More Than Words Can Say (42 page)

Total time: 2 hours 35 minutes

Serves 8–10

Butter, for greasing the pan

2½ cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup canola oil

½ cup freshly squeezed ruby-red grapefruit juice

½ cup freshly squeezed Florida orange juice

1 banana, mashed

12 ounces sour cream

2 tablespoons orange zest

1 teaspoon grapefruit zest

Glaze sauce (recipe follows)

Rub a large Bundt pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Put the mixture into a stand mixer, add the eggs, and mix until combined. Then add the oil; mix until blended. Next add the grapefruit and orange juices and banana and mix until smooth and creamy. Last add the sour cream and zests; mix until just combined and smooth.

Put the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

When the cake is done, turn the pan onto a serving platter, let stand for about 15 minutes, then poke small holes in the top. I use a straw; be neat about it. Pour glaze sauce on the partially cooled cake. Let cool for about 1 hour and serve. We like it with a scoop of dreamsicle ice cream on the side and a sprig of mint.

VARIATION

This could be a layer cake with cream cheese icing.

Glaze Sauce

¼ cup grapefruit juice

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 tablespoon grapefruit zest

¼ cup finely chopped pecans

Mix the juice and sugar until combined. If it is too thick, add more juice, a tablespoon at a time. Stir in the zests and pecans.

Eisenhower’s Eggs Benedict

This was an easy one to dream up! My family has always loved eggs Benedict, and we serve it with champagne every Christmas morning. One Christmas long ago I decided to change things up a bit, so I replaced the Canadian bacon with a sausage patty, added the leftover sausage bits from the frying pan to the hollandaise sauce, and then gave everything a good, strong shot of lemon juice. The results were so favorable that my dad promptly dictated that this would be our Christmas morning meal from now on! I hope you enjoy it!

Total time: 45 minutes

Serves 6

Water

½ cup distilled vinegar, divided

12 large eggs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

12 sausage patties

6 plain English muffins, split

Hollandaise sauce (recipe follows)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives or finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Pour enough water into 2 large skillets to reach a depth of about 3 inches, and divide the vinegar between them. Bring both skillets to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Crack an egg into a cup and carefully slide it into the hot poaching liquid. Quickly repeat with all the eggs. Poach the eggs, turning them occasionally with a spoon, until the whites are firm, or to the desired degree of doneness, about 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs and transfer to a kitchen towel. Lightly dab the eggs with the towel to remove any excess water.

While the eggs are poaching, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage patties and cook until heated through, about a minute on each side.

To serve, toast the English muffin halves and divide them among 6 warmed plates. Top each half with a sausage patty and set an egg on top. Spoon the hollandaise sauce over the eggs and garnish with the chives. Serve immediately.

Hollandaise Sauce

1⅓ cups unsalted butter

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon strained freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground white pepper or a pinch of cayenne pepper

In a medium pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Skim and discard the white foam that rises to the surface of the butter. Carefully ladle or pour the clear golden butter into a container with a pouring spout. Take care not to add the milky solids and watery liquid at the bottom of the saucepan. Set the butter aside in a warm spot.

Pour enough water into a medium saucepan to reach a depth of about 2 inches. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the egg yolks and the cold water. Whisk until the yolks are light and frothy. Place the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly and vigorously until the yolks are thickened and light, 3 to 4 minutes. (If the eggs begin to scramble or the mixture is cooking very quickly or gets too hot, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk to cool.) Remove the eggs from the heat and whisk for 30 seconds to cool slightly.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and set the bowl over the hot water. Slowly drizzle the butter into the eggs while whisking constantly. Whisk in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. (If the sauce is very thick, add a few drops of warm water to adjust the consistency so it is creamy and light.) Serve immediately or keep the hollandaise sauce in a small bowl set over warm, but not hot, water, for about 30 minutes or in a warmed thermos for about an hour.

Churchill’s Cherry and Cream Cheese Pie

I invented this one snowy afternoon in Syracuse, soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Although the weather was cold that day, once the idea got into my head, I just knew that I had to try it out. This one took a couple of tries before I got it right! In the end it was worth the effort, and it has long since been one of my favorites. As a final touch, I suggest placing a pair of crossed mint leaves on top of the pie.

Total time: 3 hours 10 minutes

Serves 6–8

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

½ cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 9-inch graham cracker crust

1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling, chilled

Either in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer, cream the cream cheese until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly add the milk, mixing on low speed until well combined. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla and pour into the crust. Place the pie in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight, until well chilled and set.

Top the pie with the pie filling just before serving.

Roosevelt’s Roast

Back when rationing was in effect, it was difficult to acquire all the ingredients for this one, named after FDR. But these days, it’s a snap! The trick with this one is the proper preparation of the bourbon-and-mushroom sauce. Don’t let it simmer too long, or you’ll run the risk of burning it. But do it right, and it will be worthy of serving at the White House!

Total time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Serves 4–6

2 to 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, for searing

¼ cup coarse sea salt

¼ cup coarse cracked black pepper

1 whole beef strip loin, trimmed with some fat remaining

Bourbon-mushroom sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 300˚ F.

Add the oil to a sauté pan. Season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes each side. Place the meat on a sheet tray with a rack. Roast the meat for 30 to 40 minutes. Crank the oven up to 450˚ F and roast for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until crust forms and meat is nicely colored. When done, allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. In a small bowl, reserve the drippings for the bourbon-mushroom sauce.

Bourbon-Mushroom Sauce

5 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 cup onion, finely diced

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ cup bourbon

3 cups beef stock

Salt

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until nicely browned. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer. Before serving with the beef, add the reserved juice to the mixture.

Bogart’s Baked Beans

Named after Humphrey Bogart, this one is especially easy to make. In fact, I threw it together one afternoon while at my parents’ house in Syracuse, largely because I had promised them some sort of dinner and I didn’t know what I was going to cook. Plus my father had the car, and I couldn’t go grocery shopping! And so, I needed to come up with something that used whatever ingredients I could find that day in my parents’ pantry. The result is a recipe that’s simple, satisfying, and quick. And like the characters that Bogey oftentimes played on the big screen, it’s also colorful and has a flavor all its own.

Total time: 21 minutes

Serves 4

6 cups baked beans

3 slices bacon, chopped into ½-inch pieces

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

¼ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

3–4 cut-up hot dogs

2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves, optional

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.

Pour the beans into a casserole dish and place in the oven.

In a small nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes longer. Slide the beans out of the oven. Scatter the onions and bacon around the beans. Sprinkle the brown sugar and black pepper over the onions and add hot dog pieces.

Bake the beans with the toppings for 10 minutes longer. Garnish the beans with parsley and serve.

MacArthuroni and Cheese

Of all the recipes listed here, this one is the most surefire favorite. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like a nice dish of macaroni and cheese! This recipe is especially good, because it’s made with two kinds of mushrooms and Gruyère cheese. Just be sure to not skimp on the Gruyère, and use only good-quality mushrooms. During World War II, General MacArthur made his famous pronouncement, “I shall return!” Make this dish correctly, and your guests will “return” repeatedly for second (and maybe even third) helpings!

Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 6–8

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Good olive oil

½ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced into ½-inch pieces

½ pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced into ½-inch pieces

3 tablespoons cream sherry

Kosher salt

1 pound pasta, such as cavatappi

3 ounces white truffle butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 quart whole milk, scalded

12 ounces (4 cups) Gruyère cheese, grated

8 ounces (2½ to 3 cups) extra-sharp cheddar, grated

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves

1½ cups fresh white bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.

Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan, add the mushrooms, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are tender. Add the sherry and continue to sauté for a few more minutes, until the sherry is absorbed. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a splash of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Add the pasta and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain well.

While the pasta cooks, melt the truffle butter in a large (4-quart) saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the white sauce is thickened and creamy. Remove from the heat and add the Gruyère, cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and the nutmeg.

Combine the pasta, sauce, and mushrooms in a large bowl and pour into a 10-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish.

Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until they’re minced. Add the bread crumbs and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the crumbs over the pasta and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown. Serve hot.

Winston’s Baked Walleye

I created this recipe for a dear friend during one summer at Lake Evergreen. Because this one has such a strong sentimental meaning for me, I almost didn’t include it here. But the recipe is so good that I just had to add it. . .

I prefer to use walleye, but almost any of any kind of fish will do. The secret here is to not bake the fillets too long and risk drying them out. Since the day I came up with this, I have often wished that I had also created a lobster or shrimp cream sauce to go on top of the fish fillets, but I haven’t gotten around to that yet. Anyway, this is a good one, and named after Winston Churchill, another of my great heroes. With all that going for it, how could it miss?

Total time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

⅔ cup crushed crackers (I use Ritz)

¼ cup (about 1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound walleye, or sole, scrod, perch, or other mild-tasting fish fillets

Lemon wedges

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.

Melt the butter in a 9-by-13-inch pan in the oven. While it melts, combine everything else except the fish in a pie pan. Dip each fish fillet in the melted butter, dip each piece in the crumb mixture, and return it to the baking pan. Bake the fillets for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the fish flakes with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges.