the mixture will be puffed much like a soufflé so work quickly. Top with remaining cheese- there’ll be lots of it!  Bake at 350 degrees for an additional 10 minutes or until custard is set and the topping of crumbs and cheese is melted completely. (If the macaroni and cheese seems slightly soft- no worries…it will set as it cools.) Serve immediately! Serves 4-6 generously.

2873CAD0-CD65-45A9-A209-F98D20C1257CIf doubled, this will make a nice buffet dish but should be set in a covered chafing dish to keep warm. It is good with stronger meats such as beef or ham, though most folks won’t turn it down no matter what you serve it with! A vegetable plate practically begs for it!

My grandmother’s food was a gift- and so was she! She seemed to have radar and knew when I was feeling low. The phone would ring and she would not suffer my whining, instead she would regale me with what she had been cooking. I recall one day, she had cooked a small roast beef, pale green butter peas, tiny buttered yeast rolls, a side plate of sliced tomatoes, radishes and green onions along with her beloved ‘Mac and Cheese’ and planned to take some to work with her the next day. My spirits were always lifted by her calls and her cooking. Her wit, her strength and her many talents still amaze me. I hope you’ll try Southern Macaroni and Cheese, it isn’t southern style, it’s the real deal.

Love y’all, Camellia

  • * Johns-Rideout is a famous funeral parlor in the Birmingham, Alabama area. We joked quite a bit about it, the typical southern morbid humor! ‘John’s Ride- Out’ to the cemetery- umhm
  • *Quote from Alabama born chef- Scott Peacock- is from – ‘The Gift of Southern Cooking’ by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock, page 184.  I’m always trying to improve and preserve the gift of Southern Cooking passed down to me!
  • *When the word hand was used – it is colloquial for handwriting, which was a highly prized skill- I hope it still is!
  •  * I loved making macaroni and cheese for my family, however, I must admit my children, being children- preferred the dreaded boxed macaroni with bright orange ‘cheese’. However- they’ve now embraced the wisdom of this future generation concerning great food-  They highly prize and value the Farm to Table movement, and use the freshest ingredients available in their own food.
  • In the wisdom of the past, at least one of our Founding Fathers and also an amazing American President- Thomas Jefferson, might have been the first one to record and exult in education and wrote often of fresh farmed food in his personal diaries and letters! Jefferson is also credited with popularizing Macaroni in the United States of America! He loved his life overlooking his highly prized University of Virginia. His beloved home and gardens Monticello in Virginia are still bringing lessons generations later. We’ll assume this Southern Gentleman ate Southern Macaroni and Cheese!
  • *photographs are obviously mine!
Posted on by Camellia's Cottage · 10 Comments

A Stellar Pineapple Pie…

D995DF67-165F-4B3E-B3BF-F73F72DAE62BIn a state where ‘Stars Fell on Alabama’, where the Saturn V Rocket was built and where Space Camps may be producing future aeronautical engineers and astronauts for Moon Shots, where NASCAR drivers sprung out of grease pits and musicians like Hank Williams, Jimmy Buffett and Lionel Richey became Stars- it’s not unusual for a Star to reside among us. For over 100 years the Historic Bright Star Restaurant has been earth bound in Bessemer, Alabama. Designated in 2010 as An American Classic Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation, The Bright Star is an institution in the Alabama restaurant scene. Opened by Greek immigrants in the early 1900’s not long after Philadelphia started making the iconic Cream Cheese- we Southerners embraced them both.

 

 

The Bright Star serves some of the finest food in the South- perfectly grilled steaks, delicious seafood including Greek Style Snapper, Grouper Almandine and Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp and Remoulade Sauce. By day, the Star produces vegetable plates and meat and three platters that Alabama Food Historian-  John T. Edge dubbed a ‘Working Man’s Cathedral’.  The main course food is so good, it’s easy to overlook the amazing pies they churn out every day. The Bright Star serves-

  • Lemon Icebox,
  • Chocolate and Coconut Ice Box Pies made in house and-
  •  a stellar Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie which isn’t chilled- it’s baked! It’s always called- Bright Star’s Famous Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie.

I know of no other restaurant that makes this particular pie- I love it. On my last few visits there- I tried to weasel the recipe from a few servers- ‘Well, you boil down the pineapple with some sugar…and other things’ and- ‘Oh honey I don’t know exactly, they blend cream cheese with eggs and sugar and pineapple..’ All vague, even mysterious.

Well, I knew I’d have to research it; turns out Johnny Cash’s mother baked a pineapple pie which had a double crust, and others made pineapple pies which were sort of like Chess pies with pineapple added. However, there are old southern recipes for Baked Pineapple Pies which include pineapple, cream cheese and pecans. The Bright Star’s Pineapple Pie doesn’t use pecans- it’s always had slivered almonds on top- they use these same almonds generously on their famous seafood entrees. Come to think of it- Almonds would make it more ‘Greek’ than Southern Pecans- so maybe it’s an adaptation one way or another; I simply cannot find the origin of it. I do think Bright Star uses the slivered almonds to great advantage of the overall taste of this pie. I thought I’d give the old recipes a whirl and see if I could re-create it, using almonds and adding almond extract.  I’d never be so bold to call it the famous Bright Star’s Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie…. My version is open to interpretation.  Here’s how I made:C279774E-2E20-4CB9-A0E3-C06D209A23F2

Camellia’s Stellar Pineapple Pie

  • Bake, according to directions- one Deep Dish Pie Crust. (I pressed 1/8 cup of slivered almonds into the bottom of pie crust before baking in a nine inch cake pan- which is how I prefer to make pie crust for single crust pies. ) Do not overbake. Cool.
  • In a medium saucepan- heat 2 (8oz. cans of Crushed Pineapple with Juice I used Dole® Crushed Pineapple) and 1 1/2 cups of Sugar; bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
  • Stir 1/4 cup of Cornstarch and 1 cup of Water in a small bowl, until well combined. Stir into pineapple/ sugar mixture. Stir constantly until mixture is at a low boil. Stirring constantly until very thick- do not scorch.
  • Remove Pineapple Mixture from heat and allow to stand until cooled to room temperature (barely warm).
  • Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, at medium/low speed- mix 4 oz. room temperature Cream Cheese (one half of an 8 oz. package, I used Philadelphia® Brand) with 3/4 cup of Sugar and 1/4 cup of all purpose Flour. Mix until fully combined. Add by hand, one large Egg, 1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract and 1 teaspoon of pure Almond Extract. Stir until completely combined and has a smooth creamy texture.
  • Fold cooled and thickened pineapple mixture into cream cheese/sugar and egg mixture. Gently combine and pour into cooled pie crust. *Some recipes called for putting the pineapple/sugar mixture on the bottom of the pie crust, one called for combining the two- I believe it is best to combine them- but it’s your call.
  • Top with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of Slivered Almonds.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes. Test with a toothpick in the center of pie- if it comes out clean- pie is ready- if not bake an additional 5 minutes or so.
  • Allow Pineapple Pie to cool fully. I put mine on a wire rack and then chilled for ease of slicing.  This is a rich pie. Needs no embellishment. Serves 8. Enjoy! 47CD3CF4-946C-409B-BA0C-379366C9BBF1

Despite the amount of sugar in this pie, it is not overly sweet, but it is unique in texture and taste. Again, this is an adaptation of the famous Bright Star’s Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie.  Two Crust Pineapple Pies use a filling almost exactly like the first step of this pie but are doubled- the bottom crust is partially baked, then filled and the second layer is put on top or made into a lattice pattern. Other Pineapple Pies are like Ice Box Pies and are generally no- bake mixtures.  Pineapple Pies strike me as the type of dessert that would be a refreshing compliment to almost any meal but particularly good after a seafood entrée.D995DF67-165F-4B3E-B3BF-F73F72DAE62B

Pineapple is used extensively in Southern Cooking- Upside Down Cakes, Congealed Salads, Decorating Glistening Baked Hams and a mixture of cream cheese, crushed pineapple and a bit of mayonnaise, as a filling in delicate Tea Sandwiches. Any way you slice it or crush it- Pineapple is one of my favorites! A true Star.  If you haven’t been to the Bright Star in Bessemer, Alabama, I would encourage you to go!  You will find them at http://www.brightstar.com Check out the menu and history!

Love y’all, Camellia

*Quote by John T. Edge Alabama Food Historian on page 30 of  ‘Alabama Food- Classic Dishes, Restaurants and Chefs’ – copyright 2012 Alabama Media Group

*All photographs are obviously mine. Good food, Good fun at Bright Star!

 

 

Posted on by Camellia's Cottage · 14 Comments

Mimi’s Fried Chicken…

FF937E6D-2D17-4FA3-A650-F4BBB5F6DFE5If pressed, I would have to say my first solid food was Fried Chicken- Grits don’t count, they’re not solid. When I crossed the road from babyhood, the first thing I was taught to make was Fried Chicken. A naturally timid child, learning to cut up chicken is a real confidence builder! I’ve been fryin’ chicken most of my life. I can still hear Mimi telling me to put two Fryers on her grocery list. She was particular about it too- bigger than 2-3 pounds? The Chicken would be tough. Nowadays, it’s rare to find chickens that small. When we got Mimi home from the store, if I was lucky, she’d let me help her cut them up. After removing the small organ meats and setting aside, my first task would be to find the little joint on the top of the breastbone, slide the knife along the bone on both sides and off came the Pulley Bone! Then methodically, I found joint after joint and ran the knife through being careful not ruin the skin. I loved it, had visions of becoming a world famous surgeon.  If I didn’t get caught, I would stand at the sink letting water run through the tiny two chambered chicken heart and experience the great mystery of water pouring in one chamber and out the other. Okay, it didn’t take much to entertain me! Still. Because I helped cut up the chicken, the Pulley Bone was my reward. If you don’t know what a Pulley Bone is, it’s doubtful you grew up in the South. In my research this week- without fail- every. single, person I quizzed mentioned Pulley Bones. Fighting over them, wishing on them- yet not one person said they ever got a Pulley Bone as the reward for helping cut up chickens! So, I have concluded that either someone was pulling my leg, ahem…Pulley Bone or I’m the luckiest girl alive!2D8DB691-F0B2-4DE6-9351-C1A88EAC0B0C

Fried Chicken is iconic- listed in the top 10 Sunday Dinners, Church Picnics and Funeral Foods- why? Well, it’s delicious and cheap. Most Sundays you’ll find me in the kitchen, rattlin’ around cooking Sunday Dinner- as opposed to Sunday Suppers. Last Sunday, realizing it had been a good while, I made Fried Chicken.  Most southern cooks fried chicken on Sundays, especially if the preacher was coming to the house to eat lunch- if he was long winded blessing the food- well… Fried Chicken could lay serenely on the Sideboard until he got through. The same goes for Dinner on the Ground or Church Picnics- good Fried Chicken can wait- but usually doesn’t. One friend told that every summer when her family left for the beach- they’d stop by her grandmother’s house- and out she’d come with a Shoe Box full of Fried Chicken, a snack to eat on the road- ‘It didn’t last long…’ she said. It never does.FF937E6D-2D17-4FA3-A650-F4BBB5F6DFE5

I love Fried Chicken- I eat some version of it almost every week. But what you must understand is- the Fried Chicken of my youth, didn’t come in a bucket- it was more likely piled on a platter, in brown paper sack, stowed in a picnic basket or handed around like manna after a funeral. I see lots of buckets and clinical plastic containers at any and all occasions. I love it all- yet, the truth is- Bought Fried Chicken, as we say- can’t hold a candle to real-home-cooked-in-an-iron-skillet Fried Chicken.

Mimi’s Fried Chicken was a two day affair- one for cutting up the chicken, putting it in a big bowl, then icing and salting it down (brining they call it these days), put in the refrigerator overnight ‘to draw out the impurities’. The truth is- icing and salting down the chicken pieces made Mimi’s chicken- moist on the inside and crisp on the outside- exactly the way good Fried Chicken is supposed to be. Frying Chicken commenced on the second day. I still get tickled thinking of the times sitting next to Mimi,  eating someone else’s Fried Chicken- she would discreetly nod her head to the joint end of a chicken bone- and whisper- ‘Look at that dark end, she didn’t ice that chicken down!’

Last week, I took a wild hair and decided it’d been too long since I’d actually made Fried Chicken. Now, I wouldn’t dare label my Fried Chicken as the best because every Southern family has a gold standard, a recipe or a method they like best.

  • Some soak it in buttermilk, some dip it in an egg wash- I do neither.
  • Even the ingredients are hotly contested. Salt and Black Pepper only? Or add a pinch of Cayenne? What about Paprika?
  • White Lily or Martha White, plain or self rising flour?
  • Single or Double Coat? Batter, Dip or shake in a brown paper sack?
  • Fry in Lard, Shortening or Oil? Deep Fry or Pan Fry?

Now, my research showed- those folks from the original Colonies , who migrated from Virginia…tended to soak theirs in buttermilk, those from South Carolina or Georgia tended dip the chicken in egg. And one insulting tome- said Alabama folks were so poor, they simply didn’t dip in batter at all! I hate to admit it- my ancestors must have been as pore as church mice!

I learned that families who deep fry, almost always had large farms and field hands to feed. Mimi’s recipe is over 100 years old- taught by the household cooks when she was a girl and always declared – Fit to Eat!  Skillet Frying is the way we do it.

*If there’s a secret ingredient- so common that almost no one tells you- it’s that the best fried chicken was first dipped in Self Rising Flour! No exceptions. I’ve known so many wonderful cooks in my lifetime- a detail they tend to leave out is Self Rising Flour- but all of them kept Self rising Flour on hand for the biscuits they made by the dozens. They made their dumplings and fried their chicken and country fried steak with Self Rising Flour too! If you don’t have it on hand, add a bit of fresh baking powder to plain flour.The other secret ingredient is Corn Starch, if you have it on hand use it too.

B76483F4-7E6A-4F29-8210-6C9E082E0F24Now, I’m gonna share my grandmother’s recipe, mainly because I know very few of you will actually fry chicken and those who DO- will fry it the way their own mothers and grandmothers did. Well, I’ve kept you in suspense long enough- here’s the method for –

Mimi’s Fried Chicken

  • 2 small fryers cut up (if your family prefers chicken breasts- buy bone in/skin on and cut them in half or- Smile at your butcher and ask him if he’ll do it for you!)
  • Using Kosher Salt- not Table salt- salt the chicken pieces and cover with ice- at least 4 hours or overnight.
  • Remove ice and rinse chicken. *Allow chicken to come to room temperature.
  • In a pie pan, mix together 1 1/2 cups self rising flour, 2 T. of Corn Starch, Salt and a generous amount of Black Pepper- add a pinch of Cayenne, if the preacher isn’t coming, unless he’s Pentecostal and doesn’t mind tongues of fire.
  • Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture. Lay out floured chicken pieces in single layer. When all of the chicken pieces are floured, re-dip them again shaking off excess flour.
  • In a well seasoned iron skillet, heat oil or shortening, no deeper than one inch, or half way up the chicken pieces. I use Canola Oil these days- whatever oil you use must be able to withstand high temperatures. Heat oil to 360 degrees, it will be medium high and needs to remain so throughout the cooking process.
  • Carefully slide a few pieces of chicken into the hot oil- you will know it’s hot enough by the gurgling sound- honestly, I think there’s a choir of angels who know how to gurgle like that!
  • Do not crowd the chicken pieces! Fry a few pieces at a time.
  • Allow the chicken to fry undisturbed for 8-9 minutes on one side. Turn the chicken carefully. preferably with tongs.
  •  Cover with a lid and allow to fry covered 5-6 minutes. Remove the lid, turn chicken and fry without being covered for another 5-8 minutes, turning at least once the last few minutes to insure even browning.
  • Remove chicken and drain on a brown paper sack or paper towel covered Sheet Pan. Make sure the fried chicken is in one layer until cool.
  •  Continue frying until all chicken pieces are fried- I start with the largest pieces and adjust cooking times for the smaller ones.4CA9404E-BF4C-4AF9-8C9E-9959D05F7B72

*Lest you think real fried chicken is greasy- it’s not if the oil is hot enough. I fried 18 pieces of chicken in about a cup and a half of oil, and used less than a scant half cup of oil to fry it- some of which was left on the draining paper! The chicken is done when the juices run clear- no juices? it’s overcooked!

*For Gravy: Pour off and reserve the pan drippings along with those invaluable bits of crust on the bottom of the pan. Reserve the dredging flour for gravy, I prefer to use water or chicken broth instead of milk- but it’s your call. Do not use the gravy to smother your fried chicken! Put it on rice, mashed potatoes or biscuits instead.D1CA7BEC-0D6A-447D-B07F-EE9CC38B70E6

A great piece of fried chicken looks as sturdy as a sisal rug, but is as light and flaky as a croissant. Real pan fried chicken is as rare as old lace in a hope chest. Truly home fried chicken seemed to be a Sunday tradition, a gathering of saints and sinners. The platter was handed around reverently like communion wafers or in gleeful jubilation, when all who are of one mind and one heart agree-

‘Blessed is the Creator of Chickens, Blessed are the chickens who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice for this meal, Blessed is the Cook who stood, Tongs in hand like the Baton of a Great Conductor and presided over the Culinary Equivalent of the 1812 Overture- with Skillets hotter than the Devil’s Back Doorknob, the Baptism of Flour and Fire, the Angelic Chorus of Gurgling Oil and the Cymbal Clashing Lids- and Blessed among men who walk the earth, are the Recipients of Southern Fried Chicken.’

Can I get Hallelujah Chorus? Amen and amen! Have a blessed Lord’s Day!

Love y’all, Camellia

* A big thanks to Judy, who’s one of the best cooks I know and to all of the others who contributed selflessly to the research of this article- you are the most patient of all friends! Your reward will not be Fried Chicken, it will be the re-telling of the ‘Tale of the Three legged Chicken’ by the fella who cannot get through the story without crackin’ hisself up!*A Pulley Bone is what Yankees call the Wishbone, I hope you get one of those little crisp morsels and all your wishes come true! *All photographs are obviously mine.

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Boeuf en Daube…

 

8F7D1942-7147-42E0-8767-B9246742C875If a Southern girl tries to speak French, it’s gonna come out sounding strange… so I won’t try to translate Boeuf en Daube for you… pictures speak at least a few words. My foray into my beloved cookbooks yielded some much needed therapy and also inspiration for winter cooking in a New Year that’s mostly begun in fits and starts. Oh, I had plans, if not resolutions for this, beginning our third year here at Camellia’s Cottage and also personal goals. As usual, I found myself getting sidetracked- almost everyday. For instance, an invitation … ‘Meet me at the cemetery, then we’ll go to lunch’ sounded much better than cleaning out my closet on a day that we finally had some sunshine. It’s true, in the South- we take anything death related seriously– especially funeral food and ancestor worship. And…I had read about some Europeans who are doing what we Southerners have done for years- Death Cleaning – which isn’t nearly as morbid as it sounds. It’s simple- at certain age, women start asking their heirs to pick out what they want from the family heirlooms-

  • Jewelry, Silver, China,
  • the Barbie or Madame Alexander Collection,
  • Art, Books, Furniture,
  • Photographs, Clothes- you name it.
  • With a few subtle hints- ‘Well, you know I might not be here forever.’
  • When that doesn’t work…we cook comfort food for them and drag out some treasures and dole them out.

That’s where Boeuf en Daube comes in- it’s a fancy run of words for Beef Stew- which takes 2 days if you want full flavor and uses up leftover Roast Beef in a delightfully exotic sounding way. Now, a true Boeuf en Daube is very much like Beef Bourguignon, which is also a Beef Stew with lots of red wine and spices in it. Julia Child made it a household name, though few of us could pronounce it, including me. Still. It sounded good. I’ve never made one that I liked- however, the concept of Boeuf en Daube tickles me because it really is a true, No Peek Beef Stew and those French folks mean it, their language just makes it sound nicer.

Daube can either refer to a hearty slow cooked stew usually made with beef- typically using cuts of meat that are tough unless they are cooked low and slow… OR Daube can refer to the vessel it’s cooked in- which was often a covered clay pot.

Now, really I love the Southern implication of Boeuf en Daube because those pesky Dirt Daubers we deal with here, might look like wasps but they cover themselves with a nest of tubular Clay! Nowadays most of us Human Daubers use Dutch Ovens to make our Beef Stew! The point of a Daube is to cook the stew covered. My own personal version of Boeuf en Daube uses leftover Roast Beef. The Roast has been generously salted, peppered, lightly coated with flour- seared dark brown on both sides, then cooked low and slow with root vegetables of red potatoes, carrots, onions and is seasoned with celery, garlic and maybe a few herbs. Beef Stock is added once the whole thing is under way on top of the stove and then cooked in the oven for several hours.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s served simply with a Green Salad and Garlic Bread or for Sunday, I might have Baby Green Limas, Biscuits and Gravy or Hot Buttered Corn Bread and other side dishes. For some reason I like Roast Beef best in Winter.9B7D333D-AE6D-4BD2-B28A-8F5A24D7438D

There’s usually leftover Roast Beef for Open Face Sandwiches with Gravy and a side of Mashed Potatoes. But this time – the roast was large, the beef was tender and it seemed a shame not to make a Boeuf en Daube- a Southern one, I think. I did find one similar to mine in *Jubilee!- the Junior League Cookbook of Mobile, Alabama.  Theirs was made from scratch with cubed beef, seared and seasoned with onions and carrots- no potatoes. Here’s how to make mine.8F7D1942-7147-42E0-8767-B9246742C875

Camellia’s Boeuf en Daube–

  • From the Leftover Beef Roast Pan, I removed the beef, carrots, celery and onions and cut them in bite size pieces. (I also added sliced mushrooms, since they were on hand)
  • The reserved broth was skimmed of excess fat and brought to a simmer. A slurry of 1/2 cup of water with a heaping Tablespoon of Cornstarch was added to thicken the broth.
  •  I added a bay leaf, a generous pinch of thyme, a half stick of salted butter, about 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar (I like the tang of vinegar instead of the tannin of red wine- but it’s your call), a pinch of cayenne pepper and more chopped garlic to the broth.
  • This was simmered on top of the stove until reduced to a gravy consistency. (You may not need to thicken the broth if already thickened with the Roast Beef)
  •   The beef and vegetables, along with about 1/2 cup of frozen green peas were put into an oven safe glass bowl. I removed the bay leaf from the thick broth.
  • And then… Drum roll, I topped the mixture with a single pie crust, smeared with butter, a sprinkling of salt- then cut slits in the top to vent the crust and sealed the entire thing around the rim!
  • This is indeed a Daube! A Daube can either be cooked in a covered pot OR topped with a crust that seals in the flavor.
  • Instead of low and slow, it was baked in a hot oven- mine was set at 375 degrees- for approximately one hour.

There you have it! Several New Year’s resolutions in one bowl! A money saver, more home cooked meals, cleaning out the fridge, freezer and pantry and elevating an everyday dish to something extraordinary! It was served with a mid century favorite- cling peaches stuffed with a mixture of a small amount of reserved juice, cream cheese, a bit of mayonnaise and chopped pecans on a bed of lettuce! B7707FD8-2E43-44EE-BFE1-3B0BD22F55D7

Not to get all historical on you, but Beef Bourguignon and Boeuf en Daube (without the crust) were both thought to improve in flavor if chilled overnight so the flavors could meld and then be reheated! Both would be a wonderful winter family meal, shared with new neighbors or as a bereavement dish. I hope you’ll try it- maybe yours will be a Poulet en Daube! Pot Pie, Chicken or Beef is a Southern Comfort Food anyday of the week!

Love y’all, Camellia

*photographs are obviously mine. * Jubilee! the Mobile Junior League is a classic cookbook, I found mine on Amazon.com Their recipe for Boeuf en Daube on 85th Street is a much more complex dish than I made and is sure to be delicious!