This was our last meal together while on holiday. I think of this as a Northern meal when in fact we spent summers clamming in North Carolina. Of course, I saved the best meal for last. I think clams might be my favorite food if I had to choose; though I hope I never have to choose a favorite food since there really are so many.

Our last evening together, I enlisted the help of my mom and dad to prepare the meal. My dad did the shucking of clams, 15 pounds in all. My mom made the chowder and helped with the Clams Casino while I prepared the Clam Fritters. Everyone else waited in anticipation as to the meal ahead while feeding the kids, dogs, fish and guinea pigs.

Clams bring back memories of summers vacationing at Ocracoke Island. Ocracoke is off the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We would rent a home on the bay and arrive armed with our trusty clam rakes, buckets and rafts for the kids to assist in gathering our meals. The girls would each have a designated bucket, one for steamers, one for clams casino, and finally the bucket to hold the large clams for chowder.

Their dad and I would rake chest deep in water, raking hard for our clams as we fought the currents. When our rakes hit a clam bed we would call out to the girls. Holding up the clams, the girls would then paddle to us to gather the catch. They would each grab clams depending on their size and call out ”casino, steamers, or chowder” in excitement.  Then the clams would drop into the bucket tied to the raft and they would paddle waiting for the next group that was to be harvested.

We clammed as much as 2-3 hours a day for our meals. I would prepare the feast in the kitchen, while they rested and napped. When they awoke they would rush to the kitchen to see what “Mom’s Clam Bar” had cooking. It was a fun ritual and the meal was most appreciated. Of course clams fresh from the waters can’t be beat. Nor can the memories that go with an experience like this.

We began our evening with Clams Casino. This almost didn’t happen, but my daughter Lindsey who doesn’t take a no lightly persisted in her request for these. This is one time I am glad she didn’t take no for an answer despite how tired we were getting. Our version of Casino consisted of of sauteed red sweet peppers and onion which was sauteed lightly in bacon fat. The bacon fat was leftover from partially cooking strips of bacon before cutting them into perfect clam size bites. After the peppers and onions were cooked for just a few minutes to soften them, we added homemade bread crumbs to the pan. In addition, I added a little butter when no one was looking.

The clams were then covered generously with the mixture and then topped with a piece of bacon before being put into the oven to broil till the bacon was crisp and the clams were hot. The broiling only took 2-3 minutes. I normally make these with green peppers but am now sold on red peppers. We were tired at the end of the day, so cheated big time by using clams that we steamed rather than shucking raw clams. They were still fantastic and this worked out rather well.

Our next course was the Clam Fritters. My knees go wobbly just thinking about how good these were. My mom and I jockeyed to see whose recipe we would use and I won. Let me tell you I was nervous having never made Clam Fritters before.  Half of the clams were going into this recipe and if they didn’t turn out; well a disappointed crowd would not have been fun. But as it turned out- a standing ovation was given to the cooks in the kitchen. We devoured these, which is why you don’t see an image of an inside of a fritter. I had all I could do to take a shot of them before they were gone.

I did change the recipe some by adding more cornmeal and flour to make the right consistency. The recipe made about 12-16 more fritters than it predicted. I also was short an egg, this worked out just fine. The only thing I would change when making these again, is that I would make sure that my stomach was empty -so I could eat more. If you don’t like clams and frankly I couldn’t begin to understand if that were the case, I imagine you could use fish, shrimp or crab in making these. In fact if you don’t like clams give these a try and you surely will be a convert.

We served these with a simple Cocktail Sauce of ketchup and horseradish along with a  Tarter Sauce of mayonnaise and chopped pickles. I fried them in batches of 6 serving- 3 a person and they were polished off with some serious oohs and ahas from the family.

The last course was a Clam Chowder made with potatoes, celery, onions, clam broth, cream, and chopped clams. We waited an hour or so following the first two courses before enjoying a warm bowl while sitting outside watching the sun go down. It was the perfect finish to our last evening together.

We all left the same time with one daughter and grandson returning to Alaska and another to Arizona. My other daughter and I drove home to Charleston safely arriving a few hours ago. Scout accompanied us and had his last swim before drying off to get in the car. He had a good time being a dog, and was grateful we weren’t going to leave him behind. A wonderful trip with wonderful memories shared with family, I miss them all already.

Clam Fritters

Adapted- James White; 50 Chowders 

4 pounds of small quahogs or large cherry-stone clams

1/2 cup water

1 cup clam broth from steamed clams

2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups stone ground cornmeal

1 tablespoon homemade baking powder

 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup whole milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

6 scallions sliced thinly

Corn or canola oil for frying

Kosher or Sea Salt

• Thoroughly wash clams, rinsing when done.
• Add water to a 4 quart pot, cover and bring to a boil. Add the clams and cover tightly.
• After 5 minutes, uncover and stir the clams. Quickly cover the pot again and cook another 5 minutes or until most of the clams have opened.
• As soon as you can remove the clams from the heat, carefully pour off the broth into a small container. Let the broth sit for 10 minutes, then carefully pour through a fine sieve.
• You should have 1 cup in all.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and pepper, stir and mix well.
• In a 1 quart saucepan, combine the milk, clam broth and butter and heat over low heat till the butter has melted and the mixture is almost hot. Do not let it boil.
• Stir the liquid into the flour mixture, and a soon as it is fairly blended, add the eggs.
• Continue to mix until the batter is almost smooth, then add the clams and scallions and mix thoroughly. Do not over-mix.
• Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Preheat an oven to 200 degrees, covering a sheet or oven proof platter with paper towel.
• The mixture should be firm enough that you can scoop it with an ice cream scoop and it will drop into the fat keeping it’s shape somewhat. Notice my fritters are somewhat round but not completely. If the batter is runny add a little more flour.
• Heat the oil to 350 degrees and when hot drop 5 to 6 scoops of the batter into the oil. keep turning to prevent browning if need be. It should take 3-4  minutes to cook each fritter all the way through if you use a medium size scoop. They should be a nice rich golden brown.
• Each fritter was about 2 inches in diameter so they are a nice size. If you want to make smaller ones, adjust the cooking time accordingly.
• Drain on paper towels and serve warm.
• These do not reheat well though you can save the batter for the next day to make again if need be.
• Also, the original recipe called for 4 eggs, so if you want to halve this do so using 2 eggs per half.

This is one of the recipes that my mom had tucked away for years waiting to be tried. She has many and I had the opportunity to browse through her folder picking and choosing what interested me. This was the first recipe I grabbed. Something about them led me to believe they might resemble a donut. I am a sucker for a good donut and have toyed with the thought of going on a nationwide search for the best donuts.

What’s stopping me? Well, I would need some spare time, and no responisibilities. I would also need a personal trainer to accompany me in order to keep the waist line from expanding. Money would also help, in this search. Perhaps when I am 70 yrs. old, footloose and fancy free I will go on a donut jaunt. In the meantime, I will keep making these. 

 The French Breakfast Puffs smelled like a fresh made donut and tasted like a donut. We ate these hours after we had breakfast. I also made a double batch and they were gone in seconds. Actually, not that quick but pretty close. These are by far best eaten soon after coming out of the oven. Preferably with a good cup of coffee to go with them.

The recipe came from a cookbook that dated back to the 1800’s. I am sure that the French influence on Southern cooking had there part in these. They will be made often in my home and I have been thinking of ways to create new flavors. We were out of all-purpose flour so had to use cake flour and the puffs were that much better for it.

Hot out of the oven the tops are dipped in melted butter then re-dipped in a cinnamon sugar mixture. The were perfect plain but imagine a little preserves wouldn’t be bad.  I need to take some time comparing them with a muffin as they were quite different. Clearly this was a puff of some sort without the suggestion of a muffin.

French Breakfast Puffs

Adapted, Virginia Cookery, Past and Present 1957

1/3 cup butter, melted

½ cup sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 ½ cups cake flour

1 ½ teaspoons homemade baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons melted butter

Beat butter, ½ cup sugar and egg till creamy and well blended.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Beat till blended after each addition.

Spoon into well greased miniature muffin pans, filling 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 14 to 16 minutes.

Remove from pan immediately.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon and mix.

Dip the muffins into the 2 tablespoons of melted butter then into the sugar.

Yields 18 to 24 muffins

My mom makes the best…………………. If I were to ask my three children they would all have a different answer as to what they think I make best. In fact, everyone of you would have a different answer, one that I would love to know if you’d like to share your answer in the comment section. Ask me about my mom and I’ll say a New York Style Cheesecake; no cracks-perfect every time. I bragged about this- not 10 days ago- when I shared some of the dishes I wanted upon my return home for the holiday.

So the time came when mom had to ante up and deliver the goods.

“Mom, it’s time I posted about a dessert. Will you make your famous cheesecake?”

“Sure, Kim.”

“Good. Let me watch you so that I know how to make a cheesecake without cracks.”

“What do you mean without cracks?” she said.

“Well mom, I bragged to everyone that you make the best cheesecake without any cracks.”

“You did what?”

“Well, your cheesecake always comes out perfect so I said no cracks. How do you do it? Can I share the secret?”

“I don’t have a secret, it just usually comes out of the oven without cracks. I have been making this cheesecake since your dad and I were first married.” (They just celebrated 57 years on Saturday). “I don’t think about, it just happens.”

“Okay, let me watch and don’t start with out telling me as I want to take pictures of the whole process.”

We finished the cheesecake and it went into the oven. The problem is, I didn’t pick up on any secret to share and I am miffed how my mom does it every time. Toasty brown cheesecake with the center slightly indented. Perfect sides and not one crack on top. We haven’t even gotten to the taste of this magnificent dessert. I can live without cheesecake mind you, but my mom’s makes me want a slice or two.

The buzzer went off and mom opened the oven. This is it, I am going to have fun being a show-off, something I haven’t done for 20 years or so. Suddenly, I hear my mother yell out from the kitchen.

“Kim! The cheesecake has a crack!”

“The cheesecake has a what?”

“A crack!”

“That’s alright, I’ll just cheat a little and take a picture of the side that doesn’t have a crack.”

“You better come here, because the cheesecake has a crack around the whole cake.”

“Oh, no! You have got to be kidding?”

Sure enough- the cake is seriously cracked and I don’t have it in me to ask my mom to make another one (minus the cracks).

My mom says, “Sorry, guess you can’t blog about this.”

“Mom, this is food blogging- like it or not, I have got to show The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.”

“You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”

“Yep! Your cheesecake is getting shown with a giant crater that circles the cake. The first cracked cheesecake you have made- and hundreds, maybe thousands are going to see it, mom!”

My tail is between my legs and I will never brag again. On a good note, it still tasted good. Actually, very good. Why this didn’t turn out is beyond me and my mother. This is a trusted recipe and somewhere, something went terribly wrong. This will go down as the most cracked cheesecake ever made in the history of our home.

If you want a New York Style Cheesecake which is a little dryer than most give this a try. My mom makes this with a number of different crusts. You will not be disappointed and you have good odds that it will not have any cracks. Just don’t brag about it until it actually comes out of the oven.

 New York Style Cheesecake

5 pkgs. (8oz) cream cheese

1 3/4 cups sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel

1 1/2 teaspoon orange peel

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

In a large bowl of electric mixer combine cheese, sugar, flour, lemon and orange peel and vanilla.

Beat high speed just to blend.

Beat in eggs and yolks one at a time.

Add cream until well combined.

Bake crust for 10 minutes.

Then add cheesecake mix and bake 10 minutes at 500 degrees, reduce to 250 degrees and bake 1 hour or until set approximately 1 hour.

Serves 16-20 people

Butter Almond Crust

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sliced almonds (not blanched)

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

Mix together working in the butter till crumbly. Press into a buttered spring form pan on the bottom and up the sides some.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes till lightly browned.

 Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cups finely chopped pecans

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 cup melted butter

6 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons strong coffee

Combine crumbs, sugar, pecans, cocoa & butter.

Press into prepared pan.

Bake 8-10 minutes 350 degree oven.

Cool completely.

Melt chocolate chips with coffee in top of double boiler over barely simmering water.

Stir till smooth.

Spread evenly over crust.

Refrigerate till chilled and set.

Pour cheesecake batter into pan and bake as instructed.

Chocolate Graham Crust

Almond Crust

New York Style Cheesecake

One of my requests upon returning to New England was making a batch of Julia Child’s Baked Beans. This is a 16 hour recipe, and with a little planning can be worked in to your schedule quite easily. We have so much noise going on here that I forgot to plan ahead of time and realized this while preparing the Brunswick Stew.

Knowing that the quick bean method would work. I quickly whipped up a batch of these and managed to have them done in half the time. Once I decided to move forward, I went rumaging around my mom’s and sister’s kitchen looking for a bean pot. I was dismayed that neither my mother nor my sister had such a pot on hand.  How can this be?  What kind of Yankee home even attempts to cook Baked Beans without a traditional bean pot?

I own a bean pot and wouldn’t attempt to make Baked Beans without it, but my pot is at home and not one of the items from my kitchen that I felt compelled to bring along with me on the trip. I improvised, doing the quick bean prep method of bringing them to a boil in water for 2 minutes and then letting them sit covered for an hour, then baking in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven.

By the time I got back from the grocery store with the rest of the ingredients the hour was up and they would soon be ready to go into a low oven 250-300 degrees for a good 7-8 hours. They came out wonderful, though I must tell you a real bean pot with the narrow base and top with the wide middle does make a difference.

At the grocery store I found sliced pork belly that looked to good to pass up so used this instead of salt pork. I like a lot of molasses and find Julia Child’s recipe shy on the quantities, so I increased it from 3 Tablespoons to 1/2 cup. I always feel self-conscious changing her ingredients. With the thoughts, Who am I to tweak one of her recipes?  But half way through I knew the molasses needed to be increased and went for it.  I do this every time I make her Baked Beans, as if it is the first time I tweak this element of her instructions and got away with not following her lead.

It always pays off and the result is a nutty, rich bean full of flavor and taste. I could have eaten the whole bowl and was not alone in this thought. We polished this off the first night and wanted more the next day. I did not make a double batch and was sorry. Keep in mind we ate these Baked Beans with the Brunswick Stew, Southern Cornmeal Muffins and a side of Cole Slaw. This was one of the best meals, and riveled the Lobster/Clam Bake we had over the weekend.

The nice thing about these even though I am fond of giving them a stir every half an hour is that you can make them in a crock-pot and end up with a dish to remember.  There has been so much mention of Rancho Gordo beans and will next time plan to use these. This is another of those dishes that is on the money, though I imagine a fine heirloom bean would send it over the top.

Julia Child’s 16- 8 Hour Baked Beans, adapted

1 pound small dried white beans

5 cups water

6 oz. diced salt pork or pork belly

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup finely sliced onions

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup dark molasses

2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Rinse beans and remove any debris.
• Cover with water and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.
• Turn off and let sit for one hour.
• In a bean pot or dutch  till translucent.
• Then add garlic and cook for a minute or two.
• Drain the beans and reserve the liquid.
• Add the beans and the remaining ingredients along with 4 cups of the bean water, saving the remainder liquid to add if needed.
• Cover and bake in a 300 degree oven for 6-8 hours stirring every hour or so.

When you start with the beans and for the first 5-7 hours they will still be white. Then during the last hour or so, they take on the rich deep dark color and flavor of the molasses and other ingredients. Serve warm and enjoy.

Please note, that dispite the Yankee origin of this recipe they can be enjoyed by Southerners as well. This is most defineately is a dish worth crossing the Mason-Dixon line to feast on.

I have been planning on making my favorite Brunswick Stew for a while now and knew my dad would help with the barbecuing. First off, this is not a dish for the impatient as it takes a good 9 hours to make. Is it worth it?  You bet.

On the other hand is this post worth the 9 hours it took to create it? God, I hope so. You see living out in the country, high speed Internet is not an option. I have had to tweak my sister’s computer to have all the gear and gadgets I need to create a post. Finally, a quiet moment presents itself, and I sit down to finish my writing. This opportunity lasted all but 2 minutes when the computer shut down and wouldn’t let me back on.  Not back on the Internet or your site for that matter; it just wouldn’t let me get back on my site.

Trying to fix the problem while sitting a foot away from two guinea pigs playing around in their cage, loudly munching  on their food was hard enough when suddenly my sister’s dogs came in the room to wrestle. This is a sight and a sound as Kyle is a 100-pound retriever with a head as big as a moose and Princess is a 10-pound daschund. They are wrestling over a stuffed toy fox, and Kyle seems to be winning while Princess’s feet are a mere 1-2 feet off the ground and she is being spun in a circle going from airborne to ground and back again. She won’t give in and this romping goes from my room to the hall and back again around my chair as they bump into me.

These are just the noises and disruptions from the animal kingdom. I am not even going to mention the human disruption and noise. The animals can’t read, but the humans can. I will say no more.

So, all in all this dish is so worth it, which is why I am not pushing the delete post button that is tempting me at the present moment. I am persevering to deliver to you the real McCoy of Brunswick Stews. A fewq months back I wrote “Is there a squirrel in my Brunswick Stew?”, you can read this humorous post if you want to learn of another simpler version. This is how much I care and want to share this gem as I know a few of you have 9 hours to prepare a meal. The redeeming factor is that this recipe yields 12 quarts - enough to make it worthwhile.

And of course, my joking about the squirrel in the Brunswick Stew finally caught up with me. It seems that the family, spear-headed by my Salmon- bonking daughter D, have been conspiring to surprise me since Saturday’s arrival.

The story goes like this. They were in search of a squirrel to deliver to me for the feast on Wednesday. My daughter D texted my sister H today and said, “the squirrel is en route.” My sister came home from work with a brown paper sack and said, “I brought you a surprise from Walt’s butcher shop. I stopped to get something for dad and you won’t believe what they had for $6.95 a pound. They had one left and it was a pound and a half-er!”

“What did you get me,” I asked?

“Open it and see.”

Well the trusting mom and sister that I am, I began to open the bag when I felt something was not right.

I screamed and ran away from the table, saying “did you really buy this or was it road kill?”

This brought hysterical laughter which brought on my spastic squirrel dance. The spastic squirrel dance is similar to my spastic snake dance. My feet and arms uncontrollably thrash and flail in the air while I try to get far away from the thing that is causing me to freak out. Not only did they laugh at my reaction, my daughter M took a series of photos of my movements. “Too funny!” they say. “Put those on the post.”

Now, I wouldn’t mind you seeing the spastic feet in the air episode of my squirrel dance if I were thinner. But, seeing that I am a woman with her priorities in order, I’ll leave you to your own imagination, which actually in hindsight could be worse than the real deal.

Enough of their pranks. Let’s get to the heart of the matter - Brunswick Stew and not just any Brunswick Stew. This recipe is the real McCoy in my book. Pretty bold for a Yankee to say, especially one who hasn’t eaten her way up and down the Southern states in search of the real thing. But some things you just know. Like when a meal or dish can’t get any better. This is one of those. 

This version of Brunswick Stew is a lot of work and requires a big pot, as it makes 12 quarts. Yes, this is not a typo error. Don’t halve it as it needs to be made when you have a big group. The balance freezes well and you will be grateful for leftovers. Serve this with my cornmeal muffins and some coleslaw and you will have a crew of happy campers at your table. This is one of those meals where you force yourself to have seconds when you know there is no room.

For some reason I was craving some good old fashioned homemade baked beans to go with this stew. I will post the recipe for the best baked beans I have ever made. The recipe I chose is an adaption of Julia Child’s baked bean recipe. It was a perfect match and even though 100% Yankee food, it was a match made in Heaven.

I have had this photocopied recipe for over 20 years. My copy has the word Atlanta at the bottom of the page, so I am thinking it must be from the Atlanta Journal/Constitution or Atlanta Magazine. Researching proved unsuccessful as to the source of the recipe.  This is an adaption of the original recipe and for someone who is not a big saver, I have had this tucked away for safe keeping knowing that I will return to it again and again. Now that I have had my grilling lesson from Dad, I feel confident to fix the pork roast.

Brunswick Stew

1 baking hen 2-3 pounds

1 4-6 pork butt

3 tablespoons of Spice Rub

3 pounds lean ground beef

chicken stock (from hen)

4-5 cups cut corn from the cob

1 46-oz tomato juice

12 oz ketchup

4 oz white vinegar

2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

6 oz Worcestershire sauce

4 oz soy sauce

1 heaping tablespoon dry mustard

1 heaping tablespoon chili powder

1 heaping teaspoon thyme

8 dashes Tabasco or hot sauce

• Boil a baking hen and its giblets in 2 quarts water, until quite done (2-3 hours,) reserving the stock for later. When done, set aside to cool and remove meat from bones. Grind in a food processor and grind to a coarse consistency.
• Pre-heat your grill outside and set to slow coals to about 250-275.
• Cut diagonal slashes criss-crossing the pork butt and rub the Spice mixture over it.
• Set the pork butt in a cast iron pan or another pan that will withstand the heat for at least 6 hours. Roast for 2 hours then begin to brush with the barbecue sauce (see recipe below), basting every 1/2 hour till the last hour. At this point you will add equal amounts of ketchup to the barbecue sauce and baste 3-4 times for the last hour. You want the meat to fall off the bone. Set aside to cool. Pull meat off of bones, and grind in a food processor to a coarse consistency.
•  Mince the garlic and chop the onion.
• Brown the ground beef in a large pot and when almost done, add the garlic and onions till they soften.
• Then add the remainder of the ingredients and enough chicken stock to make a stew like consistency. (It will be thick so don’t worry.)
• Save the chicken stock to add to it if needed.
• I added 1 cup of the leftover barbecue sauce to this on a whim and it worked out.
• Simmer for 2-3 hours till the flavors have a chance to develop.
• Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Barbecue Sauce

8 oz soy sauce

8 oz Worcestershire Sauce

6 oz vinegar

2 oz lemon juice

6 oz orange juice concentrate

1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder

1 heaping teaspoon black pepper

2 heaping tablespoon brown sugar

1 heaping tablespoon dry mustard

8 dashes Tabasco or hot sauce.

• Combine and mix thoroughly. 
• Use this to baste the meat about 2 hours into cooking.
• Keep basting every 30 minutes or so.
• When meat is almost done about the last hour, add equal amounts of ketchup to the sauce and baste every 20 minutes.
• Don’t add the ketchup sooner or it will burn. 

This is the salad that I have been thinking about for over 2 years. Why I didn’t ask my mom for this recipe all this time is beyond me. Then again,  it’s sometimes best to leave certain foods that conjure up fond memories to those that made it. My mom made this at our last visit and I loved it. It is a simple dish that is delicious beyond words. The kind of food that leaves you speechless.

This is the second time I have been left speechless today, the first time was when my family plotted to surprise me with a squirrel that they pretended to buy from the Gourmet Market in Old Lyme. They had me going and the story will be shared later this week. Once I recovered from the dead squirrel prank, which was instigated by my sister H and my fish bonking daughter D, I was ready for this salad.

The stuffed lettuce leaves can be savored as a salad or as an appetizer served by itself.  I like it best served on a bed of field greens with a Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette.  It is a simple rustic dish to make - my favorite kind of food. You can use mozzarella or any other cheese that you think would grill well. The addition of prosciutto would also go well with this, added to the romaine leaves before rolling.

Get your grill nice and hot. Ours registered 625 degrees. The flames from the olive oil were bright red and active, making it look as if the stuffed leaves would become charred and ruined. They weren’t and the charring gave a taste of welcome nuttiness to the romaine, though I did have a moment or two when I thought my dad’s grilling skills had vanished. Just as I was thinking, “Where is the garden hose to put this out,” he said, don’t worry they are coming out just perfect. This was in light of my mom peering out the kitchen window saying, “Bob are you watching them? The fire looks too hot!”

It only takes about 1 minute per side to heat though, just enough for the goat cheese to be soft and run a little. I like it burnt, so I grabbed an extra charcoaled roll.

It was better than I had remembered and I won’t wait to have this again till my next visit. I enjoyed watching my mom prepare it special just for me. The rest of the family enjoyed my request and there wasn’t a bit of salad left. Some things are just worth waiting for, and this was one of those dishes.

When I said “trust me you have to try this,” I mean it. This is one of those dishes. You will not be sorry and be sure to let me know what kind of cheese or filling you are going to try. I think I might try this with the addition of figs in the center when they come in season.

Grilled Goat Cheese in Romaine Lettuce

Adapted from some unknown source in 1988

8 large romaine lettuce leaves

1 large log of goat cheese cut into 8 equal slices

8 large basil leaves

For the dressing:

2 cup of olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon chopped shallot

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Field greens, enough for 8 salad plates

• Steam the lettuce leaves until pliable, set aside.
• Place a basil leaf on a romaine lettuce leaf that has been spread out.
• Top with 1/8th of the goat cheese.
• Roll up from the bottom of the leaf, turning in the sides as you go along
• Layer all 8 of the goat cheese rolls in 1 cup of the olive oil and the chopped basil, marinate for 1 hour.
• When making the dressing mix the remainder of the ingredients and set aside to chill.
• When it is time to grill, pre-heat to medium heat.
• Remove the goat cheese rolls from the olive oil and set on a tray.
• Add the olive oil and chopped basil to the salad dressing and mix.
• Grill for about 1 minute on each side being careful as you turn.
• Divide the lettuce among 8 plates and drizzle with the dressing.
• When stuffed leaves are done, place one on each salad platter and serve immediately.

For the Grits:

1/2 stick butter

1/2 quart whipping cream

3 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 cups of grits

For the Shrimp:

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 stick butter

1 quart barbecue sauce

4 ounces shredded cheese

To make the grits: In a small saucepan, place all ingredients except grits. Bring to a boil. Add the grits and turn off the heat. Stir occasionally, uncovered.

To make the shrimp: Saute shrimp in butter until pink. Add barbecue sauce and bring to desired temperature.

Pour the grits in an ovenproof dish. Pour barbecue shrimp over grits. Sprinkle cheese over the top lightly to cover. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted. Makes 4 servings.

This recipe as in all the shrimp and grits recipes are courtesy of Ann Burger’s October 2000 article for the Charleston Post & Courier.

We arrived safely at our destination: Connecticut. After making the decision to drive straight through, our time of arrival was 1 a.m. It was a 17-hour trip, but we managed to avoid all but a hour snafu during rush hour around DC. We were exhausted, but an ice coffee perked us up and we made it all the way safely.

After a good night’s sleep I was woken by the fresh smell of hot coffee and blueberry muffins courtesy of my mom.  In fact as I sauntered into the kitchen to say hello  (my parents were asleep when we arrived,) my mother was taking the muffins out of the oven. This is a recipe she has had for awhile and it came from Jordan Marsh which used to be a department store in New England. The recipe will be shared in a few days.

As promised my daughter D arrived with 2 huge wild salmon she and her husband J caught less than a week ago on the Copper River. She brought this along with 10 lbs. of rhubarb that came from her garden. This, my dear friends, was the makings of our first dinner together.

My mom fixed her special spice rub and my dad prepared the fish, grilled of course. It was done to perfection and salmon caught from the wilds of Alaska is delicious. The fish was gutted, be-headed and be-tailed of course. Dad prepared the fish by cutting diagonal slices all the way to the bone on both sides. Then, he  sprinkled a generous amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar finished off with a good dose (a few tablespoons) of the grill mixture they use for a lot of their food. This was done about 1/2 hour before grilling.

The grill was set to medium high preheating so that it was nice and hot. The salmon was grilled for about 12 minutes on each side. We tested by gently flaking with a fork to see if they were ready. The salmon was moist and flaky with a richness that you don’t taste from the store-bought variety. Alaskan salmon caught fresh has a deep salmon color to the flesh, with a lot of flavor. We actually have leftovers and are going to make Salmon Croquettes on Monday.

Hearing how they catch the fish is a trip and my daughter D is a good -good -sport and helps out. J catches the fish and she bops them on the head to knock them out.

This year D and J fished a week earlier than usual, and it was slim pickings. No luck with a fishing pole, but J had the sense to get a permit ahead of time for dip net fishing. After a dry spell and due to the high winds which made standing on the side of the river next to impossible, they tied themselves to a tree so that they wouldn’t fall in. Strong winds made net fishing extremely difficult this year.  J caught a few salmon, they both cleaned and gutted them (thank goodness) and were kind enough to share their hard work with us.

Spice Rub Mixture

2 teaspoons of each of the following spices: kosher salt, celery seed, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion pepper, garlic powder, dry mustard, fennel seeds, hungarian paprika, oregano, sage, thyme, coriander. Mix together and use on fish, chicken, beef and pork.

It took me a day or two to recouperate, not only from the drive but the move before I left. Having to download a program to edit my photos has taken more time than I’d like. I am still trying to figure out how to edit the pictures and I should have it done about the time I head home. So I am behind in posting. We have a big crew here with a few toddlers in the bunch so meals are a big production.

Tonight we are having Salmon Croquettes along with the Lemon Glazed Sweet Potatoes and Corn Pudding that I recently made. After this Southern meal we are moving straight into Yankee food. I did have a preview with Creamed Chip Beef for Breakfast the other morning.

My parents live in an attached cottage, I ate Chipped Beef at their home, then an hour later tried some at my sister’s to compare. Just a ploy to get seconds of one of my favorites. It worked, no one was the wiser even though we do not run out of food around here.

Give the rub a try and if you have the chance befriend someone who has some good bopping skills in Alaska.

My daughter M and I are driving up North to Connecticut today; to the lovely town of Old Lyme.  We are going to spend 2 weeks with my family. My other daughters D and L are flying in from Alaska and Phoenix with my precious grandsons W and L for two weeks as well. We will be staying crammed in my sister H’s home who she shares with her husband E and their two daughters M and O. My parents known as mom and dad live in an attached guest cottage. My sister and her family have two dogs. Scout is coming on the trip also.

Confused yet? I know I am.

At this point if you are still reading you are probably asking yourself, I think it’s about time I left this odd site. But don’t go yet. I want to give you a little teaser of what’s to come, food wise. Because my family cooks, and I mean cooks, we will eat well. With at least 12 people on hand for dinner, it is going to be a trip at the dinner table. No one, and I mean no one has a chance to get a word in edgewise around this crew.

Here is a preview of the possible highlights in store for you and me. Especially me because I am going to eat my fill and not think of the consequences. Yes there will be consequences, I don’t think I could walk enough to counteract the food I will be consuming.

1. First off, expect the sequel to “Is there a Squirrel in my Brunswick Stew”. We will be using the premo of all recipes for this Southern stew. It is unlike any other recipe and requires a master grill-er. This is where dad comes in. He is a pro. More to come on his skills. The other reason for the sequel is my sister H has a dog Kyle who is young and fast. She also has a miniature dog named Princess. We don’t expect Princess to be of much help but I figure between Kyle and Scout, we have a better chance of catching some squirrels for the stew just to keep it real Southern.
2. Jewish Rye Bread; the real thing folks. My dad is also a master baker, he is so talented. For years he tried to create this recipe without luck. A chance encounter with a Jewish baker lead him to the secret. I am going to share it along with the recipe. My dad bakes bread ever day or so, store bought has never had a place in my home, so lots of bread coming.
3. Grilled Goat cheese stuffed lettuce courtesy of my mom. She made this two years ago at my last visit, and I am still dreaming about this. Easy to make and mouth watering beyond words. Go mom!
4. A good old fashioned New England Clam Bake live from New England of course. Always a meal when we get together, get ready to drool because we are having the real McCoy. Whoops, wrong side of the Mason Dixon line. Lobsters fresh from the chilly waters of New England specifically Maine, steamers, corn, potatoes and coleslaw.
5. Rhubarb flown in on Alaska Air from my daughter D’s garden. For those that don’t know it, the Russians are rumored to have brought this to Alaska where it grows best. It should be ready to pick right before D gets on the plane, she has been instructed to bring a suitcase full. Lot’s of rhubarb coming. FYI, Alaska grows the best rhubarb.
6. Also, from D by way of Alaska, wild salmon that they caught themselves. It is a trip hearing the story of how they get their salmon once a year. D has become a real pioneer lady and a good sport. She bikes ten miles each way to work every day towing my grandson with her.
7. Clams clams and more clams. Clams are on my top ten. So, we will have clams casino, steamed clams and clam chowder and more……..
8. Ice cream of the day. Bringing my ice cream maker and will feature a flavor of the day if I can keep up with it.
9. Southern Barbecue; yes I am putting my young 81 yr old dad to work and we are going to give a hand at some barbecue.
10. Beach Donuts: this brings back memories of my childhood as we made a day trip on weekends to get our fill of the best donuts you will ever have. They are only open in the summer and be prepared to drool.
11. My mom makes the best New York Style Cheesecake, no cracks perfect every time.
12. Are you full yet? I know you are thinking two weeks, there can’t be more food, but hold on. I left room for surprises.

Along with my focus of getting the foods I grew up with and adore, I will be bringing my Southern supplies, rustling up some Southern food to show off my new found skills and love of Southern food. To my surprise the family has already requested a few meals.

I will be posting every day, as a means to stay sane.

A word of warning though. Should my writing style change, it is only a temporary set back and I will be normal once again upon my return home.  Please note my daughter M is in charge of making sure I take any meds that I might need to get through two weeks. I don’t drink, so meds are my only option in situations like this.

I am sure that I am not the only one that loves their family and yet at the same time wonders how on earth did they every come out of their home alive and resonably sane?

Somehow I always do and find my self yearning for the next visit.

Hitting the road, see you all in a couple of days.

Wish us safe driving.

With peach season in full swing in the Low country, my mind is churning with recipe ideas. The churning lead me to a Peach Cobbler which was pure heaven last week. This was quickly followed by Peach Ice Cream. So, armed with my new ice cream maker and a little knowledge/experience, I set out to make the perfect Peach Ice Cream. What I got instead was a creamy concoction studded with frozen peach puree that would send the toughest of ice cream chewers to the dentist thrashing in pain. Those that survived the tooth freeze would find themselves rushing to the store to buy toothpicks.

In spite of my good intentions and limited wisdom, this was one of those mornings when I proceeded with a recipe and the process of ice cream making- ignoring my better judgement. That my friends was a recipe for disaster. The first error occurred when I filled my ice cream maker to the top. Now I know enough that when ice cream is churned it will expand. I also know that if it doesn’t have a place to expand it will overflow. Even with this knowledge at my finger tips, I chose to fill the maker to the top. This was cleary the cooks error, the following errors were those of the cookbook author which will go un-named.

I had a big, I mean big mess to clean-up. Half way in the process I had to stop the churning as my repeated attempts to catch the overflow failed. I scooped out a rather large quantity reserving it for the second batch in order for proper expansion to occur. I turn the machine back on, knowing that I am minutes away from a creamy delight- chock full of freshly picked peaches to add to the pleasure.

While I am waiting for the ice cream to freeze, I start thinking about the recipe I chose to follow in spite of my better judgement. Really, how could I possibly know better than a well-known cookbook author and TV personality? Frankly, that is a good question. Or a better question is, do cookbook authors really test all of their recipes. Because if they did, they would have the occasion to discover some mighty big flaws.

Now I know what you are thinking, I read the recipe wrong, or I messed up. But this was one of those times, when I knew the recipe was flawed from the beginning and I went ahead anyway.

So here is what I see as the serious errors and the ultimate demise of my beloved Peach Ice Cream that was doomed from the start.

• The recipe did not call for any sugar. Huh, did I read it right? Yep, no sugar with a quart of heavy cream, ginger and peaches. My peaches are sweet, but clearly not sweet enough. Oh, well …………..knows best.
• Puree half the peaches and add to the cream mixture before freezing in the maker. Aren’t the peaches going to absorb a lot of liquid and become crystallized and frozen rather than luscious? Shouldn’t I gently fold this into the mixture when the ice cream is done or almost done?
• Here is the kicker of all errors- Add 4 cups of diced peaches to the cream mixture and freeze in maker. Shouldn’t and I mean shouldn’t I do this at the end? Isn’t the paddle of the maker going to beat the peaches into something I don’t want to sink my teeth into?

This recipe so needed sugar and it was unrealistic expecting the peaches to be enough of a  natural sweetener. Of course the peach puree gathered crystals and moisture which gave the ice cream a frozen icy texture rather than a creamy texture. Sort of Italian ice meets creamy ice cream with not a lot of flavor.

Here is where the ice cream was destined for the garbage disposal. Instead of an ice cream with nice chunks of fresh peaches, the churn whipped my peaches into shreds. Shredded ice cream is the pits. In fact of all kitchen screw-ups I have ever had, this takes the cake as there is nothing worse than frozen shreds.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t fix this. I kicked myself from one end of the kitchen to the other, knowing that my better judgement said- to not add the peaches till the ice cream was frozen gently folding them in before serving.

Here is why frozen shreds are so horrible. If I chose to serve the husband a bowl of ice cream it would have to come with a few toothpicks so that he could get the stringy frozen peach shreds out of his teeth. I know this for sure as I took 3 bites of the ice cream and franticly searched for a toothpick. This is a killer, as I don’t have toothpicks in the house. If I did they would be used for holding something together, not picking at your teeth. Though in my desperation, I considered doing something not very lady like, as in picking my teeth with a toothpick.

I grew up on Emily Post, yes manners were a virtue in my day and age, my mom taught me well. I searched high and low and can’t find out how she would handle this problem and if indeed toothpicks would be okay in case of an emergency, such as ice cream with peach shreds.

Three cups of peach shreds and down the garbage disposal it went. I know the picture doesn’t show the shreds, that is because I attempted my first food cover-up.  The food walk of shame is tough, I debated even sharing this disaster. Ultimately, I owe it to my readers to share the good the bad and the horrible.

Please note that David’s vanilla ice cream is a winner. This is not the recipe I used. It will be the recipe I use when I attempt to make Peach Ice Cream again. The only good thing in the recipe I used was the addition of ginger, it was a nice addition to the peaches.

Peach Ice Cream

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

6 pounds peaches, peeled and chopped (10 cups)

3 cups of heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean split in half lengthwise

pinch of salt

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon ground ginger

• Place half of the peaches and puree them.
• Pour one cup of the cream into a medium saucepan, add sugar and salt.
• Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the saucepan and add the pod to the pot.
• Warm over medium heat till the sugar is dissolved.
• Off the heat add the remaining 2 cups of cream and vanilla extract.
• Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
• When ready to put into the ice cream maker, remove the pod.
• Freeze according to maker directions.
• When churned and nice and thick fold in the peach puree then remaining peache chunks.
• Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

I don’t think you can get a good vanilla ice cream flavor without using a vanilla bean. I liked the addition of the ginger with this recipe, just a hint of it to accent the peaches.