Southern Cuisine

I moved this month to Alabama and have been partaking of the southern foods around the area which I am not familiar with at all.  The favored meat is slow roasted pork served with a thin vinegar based bar-b-q sauce. Also, popular around the south is Fried Chicken served with Waffles, below is the recipe for cornmeal waffles. Try these for breakfast with fruit and crispy bacon.


CORN MEAL WAFFLES
2 cups Yellow Plain Corn Meal
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
3 t fine sugar or Honey
1 t pumpkin pie spice
2 large eggs - separated and at room temperature
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup shortening - melted or Butter, melted
1 1/2 t vanilla extract

Directions:
In a large bowl, sift together Yellow Plain Corn Meal, baking powder, salt, sugar or honey
and pumpkin pie spice; set aside. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks; whisk in milk and melted
shortening or butter. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; fold into yolk mixture.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients; whisk to combine completely and eliminate lumps. Add vanilla extract. Pour batter into a well-greased, preheated waffle iron. Cook for 5 minutes, or till no steam escapes. Great as breakfast item, but fabulous with Fried Chicken!

Recipe Books

I have begun to start the final editions on my Cupcakery Cookbook. That is my second Cookbook!

My dear Friend Virginia (bless her heart) gave me my edited copy of Abuelita's Kitchen -- Thanks Virginia! This is for the revision of my first cook book!

I also started a cookbook (first 8 recipes are in) for the cookbook I began for the Woman's Federated Club Cookbook!

So, my writing projects have begun - but they will surely be interupted by settling into Alabama!

I have set up Flickr.com with a group for my pictures as I travel though the states on my way to my new home...More about my travels as they happen...

Gluten Free Raisin Cinnamon Rolls or Bread

Adapted recipe!!

Cinnamon Raisin Toasting Bread or Rolls

3/4 cup raisins (soak in 1 cup water for 1 hour)

Make the sponge:

3/4  c. almond milk (or evaporated milk)
1 T. palm sugar (or blue agave sweetener)
1 1/2 t. dry active yeast

Dry Ingredients:

3/4 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. gluten-free oats (not quick cooking nor rolled)
1/2 c. sorghum flour
1/2 c. tapioca flour
1/4 c. white rice flour
2 T. potato starch
2 1/2 T. palm sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. xanthan gum

Wet Ingedients:

2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 c. canola oil
3 T Grade "B"  maple syrup (must be grade B which imparts maple flavor but not as much sugar)

Coat a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.  Turn your oven on the "Bread  Proofing" setting or find a warm place to set your bread (cover it) while it proofs.

Put the raisins in a bowl and cover them with warm water.  Set aside.  If your eggs are cold, put them in a measuring cup or glass and cover with warm tap water or let them come to room temp. 

The sponge:

Heat the milk in the microwave for 20 – 30 seconds to remove the chill or until it’s between 100F – 110F.  It should feel warm but not hot when you dip your finger in the milk.  If in doubt use a thermometer -- make sure your thermometer is calibrated to ensure accurate readings. Add 1 T of palm sugar & yeast, stir, cover with plastic wrap and set aside -- it should become foamy (if is does not become foamy your yeast too old or the water too warm or cold).

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, oatmeal, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, white rice flour, potato starch, 2 1/2 T. palm sugar, cinnamon, salt, and xanthan gum.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, and maple syrup.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Then, add the yeast sponge and stir until smooth.  Drain the raisins, reserving soaking water for another use (use in brown rice cereal or with Quinoa), **and add plumped raisins to dough and mix in.  Turn batter into prepared pan and proof in the oven or in a warm spot for an hour.

** To make cinnamon rolls - roll into a rectangle between two sheets of cling wrap to 1/2" thickness, brush rectangle with oil and sprinkle raisins and 2 Tsp cinnamon evenly over it all and wrap tightly (use a little water to make the dough edge stick together) and cut into 1/2 inch rolls with a sharp knife. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, bake until golden brown (about 20 - 30 minutes) @ 350 degrees, turning the pan around once to brown all the rolls evenly.  You may brush the rolls with Blue Agave Sweetener - if you so desire.

To make a loaf of toasting bread - Place bread loaf in cold oven, or if you’ve been proofing in your oven -- then turn it on to 350F.  No need to preheat.  Bake for 30 minutes, then cover with foil to keep from getting too brown on top.  Bake for another 15 – 20 minutes until loaf is set and firm in the center and sounds hollow when you tap it.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn on it’s side to let it cool the rest of the way.  Keep in an airtight container.  Serve toasted with no-salt butter or with your own fresh fruit/jam.

November 2010

Lots to discuss...

The move to Alabama.

Stephen decided to go back to work, so we are winterizing our mountain home in preparation for our departure.  I have been trying a few recipes from each of my cookbooks in my library trying to narrow down the cookbooks I will take with me. I must say this is hard to do.  So, that being said. I have decided to take my most NEEDED recipe books with me, hoping that I can come back sometime this winter to gather a few more armfuls of books. I re-packed my kitchen boxes today, decided I need to take my tortilla press and leave all my dishes behind!  After all, necessities are necessities!

I am taking the extra Southwestern spices I have (after all -- will I be able to find them in ALABAMA???), am currently baking a batch of Pumpkin Empanadas in the oven right now using the anise I cannot seem to fit into a spice jar of some type and allowing me to use the extra pumpkin I have. Now on to my list of "essential things to take" ...

The fact that I have a bad case of Rosacea and am learning to eat to avoid my triggers...

Toying with more Gluten free baking....

More info for you all later!