Jen McDonald
Collard Greens
Ingredients:
6 strips Gifford’s bacon, cut into strips
2 white onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 pounds collard greens, washed and rough chopped
64 ounces chicken stock
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 ounces bourbon whiskey
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 bundle thyme, tied with butcher twine
Salt and pepper
Process:
In a large, heavy bottomed sauce pot over medium-high heat, begin to cook the bacon. Once crispy, add the onion, garlic, and collard greens. When all the vegetables have wilted, add the chicken stock, brown sugar, whiskey, pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 2 hours or until the greens are tender and delicious. Season with salt, pepper, and more vinegar if desired. Chef’s Note: This recipe works best if you cook the greens the day before you need them and refrigerate, then warm them back up to serve.
Corn Pudding
Jen McDonald
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 large eggs
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons canola oil
6 cups rehydrated Cope’s corn kernels or fresh corn (from 8 ears)
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup chopped sweet onion (from 1 onion)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
Process:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl until blended. Whisk together eggs, cream, and melted butter in a medium bowl until blended.
Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn, garlic, and onion, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon thyme. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir flour mixture into the corn mixture and then add to the egg mixture. Spoon into a 13- x 9-inch (3-quart) baking dish that’s been rubbed with soft butter, and bake in preheated oven until set and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with remaining thyme.
NOTE ABOUT COPE’S CORN: Cope’s corn is available via many sites on the internet and at some specialty stores. In order to rehydrate it, cover the dried corn with water or milk and allow to sit overnight and hydrate.
Aunt Deedy’s Chocolate Chewies
Ingredients:
½ cup Hershey’s cocoa powder
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 pint heavy cream
1 rounded teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
Process:
Combine all ingredients except the vanilla in a heavy bottomed saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon over high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce the heat to medium and continue to stir constantly until the mixture thickens and smells like caramel. Once thick, stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Carefully pour the mixture on to a sheet pan lined with a Silpat and allow to cool. Once cool, cut with scissors and wrap in wax paper.
Shoo Fly Pie
Jen McDonald
Ingredients:
FOR THE CRUMB
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
FOR THE MOLASSES SYRUP
½ cup blackstrap molasses
¼ cup Muddy Pond sorghum molasses
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon hot water
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg, beaten
Process:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
TO MAKE THE CRUMB
In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour and the brown sugar. Rub the butter into the flour mixture until it is uniform and the texture of cornmeal.
TO MAKE THE MOLASSES SYRUP
In a medium bowl, whisk together the molasses, sorghum, and hot water. Then whisk in the baking soda and salt. The mixture will foam and lighten in color; that is normal. Finally, whisk in the beaten egg.
TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE
Layer about a quarter of the crumb in the bottom of your pie shell. Pour in about half the molasses mixture followed by another quarter of the crumb. Pour on the last of the molasses mixture and then top the pie with the remaining crumb. This layer will be thick; you shouldn’t be able to see the filling underneath.
Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F. Continue baking for about 30 more minutes. The pie will puff up as it bakes but will settle as it cools. It is normal for it to jiggle a bit in the middle.