Welcome to our newsprint table, esteemed readers. Today's broad question springs from one of you, who wrote of favorite foods at her Sunday School class's monthly brunch. Those who belong to a similar circle of friends would call such meals something nobler than "potluck," as if perhaps there were a taste of the divine in the meal.
This request is for you, if you are part of a regular or semi-regular group where people bring whatever they want and it turns into a fine combination. What do you bring? What dish did someone else bring, so tasty that the rest of you begged for the recipe?
Jane HenegarAnd there are still requests from last year, to wit: gluten-free zucchini cornbread, Copper Kettle orange tea, homemade dark chocolate candy made with coconut palm sugar.
BARBECUE SAUCES
Herein continues the barbecue sauce recipe thread.
From Carolyn Eisenman of Fort Oglethorpe via a friend from Tarboro, North Carolina, came this Eastern North Carolina version of a vinegar-based sauce.
"We always loved to go to barbecues at Clyde's home. He would order hushpuppy mix from NC and as fast as he could fry them, we would all be sure to eat them. It's a wonder we had any left to have with our meal."
We asked, "How about those hushpuppies to accompany well-sauced meat?" Ms. Eisenman found a link to Atkinsonmilling.com, where you can order their Hushpuppy Mix with Onions, and take it from there.
Clyde's Spicy North Carolina-Style Barbecue Sauce
4 cups dark apple cider vinegar (5 percent acidity)
3/4 cup ketchup
4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 teaspoons salt
Bring all ingredients to a boil on top of stove. Boil a minute or two. Remove from heat. Use as desired. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. It will keep for several months. This is great for chicken, pork, beef, etc.
You may barbecue your meat on the grill or in the oven. When grilling, it is better to put the meat on first and cook for a few minutes on both sides before basting with the sauce, so the meat won't burn or get a charred look.
Linda Morris of Lookout Mountain added the tasty twist of a mayonnaise-based barbecue sauce.
"The past two weeks there seems to be a focus on barbecue sauce this brings to mind a wonderful recipe: White Barbecue Sauce. I first had it in Alabama at Big Bob Gibson's. He also bottles it and it is available in most grocery stores. I also had it later in the North Georgia mountains. This sauce is delicious on ALL grilled meats, not only barbecue."
White Barbecue Sauce
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons black pepper (see note)
2 tablespoons salt
6 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons white sugar
Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Keep refrigerated.
Note: I cut back some on the black pepper, but that's just my taste. I would advise to taste as you mix.
As I have read and reread the varied barbecue sauces readers have sent, I am reminded that homemade sauce would be a fine gift. Have any of you done this?
BREAD AND BACON
Last week Martha Eaves shared a couple of recipes that she has prepared for her monthly Sunday School brunch at First Baptist Church. "It's most definitely potluck and a great place to try new recipes." Someone recently brought Bacon Bites, a recipe that originated in Southern Living. Ms. Eaves reported, "The breadsticks are available at Publix and might be found in other stores. The breadsticks are really thin and very delicate, requiring an ultra-gentle touch when wrapping the bacon around them. I broke several, but I used them anyway. Nobody seemed to notice."
Bacon Bites
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
22 bacon slices
22 very thin breadsticks (from a 3.5-ounce package)
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Spread brown sugar in a large shallow pan or bowl (not in the baking pan).
Wrap 1 bacon slice around each breadstick, starting at one end of the breadstick and barely overlapping the bacon in a slightly spiral/diagonal pattern.
Roll the bacon-covered breadsticks in the brown sugar, pressing to adhere.
(At this point, you can cover and refrigerate overnight, if desired.)
Place breadsticks on large, foil-covered baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until bacon is cooked through and almost crisp, 35 to 40 minutes. (Watch the progress of the bacon bites. If they are cooking too fast on the bottom, roll them over so that they can caramelize evenly.)
Immediately remove the warm sticks from baking sheet, and place on wax paper. (If you don't remove them immediately, they will superglue themselves to the foil.)
Cool to room temperature.
These may be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
POUND CAKE
As promised, here is another pound cake from Janice Hixson, who drew it from a cookbook compiled by Jimmie Ruth Wilson of Soddy-Daisy. (Experienced pound cakers know that beaten egg whites are gently folded into batter. And though Ms. Wilson's recipe doesn't specify, you might want to check other recipes for instructions.)
Sour Cream Pound Cake
6 eggs, separated
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
Beat egg whites until stiff; set aside. Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer, and add egg yolks, 2 at a time. Add baking soda and sour cream. Add flour, 1 cup at a time. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Mix well. Add stiffly beaten egg whites.
Grease and flour a tube pan (or use Pam with flour). Pour cake batter into tube pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick after 1 hour and 30 minutes. Let cool in pan about 10 minutes before turning onto cake plate. Cover while still warm. This helps to keep the cake moist.
Thus "desserted," we will clear the table and hungrily consider the next gathering. Will you join the rest of us, please?
REQUESTS
* Favorite potluck foods
* Gluten-free zucchini cornbread
* Copper Kettle orange tea
* Homemade dark chocolate candy
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.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
E-mail: chattfare@gmail.com