Barbe-Cups.

One of my favorite cookbooks is "Festival," a production of the Humphreys Academy patrons in Belzoni, MS. The title pays homage to the world-famous Catfish Festival held in Belzoni each April. I have had the privilege of attending several of the festivals, and had a great time. I received the cookbook as a wedding gift from Shannon and her grandmother, Nannie, who I adored.

One of the recipes that I turn to time and again is Barbe-cups. They are fast, ridiculously simple, and delicious. They are comfort food. Serve them with some steamed broccoli or some butter beans, and you have a complete meal in about 30 minutes.

Barbe-Cups

1 pound ground beef or sausage
1 TBSP minced onion, or about 1/2 of a fresh onion, chopped
3 TBSP (or more) BBQ sauce
2 TBSP ketchup
3 TBSP brown sugar
2 cans Hungry Jack flaky biscuits (10-count)
shredded Cheddar

Brown the meat and drain. Add onion, BBQ, ketchup, and brown sugar. Mix well. Flatten biscuits with your fingers until they roughly double in diameter. Grease muffin tins and press biscuits into each section to cover the bottom & sides. Sprinkle cheddar in the bottom, then spoon in meat mixture. Add a little extra cheese on top. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

Pete's Carrot Soup.

Panini Pete's is another extremely popular place to eat here in Fairhope. It was also recently featured on the Food Network. You can watch the segment on the restaurant site. There is an excellent article on him in Mobile Bay Monthly. I have yet to try his carrot soup, but I know that when it is on the menu, people flock there to get some before it is gone. I am a little surprised that he shared the recipe. There are a few more recipes in the article.

Carrot Soup

1 stick butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
5 pounds carrots, peeled & sliced
1 cup orzo
5 sprigs fresh parsley, tied in a bundle
1 & 1/2 gallons vegetable stock, at room temperature
2 cups heavy cream
salt & pepper, to taste
Cardamom, to taste (approximately 1 TBSP. freshly roasted & ground)

Melt butter in a stockpot over high heat. Saute onion until translucent. Add carrots & saute until soft and the liquid becomes orange, about 15 minutes. Add orzo and stir to coat. Add stock and parsley. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer & stir until orzo is done and carrots are very tender, about 40 minutes. Remove parsley bundle and puree soup until smooth. You may adjust the consistency with up to a half gallon of additional stock. Add heavy cream, salt, pepper, & cardamom.

Optional garnish: combine 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 cup sour cream, 1-2 TBSP cardamom, salt & pepper to taste.

If making soup ahead of time, place pot into an ice bath until cool. Refrigerate until heady to reheat. Make two gallon.

Red Beans & Rice.

This is from Guy's Gumbo Shack, a local institution here in Fairhope, AL. It was recently featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives."

Red Beans and Rice
Recipe courtesy Guy at Guy's Gumbo Shack in Fairhope, AL

2 tablespoons butter
2 cups diced green pepper
2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 to 2 pounds smoked sausage (we use Conecuh Sausage)
6 (14-ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
Cooked white rice, for serving

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add all ingredients except beans and rice and saute until vegetables are soft. Add beans and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat. Use hand blender or potato masher to mash beans until approximately 50 percent of the beans remain intact. Serve over cooked white rice.

(This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.)

Chocolate Pistachio Bundt Cake.

I'm currently reading a wonderful food commentary book called "Talking with my Mouth Full." The very first essay is on the Bundt pan, and it includes a recipe that was very popular back in the 70's. I inherited my grandmother's Bundt pan this past year. I ate many cakes that she produced in it, but today was the first time that I have used it to make my own cake. My family found this cake to be delicious, and it is so ridiculously easy that anyone can throw it together in about five minutes.

Chocolate Pistachio Bundt Cake
1 package cake mix, white or yellow
4 eggs
1 package pistachio instant pudding
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup Orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup chocolate syrup
confectioners sugar

Combine cake mix, pistachio pudding, orange juice, oil, water, eggs and almond extract at medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour 2/3 into greased bundt pan. Add chocolate syrup to remainder and stir well; pour into pan. Drag a knife through the batter gently to produce a marbled effect. Bake 50-60 minutes at 350-degrees. Top with a dusting of confectioners sugar, or make a simple glaze.

Gingersnaps.

I saw a segment on Bizarre Foods tonight. It featured some of the unusual foods of Minnesota. But, at the State Fair, Andrew also talked to Marjorie Johnson, who has over 1,000 blue ribbons for her baking. This one is from her website. I want the cookbook!

There are several other recipes on her website, including cinnamon rolls, oatmeal cookies, etc. Just click the link for the gingersnaps, and the links for the other recipes will be at the top of the page.

Gingersnaps

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup sugar (for dipping)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream shortening, brown sugar, molasses and egg in large bowl. In a separate bowl sift flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, blending until mixed. Dough can be chilled for easy handling.

Shape the dough into balls the size of whole walnuts. Roll balls in sugar, place on baking sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool on sheet one minute before transferring to rack. Makes 3-4 dozen.

(c) 2006-2008 Marjorie Johnson

Chocolate Chiffon Cupcakes.

Chocolate Chiffon Cupcakes
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008
Episode: Honey, I Shrunk the Cake

4 ounces cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup hot water
1 1/4-ounce cocoa powder
5 large egg yolks
6 ounces sugar, divided
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Place paper liners into 2 (12-cup) muffin tins and set aside. If you prefer, set 12 ovenproof coffee mugs on a half sheet pan and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Place the hot water and the cocoa powder into a small bowl and whisk to thoroughly combine. Set aside. Place the egg yolks and 5 ounces of the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on high for 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes pale yellow and 'ribbons' when lifted. Add the cocoa mixture, vegetable oil and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients and whisk just to combine. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl while you whisk the egg whites.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into a clean bowl and whisk on high using the whisk attachment, until it becomes foamy. Decrease the speed to low and gradually add the remaining ounce of sugar. Once the sugar has all been added, increase the speed back to high and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, approximately 2 minutes.

Transfer 1/3 of the egg whites to the batter and whisk until well combined. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in gently. Transfer batter into prepared muffin tins or coffee mugs, evenly dividing the batter between the cups. Place both muffin tins on the middle rack of the oven or, if using mugs, place all of them on a half sheet pan and set on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or the cupcakes reach an internal temperature of 205 to 210 degrees F. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Chiffon Cupcakes.

I saw an amazing episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats last night. He made two versions of chiffon cupcakes, and these will be on my to-make-soon list now. Here is the first one.

Chiffon Cupcakes
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008

5 1/4 ounces cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 large eggs, separated
6 ounces sugar, divided
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Place paper liners into 2 (12-cup) muffin tins and set aside. If you prefer, set 12 ovenproof coffee mugs on a half sheet pan and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Place the egg yolks and 5 ounces of the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on high for 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes pale yellow and 'ribbons' when lifted. Add the water, vegetable oil and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients and whisk just to combine. Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl while you whisk the egg whites.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into a clean bowl and whisk on high using the whisk attachment, until it becomes foamy. Decrease the speed to low and gradually add the remaining ounce of sugar. Increase speed to high and continue whisking until stiff peaks form, approximately 2 minutes.

Transfer 1/3 of the egg whites to the batter and whisk until well combined. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in gently. Transfer batter into prepared muffin tins or coffee mugs, evenly dividing the batter between the cups. Place both muffin tins on the middle rack of the oven or, if using mugs, place all of them on a half sheet pan and set on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or the cupcakes reach an internal temperature of 205 to 210 degrees F. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.