It’s the first Wednesday morning in 2020 as I begin writing these words, and the second Wednesday morning on which they appear before your eyes. In 2019 (remember when?) there was much to cook and there were many delights to sample. And then the calendar turned.
At our house, the holiday signposts began with the adding of placemats to the dinner table; now those spaces are bare. Somebody lights the candles for evening meals, and then we sit and visit until there is no wick left to burn. Such spent candles are signs of holidays sweetly spent.
So in 2020’s first columns there are memories to gather and reflections to ponder, and the future to turn toward.
That means attention to the first requests of 2020.
Maisie Justin is looking for a recipe for a butterscotch pie, “tasted at Christmas. It had a graham cracker crust and was served cold with whipped topping.”
The next includes five questions. You the reader, please, choose one and answer, that we might set the stage together for the year ahead.
What was the best dish you prepared in 2019?
What was the best meal you were served, and why?
What do you want to happen in your 2020 kitchen?
In addition to your neighbors in the Times-Free Press reading family, what is your most reliable source of cooking wisdom? Is it person, blog, cookbook? Tell us more …
What is your New Year’s resolution in terms of healthy eating?
DAIRY-FREE SALAD DRESSING
Some of you have become Fare-ly good friends of almost five decades, and some have given us one most welcome recipe. Clifford Burdette is one of the regulars, and today he answers the request for a dairy-free salad dressing. I tried this myself, substituting cashew milk for rice milk, and it was well received. Not too thick, just right to lightly cover a bowl of spring mix.
Homemade Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing
1 cup real mayonnaise
3 tablespoons rice milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, crushed (use the largest you can find on the clove or several small ones)
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon tarragon
2 teaspoons dried dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Add mayonnaise to a medium bowl. Whisk in the milk and lemon juice.
Stir in the crushed garlic and finely chopped onion.
Stir in the tarragon, dried dill, salt and pepper.
Taste, and add a little of whatever else you think it needs.
MINTY BROWNIES
Willow Huckabee, a holiday visitor to Chattanooga, sent her most popular Christmas giving recipe. “The recipe says this feeds 48, but that is definitely not true. Plus, you must be careful to keep the dog out of the kitchen, as dogs are not supposed to eat chocolate and our very large puppy leaped up on the countertop to devour a good many of these brownies.”
Crème de Menthe Brownies
Brownies:
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mist a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
In double boiler, melt baking chocolate and 1 cup butter over simmering water; cool slightly.
In medium mixing bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until blended, then add the 2 cups granulated sugar and continue whisking until mixture is light and fluffy.
Add cooled chocolate mixture, salt, vanilla and flour.
Keep whisking until thoroughly blended.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 25 minutes.
Remove from oven, and leave brownies to cool in pan.
Filling:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons green crème de menthe liqueur (or use green food coloring plus a dash of peppermint extract)
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the 1/2 cup butter and confectioners sugar together until well blended.
Stir in the crème de menthe, and blend well.
Spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerate in original baking pan until filling is firm.
Icing:
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Melt the chocolate chips and 6 tablespoons butter in the top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. (You can do this in the microwave; just monitor closely and stir a few times.).
Pour the warm glaze over the filling, and tilt pan to distribute the icing evenly.
Refrigerate until chocolate hardens.
To cut, allow brownies to come to room temperature in the pan so chocolate doesn’t crack.
PARTY MIX
Ms. Huckabee also sent her favorite salty snack from Christmas. “This makes a huge batch. You can vary it with whatever snacks are on sale or whatever salty things you prefer. I like to make enough to last well into January. Our grandmother used to give this to my brother for a birthday ‘cake,’ with a pillar candle in the middle of a large tin container. You can make this gluten-free as there are a lot of gluten-free substitutes for these items.”
Big Batch Party Mix
Mix:
5 cups cereals of your choice, such as Chex, Crispix, Quaker Oat Squares
5 cups pecan halves
3 cups other nuts of your choice: peanuts, cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts
5 cups crackers and snacks of your choice: Munchems, Cheez-Its, potato sticks, Gardetto snacks
2 cups any variety of pretzels
2 cups sesame sticks or chips
1 cup Combos
1 cup Bugles
1 cup oyster crackers
Put mix ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Pour over the following seasoning mixture.
Seasoning mix:
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced fine (or use garlic powder generously to taste)
Mix all ingredients, and stir. Pour over the snacks and nuts, and place in a roaster. You will probably want to do this in two batches so everything will get crisp.
Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool slightly, and make sure you have enough crunch; if not, cook another 15 minutes.
And as I scrambled around the internet looking for a last-minute recipe or two, it made me once again grateful for your text-only recipes instead of the photo- and commentary-heavy ones of the internet. You all get down to the basics, wasting no time for the busy cook.
Let’s meet back here next week, OK?
REQUESTS
* Butterscotch pie
* The best dish you prepared last year
* The best dish you were served
* Your culinary plans for 2020
* Your sources of cooking wisdom
* Your healthful eating resolutions
Jane HenegarTO 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.
* Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750.
* Email: chattfare@gmail.com
* Fax: 423-668-5092