My friend Robert (don't call him Bob) is from Kentucky and promotes the food of his youth at every possible occasion. Pulled pork, chicken with dumplings and other Southern dishes are frequently found on his and Nancy's table. The food is not only good but it usually comes with a history lesson, since with Robert, " old times there are not forgotten".

Robert has passed on a Gatton Family Farm corn pudding recipe that will be a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving dinner. Robert says: "This recipe is from the farm family that has been curing Kentucky country ham since 1840. The Gatton family considers this a family art. The farm is located in Bremen, Kentucky. Charles Gatton began curing country hams in 1840 and the Gattons do it the same way today."
The Gatton's know something about corn pudding also.

Mother Lorene Gatton’s Corn Pudding



Ingredients:
4 Cups corn

6 eggs

2/3 Cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cornstarch

3 (1/2 pints) whipping cream

1 stick butter (melted)
 1/2 tsp white pepper



Preparation:
Step 1.Beat eggs in blender.
Step 2 
Add salt, sugar and cornstarch and beat again.

Step 3. Place corn in a medium bowl
Step 4.Pour beaten mixture over corn.

Step 5.Add melted butter.
 whipping cream and stir mixture.

Step 6. Pour mixture in "greased" baking dish
Step 7. Drizzle butter on top.
Step 8. 
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

This really is a wonderful corn pudding and my thanks to Robert for reminding me as to how perfectly this goes on a Thanksgiving table.

Afterthought:
I am not sure what they use for "grease" in Step 6 down in Kentucky.
I suggest that you "butter" the baking dish before pouring in the final mixture.
I appreciate Robert sending me the Gatton Corn Pudding recipe. I hope he follows up by sending us a Gatton Country Ham.

Thanksgiving was not a favorite meal years ago when our boys were young. We never seemed to get the turkey to taste good enough to justify the effort. It was always dry and not particularly interesting until the next day when it went into sandwiches with lettuce , tomato and plenty of mayo.

On Thanksgiving we had much to be thankful for but our turkey meal was not one. To avoid the turkey trauma we sometimes took a trip to New York for a few days. We would see the parade and have dinner at a nice hotel where the boys could have turkey and there were other choices for Dorothy and me.

This was a pricey way to spend Thanksgiving simply to avoid dried out turkey. The whole picture changed when someone suggested that we soak the turkey overnight before cooking. We tried it on a weekend that was not a holiday and found the secret to a moist delicious turkey that would allow us to entertain family instead of hiding in Manhattan on Thanksgiving.

With the turkey trauma behind us we were able to work on accompaniments that would make our Turkey Day really special. Sweet Potato Cheesecake appeared years later and is a special elegant end to this special meal

Turkey Preparation Tips

Frozen turkey needs about 3 days of defrosting in the fridge

Soaking the Turkey
Place turkey in a large pot or clean bucket big enough to cover bird with water
Add 2 cups of kosher salt and cold water to cover bird
Rub salt into the bird and stir water until salt dissolves
We put the bird in a large trash bag first then put the bagged bird into a very large pot and then add the water, salt and rubbing process in the bag, then tie the bag with the water salt and bird inside.
Set in a cool spot for 10 to 12 hours
Remove from water and rinse under cool running water. Rinse cavity and skin till all salt is removed.

You are now ready to roast and everyone has a favorite roasting method.
The one suggestion I will give that may not be in your cookbook or your mother’s instructions is to start the roasting with the bird in a v-rack with the breast side DOWN for ½ hour to 45 minutes. Bring turkey out of the oven and turn in the rack to have breast side up then continue roasting. Baste frequently through the roasting.


After the turkey and before the game on TV
If you are having the family for Thanksgiving they will be making the obligatory turkey accolades. “This turkey was wonderful and the white meat was soooo moist.” The major addition to the comments is that they will be true this time.

Now it is time to absolutely change the way the family thinks about Thanksgiving dinner
Bring out Galatoire's Sweet Potato Cheesecake for dessert and you will knock their socks off.

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Crust Ingredients:
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Cheesecake Filling
3 packages (3 ounce)Philadelphia cream cheese,softened
1 cup sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 ¾ cups previously baked mashed sweet potaoes
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping:
2 cups sour cream, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
Step 1. Heat oven to 350’
In medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter till combined
Press into bottom of spring form pan and 1 inch up the sides
Bake 6-8 minutes until set -NOT BROWN
Remove from oven, set aside to cool

Step 2. Beat cream cheese with mixer till smooth.
Add sugar & brown sugar beat till smooth
Add sweet potatoes, eggs, evaporated milk, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, beating until well combined.
Pour into cooled crust
Bake 55 to 60 minutes until edge is set remove from oven and set aside

Step 3. Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla to combine.
Spread over warm cheesecake
Return to oven and bake until set—about 5 minutes
Cool on wire rack. When cool remove side of pan and chill for several hours or overnight

This will provide about 12 servings that will stimulate family Huzzahs for weeks
The Photo is Galatoire's in New Orleans. I'm not sure how and when we got the recipe but the note said Galatoire's which is a famous old line New Orleans restaurant. We haven't been in New Orleans for years but Galatoire's is still rated well. The cheesecake is rated by us to be simply great

A huzzah is a good thing.

Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Price is important when shopping for food but it is not the only factor in choosing your purchase when wheeling that cart through the market.

The lasagna recipe I recently posted received an interesting comment from a friend with a strong Italian heritage. Jeannie reminded me that the quality of the ingredients was the important element in making good lasagna, with great ricotta as a key.

She made an important point which perhaps I have not emphasized often enough. As with some other items, we haven’t found good ricotta since we moved to the West. Our ricotta comes from either New Jersey or New York. When we lived in Philadelphia excellent ricotta was no problem locating. There were many fine local, ricotta brands available. Finding good ricotta for lasagna is one example of the needed attention in selecting ingredients for any meal..

Garlic is a current example of concern. Until recently we were able to find quality garlic at Costco’s. They carried a garlic from Gilroy California which is where most of the nation’s garlic is grown. Christopher Ranch has excellent garlic and we were happy with their product. Suddenly someone at Costco decided that garlic was not important and it is now a discontinued product. Figure that? We went to Sam’s club to check their garlic and found that they were bringing in a Chinese garlic. This garlic changes our recipes that require garlic and is not acceptable. We are on currently on a garlic search.

Mushrooms are another story. Kennett Square Pennsylvania is the mushroom capital of America and is where a million pounds of great mushrooms are grown each year. It is the Gilroy equivalent for mushrooms. Since moving West I have learned to tell a non Kennett Square mushroom by simply picking up one of the mushrooms being sold. Most of our locally grown mushrooms have no heft and really do a mediocre job when a mushroom is an important ingredient in the recipe

Locally grown, fresh products often are the heart of a great meal, but just because it is local doesn’t always mean it is best.

A great recipe can become less than a great meal if the ingredient selections are not carefully purchased. Finding products that work with your kitchen adventures is a very rewarding part of the effort.

An example of time well spent is the selection proceedure when green beans are part of your menu plan. Green beans, grabbed by the unexamined handful and shoving them into the plastic produce bag is not the way to buy for the home kitchen. Take a few minutes to select the unmarred beans from that pile in the produce section of your market. The same kind of careful selection should be made in every produce purchase. If your selection is wilted and worn with brown spots at the market, it isn’t going to suddenly perk up in your kitchen. You pay as much for the ugly beans in the pile as you do for the fresh ones.

Jeannie’s comments on the lasagna brought my attention a step back from the recipe and preparation side of cooking a great meal. It is the foundation of quality ingredients that are the structure of a meal that will produce results that get huzzahs from your guests. Take the time to make sure that those ingredients have received your serious attention at the market.

Note: A huzzah is a good thing
Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

When November is on the calendar Root Vegetables are in our kitchen. Root soup is sure to appear before long and the first root dish of the fall season is often our version of Root Vegetable Curry. I say “our version” quietly because this is one of those examples where Dorothy Cooks and Buck Writes

I might have a job dicing on the root veggie dishes but I don’t take a step past that activity. I know who is the master in our kitchen of the root vegetable recipes and their seasoning, so I just dice and say little. I limit my comments to, how beautiful this sunny, blue sky day is, with the mountains covered in fresh snow and just keep dicing.

Root Vegetable Curry

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
A 6 to 8 cup mixture of diced root vegetables-carrots, sweet potato, potato, rutabaga, parsnip plus cauliflower and brussel sprouts.
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ cups chicken stock
2/3 cup tomato puree
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

Step 1. Place onion, garlic and ginger in food processor and chop fine
Step 2. Heat oil in skillet and sauté onion mixture for about 3 minutes
Step 3. Add root vegetables and sauté for 10 minutes.
Step 4. Combine dry ingredients and stir into vegetables-cook for 1 minute
Step 5. Gradually stir in chicken stock and tomato puree. Bring to a boil.
Step 6. Cover reduce heat to simmer and cook till vegetables are tender(30 minutes)
Optional – add ¾ cup golden raisins for last 10 minutes

Service: Serve over steamed (white) Basmati rice –garnish with cilantro

Afterthought: Steam a little more rice than you think you will need. It will be used when your diners ask for seconds of this Root Vegetable Curry. White or Brown
Basmati rice works. We use the white with this dish.


Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

The usual snacks that accompany watching the World Series or Monday Night Football deserve an occasion special boost. I make a crunchy snack using pizza dough and olives that is always the first item to disappear when some friends are over to watch a game or play poker. I have done variations for some time without thinking of putting the directions on paper but a TV food show stimulated me into action. I was watching a food show with suggestions as to what to serve when the guests were over to watch a game. They were among other items, making my crispy flat bread snack.

Their procedure was close enough for me to think that they might have been at my house one time when I served the snack. There were some major differences but it was close enough to confirm that this is an idea to be shared and enjoyed while watching the Phillies beat the Yankees when they come home to Philly on Saturday

Crispy Flat Bread and Olives

Ingredients:
8 ounce pizza dough ball
8 ounces of pitted olives (Kalamata and Manzanille)
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons, extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon .Balsamic vinegar
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400’
Step 1 in food processor mince olives then add, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Step 2. process again until all elements are mixed( about 30 seconds) then set aside
Step 3 hand flatten pizza dough ball and then use a rolling to flatten very thin
Step 4.cut dough into strips about 2” wide and about 4 “ long
Step 5 arrange strips on a cookie sheet
Step 6. place a generous amount of the olive mixture down the center of each of the strips
Step 7. bake in oven until strips are brown and crispy ( about 8 or 10 minutes)

Service: Sprinkle Parmesan lightly over olive mixture.This recipe makes about 18 decent size crackers if you have rolled the dough really thin.

Afterthoughts: Get the dough ball at your local pizza shop and adjust ingredients if the dough ball is more than 8 ounces. Keep an eye on the baking so the strips are not overdone.
I have a pizza stone that I use in the oven which works well but the cookie sheet does the job if you don’t have a pizza stone
Kalamata are the purplish Greek olives and the Manzanille are green Spanish olives
If you have a crowd and want some variety, Basil Pesto also works well down the center of the strips

Remember: Roll the dough really thin!

I hesitate to put quick and easy into a recipe description since it leaves out the description of the most important element of a dish. That of course is how it tastes.

When preparing meals for the family nutrition and food group balance is obviously important. Taste must be the starting point for me with the other elements following. The recipes that are in Buck Cooks are “taste tested”. If it doesn’t taste good to me it will not make the grade here without serious caveats as to why it is appearing.

The chicken curry recipe is here because I think it is a great tasting recipe but it also happens to be quick and easy to prepare.. I can attest to that since we prepared it the other night under severe time constraints. We got home 57 minutes before the Phillies were scheduled to play the Dodgers in game 5 of the National League Championship Series

Chicken Curry was ready for serving by the first pitch by Cole Hamel and the taste was enhanced by the Phillies winning of the National League Pennant again.

Phillies Victory Chicken Curry (6 servings)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup minced onion
1 cup chopped celery
4 cloves garlic minced
½ cup flour
1-2 Tbsp curry powder (we use more)
1tsp dry mustard
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
dash cayenne
1 ¼ cup strong chicken stock
1 cup light cream
3 Tbsp catsup
2 boneless poached chicken breasts diced
1 cup rice

Preparation:
Step 1. Start the rice in the rice cooker according to your cooker directions
Step 2. melt butter in large skillet
Step 3. add onion, celery and garlic- sauté for 2-3 minutes
Step 4. combine dry ingredients & add to the onion mixture
Step 5. Slowly add chicken broth and cream
Step 6. add catsup and cook for 2 minutes
Step 7. add diced chicken
Step 8. reduce heat to simmer, stir occasionally for 5 minutes
Add chicken broth if the mixture is too thick

Service: The rice should be ready and the chicken curry is served over rice.

Some traditional Condiments to accompany the dish are:
Raisins
Chutney
Shredded coconut
Peanuts

Afterthoughts:
This dish is especially good after a night in the fridge.
We sometimes add diced apple to the cooking process but skip it most of the time.
The apple in the dish is not necessary (leave it out)
The basic recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of curry – we use 4- try 2 the first time

Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

I suppose there is someone who doesn’t like Crème Brulee but I haven’t met that person... A ramekin with the caramelized golden sugar top covering the smooth creamy Crème Brulee is a perfect way to end the meal.

I have had some memorable examples of this dessert. Langan’s Brasserie located just off Picadilly in London was often visited years ago not only for the special atmosphere, but I knew that whatever level of excellence of the meal it would end well with their Crème Brulee. Langan’s has now become a small chain of interesting operations but Peter Langan is gone and Michael Caine who initially financed the operation is nowhere in sight and their great Crème Brulee has disappeared with them.

That Crème Brulee of years ago has been a fond memory until recently. A friend who is a special cook served this dessert a few months ago at a dinner party and it transported my memory back to the Langan’s of years ago. Mary has shared her simple classic approach and I know you will have success and kudos from friends when you end your meal with this reprise of Langan’s Crème Brulee as done by our friend Mary.

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
Pinch salt
1 vanilla bean
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

Preparation:
Step 1. Combine egg yolks sugar and salt and whip together
Step 2. Put cream into a sauce pan
Step 3. Split and scrape vanilla bean into cream
Step 4. Heat cream over medium heat until bubbles appear along side of pan
Step 5. Remove from heat
Step 6. Add heated cream slowly into eggs while stirring continuously
Step 7. Pour mixture into ramekins
Step 8. Place ramekins into a water bath that reaches mid way up the side of the ramekins. ( The water previously having been heated to boiling)
Step 9. Bake @ 325’ for 30 minutes
Step 10. Remove from water bath cover each ramekin with film and refrigerate for several hours or overnight

Prior to serving: Sprinkle a generous amount of white sugar on top of each ramekin
Caramelize sugar using a propane torch (burnz-omatic type)

Important afterthoughts;
I believe the type of torch used by a plumber does a better job than the dainty ones sold at high end kitchen supply shops. Before lighting the torch, make sure that no flammable items are nearby. Just remember to move the flame to the Crème Brulee slowly until you get an idea of distance and time needed to make the golden caramelized crust that will create a collective Ahhhh from your guests when you serve them Crème Brulee

Important tip from Mary:
She always finely strains her mixture before pouring into the ramekins. This removes any tiny egg elements that may have approached being cooked when adding the heated cream.
Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.