In search of Central High School's fudge pie, amaretto pie, more recipes for sea scallops

bakery background
bakery background

Today's Exchange is filled with memories. Debbie Cooper began.

"I attended Chattanooga Central High School from 1966-1969. They had the best fudge pie I have ever tried, bar none. It was chocolaty and creamy, yet firm enough to be cut. I have as of yet to find anyone who had any clue to its recipe. I would love to have it."

Ms. Cooper discovered Fare Exchange when her husband was looking for an amaretto pie recipe - and up came this column. So we will ask you also for your favorite Amaretto Pie.

Patti Waddell has been watching for sea scallops on sale so she can experiment with recipes. She explained, "I know scallops can be rubbery if overcooked, so I haven't dared try. Can your readers provide a foolproof recipe for the large sea scallops? I buy them frozen from Aldi."

We should note that Anne Braly provided a recipe for Scallops With Lemon-Butter Sauce in her Side Orders column last week. But we welcome others.

BANANA BREAD

Betty Domal wrote from Moore County. "I don't know if this is like the banana bread requested, but this is very good. It's a recipe a friend of mine got from a school cookbook. Her daughter makes it in mini loaves and sells them at our local farmers market on Fridays. I buy these and put in the freezer. When ready to serve them, I spritz lightly with water, wrap in a paper towel and microwave on high for 25-30 seconds, depending on how thick I slice it."

Banana Bread

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

3 ripe bananas (the mini-loaf saleswoman usually uses 4 1/2 very ripe ones)

2 cups all-purpose flour (you may use self-rising flour and omit the baking soda)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan very well.

Beat eggs and sugar. Add bananas, flour, salt and baking soda. Add oil last. Bake for about 1 hour.

LEGACY COOKBOOK

In the discussion of favorite regional cookbooks, Teri Purvis added one from the hardest of regions - a concentration camp. "I have so many cookbooks that tell so many stories. This one has always touched me: 'In Memory's Kitchen: A Legacy From the Women of Terezin.' This cookbook came from Lenzing, a sub-camp of the Mauthausen concentration camp, established in the fall of 1944 near the town of Vocklabruck, Austria. Its 500 forced laborers were all women, and the recipes they scribbled on any available paper were stitched into this book. Their sweet and savory memories might have fed them just enough hope to keep going."

SCRATCH CAKES

Christy Cooper's reading of the Sept. 23 recipe for Legacy Carrot Cake gave her a déjà vu moment - and sent her to the supermarket. "A little bell went off in my head. Why does this sound so familiar? I could almost picture the cake. So I dug into some of my old cookbooks and there it was, almost the same.

"It called for 2 cups of self-rising flour, instead of the 3 cups of regular flour and baking soda, and 2 cups of grated carrots instead of 3. And I always used pecans instead of walnuts. I have loved this recipe since the early '70s. I got it from a dear friend from Knoxville, who is still a dear friend."

Ms. Cooper then started thinking "old school" about baking a cake from scratch - "that particular cake in fact. So, tomorrow when I go to Publix, I'll lay in a fresh supply of pecans and some confectioners sugar and have a go."

Sure enough, cakes do hold our memories.

Last week I watched two gifted cooks make scratch cakes for the 6th birthday of a lovely child named Lula. One was a chocolate mermaid created with a recipe from Hershey's and shaped by YouTube tutorials, the other a two-layer cookie cake with rainbow sprinkle icing. How could Lula know this young that love is the main ingredient in scratch cakes, and that love isn't always easy - perhaps never?

RAW MILK

Here's some shopping information from Debbie Cooper. "The Main Street Market has raw milk vendors who have been doing so for a decade or two from great local family farms. You can most likely find them and/or others at the other local farmers markets."

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Marilyn Soehl got this recipe from Adam and Joanne Gallagher's "Inspired Taste."

Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

These green chicken enchiladas with salsa verde, chicken, sour cream, cheese and cilantro are simple to make. Salsa verde is a green tomatillo salsa made with garlic, onion and peppers. You can make it yourself or buy it from the store. Look for a salsa with medium heat.

1 teaspoon neutral-flavored oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups (16 ounces) salsa verde, store-bought or homemade

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped, plus more for serving

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup shredded Cheddar, Monterey Jack or Mexican cheese blend

6 (6-inch) flour or corn tortillas (see note)

Note: If you use corn tortillas, look for thicker tortillas since they hold up a bit better than thin. You will need to soften the corn tortillas up a bit before filling and rolling them. Frying them in a little oil softens them and enhances the corn flavor of the tortillas.

Sauce: Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, then cook garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the salsa verde and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from the heat, then stir in the sour cream and cilantro. Taste for seasoning, adjusting with salt, pepper or more sour cream if the sauce it too spicy. Set aside about 1 cup of the sauce for assembling the enchiladas.

Chicken filling: Stir the shredded chicken and half of the cheese into the sauce that has not been set aside.

To finish: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish, and spread a little reserved sauce on the bottom. Add about 1/3 cup of the chicken filling to the middle of each tortilla, and roll into a cylinder. Repeat, lining up tortillas, seam side down, tightly in the dish. Spread the reserved sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, and place in the oven. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer, until the cheese is melted. Serve with cilantro on top. Makes 4 servings.

The Gallaghers don't recommend making this recipe ahead or freezing it.

So there you have it, and thank you to all chefs, servers and guests.

REQUESTS

* Purple Pounder fudge pie

* Amaretto pie

* Sea scallops

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

Email: chattfare@gmail.com

photo Jane Henegar

Upcoming Events