Biscuits and Gravy

By Ciara Cox

For the Biscuits:
2 ¼ cups flour
¾ tsp salt   
1 tsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup butter, very cold
1 cup milk, very cold

For the Gravy:
1 pound ground sausage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2-3 cups milk

1.  Preheat oven to 450° with a pizza stone in the oven (can also use a baking sheet with parchment paper).  Place flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in bowl and mix together.
2.  Cut butter into small pieces and add to flour mixture. Mix together and use a pastry cutter to make the pieces about the size of a pea. (Can also use a food processor for this step.)
Add the cold milk to the flour and butter. Toss together gently until barely combined.
3.  As soon as the dough holds together, turn it out on a lightly floured counter. Gently "knead" the dough a few strokes until it forms a ball. (Make sure you do not knead it for too long or the butter will get soft. You need cold butter to make the biscuits flaky!)
4.  Roll the dough into a rectangle 1/2-3/4 inch thick, depending on how tall you like your biscuits. Cut into 2 inch circles (I use a glass cup and it works great). Place on pre-heated pizza stone.
5.  Bake at 450° for 8-10 minutes.
6.  For the gravy:  preheat a large pan to medium heat. Add the sausage and break it up into crumbles. While it is cooking, season with salt and pepper. Once the sausage is finished cooking, add the flour and mix to combine.
7.  Slowly add 2 cups of milk while stirring. Bring to a low boil and stir occasionally. If the gravy is too thick, add more milk. (If too thin, add more flour.) Serve over your fresh biscuits and enjoy!

Overnight Whole Wheat Pancakes

Mike Malloy

Yeast-raised pancakes are more tender and flavorful than ordinary pancakes, and if you use the overnight method, it’s not time-consuming at all.  It just takes a few minutes to mix up the night before, and then in the morning, all you do is heat up a pan or griddle and cook them. 

Makes 12-15 medium-sized pancakes.  

Ingredients:

1 tsp (half a package) active dry yeast

2 TB water

2 cups whole wheat flour (we use organic sprouted flour)

1 ½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 cups buttermilk

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 TB melted butter

1 TB honey

2 cups blueberries (optional)

The night before:

In a small bowl, pour yeast into water and let stand a few minutes.

Measure dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir to blend.  (Make sure the bowl is large enough for the batter to rise overnight.  We used a 2 ½ qt Pyrex bowl.)

Add yeast mixture, buttermilk, eggs, butter and honey to dry ingredients and whisk to combine. 

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning:

For fluffier pancakes, you can take the pancake batter out of the refrigerator and let stand for half an hour or so.  This lets the yeast warm up and become more active. 

Add butter to pan or griddle and heat. 

Rinse berries, if using, and pat dry with paper towels, then stir into batter.

When pan is hot, pour in 1/4-1/3 cup batter per pancake and cook until bubbles form on the top and burst.  Flip each pancake and continue to cook until brown on both sides.

Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Southern Buttermilk Cornbread

By Dorothea Malloy

Cast iron is traditional for southern cornbread.  It gives the bread a crispier bottom crust, as does adding hot, melted butter to the batter before baking.

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

4 cups stone-ground corn meal

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar or honey (optional)

8 TB buttermilk powder

2 cups water (or use 2 cups buttermilk instead of the buttermilk powder and water)

2 eggs

1.       Place the butter in a large cast iron skillet put in the oven.  Turn the oven to 400 degrees.

2.       While the oven is heating, mix all the dry ingredients together.  Add the eggs and water or buttermilk and mix thoroughly.

3.       When butter is melted, remove the pan from the oven and pour it into the batter, stirring it in. 

4.       Pour the batter into the hot pan and return to the oven.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once if it is browning unevenly.  Remove when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Dried Fruit Cake

By Dorothea Malloy

This recipe is based on my mother’s fruitcake, which in turn was based on her mother’s applesauce cake.  I added some whole wheat flour and replaced the candied fruit with dried fruit.

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 cups unsweetened applesauce

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups unbleached white flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp allspice

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup raisins

½ cup dried apricots, chopped

½ cup dates, chopped

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup dried cherries, blueberries, or other dried fruit

2 cups pecans, roughly chopped

Bourbon, rum, or brandy

Aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and cheesecloth for wrapping cakes

1.      .Place the dried raisins and other fruits in a bowl and cover with water.  Let soak for an hour or two.  Drain.

2.       Cream butter and sugar.  Add applesauce and mix well.

3.       Stir together flour, salt, salt and spices.  Add gradually to applesauce mixture while mixing.

4.       Mix in dissolved baking soda and vanilla.  Add fruit and pecans and mix well.

5.       Pour batter into three greased or non-stick 8.5 inch loaf pans.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

6.       Cool in the pans on a wire rack until cakes shrink a little away from the sides.  Remove from the pans and leave on the rack until completely cool.

7.       Tear off a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to cover one cake.  Cut a piece of cheesecloth large enough to wrap around the cake.   Place the cheesecloth on a plate and saturate it with the liquor.  Wrap the cheesecloth around the cake.  Cover the cake in plastic wrap, and then in aluminum foil, sealing the edges.  Repeat with the other two cakes.

8.       Store cakes in a cool place or in the refrigerator for four to six weeks.  Once a week, unwrap the cakes and add more liquor.

Dorothea's Minestrone Soup

When Michael and I were in Rome in 1976, all of our meals were served in a restaurant.  They served a Minestrone soup that I absolutely loved, and I have never found a recipe to exactly match it.  This is my best approximation of that soup. Makes 6-8 servings.

Ingredients:

1 TB olive oil
2 cups mixed finely chopped vegetables: celery, sweet onions, carrots, and yellow squash (light on the carrots)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 qt carton unsalted chicken stock
1 tsp Italian seasonings, ground, or 2 tsp if not ground
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp sea salt
1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup shell-shaped pasta
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
chopped fresh basil leaves

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot.
2. Add chopped vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft.
3. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
4. Add diced tomatoes with juice, chicken stock, and seasonings, pepper, and salt.
5. Simmer for 10 minutes.*
6. Bring to a boil and add pasta.  Cook for five minutes.
7. Reduce to a simmer, add drained and rinsed beans, and cook five minutes longer.
8. Check seasonings.
9. Spoon into bowls and top each with grated Parmesan and chopped basil leaves.

*To prep ahead, remove the soup from the heat at this point and cool.  Store in the refrigerator or freezer.  When ready to use, begin with step 6.

Individual Stuffed Meatloaves Preparation

I decided to make Mom's Individual Stuffed Meatloaves for Dad's birthday, which we are celebrating next week. Since it's been years since I made them before, I wanted to try the recipe once before doing it for a crowd.  Besides, the recipe is a little inexact on the amounts of filling ingredients to use.  Sean took pictures of the process, which are posted below.

Mike's Bavarian Cream

by Mike Malloy

Mike learned from a Facebook post that his dad's favorite dessert is Bavarian Cream, so he wanted to make it for him on his 85th birthday.  He decided to make some changes to his mom's recipe, here, and this was the result.  Everyone loved it, especially Dad!

serves 8

Ingredients:

2 envelopes gelatin (2 TB)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

4 egg yolks

2 1/2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

3/8 cup sugar

4 TB Creme de Cocoa (this is Dad's favorite, but brandy works also)

Directions:

1. Heat water to boiling in a double boiler. Meanwhile, mix together gelatin, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, then add milk and whisk together.

2. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to medium and combine the milk mixture with the gelatin mixture in the top of the double boiler. Cook, stirring constantly, about eight minutes. Do not let the mixture boil. (If you overheat, it will curdle.)

3. When the mixture coats the back of a spoon, remove it from the heat.  (If it curdled, pour through a sieve to remove the solids.) Transfer it to the refrigerator and chill to egg white consistency. You can put it in a pan full of ice and cold water to speed this step. 

4. Whip the cream with the 3/8 cup sugar. Fold in the chilled gelatin mixture and the Creme de Cocoa. Pour into a quart-size bowl or 8 half-cup serving dishes and chill until firm.