Jamille Christmans Kathryn Stockett Recipe

I am not much of a dessert person but I absolutely love no bake chocolate pie.  How could I not include a great recipe like this for a great southern novel, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. The only difference is my secret ingredient in my pie is love.

Crust:

¼ cup butter melted
2 cups oreo cookie crumbs about 24 cookies

Pie Crust Preparation:
1. In a blender pulse crushed Oreos until mixture is fine
2. In a bowl mix Oreo mix with ¼ cup melted butter
3. Press mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan and put in the fridge to chill.

Filling:
8 ounces Semi sweet chocolate chopped
⅔ cups heavy whipping cream
¾ teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream whipped to stiff peaks
2 Tablespoon granulated sugar

Filling Preparation:
1. Chop chocolate into small pieces and put in a heat-proof bowl.
2. Heat 2/3 cup of cream for about 45 seconds in the microwave, until steaming. Pour over the chopped chocolate and allow to sit for several minutes.
3. Add vanilla and espresso powder to the chocolate and cream. Whisk together to make a thick ganache. Allow to cool completely.
4. While the ganache is cooling, add your 1 ½ cup cream and granulated sugar to a clean mixing bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. Be careful to not over whip your cream! Peaks should stand on their own and not flop over at all.
5. When the ganache is cooled completely, add to the bowl of whipped cream. Gently fold the chocolate into the cream until it just incorporated, with no streaks of dark chocolate or white cream. 
6. Pour into chilled pie shell and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
7. Top with whipped cream and enjoy! (mix in a little vanilla in whipped cream to make it taste great and silky)

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Bob Munson's Dr. Seuss Recipe

 
Green Eggs And Ham is an absolute classic, and I thought I would do a recipe for Smoked Ham in The Big Green Egg.

Start out by soaking some wood chips (we like applewood) in water at least 4 hours, up to overnight.

It is important not to use a spiral cut ham. With a sharp knife score the fatty side of a ham (shank or butt portion, 7-12 lbs.) in a checkerboard pattern. Make the cuts about 1 inch apart and about 1 inch deep. 

Build a charcoal fire in your Big Green Egg. When it becomes hot scatter the wood chips. 
 
Fill a pan about 1 inch deep (we use a disposable aluminum pan) with apple juice if you have it, water if not.  Add cut up fruit for more flavor. Here we used apples and oranges. 

Set a plate setter in the Big Green Egg and cover with foil.  (This is an essential tool for indirect cooking and smoking on the Big Green Egg.  you can buy one here: https://biggreenegg.com/product/conveggtor/

Place the pan filled with juice and fruit on the plate setter.
Allow the heat to reach 275 degrees.

Over that place the grill, and this is where you’ll set your ham. 

Cook for approximately 1 hour for every two pounds of weight of the ham, maintaining as close to 275 degrees as possible. Brush with glaze during the last hour. Ham should reach an internal temperature of 155 – 160 degrees for best flavor, but ham is cooked and fully safe at lower temperatures.
 

You can see what I mean about scoring the fatty side from this photo of the completed ham. These cuts help the ham absorb the smoke, but without drying it out.


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Diana & Bonnies Jane Austen Recipe

In Emma, Mrs. Elton's “poor attempts at rout-cakes” would have turned out much better with this recipe from Cooking at Home with Jane Austen.

Rout Cakes

Tiny rich sweet cakes made for routs or evening parties
Makes 16-20

Ingredients:
12 ripe Apricots
170 g / 6 oz / ¾ cup Powdered Sugar
470 ml / 16 fl oz / 2 cups of Cream
1  ¼ cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
4 Tbsp butter, softened
1/3 cup caster (superfine) sugar
1 small egg
½ tsp orange juice
½ tsp rose-water
1 tsp sweet white wine or sherry

1 tsp brandy
¼ cup currants

Directions:
1. Set the oven to heat to 350.
2. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.
3. Work in the butter to make a crumbly mixture, then add the sugar.
4. In a small bowl, beat the egg until liquid.
5. Add the juice, rosewater, wine or sherry, and brandy. Stir well.
6. Then mix the liquids by degrees into the dry goods, to obtain a smooth dough.
7. Lastly mix in the fruit.
8. Put the cake mixture in small, neat heaps (3/4" across) on a lightly greased baking-sheet.
Bake in the oven for 16-18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

http://www.janeausten.co.uk/an-attempt-at-rout-cakes/

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Doug Robinson's Alexandre Dumas Recipe

The Three Musketeers is my long time favorite novel.  Since the classic is set in Paris, I went with a popular recipe from middle ages France that is still popular to this day. This is all thanks in to Julia Child for reinvigorating Beef Bourguignon.  This is Julia Childs recipe.

Ingredients
6 slices bacon, cut into lardons
3 1/2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds stewing beef, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 large carrot, sliced
1 large white onion, sliced
1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
3 cups red wine, like a chianti
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves smashed garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 crumbled bay leaf
18 to 24 small pearl onions
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 herb bouquet (4 sprigs parsley, 2 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf)
1 pound fresh white mushrooms, quartered

1. Simmer bacon lardons in 4 cups water for 10 minutes (Lardon is the French culinary term referring to thin strips of bacon, cut approximately 1/4-inch thick). Drain and pat dry.

2. Preheat oven to 450°F. In a large Dutch oven, sauté the bacon in 1 tablespoon of oil for about 3 minutes, until it starts to lightly brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. Dry the beef with a few paper towels for better browning. In batches, sear the beef on all sides in the
Dutch oven. Set aside with the bacon.

4. Back in the pot, add the sliced carrots and onions; sauté in fat until browned, about 3 minutes. If there's any excess fat, drain it now.

5. Add the bacon and beef back to the pot. Season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Toss. Sprinkle with flour and toss once more. Place in the center of the oven for 4 minutes.

6. Remove pot from oven; toss beef and place back in the oven for 4 more minutes. Remove the pot from the oven and reduce the heat to 325°F.
7. To the pot, add the wine and stock. The liquid should barely cover the meat and vegetables. Add the tomato paste, garlic and thyme. Bring to a light simmer on the stove, then cover and simmer in the lower part of the oven for 3 to 4 hours, or until the meat is easily pierced.
8. In the last hour of cooking, bring 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and 2 teaspoons oil to a medium heat in a sauté pan. Add the pearl onions and toss around in the fat until they've browned, 10 minutes. Then stir in 1/2 cup beef stock, a small pinch of salt and pepper and the herb bouquet. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the onions for about 40 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated, and the onions are tender.

9. Remove the onions and set aside. Discard the herb bouquet and wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining butter and oil and bring to a medium heat.
10. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan to coat with the butter.

11. Place a colander over a large pot. Drain the beef stew through the colander and into the pot. Place the pot with the sauce over a medium heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, skimming any fat on top. Pour the beef and vegetables back into the Dutch oven. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms to the pot. Pour the sauce over the beef mix and simmer an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

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Chan-Preet Singh's Laura Esquivel Recipe

 Like Water For Chocolate is full of wonderful and delicious recipes as well as a compelling story.  While all the recipes look good, Chile Rellenos really excites me and reminds me of this great book. This recipe is not in the book, but this recipe is savory and spicy and the perfectly summarizes the story!

INGREDIENTS
for the chile rellenos:
6 large poblano peppers
10 ounces Queso Oaxaca or Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese, shredded (you should have about 4 cups shredded cheese)
6-12 fresh epazote leaves (optional)
4 eggs, separated
1 cup neutral oil like avocado oil, grapeseed oil or vegetable oil
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Kosher salt, for seasoning
for the salsa ranchera: 
4 large ripe tomatoes, cored
1/2 white onion
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 serrano peppers
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh Mexican oregano or 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano or Mediterranean oregano
1 cup water
2 tablespoons neutral oil (whatever you use to fry the chiles is fine)

INSTRUCTIONS
Char the poblanos: Char the peppers over the open flame of your gas stove, turning occasionally until all sides are blackened. Transfer to a heat proof bowl, cover and let cool to room temperature. If you don't have a gas stove you can also do this on a grill or under the broiler. 

Make the Salsa Ranchera: Turn the broiler to high and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place tomatoes, onion, garlic, and serranos on the baking sheet and place under the broiler. Check every 2-3 minutes and turn the vegetables so the blacken on all sides. The garlic will cook much faster than the other vegetables. Remove each ingredient as it is done cooking. This should take anywhere from 9-15 minutes. 
Blend the salsa ingredients. Remove the skin from the garlic and the stem and skin from the serranos. If you are sensitive to heat you can also remove the seeds of the serrano peppers too. Place all the blackened vegetables into a blender along with the 2 teaspoons of salt, the oregano, and the cup of water. Blend on high until smooth. 
Fry the sauce. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a small Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the sauce (careful it will splatter) and fry in the oil until the color deepens and the sauce is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Cover and keep warm. 
Peel the peppers. Carefully remove the blackened skin from the peppers. Try your best not to rip or break them. Get off as much as you can and rinse the rest off under running water. 
Stuff the peppers. Cut a slit down the side of each pepper and remove the seeds with your fingers, again being careful not to rip or break them. Rinse out any remaining seeds under running water. Fill each pepper with 3/4 to 1/2 cup of shredded cheese depending on the size of the pepper—you will use all the cheese. Place 1-2 fresh epazote leaves inside each pepper if using. Seal closed by threading a toothpick through the opening. 
Make the batter. Beat the egg whites in a bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium-high until they are stiff. Turn the mixer to low and add the yolks one at a time until they are completely incorporated. Add a generous pinch of salt and mix that in as well. 
Heat oil. Heat the cup of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. 
Batter the chiles. Place flour in a  pie plate or shallow baking dish. Season generously with salt. Coat the chiles, one at a time, in the flour, dusting off any excess then dip the chiles into the mixing bowl and cover with the egg batter. I like to use a small spatula to "paint" the batter onto the chiles until they are thoroughly coated. 
Fry the chiles. Once the oil is hot (test by sticking a wooden chopstick in the oil, if it is immediately covered in bubbles the oil is ready) add the chiles, two at a time. Adjust the oil temperature as they are cooking. If the oil starts to smoke, turn it down if it becomes too cool, turn up the heat. 
Flip the chiles. Once the chiles are golden brown on one side, flip using a fish spatula and cook until golden on that side. Keep flipping and frying until they are golden all over and they are warmed through, about 5-8 minutes. 
Drain the chiles. Remove to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain the excess oil and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining chiles. Then serve immediately with Salsa Ranchera. 
Make in advance. The chiles keep great if you want to make them ahead. Keep them warm for up to an hour in a low (200°F) oven. Or make, let cool, and refrigerate then reheat in a 350°F oven until hot, about 15 minutes. 

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Charles Robinson's Hunter S Thompson Recipe

 

The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson is a very underrated book, and one of my favorites by him. In the book, Al only serves hamburgers, so I decided to showcase a burger with a Puerto Rican flair. Hamburgers are a quintessentially American food, but what happens when you take the burger out of the states? This question can generally be used about this book in general, if you substitute the word “man” for “food.” The main character, Paul Kemp, is a kind of wanderer, a man who’s been everywhere but belongs nowhere. When he lands in Puerto Rico, it’s no different, and he and his coworkers, who share his undistinguished journalist status, drown their sorrows in rum and cheap burgers.

For the burgers:

1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coriander

For the peppers and onions:

1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves (or more, I’m always generous) garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon each of chili powder, coriander, and cumin
juice of half a lime

For the creamy sauce (adapted from Girl Versus Dough’s Chipotle Lime Crema):

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
juice of half a lime
1 minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

(If you’re making fries to go with your dinner, throw them in the oven before you start, as the burgers are done pretty quickly)

Slice up the onion and red pepper. Set a pan on the stove over medium heat with a little olive oil in it. Carmelize the onions so that they’re brown and delicious. Then add garlic, red pepper and spices, stirring until the peppers are tender. Squeeze in lime juice. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the meat and spices and form into patties. Put the same pan you used for the peppers back over medium heat and grill the patties until they’re cooked through (you could also do this on an actual grill, I just don’t have one).

While the burgers are going, make the creamy sauce if desired. Stir all the ingredients into the sour cream and set aside. When everything is ready, assemble the burgers and eat!

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Rachel Ponce De Leon's Raymond Carver Recipe

"You probably need to eat something," the baker said. "I hope you'll eat some of my hot rolls. You have to eat and keep going. Eating is a small, good thing in a time like this," he said.

I've selected a cinnamon roll recipe in honor of "A Small, Good Thing" from Raymond Carver's Cathedral. It is probably Carver's most overtly tragic story, and features a properly transcendent conclusion. The bread at the end of this piece satiates the protagonists and the reader, who has shared their great torment. You may read the full story here. If you are my kind of reader, hunter of the immense post-read stillness, buy Cathedral--or any Carver collection--from our Literature section. Few match him.

Ingredients:
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 cup warm whole milk (110° to 115°)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

Filling:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted, divided 

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Dissolve yeast in warm milk. In another bowl, combine sugar, butter, eggs, salt, yeast mixture and 2 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Punch down dough; divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 portion into an 11x8-in. rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle with half the brown sugar mixture to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Cut into 8 slices; place in a greased 13x9-in. pan, cut side down. Cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350°.
Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
For frosting, beat butter, cream cheese, vanilla and salt until blended; gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar. Spread over tops. Refrigerate leftovers.

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Finn Smith-Ruttan's Neil Gaiman Recipe

Nothing inflames the appetite on a sunny summer day quite like the mythical Sunbird described in Neil Gaiman’s short story of the same name. In the story, the Sunbird is described as “richer than quail and moister than turkey, fatter than ostrich and lusher than duck,” and the proper method of cooking one is highly debated. However, since a Sunbird might be hard to come across these days, duck will have to do for us. This recipe for five-spice duck breast with blackberries brings to mind Neil Gaiman’s own fiery fowl, and is perfect for even the hottest summer evenings. The short story “Sunbird” can be found in Neil Gaiman’s short story collection, Fragile Things.

Five-Spice Duck Breast With Blackberries
By David Tanis
YIELD: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: 40 minutes, plus 30 minutes' marinating

Once you know the technique, cooking a large Muscovy duck breast is no more difficult than cooking a steak. Fragrant five-spice powder — a heady mix of Sichuan pepper, fennel, clove, star anise and cinnamon — is the perfect duck seasoning, and juicy blackberries make this a brilliant summertime dish. Muscovy duck is found at better butchers, from online sources or even at some farmers' markets. Grill the duck if you prefer, but make sure to keep dripping fat from igniting and scorching the meat. The breast meat is quite lean despite its fatty skin, so it is best cooked to a rosy medium rare or it will be dry. Serve it warm, at room temperature or cold.

INGREDIENTS
2 Muscovy duck breasts, about 1 pound each 
Salt
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, smashed or diced
1 shallot, finely diced
2 tablespoons good sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 ounces blackberries
½ cup rich chicken broth

PREPARATION
Trim duck breasts as necessary, removing extraneous fat or gristle. Score the skin side of the breast diagonally with a sharp knife. 

Season both sides of the duck breasts with salt, then sprinkle both sides evenly with five-spice powder. Mix together ginger and garlic and use it to slather the breasts. Cover and let marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. (Alternatively, wrap and refrigerate for several hours, or even overnight; bring back to room temperature before cooking.)

Place a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, lay duck breast in it skin-side down. Let sizzle gently for 7 minutes, until skin is crisp and golden, adjusting heat as necessary to keep from getting too dark too quickly. Turn breast over and cook 3 to 5 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer should register 125 degrees for medium rare. Remove from pan and let rest for 10 minutes on a warm plate. Drain fat from pan (reserve for another use if you wish).

Make the sauce: Over medium heat, add shallots to same pan and cook until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add sherry vinegar, brown sugar and half the blackberries, stirring until sugar is dissolved and berries have released their juice. Add chicken broth, raise heat and simmer rapidly until liquid is reduced by half and a bit syrupy. Strain the contents of the skillet into a small saucepan and keep warm.

To serve, slice duck breast thinly across the grain on a diagonal and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce over the meat and garnish with the rest of the blackberries.

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