By Jane Henegar
This morning, “Yeast of the Ridge” is asking for some recipes and answers for a young friend who is a beginning cook. “I told her that you could make a cake, and sometimes make it better for you, with refried beans or tomato soup or sauerkraut or baby food prunes as part of the recipe. She thought they all sounded terrible. Can you give me recipes for each of these cakes along with the sender’s actual experience that these really are delicious? I would like to prove my point.” A final request, from “J.N.,” is for small fruit tartlets easily made with refrigerated pie crust dough.
A speedy solution to the oyster cracker challenge arrived in our inbox from “Barbara,” who got the recipe from Guy Fieri and pronounced it “great with clam chowder or salads.”
Spicy Oyster Crackers
1/4 cup canola oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1 (16-ounce) package salt-free oyster crackers
Heat oven to 300 F. Mix together oil, butter and spices. Place crackers on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pour spice mixture on top and mix until well coated. Bake for 25 minutes; move crackers around gently with a spatula halfway through. Let cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, store in an airtight container.
Dainy Garland Masic of Hixson read about the request for homemade sauerkraut and hastened to reply.
Sauerkraut Made in Jars
5 pounds cabbage
31/2 tablespoons salt
Shred cabbage fine and place with salt in a large bowl. Mix well. Pack solidly in sterilized jars.
Fill the jars with cold water to within 1/2 inch of jar tops and seal tightly. Place in a dishpan or other container in case there is leakage. Sauerkraut will ferment for 3 to 4 days. While fermenting, you will notice the lids swell, so let the air out of them. You will need to check them every other day until they stop swelling. Then the fermentation is over.
Process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes, either before or after the fermentation period. It works well to wait until after fermentation to do the water bath. Sauerkraut will be ready to use in 4 to 6 weeks.
We had a recent request for amaretto pie as served at the Mount Vernon Restaurant. And since the real authentic recipe simply hasn’t presented itself over time, we are going to print a microwave version that an Ooltewah reader found to be most successful.
Amaretto Pie in the Microwave
23/4 cups milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
Dash salt
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 teaspoons almond or vanilla extract
4 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
Pecan shortbread crust (recipe follows)
Combine milk, egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar and salt in a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Stir until well mixed. Cook 3 minutes on high; stir and repeat 3 more times, for a total of 12 minutes, stopping to stir 4 times. Mixture will be thickened and will get firmer as it cools. (Note: There are some higher-power microwaves that can do the job in a total of 3 cooks and stirs. Use your judgment based on your experience with your microwave.)
Add butter, almond extract and amaretto liqueur and stir to combine. Fill cooled pecan shortbread crust with the warm filling. Chill well and top with sweetened whip cream or Cool Whip.
Pecan Shortbread Crust
1 cup pastry or all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 to 1 cup pecans
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Heat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Combine first five ingredients in a bowl. Chop nuts, but not too fine. Add nuts to the dry ingredients. Add melted butter and mix well. Press mixture evenly into the pie plate and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until it just starts to brown on the edges. Do not overbake or crust will be too hard to cut. Cool before adding filling of your choice.
Baking tip: Light-colored or glass pans work best.
Until next week…
To Reach Us
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send.
n Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750.
n E-mail: janehenegar @tvn.net
n Fax: 423-668-5092.