Macaroni Pie

 

Last week in a Facebook post, Nathalie Dupree mentioned making macaroni pie for supper. She posted a picture and it looked like a bowl full of comfort. She happened to mention that it was in one of her cookbooks, one that I own, so I dug it out and gave this recipe a try.  It is easy to put together, hearty, and full of cheesy goodness. If you have a busy day ahead (and who doesn’t?) you can make it early in the day and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake. Serve it with a green salad, crusty roll, and a glass of white wine.

Macaroni Pie

From Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking by Nathalie Dupree

 3 c. cooked and drained spaghetti (macaroni)
4 T. butter, melted
4 large eggs, beaten to mix
3 c. milk
1½ t. Dijon mustard
2 t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 t. cayenne, optional
1 pound sharp Cheddar or Gruyère cheese, grated

 Preheat oven to 350°F.

 Roughly cut the cooked spaghetti into 3-inch pieces and toss with half the butter. Lightly whisk the eggs with the milk in a large bowl.

 Add the mustard, salt, peppers, and half the cheese. Put half the spaghetti into a greased 3-quart baking dish, sprinkle with cheese to cover and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Ladle on half the egg/cheese mixture, top with the rest of the spaghetti. Ladle on the remainder of the mixture and enough cheese and the remaining butter to cover the top. If the dish is deep, it may not need all the cheese.

 Move to the preheated oven. If the dish is less than three inches deep, bake for 30 minutes; if deeper, bake for about 45 minutes. Check and reduce the heat 25 degrees if the cheese is browning too much or the custard is bubbling. Cover lightly with foil and continue to cook until a fork inserted in the custard comes out clean and the top is golden brown, up to 40 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the baking dish.

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Love, Welcome, Serve: Recipes That Gather and Give, Reviewed

I don't know what it is about Southern women and church ladies, but they really seem to know what they're doing when it comes to serving up a good meal. Amy Nelson Hannon, author of the new book Love, Welcome, Serve: Recipes That Gather and Give is both of these things -- Southern, and the wife of a preacher for more than 20 years, so she knows good cooking. She is also the owner of Euna Mae's one-of-a-kind kitchen boutique in Northwest Arkansas. Hannon, who feels strongly about hospitality, believes that cooking for people makes them feel cared for, and with this book, you can care for people in deliciously fine fashion!

A beautiful volume full of stunning photos and taste tempting recipes, it is unique, in part, because of the interesting division of these recipes. Let me explain. Sections are divided up as follows:

Bites That Welcome
Pickled, Tossed, and Chilled
Meats, Mains, and Sturdy Soups
Comforts and Casseroles
Serve Alongsides
Sweet tea, Sauces, and Such
For the Love of Sweets

Aren’t these the most engaging chapter titles? When I'm looking for comfort food in a cookbook, I’m often forced to endlessly page through in search of comfort. Here, Hannon has made it simple by allowing comfort its own chapter. I like that. Similarly, if a side dish is what you’re seeking, just turn to that chapter. In addition you’ll find helpful sections on gratitude, and another on recipes for homemade items that you can make to give.

The beginning features helpful sections on things such as what ingredients will yield the best results in cooking (for example real lemon juice, not the bottled stuff), what constitutes a well-equipped kitchen, and what you will need to have the definitive well-stocked pantry.

(I am making this for Thanksgiving. I’ll report!)

Being a southern cookbook, there are recipes I come to expect, and I wasn't let down. You will find Fried Green Tomatoes (with Zesty Cream Sauce), Roasted Red Pepper Pimiento Cheese, as well as one of my favorites, Shrimp and Grits. The Smoked Pulled Pork had my mouth watering, as did the Pork Tenderloin with Parmesan Garlic Cream. The Salmon Croquettes with Cajun Alfredo Angel Hair Pasta is on my list to make next week.

The Comfort Food section offers up Cottage Pie with Puff Pastry (It looks phenomenal!), as well as Creamy Baked Spinach Ravioli, both of which are in my future.

My guess is that there is not a recipe in this book that you aren’t going to want to try; simply paging through had me ready to head to the kitchen.

This is a wonderfully engaging book with each recipe fronted by a comment from the author, easy-to-read lists of ingredients, concise instructions, and mouth-watering photographs. Equally appropriate for the novice cook or for the seasoned veteran like me, everything here is sure to please. Treat yourself or a friend, or treat yourself and a friend. This is a must-have.

This post contains affiliate links.

Angel Biscuits

I read a lot of Southern literature from the Anne George Southern Sisters mysteries, to Fannie Flagg's humorous narratives, to Michael Lee West's fiction and memoirs, to Martha Hall Foose's charming cookbooks.  It seems that, in any type of southern writing, there is often the mention of Angel Biscuits.  I'd not heard of Angel Biscuits until I started reading these books, but the mouth-watering descriptions of sweet tea and biscuits with fresh jam served in a relaxing porch atmosphere with a view of the bayou finally got to me and I had to try them.

The addition of yeast in the dough is what makes this biscuit recipe different and lighter than most.  Picture a yeast roll in biscuit clothing and you'll get the idea.  Unique in both taste and texture, they are suitable for use as both a breakfast biscuit or a dinner roll.  An added plus is that they must be made ahead. I love that in a recipe, don't you?  The one I tried is from King Arthur Flour -- a fabulous catalog company the likes of which has often been known to make bakers weak at the knees.  You can find it on their website with loads of informative step-by-step pictures here, or use the directions (sans photos) that I've written out below.

Angel Biscuits
Recipe from King Arthur Flour

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into pats
1 cup room-temperature milk
2 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing on top

Whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the shortening, mixing till evenly crumbly. Add the butter, mixing till roughly combined. Pea-sized bits of butter can remain. Add the milk, mixing till just combined. The dough will be quite wet.

Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface, and quickly and gently pat it into a 7" diameter, 1"-thick circle. Use a 2" round biscuit cutter to cut 16 biscuits. Place them close together on a lightly floured or parchment-lined tray or baking sheet. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or the cover of your choice, and allow the biscuits to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. After an hour, cover the biscuits with plastic wrap, and place the pan in the freezer for at least 1 hour. Overnight is fine. Alternatively, biscuits can be frozen up to 2 months.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the biscuits form the freezer, remove the plastic, and space them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the biscuits for 16 to 18 minutes, till they're golden brown. Remove from the oven, and brush with melted butter, if desired.

Yield: 16 biscuits.

This post is linked to:
Foodie Friday
Foodie Friday @ Little Brick Ranch
Food on Friday
Friday Favorites
Friday Fat Camp

Banana Pudding

Winner of both the James Beard Award for American Cooking and the Southern Independent Booksellers Award, gifted chef and storyteller Martha Hall Foose is well deserving. A Mississippi Delta cook who studied in France she is the author of one of my favorite cookbooks of the year in Screen Doors and Sweet Tea. A delightful collection of sumptuous recipes and southern charm, she writes reverently of her family and growing up in the Mississippi delta, juxtaposing these stories, tips, and asides with mouthwatering recipes that want to make you head to the kitchen immediately, which is precisely what I did!


The only recipe for which I had every ingredient was the Banana Pudding, and since I'd last had banana pudding as a child, I figured making it was long overdue. According to the book, Foose "...made this meringue-topped banana pudding for Oprah and her best friend, Gayle. Gayle like[d] hers warm...and she ate two helpings. The demure Miss Winfrey had a single serving."


What makes this recipe so much fun is that it is made in individual containers, namely small Mason jars. Each pudding is topped with meringue, and while I'm no expert, my meringues came out just beautifully. The pudding is rich and creamy, redolent of banana, and loaded with comfort in the form of vanilla wafers. It's but one of the many recipes I intend to share with you in this blog. This is the easiest, so I thought I'd start here.


(Much to my delight, I recently learned that Foose has another book coming out, A Southerly Course: Recipes and Stories from Close to Home. This title will be released on April 12, 2011. I can't wait!)

BANANA PUDDING

from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose

INGREDIENTS

For the pudding:

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup cake flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large egg yolks

2 cups whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean split or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Freshly grated nutmeg

1/2-inch piece of cinnamon stick

Quality vanilla wafer cookies

4 medium bananas, peeled and sliced

For the topping:

4 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

For the pudding:

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, bring 2 inches of water to a boil. In a large stainless steel bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in the egg yolks, and then the milk, vanilla bean, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Place the bowl over the pan of water and cook, stirring until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Remove the cinnamon and vanilla bean. If using vanilla extract, stir it in now.

While the pudding is still warm, layer the cookies, bananas, and pudding in 1/2-pint canning jars or ramekins.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

For the topping:

Whip the egg whites in an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and slowly increase the speed as the egg whites become opaque. Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the vanilla extract. Whip until the whites form a soft peak. Spoon the meringue over the warm puddings, sealing it to the sides of the jars.

Bake the puddings for 4 minutes, or until the meringue is puffed and brown. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes, and then refrigerate for 2 hours, or until you can’t stand it anymore.

Makes 8 servings