Ingredients:

• 2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup heavy cream, warmed
• 1/2- 1 cup caramelized onions (click link to see how how to cook the onions)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring the potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and water to cover to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain the potatoes with the butter and cream until smooth. Add 1/2- 1 cup of caramelized onions to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups corn, preferably Silver Queen
• 1 cup half and half cream
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 3 tbs butter
• 5 eggs, well beaten
• 3 cups milk
• 1 tbs cornstarch
• 1 tbs cold water

Preheat oven to 350º. Simmer corn and cream for 10-20 minutes until reduced. Add butter and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Mix the eggs, milk and seasonings well. Pour over corn and stir. Mix water and cornstarch to make a paste, add to corn mixture and pour into baking dish. Cook until set, for about 1 hour.

** frozen corn can be used if fresh is not available.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large bunch Kale (about 1 pound), thoroughly washed, blanched in boiling salted water until tender, drained, and chopped (to make two cups)
• 3 cups butter peas, 1/2 cup cooking liquid reserved
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 rosemary sprig, leaves removed and finely chopped
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450º.  In a large sauté pan, heat  the oil in medium-high heat. Add the onion and red pepper and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the kale and sauté for another minute, stirring to coat. Transfer the sautéed vegetables to a large mixing bowl and add the butter peas, half of the Parmigiano, a splash of olive oil, the rosemary, and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning and add a little of the reserved pea broth as needed to moisten. Spread the pea mixture into the gratin dish. Top with the remaining cheese, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the top of the gratin is golden and crusty.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled
• 2 medium Fugi apples, peeled
• 2 medium red pears, peeled
• 1/4 cup dried red cherries
• 1/2 stick non-salted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh is great)
• 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons toasted pecan pieces (optional)

Cut potatoes and fruit (omitting cherries) into bite-size pieces then cook potatoes first on med.-low heat in the butter until nearly soft, but slightly firm. Add the apples and pears sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cherries and continue cooking on medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, or until dried cherries have plumped and apples are nearly soft, but retain some firmness. Stir in pecan pieces. Serve piping hot!

Makes about 15 cups

Bring to a boil in heavy Dutch oven:

• 5 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
• 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Add:

• 1 bunch (about 12 ounces) well-washed fresh leeks (all but browned leaves), chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced fine

Simmer for 30 minutes and add 3 large Idaho potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and diced.
Simmer for another 30 minutes.  Mash potatoes and onion mixture in the stock thoroughly with a potato masher.

Add:

• 4 cups milk
• 2 cups heavy cream

Taste and reseason. This should be a thick, heavy, creamy soup. If too thick, thin with milk and taste for seasonings.

Add:

• 2 cups cooked crabmeat, shrimp, or scallops**

Simmer soup for 5 minutes, and you have my favorite meal.

To steam crabs, place in pot with 2 inches of boiling water, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Cover and steam on high heat for approximately 30 minutes. Cool crab under cold tap water. Pick crab and drop crabmeat into soup.

If you use shrimp or scallops, sauté them quickly in butter, then add to the soup.

**my favorite addition is crabmeat. Steam live crabs and pick the meat from them or use pasteurized or frozen crab meat as a last resort. No canned seafood, please. The soup would be better with no seafood at all than with canned seafood.
From the cookbook: Southern Cooking from Mary Mac’s Tea Room by Margaret Lupo.

Makes approximately 12 biscuits

• 2 cups Lily White Self Rising Flour
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 sticks melted butter
• 1/4 cup chives

Preheat oven to 375º. Melt butter. In a bowl, combine flour, sour cream and chives and melted butter. Stir gently until combined. Put 1/4 cup mixture into greased muffin tin. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Items needed for the trifle:

• a loaf size pound cake
• chocolate pudding (recipe below, it is very easy so don’t let it worry you)
• whipped cream- recipe below
• glass bowl/pyrex

Chocolate Pudding

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 7 tbsp flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups half and half cream, scalded
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup semi- sweet chocolate chips

Mix together sugar, flour, salt, and eggs. Stir in scalded milk. Return to heat and simmer stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat, add vanilla and cool to room temperature.

Whipped Cream

• 2 cups heavy cream
• powdered sugar
• vanilla

Beat heavy cream in mixer on high until thickened. Add powdered sugar and vanilla to taste.
**Note: Please never use Cool Whip, click here for all the reasons I do not ever use Cool Whip!

Have all ingredients ready for assembly.

Slice pound cake into 1/2 inch slices. In bowl, line bottom with cake. Then spoon 1 1/2 cups of pudding over the cake slices. Spoon 1/2 cup whipped cream over the pudding. Make another layer as before.

Finish with remaining cream and dust with cocoa powder for the finishing touch.

Serves 6

Gnudi

• 1 fresh sheep’s milk ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 c finely grated parmesan cheese
• ½ tsp salt
• 3/4 c all purpose flour plus additional for coating

Drain ricotta for 24 hours to pull out whey.  Mix all and let rest for one hour.  Roll into small balls, dust with flour and reserve. Heat salted water to a boil and boil gnudi for 1 and a half minutes. Place immediately into ice water to chill.  When cold remove from water and coat with a small amount of olive oil, reserve.

Wild Mushroom Saute

•  2  cups  mixed cleaned mushrooms (morels, chanterelles, porcini, wood ears) Use as many types as you would like or just one or two. Cultivated mushrooms work fine, they are just not as flavorful.
• 1 ea. shallot, minced
• 1 ea. lemon, zest
• 4 tbl  unsalted butter
• ½ cup   chicken stock
• 3 tbl chopped italian parsley

Cut mushrooms into shapes which highlight their variety, Morels are good if split lengthwise and chanterelles if small enough are great whole.  Porcini are good sliced.  Heat butter over medium high heat until foamy, add shallot and sweat for 1 to 2 min.  Add mushrooms in order of density and desired cooking time (they will cook at different rates). When all mushrooms are in, bring heat to high and add stock. Reduce till glazed on mushrooms. Season well with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Add parsley and reserve.

Country Ham Broth

• 1 qt  chicken stock no salt added
• 1 oz  country ham scraps, including fat
• 1 ea  shallot sliced
• 1 ea  bay leaf
• 1 tsp  sorghum syrup

Heat ham scraps over high heat until just colored. Add onions and cook one min, add sorghum then bay leaf and stock. Cook for 20 min at a simmer. Strain and reduce by half, reduce.

PLATE

Gnudi, Mushrooms and Broth
Parmesan

Heat a few tbl of oil in thick bottomed pan.  Add gnudi and sauté till colored on two sides and warm throughout. Divide into 6 bowls.  Top with mushrooms and pour over broth. Shave parmigiano over the top.

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion
• 2 lb tomatoes, peeled and quartered or 1 lg. can plum tomatoes (San Marzano)
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, plus extra to garnish
• 1/2 cup whipping cream **
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the tomatoes, carrots, chicken stock, parsley and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for 15-30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Purée the soup in a Vitamix or Cuisinart until it is smooth. Return the puréed soup to the saucepan. Stir in the cream and reheat gently. Season the soup to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
** this soup can also be made without the whipping cream

Serves 4-6

• 2 cups finely flaked poached or grilled salmon ( I prefer poached)
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped capers
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• Fine dry bread crumbs, for dredging
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter

In a large mixing bowl, combine the salmon, lemon, juice, dry mustard, parsley, chives, capers, and mayonnaise and toss till well blended. Add the fresh bread crumbs.
Using your hands, form the mixture into 4 or 5 cakes and pat lightly in the dry bread crumbs.
In a large, heavy skillet, melt the better over moderate heat. Add the cakes and cook till golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Keep warm till ready to serve with Caper Tartar Sauce.

Caper Tartar Sauce

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 4 drops Tabasco
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbs finely chopped green onion and capers

Mix mayo and yogurt thoroughly and add lemon juice, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Stir in onions and capers.