Good morning, celebratory cooking companions. We begin with requests on a topic that will probably make you weep: Onions.
Questions came from A.E., a frequent correspondent full of questions. “First, I want to know the real difference, if any, between white and yellow onions and shallots. Should I keep shallots on hand? How about leeks?
“Secondly, we just love onions at this house, but not everybody loves them raw in salads and on burgers. I am looking for recipes for cooking onions of any kind.”
F.G., who confesses to reading more about cooking than actually practicing it, had this thought when remembering his family’s Christmas favorites.
“I don’t think there is anything that we make especially for Christmas, but one year we were adventurous and did the turducken, which was in the paper.” Mr. G. offered no opinion of turducken — a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck stuffed into a deboned turkey — but if you have an opinion or recipe, please share.
ROYAL REQUEST
He continued, “One thing I have enjoyed is Prince William’s Cake, which the prince wanted at his wedding. This recipe is from the BBC. You can find digestive biscuits at Publix on the international aisle.”
Prince William’s Cake
8 ounces digestive biscuits
5 ounces milk chocolate
5 ounces dark chocolate
3 1/2 ounces unsalted butter
5 ounces golden syrup
3 1/2 ounces dried apricots, chopped
2 1/2 ounces raisins
2 ounces pecans, chopped (optional)
Use cling film to line an 8-inch square-shaped tin. Leave extra cling film hanging over the sides.
Bash the biscuits into pieces using a rolling pin; put them in a plastic bag first so they don’t go everywhere
Melt chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally.
Remove the bowl from the heat, and stir in the broken biscuits, apricots, raisins and pecans.
Spoon the mixture into the tin. Level the surface by pressing it down with a potato masher.
Leave to cool, then put the chocolate mixture in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours to set.
Turn out the cake, and peel off the cling film. Cut the cake into 12 squares and enjoy.
FAMILY FAVORITE
Thank you for keeping on sending, Suzann Helber, “another family favorite, Fantastic Meatballs.”
Fantastic Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (ground chuck, 80/20 suggested)
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 can (4 1/2 ounces) water chestnuts, rinsed and finely chopped (dice the water chestnuts; don’t mince)
In a large bowl, mix well all ingredients. Form into balls about the size of a small walnut, and place on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Since cooking will yield grease, put meatballs on paper towels and transfer to Dutch oven or crock pot. Serve with your choice of sauce.
Two sauces for the meatballs follow. Always use Heinz sauces as ingredients, says Ms. Helber. Both of these sauces have a 12-ounce bottle of Heinz chili sauce as the base.
Currant Jelly Sauce
1 (12-ounce) bottle chili sauce
1 (6-ounce) jar currant jelly
In a saucepan, heat both ingredients. Pour over meatballs.
Cranberry Sauce
1 large can jellied cranberries
1 (12-ounce) bottle chili sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Heat ingredients in a saucepan. When warm, pour over meatballs.
TWO FOR THE SEASON
Here are a couple of season-specific recipes from “A Floured Hand Up” from the Northside Neighborhood House, a single-ring treasure that was compiled by some of our city’s best cooks.
Beef Tenderloin Par Excellence
4 pounds beef tenderloin
Salt
Cracked black pepper
3 cloves garlic
1/2 stick butter
Bring tenderloin to room temperature. Salt and pepper the meat. Crush garlic into butter, making a paste. Spread garlic butter mixture over top of tenderloin. Bake uncovered at 500 degrees for 22 minutes. Remove from oven, and wrap in foil. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Hint: This is so simple, but follow directions. The meat continues to cook during the resting 20 minutes.
Cranberry Apple Casserole
3 cups peeled apples, chopped
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
3 (1 5/8-ounce) packages instant cinnamon and spice flavored oatmeal
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
Toss apples and cranberries with 2 tablespoons flour. Add sugar, and mix well.
Place in a 2-quart casserole. Combine remaining ingredients, stir well and spoon over fruit mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
THOUGHTS ON BREAKFAST
On a recent wandering desktop tour of favorite local foodies, I sampled a home breakfast bar, from Bob Bires’ family cookbook. For many of us, there will be more leisurely late wintertime breakfasts than the much-too-frequent-protein-bar-on-the-run. So Mr. Bires offered all kinds of help.
› Eggs like heat, and pretty high heat at that. Whether you are scrambling or frying eggs, it is the heat that is the key to their not sticking. Every stove is different, of course, but for ours, we scramble and fry eggs at 7 ½, the exact medium-high setting.
› Homemade hash browns and home fries are easier than you think. The first key is a couple of tablespoons of oil at medium-high heat. When you’re ready to add your shredded or diced potatoes, the second key is don’t mess with them. Stovetop potatoes need to sit unbothered in order to form their crunch and crust. So, instead of stirring them all the time, when it comes time to flip them (which shouldn’t happen more than a few times), put a plate over the pan and invert them and slide the uncooked side back into the pan. You may want to do this several times and may need to add a little more oil to get that crispy crust. A few onions at the start sure wouldn’t hurt. If you want to make home fries, which imply larger pieces of potato, boil the potatoes first until nearly tender, then peel and cut them into large cubes. Everything else is the same as hash browns.
› Hash: This is also the same technique you would use to make any kind of hash, except that you would use chunks of cooked meat (or finely chopped corned beef) and some kind of binding sauce/gravy with the potatoes.
› Restaurant riffs: The Egg McMuffin concept, itself a bastardization of eggs Benedict, is really pretty easy to put together if you have some toast or English muffin, ham or bacon, an egg over medium or firm, and a bit of grated or sliced cheese.
Similarly, try the Cracker Barrel recipe where you get a small glass and cut out the center of a piece of bread and grill the bread (and the cut-out center separately) in a skillet over medium-high heat after cracking an egg in the center. It’s a taste treat featured prominently in the movie “V for Vendetta,” if you want to watch how it’s done.
› Yankee variations: Yankees, especially New Englanders, have figured out some things about breakfast that we haven’t down here in the South. Here are three that come to mind. First, sliced tomatoes are superb with an egg breakfast. Second, baked beans also complement an egg breakfast nicely. And finally, if you make or buy muffins for breakfast, cut them in half, butter the cut side and grill them at the same medium-high heat. They will taste incredible.
These breakfast-based paragraphs are a good ending for today’s column, as they are designed to spark creativity in the reader. So go right ahead and spark, and I will watch for you next Wednesday.
REQUESTS
— Differences in, recipes for onions
— Turducken opinions, recipes
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, and know we cannot test the recipes printed here.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Email: chattfare@gmail.com
Jane Henegar