Did you say Banana Pudding Trifle?

So...Leave it to me to skip ahead in this book so I could make something just because I wanted to.  OK so I'm going a little out of order, but so what?  Rules are made to be broken, right?  In my defense, and the last time I checked, Banana Pudding does in fact start with a "B" and technically I'm still in the "B" section of this cook book.  So I'm not totally out of whack.  This recipe is under "T" for  Trifle.  So having said that...

Trifle:  (TRY fuhl)pg527 A layered English dessert typically served from a deep trifle dish and made of sponge cake, pound cake, ladyfingers, or cookies soaked in liqueur or sherry.  This is topped with layers of jam or fruit and a layer of custard.  Trifle is usually crowned with whipped cream and garnished with fruit, nuts or grated chocolate.

Seriously Southern Living, you've outdone yourself.  If my hips would have let me, I could have eaten the entire trifle!!!!!  Like for reals!  It was that good!

Like the creme brulee that I made from the left over egg yolks of the disastrous Lemon Angel Cake, pudding is made very similar, but with slightly different ingredients. It by no means even compares to that crap pudding mix that all you do is add milk.  I'm pretty sure after making this I will never go back to that stuff again.  Making pudding from scratch isn't as hard as it sounds either.  I mean, it's obviously harder than just adding milk to some flavored powder, duh.  But it's not rocket science either.  The hardest part is making sure it doesn't scald, or you scramble the eggs.  And you can't have cooking ADD like I sometimes have.  I highly advise you to not turn the TV on Lifetime.  Those "One Woman Scorned" movies, as my brother Blake refers to them as, will suck you in every time leaving you with burnt or curdle custard.  Ewe.  You have to stir it constantly.  Repeat after me..."No Lifetime movies while cooking pudding!"  Good, now that that's settled we can move on.  Most of us know that traditionally banana pudding is Nilla wafers, pudding and bananas with whipped topping.  This by far exceeds any and all expectations.  What makes it so great?  Um...the Nilla wafers are lightly brushed with bourbon and rum.  Need I say more?  Yes, as a matter of fact I do.  On top of each layer of freshly whipped cream is a sprinkling of crumbled English toffee candy bars.  Oh. My. Gosh.  Needless to say, I will be making this for years to come.  

This dish would also be super cute to make in individual bowls for dinner guests!  Something like these would be perfect!

Blackened Catfish

Blackened Catfish with tarter sauce

So...I'm not sure why I keep putting off writing my posts.  I made this catfish like, I don't know, eons ago.  So here I am in the first week of June finally writing about it.  I know, I realize my last post was just after Easter.  I also made some bomb dot com banana pudding too, which I promise I will post that one too...soon.  Like, maybe tomorrow, or even tonight if I'm feeling inclined.

Blackened:pg48  A Cajun cooking method in which food, usually meat or fish, is rubbed with a spice mixture and cooked in a very hot cast-iron skillet, giving the food a charred, extra crisp crust.

Memaw's Cast-iron Skillet

OK, two things I must share before I even get started on the fish.  The first being, that I've never actually made blackening seasoning before.  I mean I've bought a mix before, and kinda blackened something or another, but never from scratch.  Impressive?  I know right?  And the second being the story of my cast-iron skillet, well, it's not My cast-iron skillet.  It originally belonged to my Memaw.  Memaw was my great-grandmother on my mom's side of the family.  It was given to her on her wedding day by her mother when she married my Pepaw.   According to Momzy (my grandma) she cooked countless meals in it when Momzy and her siblings were growing up.  It was my Memaw's prize possession, well, as far as skillets go anyway.  My Memaw then passed it to my mother as a wedding gift and then my mother gave it to me a few days before Shawn and I tied the knot.  Even though it skipped a generation with Momzy, all of us ladies combined have cooked in this skillet for at least 85 years, if not more.  And I can say I am more than honored and blessed to have such an heirloom to continue to share love like my Memaw, Momzy and mother did in many meals to come.

OK now that you've had a family history lesson...on to the Catfish!  Uh...my first piece of advise...don't burn the butter!  I think I maybe let the skillet get too hot.  In my defense, it said "very hot skillet."  Who knows.  It could have worse, I guess.  It was certainly charred and crispy.  The seasoning was awesome.  I had no idea what kind of spices made up the blackening part.  Hence the above where I noted I've only bought mixes of the stuff, which in my experiences has been spicier than this stuff.  In case inquiring minds want to know...it contains, paprika, salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder, dried basil, ground red pepper, onion powder, and dried thyme.  Then you dip the fish in butter and dredge it in the seasoning, and then pan fry it in more butter!!!  FYI...I've gone through ALOT of butter since starting this little escapade.  No wonder bathing suite shopping has been terrifying.  I've got a "butter ass."  UH...I digress...I'm sure you could cut quite a few calories, not mention fat, by using cooking spray and a little veggie oil, instead of an entire cup of butter that this recipe calls for.  So, one of the "test kitchen secrets" states that if by chance you do not a heavy-duty exhaust fan in your kitchen, this could be done outside on the BBQ.  Just place your skillet right over your coals or cooking top on the grill.

southernism:  Paul Prudhomme, the chef of K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in the French Quarter of New Orleans, popularized spicy blackened recipes with his famous blackened redfish.  Now the dish is so well known nationwide that is has made the redfish and endangered species.


Really?  Redfish is endangered?  I didn't know that...I'm gonna have to google that later.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Lighter-Than-Air Buttermilk Biscuit pg47

Biscuit:pg46 (BIHS kit)  This term refers to a small, flaky quick bread, leavened with baking soda or baking powder that has light, tender texture.  Most southerners pat the biscuits into little circles, but they can be rolled and cut with a biscuit cutter or dropped from a spoon before baking.  Tender biscuits are delicious split and spread with butter, honey,and jam, or filled with slivers of ham or steak.  In the South, some cooks swear soft wheat flour makes the most tender, flaky biscuits.  White Lily and Martha White are the most popular brands of soft wheat flour in the South.  If they aren't available in your area, use equal amounts of all-purpose and cake flour.  Mix only until the ingredients just hold together.  Over mixing the dough will develop the gluten in the flour and toughen the biscuits.

Okay, so I just want to point out that I write verbatim the description of each food, just how it's written in the cookbook.  Southern Living obviously has a love affair with biscuits.  I mean, this has been the lengthiest definition so far.  I've also come to the conclusion that I didn't thoroughly read the definition. Imagine that.  So, the recipe clearly calls for self-rising soft wheat flour.  Of course, with my luck, the Winn-Dixie or as my great grandmother O'steen called it, the Wind-and-a-Dixie in High Springs, did not have it, so I had we went with regular self-rising flour.  "We" as in my momma and me.  Oh, BTW, I failed to tell you I was making these for Easter Sunday.  Okay so, above it's states "if they aren't available in your area, use equal parts of all-purpose flour and cake flour".  Yea, so that didn't happen.  What the heck is the difference anyway?  I mean, how much softer can white flour get?   And on another note, my mom said she's only made biscuits with either Crisco or lard.  Gross.  Of course this was the pre-health food mom I know today.  Just hearing the words Crisco and lard coming from her mouth seemed like a foreign language.  She must have asked me at least 3 times in the Wind-and-a-Dixie as we were grocery shopping for Easter dinner..."Are you sure there's no Crisco in them?"  This recipe called for only butter.  It was almost like she thought it was a sin.  Even funnier coming from her mouth.  She made a good biscuit, that's for sure.  Go figure.  Anyway...They came out just beautiful.  Self-rising flour and butter and all.  Oh, and my mom gave me her rolling pin.  Bonus!

Holy Crap I'm a slacker

Ok, so I know it's been like a really long time since I've posted.  I've actually made a few things and just haven't written anything about them.  One reason being I just wasn't too excited about the last few things I've whipped up in the kitchen.  Not very inspiring I guess.  Anther reason is we've just had a lot going on lately and the last is...well...I've been a slacker.  So the long awaited continuance of the "B" section of this book...

Benne Seed Wafers

Benne Seed Wafers

Benne Seed Wafers:  An old Southern recipe, these thin, crisp, cookie-like wafers are made of butter, flour, brown or white sugar, and toasted sesame seeds.  You can toast the sesame seeds in the skillet or the oven; just be sure to watch them closely because they brown quickly. pg44


Okay, I seriously need to follow better instructions!  Like I'm totally not kidding.  I don't know what's wrong with me.  I completely forgot to add the baking powder!  I'm not sure exactly how much different it would have them, maybe more "cracker-like" but either way, somehow I just skimmed over the part about adding the baking powder.  Oopsy.  I will say that they are quite delicious.  The sesame seeds give them a slight nutty taste.  They are just as the book describes them, crispy and cookie-like, but not as sweet as most cookies.  I would imagine they would be awesome with a little jam spread on top.  Yum.  Or even better, a little peanut butter spread between two of those little wafers.  Double Yum.  They would be a perfect little treat for a bridal or baby shower, being that they're delicate and all.  A good little recipe to keep on hand.  Easy to make too, and they only bake for 10 minutes!

Southernism:  South Carolinians referred to sesame seeds as benne seeds since the seventeenth century when Africans first brought the seeds to this this country.  Though cooks in South Carolina use benne seeds in a variety of recipes, the most popular use is in the benne seed wafers.

Chocolate-dipped Strawberry Meringue Roses

Chocolate-dipped strawberry
meringue roses

Strawberry meringue roses

Chocolate-dipped Strawberry Meringue Roses
I also made these today as a trial for a Valentines Day treat.  Came out pretty good if do say so myself.  The recipe wasn't in my book.  I just took a basic meringue cookie recipe and tweaked it.  I think it might be a keeper.  And their super cute to boot!

• 3 large egg whites
• 1 package strawberry jello-o mix
• 1/4 cup super fine sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tub bakers semi- sweet dipping chocolate

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper.

In large bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer on medium speed until frothy.  Add Jell-O and sugar slowly.  Turn mixer on high and beat until egg whites are stiff and shiny, about 5 minutes.  Add vanilla until just combined.

Scrape the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip.  On lined baking sheets, pipe cookies by making circles starting at the middle and circling out, about 2 inches in diameter and 1 inch apart.

Bake meringues for 2 hours until firm.  Turn off oven and leave them in there until they are completely cooled.  The easiest way to do this is over night.

After cookies are completely cooled, follow heating instructions of the dipping chocolate on the back of the tub.  Let the chocolate cool just a little bit so it won’t melt the actual cookies.  Dip just the bottoms of the roses into the chocolate and place them onto a new  cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.  Refrigerate until chocolate has hardened.  Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Holy Beignet!

If Heaven had clouds, and those clouds were edible, they would be called beingets.  It was a rocky start, but the end result is, if I keep eating them, my hips will seriously get bigger.  I'm trying incredibly hard to omit foods with any processed flour or added sugar.  Which might I add is really hard when you're making your way through a Southern Living Cookbook.  I mean, I had to try one, solely for the purpose of this experience.  It was just really hard to stop at just one.  So...I ate three, and had to walk away.  Literally, I'm sitting in the den, the kitchen is no where in my sight.

Beignets

I've never made beignets before, and I'm pretty sure I've never eaten them before either.  Basically they are a fancy name for "fritter" which is a fancy name for "doughnut hole."  Oddly enough, I'm not a big fan of doughnuts, or their holes.  I'll tear up an apple fritter, or bear claw, but doughnuts where never my choice of breakfast pastry.


Beignet:pg41 (ben YAY)  A French fritter, similar to a yeast doughnut, that's deep fried until crisp, puffy, and golden.  It's typically served hot with a generous dusting of powder sugar.  Savory beignets, filled with herbs or crab meat, are also popular.  Right?

So OK, the yeast is supposed to rise twice.  Once after you kneed it, and then again after you roll it out and cut it, right before you fry it.  Well...It didn't really rise.  Either time.  I mean, maybe I was looking for something theatrical to happen, like, I don't know, spill out all over, or at least appear to be somewhat alive.  But that didn't happen.  It certainly didn't entertain me while I was waiting for it to do "it's thang."  So after about 2 hours, I said "screw it" and went ahead and rolled it out, cut it and waited for it rise again...and well, maybe my dough was just lacking in personality.  But once I started frying it, it puffed up just like it was supposed to.  Like it just had a little stage freight.  Once it got going it was spectacular!  That's right, I said "SPECTACULAR."  I wonder, if they will still be good in the morning...Do you think they'll get stale?  Or soggy?  Hmmm...I hope not.  I'll bring them to work and let those lovey ladies and gents be the judges.  That is, if my husband doesn't eat them all before he goes to bed.