Redirected: Southern Recipes: Desserts

Mama Clower's Tea Cakes

Susan Puckett — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:00:00 GMT

I love the simplicity of an old-fashioned tea cake, and the best recipe for them I have ever tried is this version that originated with the mother of the late Jerry Clower, a Mississippi comedian renowned for his knee-slappers about the rural South. It is featured in my book, Eat Drink Delta: A Hungry Traveler’s Journey Through the Soul of the South (University of Georgia Press, $24.95), and I have offered them at several book-related events. They always disappear fast.

To dress them up for an Easter event, I dyed small containers of granulated sugar with various shades of food coloring to decorate the top. To take it up yet another notch, I pressed a flower stencil gently into the tops of the dough before sprinkling with sugar. They came out so adorable I had to share the idea, as they would be welcome at any spring or summer celebration.

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease several cookie sheets, or line with parchment.

2. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1 1/4 cups of the sugar with an electric mixer set to high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on high speed until fluffy. Beat in the buttermilk and vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Beat only until incorporated, taking care not to overmix.

3. Place the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a small bowl.

4. Gently roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them about 3 inches apart on the lightly greased (or parchment-lined) cookie sheets.

5. Use the bottom of a drinking glass dipped into the small bowl of sugar to slightly flatten the cookies. (Alternately, place a stencil over the cookies, pressing it slightly into the dough, sprinkle with colored sugar, then carefully remove the stencil before baking.) Bake until the edges are golden brown, for 8 to 13 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen.

Sticky Pudding with Scotch Sauce

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:02:00 GMT

By Richard Blais
From Try This at Home

Inspired by my love for all things British and the English pudding tradition, this is probably my most classic dessert. It's great after a meal of big, bold flavors, when you want to continue the decadent theme. I like the reduce flavors to reveal their deepest, syrupy nature, and this dessert is a perfect example. The dates add a natural sweetness—and, of course, they're incredibly sticky.

Ingredients
Pudding:
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup brewed espresso
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons sorghum syrup or molasses
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour

Sauce:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup Scotch whiskey
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, warmed
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced

Instructions
1. To make the pudding: Put the dates, water, and espresso in a small saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat, stir in the baking soda, and let stand for 2 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Grease a 6-cup nonstick jumbo muffin tin with butter. Set it into a large deep baking dish.

3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the sorghum syrup and mix well. Drain the soaked dates and add them to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until incorporated. Add the eggs and mix until incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and, with a large rubber spatula, fold the flour into the date mixture until just combined. Divide the batter among muffin cups.

4. Pour enough hot water into the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the muffin tin. Bake until the puddings are set and spring back when touched in the center, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand until the water in the baking dish is cool, but the pudding remain warm.

5. To make the sauce: Put the sugar and Scotch into a medium saucepan and stir to moisten the sugar. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, without stirring, until the caramel turns dark amber. Very carefully pour in the cream (it will bubble up) and cook, whisking gently, until very smooth and any bits of caramel have dissolved. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a little at a time, whisking until melted and combined each time before adding more.

6. Run a knife around each pudding. Place a large cutting board or platter over the pan and invert the pan and board; lift off the pan. Arrange the puddings on dessert plates. Serve the pudding warm, with Scotch sauce drizzled over the top.

Serves 6.

Sorghum Spice Cake

Susan Puckett — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 21:25:00 GMT

Searching for an easy dessert to use up a jar of sorghum that had been hanging around my pantry for a while, I came upon this recipe on Epicurious from the Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham. It was a hit with everyone and would be a perfect ending for any wintry meal. I used Muddy Pond Sorghum, an excellent artisanal product made in the hills of Tennessee, but if you have trouble finding sorghum, molasses or cane syrup could be substituted.

Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided, plus more for pan
2 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for pan
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sorghum syrup
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
Rum raisin ice cream (vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream would also be good)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch sides. Combine 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl. Using your fingertips, rub together until mixture is crumbly; set topping aside. Sift remaining 2 cups flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg into a large bowl. Using an electric mixer at low speed, beat remaining 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, and sorghum in another large bowl, occasionally scraping down sides, until smooth, 2–3 minutes. Add eggs; beat until light and fluffy, 3–4 minutes. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pan.

2. Bake cake until top looks just set, about 35–40 minutes.

3. Immediately sprinkle topping over cake; bake until a tester comes out clean when inserted into center, 20–30 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan. Remove pan sides.

4. Cut into wedges; serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Aaron Russell's Fried Apple Pie and Creamsicle Sherbet

Susan Puckett — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 22:04:00 GMT

Since moving to the city in 2000 to study at the Art Institute of Atlanta, Russell has driven past the Varsity almost daily but never thought to stop in. Making desserts every night in high-end kitchens like Seeger’s and Nikolai’s Roof didn’t allow the Adairsville, Georgia, native much time for restaurant exploration. And even now that he works the day shift at Restaurant Eugene, his personal tastes more likely lead him to the homemade ramen noodles at Miso Izakaya or the Israeli shawarma at Pita Palace than to a classic Atlanta greasy spoon.

But Russell was well aware of the affection that his boss, Linton Hopkins (who grew up in Buckhead’s Brookwood neighborhood), nurtures for the eighty-four-year-old institution. The fried pie served at Eugene’s sister restaurant, Holeman and Finch Public House, was inspired by the Varsity. Hopkins finally took Russell to the drive-in and dared Russell to reimagine its famous dessert combination: a fried apple pie washed down with a Frosted Orange drink. “I loved the idea of trying to convert something that brings back happy memories for so many native Atlantans into a plate I could serve in a fine-dining setting,” Russell says. “So I broke the dish down to its core components: apple filling, crust, and glaze. The sweet citrus is a difficult flavor to pair with apple. I thought cardamom and coffee would make a great bridge.” And as long as he was experimenting, maybe he’d add some fresh vanilla bean, some star anise...

Ingredients
Coffee and Cardamom-Infused Applesauce:
2 1/4 cups apple juice or cider
3 green cardamom pods
2 tablespoons coffee beans
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon agar-agar powder or 2 tablespoons agar-agar flakes (available at Whole Foods, health food stores, and Asian markets; or substitute 2 tablespoons arrowroot)

Cinnamon-Sugar Pastries:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup softened butter
1 large egg, beaten
Pinch of salt
Vegetable oil for deep frying
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Apple Compote:
5–6 flavorful apples
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped to release seeds
2 coffee beans
1 star anise
2 green cardamom pods, crushed

Creamsicle Sherbet:
3 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons powdered milk
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 heaping tablespoons tangerine (or orange) zest
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
1 cup tangerine (or orange) juice

Garnish:
1 teaspoon ground coffee, optional

Instructions
1. Make the applesauce: In a medium saucepan, bring the juice with cardamom pods and coffee beans to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let infuse for 5 minutes. Strain out the coffee and spices. Toss together the agar-agar or arrowroot with sugar and whisk into the hot liquid. Pour into a shallow pan and chill several hours or overnight. When firm, puree in a blender to a smooth sauce, adding a little fresh apple juice if it is too thick.

2. Make the pastries: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, butter, beaten egg, and salt. Knead together. Gather into a ball, place between two sheets of parchment paper, and roll out to a thickness of inch. Refrigerate one hour.

3. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or heavy saucepan to 350 degrees. Cut or punch out half-moon shapes, crimp edges with fork tines if you like, and drop into the hot oil (do not crowd). Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per batch until golden; drain on paper towels. Toss pastries in cinnamon-sugar. (May be made early in the day and covered with plastic wrap.)

4. Make the compote: Peel and dice apples; divide evenly between two lidded containers. In one container, add vanilla bean and coffee beans. In the second, add cardamom pods and star anise. Seal the containers tightly and microwave one at a time on high for one minute; turn container and microwave one more minute, or until apples are tender. (This method quickly perfumes the apples and prevents them from turning brown.)

5. Chill until ready to serve, up to a day in advance.

6. Make the sherbet: In a medium saucepan, combine whole milk, powdered milk, sugar, and corn syrup. Gently heat over medium-low just until hot. Add zest and vanilla bean or extract. Let cool, then transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator; remove vanilla bean pod and strain out zest particles if desired. Transfer to the container of an ice cream maker. Add tangerine or orange juice. Churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a container and freeze at least 4 hours. Makes 5 cups.

7. To plate: Divide compote among dessert plates or bowls, spoon applesauce over, and top with pastries. Finish each plate with a scoop of sherbet—garnished, if you like, with a pinch of ground coffee.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Photograph by Iain Bagwell

Eggplant Fritters

Deborah Geering — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 18:33:00 GMT

Farmer Paula Guilbeau of Heirloom Gardens in Cumming remembers looking forward to Sunday nights on the Louisiana bayou as a child, because that was when her mother, Grace Robichaux, made eggplant fritters. "We would have tons of eggplant," Guilbeau recalls—served stuffed with crabmeat, layered with shrimp in a casserole, or sauteed with pork, beef and rice. But the fritters were best because they were made sweet, fried like traditional beignets, and served with cane syrup.

Ingredients
3 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Big pinch ground nutmeg
Big pinch ground cinnamon
Oil for frying
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Cane syrup (optional)

Instructions
Place the eggplant in a pot, barely cover with water, and boil until tender. Drain and mash (you should have 3 cups); transfer to a mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, flour, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir into the eggplant mixture.

In a frying pan, heat 1/2 inch oil over medium-high heat. Drop batter by spoonful into hot oil. Cook until lightly browned; turn and cook the other side. Transfer to paper towels to drain; dust with confectioners' sugar before serving. Serve with cane syrup, if desired.

Home Plates: Sonya Jones's Mini Fig Pies

Susan Puckett — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 19:38:00 GMT

Sonya Jones is the owner of Sweet Auburn Bread Company and the author of Sweet Auburn Desserts: Atlanta’s Little Bakery That Could.

Even while running a now-long-gone cafe called Cat’s Corner next to their home in southwest Atlanta, Jones’s mother, Catherine Johnson, fed daily meals to her family of ten using the abundance from her garden. Desserts were always in the house, and Jones often had a hand in baking peach and blackberry cobblers or apple pie. Come late summer, fresh figs—Jones’s favorite—came into season. With memories of the family fig tree and her mother’s pie-making technique as her guide, Jones came up with this versatile recipe: individual handheld pastries filled with fresh or dried figs, honey, a dab of cream cheese, and a touch of spice—similar to fried pies, only baked. Using plump, in-season figs yields turnoverlike treats perfumed with summery sweetness. Dried figs produce morsels akin to Fig Newtons, though with a much more sophisticated taste if you steep the fruit in bourbon.

Ingredients
Pastry:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/4 cup water

Fresh or dried fig filling:
3 cups diced fresh figs, or 12 ounces dried figs, diced
1/2 cup bourbon, orange juice, or water if using dried figs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar (plus additional for sprinkling)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
Fresh squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons honey
3 ounces cream cheese, cut in 12 slices

Instructions
1. Make the crust: Combine flour and salt. Add butter and cut into flour mixture with a pastry blender or knives until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the water. Sprinkle egg mixture over flour mixture.
Stir gently with a fork until mixture is evenly moistened; shape into a ball. Wrap and chill about 1 hour.

2. Make the filling: If using dried figs, place in a small saucepan with the bourbon, juice, or water. Bring to a simmer, turn off heat, and let stand at least 30 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. In a medium bowl, toss fresh or dried figs with sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Stir in lemon juice and honey.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out half the pastry dough with a floured rolling pin to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out 6 rounds using a large (about 4-inch) cookie cutter or lid. Spoon filling onto half of the dough, leaving a 1/4- to 1/2-inch border. Top filling with a slice of cream cheese. Fold other side of dough over the filling to form a half moon; crimp edges together. Gently lift the pastries with a spatula onto a baking sheet. Repeat with other half of dough to make 12 pastries total. Sprinkle each with granulated sugar. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Photograph by Patrick Heagney

>> GALLERY: Watch Jones prepare the recipe

Über Güber Pie

Deborah Geering — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:43:00 GMT

Greg Cornelius of Uber Gubers won the summer-long pie-baking challenge from Cherokee Fresh Market, Woodstock Farmers Market and Waleska Farmers Market at Reinhardt University with this über-sweet, über-gooey dessert.

Ingredients
Filling
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dough for single-crust pie
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks
1 cup salted peanuts

Caramel Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Seeds scraped from 1/2 split vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. To make the filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, peanut butter and vanilla extract, and beat until smooth. Roll out the dough in a 14-inch circle; transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, and crimp the edges. Place the chocolate chunks in the bottom of the pie crust and pour the batter over the chocolate. Evenly sprinkle the peanuts over the filling and bake until set, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven.

To make the caramel sauce, measure sugar and water and sugar in a heavy saucepan and simmer on low heat until it becomes an amber color. Reduce the heat to low; add the butter and cream and stir with a wooden spoon until melted and smooth. Stir in the salt. Sometime to simmer slowly until it becomes a medium amber color. Turn heat to low and add butter and heavy cream and stir with a wooden spoon. Add sea salt. Carefully drizzle the sauce over the pie to evenly distribute. Let the pie and caramel cool completely.

To make the whipped cream, combine the cream, sugar and vanilla in the chilled bowl of an electric mixer. Whip until medium peaks form when beaters are lifted. Spoon or pipe whipped cream over pie. Keep the pie chilled until ready to serve.

Photo by Terry Ross

Laura's Blueberry Lime Pie

Deborah Geering — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:09:00 GMT

The aptly named Laura Baker won the Youth division (and second place overall) of a summer-long pie bake-off at Cherokee Fresh Market, Waleska Farmers Market at Reinhardt University and Woodstock Farmers Market with this recipe. The sliced almonds and almond extract were the surprise ingredients that made everything come together.

Ingredients
Cheese filling
16 oz cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lime zest
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon almond extract

Blueberry filling
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoon corn starch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest

Dough for 1 single-layer pie crust
1/3 cup coarsely chopped sliced almonds

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, and almond extract until creamy. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture for the top of the pie.

To prepare the blueberry filling, in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the blueberries, sugar, corn starch, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and zest.

Line a 9-inch, deep dish pie pan with crust. Scatter the chopped almonds over the crust bottom. Spread the cheese mixture over the almonds. Pour the blueberry mixture over the cheese layer. Drop the reserved 1 cup cheese filling by spoonfuls onto top of pie. Swirl with knife for a pretty design.

Bake for 15 minutes; then reduce heat to 375 degrees until filling is just set and the crust is golden, 15-20 minutes. Let cool on wire rack to room temperature, then refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.

Photo by Terry Ross

Brown Butter Bourbon Peach Cobbler

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 09:34:00 GMT

Lisa Hanson, lead cook at the Mercantile and former owner of Cabbagetown Market, won the 2012 Peach Jam cobbler contest at Grant Park Farmers Market with this summer delight. Hanson served her cobbler with Bacon Almond Brittle, but the judges agreed that the cobbler stood out on its own. —Deborah Geering

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick )unsalted butter
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 cup milk
4 cups peeled and sliced peaches
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan or an 8-inch iron skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and allow it to brown to a nutty color, approximately 5 minutes. Swirl in the bourbon.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and milk. Crumble the mixture over the bourbon butter in the baking dish. Arrange the peach slices on top and sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on top.

Bake until cobbler is bubbly and lightly browned, about 45 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream and, if desired, Bacon Almond Brittle.

Lemon Icebox Pie

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:07:00 GMT

Chef David Guas of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery in Arlington, Virginia shares his lemon icebox pie recipe from his book, DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth New Orleans Style.

Ingredients
Crust:
14 whole graham crackers
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm

Filling:
2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk
1 1/4 cups strained lemon juice (from the two zested lemons below plus an additional 4–6)
Zest of 2 lemons
8 large egg yolks

Chantilly Cream:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confections' sugar

Instructions
1. For the crust, heat the oven to 325°F. Break the graham crackers into small pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor along with the sugar and salt. Pulse 8 times, until the cracker crumbs are semi-fine (they shouldn’t be powdery but not in large shards either) and the crackers and sugar are combined. Pour in the butter and pulse until the butter is blended in and the mixture isn’t crumbly and holds its shape when you squeeze it, about twelve 1-second pulses. Transfer the crust to a 9-inch springform pan and push and press the crumb mixture into the bottom and two-thirds of the way up the sides of the pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crust into place. Set aside.

2. For the filling, whisk the condensed milk with the lemon juice and set aside. Whisk the zest with the egg yolks in a medium bowl until pale, 30 to 60 seconds, and then whisk in the lemon juice-condensed milk mixture. Place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet, pour the mixture into the crust, and carefully transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake until the center jiggles slightly, like a soft-setting custard, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 1 hour on a cooling rack. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap (be careful not to let the plastic wrap touch the top of the pie) and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.

3. For the cream, pour the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Add the vanilla and sift in the confectioners’ sugar. Whip on low speed to combine and then increase the speed to medium-high and whip until medium-stiff peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes.

4. Assembly: before serving, wrap a wet, warm kitchen towel around the edges of the springform pan to release the pie from the pan’s sides. Unclasp the pan and remove the pie. Fill a pitcher with hot water, dunk your knife in, wipe off the blade, and slice. Top with a dollop of chantilly cream and serve immediately, or keep in the freezer for up to 1 week.

Makes one 9-inch pie.

Photo courtesy of simoneink, llc