Sunday Dinner
Well, I mentioned that I was feeling a bit nostalgic,
missing my family and the food from my past. Sometimes the cravings are so overwhelming;
I simply can’t concentrate on anything else.
So, this time I caved, I tried to recreate a typical Sunday dinner at my
grandmothers. I loved spending time at
my grandmother’s house, especially when she was cooking, which back then was
all the time. No instant dinners, no microwaves, everything was made from
scratch, with the exception of boxed caked mixes for “unannounced” guests. Granted it was a lifetime ago compared to
what’s available these days, pre-made/ready-to-serve meals delivered to your
door, and she lived in the country, so almost everything was fresh from her
garden or a nearby neighbor’s farm. Mama D would go to Rada’s farm every week
for fresh milk and eggs; she grew most of her vegetables and “put up” canned
veggies and preserves for the winter. It’s funny, for the first half of my
life; I would only eat Mama D’s home-canned green beans. She sent home jars,
and jars of them with my mom for me.
When my mom ran out of them, she would try to sneak a store-bought can,
but I knew they were not my Mama D’s.
With just one bite, I would look at my mom and say, “These are not Mama
D’s!” My mom Ann would reply with a resounding “Yes they are. How would you
know the difference?” Taking that as a
challenge, I would get up from the table, walk to the trashcan under the sink
and dig through the trash until I found the can. Then pulling the empty can and
raising high above my head, I would boast, “See, I told you they weren’t Mama
D’s – I know Mama D’s green beans.” I was generally a good kid, always polite,
watched my manners, and rarely talked back, but I am sure that I frustrated my
mom when it came to green beans. Well
enough about my veggie issues, back to the subject of today’s blog.
Our Sunday dinner was good - not perfection, but it was good
– definitely solid comfort food! This was my first attempt at making two of the
four dishes. I relish my husband’s comments when he told me, “You know the old
saying, if you’re having a dinner party, never serve a dish without trying it
out first. Now you’ve tried and you can tweak it for next time.” I was
slightly disappointed with the results. (As you will read down the page) I
followed the directions to a tee, and still not quite as picture perfect as
shown online. I sort of blame the Food Network, the celebrity chefs make it
look so easy and always fabulous, I keep forgetting they have sous chefs,
stylists, and magical video equipment, and I have... me!
This was a traditional Sunday dinner like my grandmother
prepared for us. The menu: Fresh Picnic
Ham, Au Gratin Potatoes, Slow-Cooked Green Beans, and for dessert, Homemade
Blackberry Cobbler. Compared to my
grandmother’s talents, it was close, but certainly not her caliber, but
none-the-less, we enjoyed it.
First up – the Fresh Picnic Ham
I used one of my culinary idols recipes, Ham in Cola (the proper English title
structure), by Nigella Lawson. With my southern roots, we called it Co-cola
Ham. Coke is a southern staple... so many dishes featuring this liquid
addiction: Coke Baked Beans, Coke BBQ Sauce and the most famous, Coca-Cola
Cake. It is really a simple recipe and has all the ideal components for a
delicious dish. I thought I brought the
ham up to room temperature before beginning, but when we went to carve it, it
was still a little rare in the center. So next time I would cook just a tad
longer and check the core temperature. Yes, I know I should have, but was so
anxious to eat, I forgot.
The first part of the process was easy... boiling the
ham with onion in a liter of Coke. I have to admit, the glaze really made the
flavor! Four simple ingredients: cloves, molasses, English Mustard and brown
sugar – a magical combination. I didn’t
have whole cloves, so I sprinkled ground cloves sparingly, and it worked fine,
I would say between ¼ and ½-teaspoon total. The glaze bubbled on the ham and
started to caramelize, ah the smells coming from the over were heavenly. It was slightly euphoric and a little
mesmerizing. Now you can see why I was
so anxious to jump in with my fork and knife.
My only recommendation for this recipe is really to take its temperature
before serving. Other than that, it was a rockin dish, and I would make it
again, now that I’ve made it, I’ll know what to expect next time. Maybe. Recipe below:
The first part of the process was easy... boiling the
ham with onion in a liter of Coke. I have to admit, the glaze really made the
flavor! Four simple ingredients: cloves, molasses, English Mustard and brown
sugar – a magical combination. I didn’t
have whole cloves, so I sprinkled ground cloves sparingly, and it worked fine,
I would say between ¼ and ½-teaspoon total. The glaze bubbled on the ham and
started to caramelize, ah the smells coming from the over were heavenly. It was slightly euphoric and a little
mesmerizing. Now you can see why I was
so anxious to jump in with my fork and knife.
My only recommendation for this recipe is really to take its temperature
before serving. Other than that, it was a rockin dish, and I would make it
again, now that I’ve made it, I’ll know what to expect next time. Maybe. Recipe below: 
I don’t have a specific recipe, I sort of throw things
together and luckily, there’s not much that can go wrong with potatoes, milk,
butter, cheese and some spices. I boil my potatoes with skins on until they are
beginning to cook, but not soft. My knife should be able to pierce the potato
but not slide right in. Usually about 15 minutes on medium high heat. I start
out with cold water and bring potatoes and water to a soft boil together. While those are cooking, I take about a cup
of milk, three tablespoons of butter and melt. Once bubbles begin to form, I
add the cheese, usually about two cups, when I have my Provel Cheese, (I’ll save that for another blog, because it
deserves its own page – my St. Louis friends will understand) if I don’t
have Provel, then I use sharp shredded cheddar, salt and pepper to taste.
Sometimes, I add a little nutmeg, and it adds another appealing layer and depth.
Once the mixture is smooth and creamy, I turn off the heat and let sit until
it’s ready for combining with potatoes. After the potatoes are at the density
that I prefer, I slice and layer in a butter casserole dish. Between layers of
potatoes, I add the creamy cheesy mixture. Once everything is combined, I place
in a 350° oven until bubbling and brown on top.
Potatoes are at the top of the comfort food list, and Au Gratin potatoes
have the best of everything that is comforting... milk, butter and cheese. I will say the savoriness of the potato is a
lovely foil to the sweetness of the ham. It was a lovely pairing.
I know what you’re thinking not the green beans again! Well,
yes, I’m going there. This is my grandmother’s recipe and there is nothing more
comforting than slow-cooked green beans, southern style. Green beans, bacon,
salt and pepper to taste, and the secret ingredient for a winning dish... a
pinch of sugar. Yes, I went there, sugar! Begin with a small amount of water in
a Dutch oven, add the green beans, (and this recipe is only for fresh green
beans), two to three slices of bacon, large pinch of salt and I like pepper so,
usually I use a little less than one tablespoon. Sprinkle about one-half
tablespoon of sugar. Cover, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then
reduce to medium –low heat until tender. Oh, what can I say about this version
of green beans, happiness on a fork. Tender, juicy, savory and oh, so
comforting. Say what you will, but I grew up on this dish and it sincerely is a
true taste of home for me.
This is the whole reason for the dinner. I was having such a
craving for my grandmother’s style of blackberry cobbler. I don’t know what
sparked this desire, but I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I searched and
searched for a recipe that was similar to hers. When I was a little girl, we
spent many weekends each month at the farm. Upon arrival, my grandmother would
take me by the hand and guide me over to where she had my surprise. Under a
kitchen towel, she had a delicious treat waiting for me, her homemade
blackberry cobbler. The crust was light, flaky and lusciously buttery. The
filling – well to start, she put lots and lots of blackberries. Plump juicy blackberries
that had the right amount of tartness and sweetness combined. I loved my grandmother’s cooking; my mom told
me it was because of the love that she had for me that made it so good. Isn’t
it funny that that phrase is so believable and so true? Did you ever have a loved
one make you a dish or meal, didn’t it taste so much better than if you made it
yourself.
Happy Eating
SRQ Foodie
Ingredients
For the Ham:
1 (4 1/4 to 4
1/2-pound) bone in ham
1 onion, peeled,
cut in 1/2
1 (2-liter) bottle
cola (recommended: Coca-Cola)
For the Glaze:
1 handful cloves
1 heaping
tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons
English mustard powder
2 tablespoons
Demerara (raw cane sugar) or granulated brown sugar
Directions
For the ham:
Peel and cut 1 onion in half. To a large pot or Dutch oven,
place ham, the onion and pour over top, the 2-liter bottle of Coca-Cola. On a
medium-high heat, allow to cola to come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low
and cover, not tightly with lid, and allow to cook for 2 1/2 hours. It is 1
hour for every 2 pounds.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
For the Glaze:
Pull the ham from the pot, and allow to rest on a cutting
board reserving the cooking liquid. Using a sharp knife, trim the skin, leaving
a thin layer of fat on the ham. Using the knife, score the fat diagonally into
large diamond cut. In each diamond pierce the fat with 1 clove. Spread the
molasses over the meat. Gently pat the powdered mustard and sugar around the
meat, so it sticks to the molasses. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
Gently place the ham in the roasting pan. Cook the ham for about 10 minutes or
until glaze is burnished and bubbly.
For braising the ham in advance and then letting the ham
cool, take ham from the refrigerator, glaze it according to the recipe, and
give it 30 to 40 minutes to sit at room temperature. Place in a 350 degree F
oven for 30 to 40 minutes, then turning up the heat if you think it needs a
more crispy exterior.
Ingredients:
2 pints of blackberries (For
me, two pints wasn’t enough, I would double the berries, along with the sugar
and cornstarch)
1/3 cup of sugar
1 1/2 T. of cornstarch
A pinch of nutmeg
1 ready-made pie crust (homemade or store bought)
Directions:
Step 1: If using frozen blackberries take out 2 pints and
let thaw with sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg.
Step 2: When blackberries are thawed almost completely stir
well and pour berries into a tart dish.
Step 3: Unroll prepared pie crust and cut to fit with a
sharp knife or pizza cutter. Lay the
dough on top of the berries and tuck any dough that hangs over the sides. With
a sharp knife cut slits in dough so steam can escape.
Step 4: Bake cobbler with a cookie sheet underneath it to
catch any dripping juice at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and browned.
Single Pie Crust:
I got this from a cookbook my husband gave me, Pie Ever Day.
A basic recipe.
1 ½ C. Sifted
All-purpose flour chilled
½ t. Salt
8 T. Unsalted
Butter – cut into 8 pieces
4 – 5 T. Ice Water
In the food processor, pulse flour and salt. Scatter butter
over the flour mixture and pulse two or three times until mixture resembles coarse
meal. Add one tablespoon of cold water and pulse. Continue adding water one
tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together. Turn out onto plastic
wrap. As you, wrap the dough in plastic, form into a disc. Refrigerate for 30
minutes. This is a wonderfully flaky
crust. If you have any leftover pieces of crust, cut into strips and sprinkle
with sugar and cinnamon. Bake until golden brown. This is also a childhood treat;
my mom would always make this for me when she made a pie, and it was a delightful
little snack.
Baking secret: to
roll out, place dough disc onto a floured surface. I have a canvas pie cloth
that is Fabulous! If you make pies, this
is a must-have kitchen tool.
