Grits, Red-eye gravy & Biscuits...

Country ham slices with fresh baked buttermilk biscuits from scratch, red eye gravy and grits are all elements of a true Southern breakfast.

After we had enjoyed the Country Ham on Christmas Day, the next morning, I slice off a few ¼ to ½ -inch thick slices and slowly cook them in a skillet until hot, turning often, so you do not over cook it. I like to pour about a ¼ cup Cocoa-Cola or cold black coffee in the pan while I am frying the ham. Remove slices and reduce liquid by about a ¼th. This is what we Southerns call “red-eye gravy". Spoon the gravy over the slices of ham and serve with hot biscuits.



Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons chilled butter, cubed
¾ cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the cubed butter and process until a coarse meal forms.

Transfer to a large bowl and add buttermilk. Combine until dough forms. Turn out on to a floured work surface and knead for 30 seconds. Do not overwork the dough.

Roll dough out into ½-inch thickness and cut with a 2-inch floured biscuit cutter. Place on baking sheet and let rest for 10 minutes.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot with slices of Country Ham or jams and jellies.

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Creamy Grits

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 cups water
½ cup grits
1 to 2 cups milk, cream, half-n-half, water or stock

Drop the butter into the water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the grits, return to a boil, and reduce the heat, allowing the grits to cook at a low boil for 10 minutes or so, until the grits are very thick and have absorbed most of the water, stirring occasionally to prevent the grits from sticking.

Add about ½ cup of the milk or cream to the pot and turn down the heat, allowing the grits to simmer for another 10 minutes or so. As the liquid evaporates or is absorbed, add more cream or milk, cooking the grits until the desired consistency is reached, a total cooking time of at least an hour. The grits should be piping hot when served; slightly soupy but full-bodied enough that they do not run on the plate.

Serves 2 to 4

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George’s notes:

• For all of you who don’t like grits, here is a “tidbit” that might change your mind. It is sometimes said that dry grits can be used to kill ants by causing them to explode as the grits expand inside them; however, laboratory results conducted on fire ants suggest that grits are ineffective.
• Grits is similar to other thick corn-based porridges from around the world such as polenta.

Cupcakes...

There is something truly different about a cupcake. They are small petite packaged desserts that make people feel like a kid again. Maybe it’s because they are small and individually wrapped and decorated. Maybe it’s because they just make you smile.

Here are two theories about the origin of Cupcakes…

The name cupcake comes from the amount of ingredients used to make them - a cupful of flour, a cupful of butter and cupful of sugar. This is very similar to how pound cake was named. In fact, the recipes for cup cakes and pound cakes include pretty much the same ingredients and would have produced similar results.

These cakes were originally baked in cups. Old cookbooks also sometimes mention baking cakes in small cups. These cups may very well have been earthenware tea cups or other small clay baking pans. These would easily accommodate baking level oven heat and produce individual-sized cakes. This is not the same thing as contemporary metal cupcake pans, enabling cooks to bake a dozen small cakes in one pan.

Growing up, cupcakes were some of my very favorite treats. They were made for special birthday parties, a great report card or just rainy Saturday afternoon entertainment. Cupcakes are easy to make, fun to eat and they are the perfect size serving. No two cupcakes are exactly alike, that is another great reason why people seem to adore them. Cupcakes are definitely making a comeback and we are all the benefactors for this fact! Here is one of my favorite cupcake recipes:



Chocolate Mint Cupcakes
If you would like to frost the cupcakes, I've included two recipes for a mint-flavored frosting. The butter cream version is quite sweet; the cream cheese version is a little less sweet and has a tang from the cream cheese.

Cupcake Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter
½ cup Dutch processed cocoa
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¾ cup flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons mint extract
½ cup sour cream

Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:
8 tablespoons butter, room temperature (1 stick, 4 ounces)
1 tablespoon milk
¼ to ½ teaspoon mint extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature (½ stick, 2 ounces)
¼ to ½ teaspoon mint extract
1½ cups powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
Fresh mint for garnish
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Directions:

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a muffin tin by lining it with cupcake liners. Use a double boiler or add an inch or two of water to a medium sized saucepan and place a metal bowl over it, bringing the water to a simmer. Add butter (cut into chunks), chocolate, and cocoa to the bowl. As the butter and chocolate melt, whisk until the ingredients are well combined and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to touch.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

In a large bowl (can use a mixer), beat the eggs. Add the salt, the sugar, the mint extract and beat until well combined. Slowly add in the chocolate butter mixture and beat until combined.

Add in half of the sifted flour mixture, mix to combine. Mix in the sour cream. Mix in the remaining flour mixture.

Spoon the batter evenly into the lined muffin cups. Place in oven in middle rack. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until tops spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool in muffin tin on a rack for 15 minutes. Then gently remove cupcakes from the tin and let cool completely before frosting.

Use frosting of choice, flavored with a little mint extract. Garnish with a little fresh mint. Recipes for simple butter cream or cream cheese frosting follow.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Frosting

In an electric mixer, beat the butter (if making buttercream) or butter and cream cheese (if making cream cheese frosting) at medium speed until creamy. Beat in milk (if making buttercream) and mint extract.

Slowly add in the powdered sugar on low speed, stopping every now and then to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until light and fluffy. Taste and add more mint extract if it isn't minty enough for you or powdered sugar if it isn't sweet enough for you.

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I believe you can tell a lot about a fellow's character by the way he or she eats a cupcake. So indulge yourself and bake a dozen today!

Mornings with pancakes....

Familiar and comforting, pancakes are sure to please your family and houseguests. The classic pancake has many variations, but the buttermilk pancake is its highest form. Properly made, it is extra light, almost nothing in your mouth. Its flavor is also more complex. Buttermilk is, of course, the magic ingredient. It not only adds flavor, but also acid which reacts strongly to the baking soda. This is one of the key reasons for the lightness of the pancake. Just buy one quart every few weeks and keep it on hand. It isn’t expensive and it keeps well.

You won’t need anything fancy for equipment, just a set of measuring spoons and cups. A whisk is nice, as it makes it easier to mix everything, but a big spoon will work. You’ll also need 2 separate bowls, one for mixing the dry ingredients and one for the wet.

Once you’ve have had buttermilk pancakes like this, there is no going back…

Milk Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ - ¾ cup milk chocolate chips

Pam cooking spray (for cooking)

In a large bowl beat eggs. Add buttermilk, butter and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and let batter set for a few minutes.

Heat griddle or pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or spray with cooking spray. You can test to see if the pan is hot enough by adding a few drops of water, if or when the drops start to dance its hot enough.

Pour ⅛ cup of batter onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. You can also gently lift up the pancake to make sure the bottom is not overcooking, if it is the pan may be too hot and you will need to adjust the heat. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone.

Let cooked pancakes rest on a heat proof plate in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

Makes enough for four people

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If you don’t have buttermilk, in a pinch you can do one of the following:

Lemon and Milk
In a 1-cup measuring cup, add 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Top the lemon juice with skim, low fat or whole milk. Stir and let sit for two minutes. After two minutes, your milk is both acidic and curdled.

Yogurt and Milk
Mix ¾ cup plain yogurt with ¼ cup of milk. Stir and make it a quick substitution for buttermilk.