By Laura
Tracy’s Company Eggs
One of the most welcome gifts of the season is the unexpected invitation to share some time with friends. Just last week my friend Tracy Dockray – an exceptional gal & an expat from Texas – collected a gaggle of ‘Class Moms” at her home for holiday coffee. The hour of conversation was a terrific diversion from the commotion of the season.
A collector of the extraordinary – from her friends, to her pets, to her boxes of biological bug specimens and bobwire (!) Her home was decorated in holiday memorabilia passed down from her family. A beautiful Victoria tree and a perfectly set table – all set off by her hand painted murals on the dining room walls. Tracy is a well known artist and the illustrator of the Beverly Cleary books.
Tracy called them “Company Eggs”, a tradition from her Texas family. I am not sure if she made the eggs or her very gracious husband Mark Rudd, but they offered us the recipe. The fabulousness of the dish is that it MUST be made the night before and then baked in the oven first thing in the morning. Sounds perfect for New Year’s Day to me…you can also add bacon, sausage, ham, herbs, or whatever you like. We loved it and I will be serving this in my home on Jan 1. – it is just as perfect as my friend Tracy.
Tracy’s Company Eggs
Butter
12 eggs
8 slices of bread – something soft will soak up the eggs and get almost fluffy
1 cup of milk (or half & half if you are truly decadent)
2/3 lb cheddar cheese grated – but you can substitute
½ t dry mustard
1 t salt – I prefer sea salt
pepper to taste – I prefer white pepper
If you are living large, try a grating of nutmeg or cayenne – but that is my addition not Tracy’s
Butter an ovenproof dish
Layer the bread & the cheese
Beat the eggs; an old-fashioned eggbeater is perfect for this
Add dry mustard, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg or cayenne if you choose
Pour over the bread & cheese
Cover and refrigerate overnight
Bake in a 325-degree oven – covered for 1 hour
Remover cover and continue to cook for another 10 minutes to brown
Sugar Plum Loaf
Sugar Plums at Prospect Park Market - Kristen Taylor
One of the most delicious cakes my sister-in-law Louise bakes every holiday is a Sugar Plum Loaf. It is one of those seasonal delights that she and her daughters – and now granddaughters bake throughout the holiday season. I believe the cake has it’s roots in British cookery, harkening back to a time of Mrs Bridges (Upstairs Downstairs) kitchen when candied fruits, exotic raisins and exotic spices filled the kitchen during the holidays. More of a sweet bread than a true cake the name alone has visions of sugarplums dancing in my head.
A rich quick bread, the Sugarplum loaf is not unlike an Italian Pantone or a Polish Babka. It is baked in a traditional round and is a perfect match for JF Sugarplum Preserves. I suggest you make two loaves – one for yourself and one to give as this recepie is easily doubled.
Fantastic Sugar Plum Loaf
For the Cake:
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2/3 c butter
½ cup sugar
4 eggs
8 cups flour
1 ½ cups warm milk
2 t salt
1 T ground cardamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped dried fruit – plums, apricots, apples and/or pears
½ cup candied peel – I prefer lemon or orange
For the Deliciously Fresh Lemon Glaze:
1 ½ cups of sifted confectioner’s sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 t finely grated lemon rind
Dissolve yeast in warm water to bloom. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter with sugar and add eggs. Add ½ the flour, salt, cardamon, warm milk and the second ½ of flour. Add the yeast. Turn off the mixer and stir in chopped nuts, raisins, dried fruit and candies peel. Cover the owl and let rise until double. Punch down, Lightly knead. And let rise again.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Shape into 3 large or 6 small round loaves. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.
To make the glaze, combine the confectioners sugar, lemon juice and lemon rind. This can be strained but it is not necessary
While the Sugar Plum Loaf is still warm, brush with the Delicious Fresh Lemon Glaze
Apple Sauce and Gingerbread Cake
It is that time of the year – the turkey is put away and the countdown to the holidays begins. If your not wading knee deep in markdowns – your probably making your list and checking it twice.
“The indulgence of a dime instead of the indulgence of a dollar ” quoting Daniel Bouloud in the NYTimes upon the opening of DBGB. This statement has resonated with me for the past two years. Especially this holiday. What to give?
I have always been cleaver enough to finish my holiday shopping by Thanksgiving weekend leaving some time to bake or make special treats for my friends and family. Here is a very quick and easy gingerbread recipe that is both delicious and nutritious. This makes a quick house warming gift or holiday desert.
Apple Sauce and Gingerbread Cake
1 16oz jar of organic apple sauce
1 cup light molasses
2 t baking soda
3 c all purpose flour
½ t salt – I use fine grain sea salt
2 T fresh ground ginger or 2 t powdered ginger
1 ½ t of cinnamon
½ t cloves
4 eggs – organic
1 ½ c organic sugar
2/3 c vegetable oil – I use grapeseed
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
Mix the first three ingredients together in one bowl – applesauce, molasses & baking soda.
In a second bowl mix the flour, salt, fresh or powdered ginger, and spices.
In the bowl of an electric mixer begin beating the eggs until light in color then add the sugar. When thick add in the oil.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients alternatively.
Pour into two 9” loaf pans. This recipe can be used in smaller loaf pans or mini bunt pans when drizzled with jam. It makes wonderful cupcakes dollop with whipped cream.
Josephine’s Feast at Slow Food Tasting
Taste Josephine’s Feast! for yourself at the Slow Food Show on 12/3 & 12/4 here in NYC. The Slow Food Show will be a two-day event.
Saturday, December 3, from 1 to 5 pm, at Jimmy’s No. 43, the Slow Food NYC Snail of Approval and Good Beer Seal winning bar in the East Village from 2:00 to 5:00 pm.
Sunday, December 4, from 11 am to 4 pm, at the award winning New Amsterdam Market, in Lower Manhattan’s East River Market District.
The New Amsterdam Market will provide a focused tasting and sales area.
Here is some more details and info from WNET- Channel 13
Wild Turkey-tini with Fresh Pressed Apple Cider
Sean just pressed 6 bushed of apples in his cider press – so we are blessed with an embarasasment of delicious heirloom apple cider. He’s thinking of making some hard cider but in the meantime I came up with a Wild Turkey-tini in honor of the bird we will be eating on Thursday.
Wild Turkey-tini
2 oz wild turkey bourbon
2 oz fresh apple cider
2 dashes of bitters – I prefer Fee Brothers West Indian Orange Bitters
One Maraschino Cherry for garnish – I prefer Tillen Farms
Combine the first 3 ingredients in a shaker with ice – and shake vigorously. Strain and serve in a martini cocktail glass . Garnish with a maraschino cherry
Leftover Turkey Chili
It’s Thanksgiving and now that your turkeys are ordered and your shopping list goes on for miles – cauliflower, turnips, pearl onions, green beans, carrots and parsnip – my all time favorite. And then there are the pies – sweet potato, apple and pumpkin. I really love a Thanksgiving Feast!
But when all is said and done – after the table has been cleared – and the meal is enjoyed – the pies are mere crumbles of their former self, what do you do with all those leftovers? A roast turkey sandwich is great, with Cranberry Sauce or JF Hurricane Hot Pepper Preserves. But….
One of the best ways to extend your Thanksgiving meal is a pot of Roasted Turkey Chili. I love the fragrance of New Mexican chili and cumin on a cold fall afternoon. This is an easy and healthy meal that makes all those containers of leftovers simply disappear.
3 T olive oil
1 large onion – I like a sweet variety
4 cloves of garlic – there is a wide variety in your farmers market try a German hard neck if you can
2 stalks of celery
3 to 4 carrots
2 parsnip
1 to 2 pounds of Turkey
1T to 3 T chili mix – ( Try Josephine’s Feast Rough Rider Chili )
1 T cumin
1 can of organic tomato paste
2 quarts Chicken or Vegetable Stock – homemade or organic low sodium.
Sea Salt
Pepper
Start with a large pot and add 3 T olive oil and heat. Dice or slice the onions and garlic. Sauté in olive oil. Dice Celery, Carrots, Parsnip, and add to the sauté. Dice a 1 to 2 pounds of leftover turkey and add to the pot. Now the magic happens – add 1T to 3 T of chili mix and 1T of ground cumin. Continue the sauté until the mix begins to perfume your kitchen. Add the tomato paste – you want to cook off the raw taste of the chili & tomato with out burning the spice. Add sea salt & pepper to taste – Remember, “Less is more” you will have a chance to adjust the seasoning later. Add 2 quarts of chicken or vegetable stock. The better the stock the better the meal. And cook on a low simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. If the stock is cooking off too quickly – add some water. If the chili has too much broth raise the flame. If your adventurous you can add a plethora of leftover vegetables – cauliflower, Brussels sprouts – even diced baked potato. This chili is unique as the cook that makes it and is a mouth watering healthy meal that extends the Thanksgiving Feast!
Serve with a pot of black beans or over polenta for a wonderful autumn meal. It can also be frozen for a quick meal when you are too busy to cook.
Brining A Turkey
What strikes me most about Thanksgiving is that just a few weeks before – I get that urge to cook a turkey. Call it a seasonal urge, just like driving upstate New York to see the leaves change color. I can’t wait to cook my turkey dinner.
In anticipation I page thru a number of favorite cookbooks looking for ways to improve on my favorite recipe. This year my interest is brining. We have had a great summer barbequing brined pork ribs and chops – why not the Thanksgiving Feast!
I must admit that my all time favorite Turkey recipe is “Turkey with Two Stuffings” from the Theory and Practice of Good Cooking by James Beard. The bird is stuffed with a fresh herb bread stuffing and the neck is stuffed with a rich coriander scented sausage stuffing. I prefer to use an organic turkey – one from North Sea Farms but in the past I have also used a wild turkey and even a boned turkey breast – we’ll save that technique for another post.
Brining is simple, but it takes some planning – you’ll have to start 3 days before Thanksgiving if you are using a frozen turkey. Similar to a marinade – Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells before cooking, via the process of osmosis. There are no short cuts to brining; your turkey must remain in the brine for 16 to 24 hours. Simply stated this process makes a great piece of meat even better
The basic bring mix is quite simple – salt, sugar, and water. This recipe is an adaptation from Jeremiah Tower’s “New American Classics” Influenced by Elizabeth David, Richard Olney & Alice Waters – this is a cookbook that changed the way we thought about American food when it was published in 1986.
For the Brine:
1 cup of salt – I prefer grey sea salt
½ cup of brown or organic sugar
1 gallon of water – plus additional water
2 T black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 T whole coriander
3 T dried thyme or Herbes de Provence
3 days before cooking you will have to thaw your turkey – if it is fresh – all the better.
Combine one gallon of the water with all the ingredients above in a large stockpot over medium heat. Stir and bring to a boil. Remove the brine from the heat cool down and refrigerate
The day before cooking pour the brining mix into a 5-gallon bucket. Adding an additional gallon or more of water. Place the thawed turkey in the bucket and weight it down to insure the brining mix covers it. Cover and refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.
Brining works by osmosis – if you cut the brining time you will result in an over salted turkey. If you allow the full 16 to 24 hours for the brine – you’ll have a delicious turkey with outstanding gravy.
This recipe can be reduced by half or quarters and used to brine organic chickens, pork chops, pork tenderloin and my absolute favorite barbequed ribs.
If you don’t want to make your own brining Mix, Then try ours. Enough for one Turkey.
Josephine’s Feast Brown Turkey Fig Preserve
Heritage Brown Turkey figs are a marvel in the garden. The trees are compact and the leaves fragrant throughout the summer. Buds of fruit appear almost over night and the Heritage Brown Turkey is a strong producer. When the timing is just right, you can pull a sun ripened juicy fig from the tree just before the bees beat you to them.
Some consider figs the Holy Grail of fruit – classical references are many. Figs are said to be discovered by Dionysius and the thunderbolts of Jupiter. They are referenced as the tree of knowledge in the bible along with the loss of innocence and the pleasures of Paradise. Thomas Jefferson brought fig trees to Monticello upon his return from France. None-the-less figs are an exotic treasure and a culinary trophy.
We were lucky indeed to purchase several flats of Heritage Brown Turkey Figs this fall. We preserve them with a hint of Lemon Thyme. These preserves are perfect on a cheese plate. I love them with a soft brie. My cousin Michael makes an outstanding glaze for chicken and ribs thinning the preserves with white wine and some fresh cut herbs from his garden.
Josephine’s Feast! Heritage Brown Turkey Fig Preserve is available now while supplies last
Apple Butter Special – 50% off Case
We been making Apple Butter for a month now. This summer was too wet for strawberries, tomatoes and beach plums, but was perfect for our apple tree. We are approaching 30 bushels from a single tree.
So we are making this special offer, 50% off when you buy a case. Don’t need 12 jars of Josephine’s Feast Apple Butter? Then think of it as 12 very nice $5 gifts for the holiday or maybe 10 gifts and 2 jars for you! Makes a great thoughtful gift for Teachers or anybody else when you need to give “a little something”.
Only while supplies last.
Josephine’s Feast! Seville Orange Marmalade Cocktail & Breakfast Martini
I’d eat marmalade every day if I could. As a child I loved the golden strands of orange rind on my toast – even better if my grandmother made my breakfast.
But as I’ve gotten older my taste for breakfast has changed and perhaps a Marmalade Cocktail is one of the loveliest ways to start a lazy Sunday. Created at the Savoy Hotel in London in the 1920’s this is a fabulous cocktail that can be made with any flavor marmalade but as a traditionalist – I’ll make mine as it was made historically by the bartender Harry Craddock with a strong English style Josephine’s Feast! Seville Orange Marmalade
The Marmalade Cocktail
4 teaspoons JF Seville Orange Marmalade
2 Shots Bombay London Dry Gin
½ Shot Lemon Juice
Garnish with Orange zest
Ice down a favorite martini glass by filling it with crushed ice and water.
Mix the first 3 ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake or stir – your choice.
Empty the prepared glass of ice and water.
Strain the cocktail into the well chilled martini glass
Garnish with a a piece of Orange Zest
(Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled glass)
Interestingly this recepie is said to serve 6!
Another Variation on this theme is the Breakfast Martini. This cocktail is a bit sweeter due to the addition of Cointreau or Triple Sec.
The Breakfast Martini
2 Shots of Gin – I’m a Beefeater gal just like the Queen Mother
¾ Shot Cointreau or Triple Sec
¾ Shot of Fresh Lemon juice
1 Tablespoon full of Josephine’s Feast! Seville Orange Marmalade
Lemon Twist for a garnish
Ice down a favorite martini glass by filling it with crushed ice and water.
Mix the first 4 ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake or stir – your choice.
Empty the prepared glass and strain the cocktail into the glass
Garnish with a Lemon Twist
This cocktail serves one and can easily be doubled for companionship.