Martha's recipes have been featured in Western North Carolina Woman Magazine, Joan Mendlicott's latest book At Home in Covington, the North Carolina Bed and Breakfast Cookbook. Bob Garner , known restaurant critic spent time at PonderCove to review Martha's cooking for North Carolina Weekend for PBS. His personal favorite.....the Baked Apple French Toast.
Here are a few of her favorites you'll enjoy at the Cove. Martha welcomes you to try these in your own home, easy and yummy. Martha says when describing her approach to cooking, "Throw it all together. Don't be intimidated and have a good time. In the end as long as the ingredients are good and it's pretty it will be good too. I do believe presentation is half the secret to pleasuring your guests. So, don't forget to head to the garden for some bright colored posies and green leaves to toss about."
SPICY CORN PUDDING
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream style corn
1 can corn kernels drained
1 stick melted butter cooled a tiny bit
3 eggs beaten
1 can drained hot Rotel
1 box jiffy corn bread mix
Mix in no particular order (corn mix last) and pour in 13 x 9 pyrex sprayed with PAM. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour. If you want to scoop it up and keep it as a pudding consistency cook on the lesser side. If you want to cut in squares let it go a little longer. I serve this with baked eggs in ham cups and top with a red pepper sauce but let me tell you this is a humdinger of a side dish to Holiday meals and I take it to every pot luck.
BAKED APPLE FRENCH TOAST
8-12 croissants sliced in half
3 granny smiths, peeled and sliced
1- 8 ounce package cream cheese
10 eggs beaten
2 cups milk, or soy milk
2 Tbls vanilla
1/4- 1/2 cup Maple syrup
1 can Apple Pie filling
Spray a 13 x 9 PYREX with PAM . Cover bottom with the bottom half of the croissants. Add sliced granny smiths, and then spread softened cream cheese on the top of croissants and place on top. Beat egg, vanilla and milk together and pour on top. (Make sure the tops are saturated. I put my hand in a baggy and press down letting bubbles escape--then I know the liquid has penetrated the croissants.) Bake covered with foil for 35 minutes and then uncovered for another 20 or so. Don't let croissants burn on top. Replace the foil if need be but make sure the custard is set. Remove from oven and let sit. Cut in 6-8 squares. In the meantime make apple syrup by heating pie filling with maple syrup. Set plates with one square each and pour apple syrup on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve. I add a caramel crackle to this dish by melting down sugar on top of stove until just melted. Take off stove immediately as this will burn. Then swirl on top hitting plates to make a nice design.(This takes some practice.) Good luck and enjoy.
BAKED OATMEAL AND BANANAS
5 cups quick cooking oatmeal
2 ½ cups milk, rice or soy milk
4 eggs
½ cup honey
1 Tbls baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup raisins
BANANA SAUCE
2 -3 bananas
4 Tbls butter
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup half and half
Mix together and place in 13 x9 that has been sprayed with PAM. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut in small squares. Watch how many you serve as this is very filling. Then make sauce by melting down brown sugar and butter. Add half and half and when all is mixed well put in bananas. Pour the Banana Sauce on top of the squares and sprinkle with cinnamon. This is one of the house favorites.
"YOU OWE ME FOR THIS"... BACON TRICK
Spread your bacon over a cookie sheet with sides. Sprinkle with brown sugar and ground black pepper. Light on the sugar or it will burn, heavy on the pepper. Bake at 400 for approximately 25 minutes. The cooking time is all dependent on the leanness and thickness of the bacon. Be careful not to burn. Place on paper towels to drain and keep warm. This is awesome.
CAJUN GRITS AND EGGS
2 cups cooked stone ground grits
8 eggs
1/2 green pepper chopped
1/2 medium onion chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup salsa
3 Tbl cajun spice
3 slices good bacon
3 pre-cooked smoked sausages chopped
1/2 lb shrimp
Cook grits as directed and keep covered and warm. Fry bacon crisp and remove from pan. Crumble when cool and put aside. Pour off all fat but 2 Tbls. Add chopped pepper, onion and sausage. Saute until onion is translucent. Add mixture to grits along with cheese, bacon, salsa and cajun spice. Saute shrimp with sprinkles of cajun spice until pink. Remove at once. Set up plate by placing two spoon fulls of grits on each plate. Take spoon and flatten out to a large circle. Place two poached eggs on top and add a scoop full of shrimp to top it off. Sprinkle the entire plate with chopped parseley and paprika for color. SCRUMPTOUS if I do say so myself. This one is for you Cathy.
"HONEY DO" FRENCH TOAST
1/4 cup butter
4 whole eggs
1/3 cup orange juice
1/8 Tbls salt
2 pinches nutmeg
1/4 cup honey (or more)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
8 slices thick bread
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
Melt butter in a cookie tin with 1/2 inch sides in a 375 degree oven. While butter is melting beat eggs and add orange juice, salt and nutmeg. Cut bread in half. When butter is melted remove from oven and add the honey and cinnamon and wisk together (in the cookie tin). Dip bread halves in batter and then lay in single layer onto cookie tin of the honey/butter mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes until top is lightly brown on the upper side. Flip when serving showing off the honey crust. I suggest 4 diagonal pieces per serving with fresh strawberries and almonds on top. I would put extra honey or strawberry syrup on the side.
ROASTED CRISP SKINNED TURKEY
4 cups kosher or 2 cups table salt
1 turkey 12-14 pounds rinsed, giblets removed
2 medium onions, chopped coarse
1 medium carrot, chopped coarse
1 celery rib, chopped coarse
4 thyme sprigs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1) Dissolve salt in 2 gallons cold water in large stockpot. Add turkey and refrigerate for 4-6 hours. If you do this overnight cut salt in half.
2) Remove turkey from salt water and rinse well under cool running water. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Place turkey breast-side up on flat wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan and refrigerate, uncovered, 8-24 hours.
3) Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss one-third of vegetables with 2 sprigs of thyme and 1 tablespoon butter in medium bowl; fill cavity with mixture. Tuck wings behind back and truss turkey.
4) Scatter remaining vegetables and thyme in shallow roasting pan; pour 1 cup water over vegetables. Brush turkey breast with butter, then set breast-side down on foil-lined V-rack. Brush back of turkey with butter. Roast 45 minutes.
5) Remove roasting pan with turkey from oven; brush back with butter. Using potholders, rotate turkey leg/wing-side up. If liquid in bottom of pan has evaporated, add 1/2 cup water. Roast 15 minutes longer.
6) Remove roasting pan, brush bird again with butter and flip to other wing side and roast 15 minutes.
7) Remove turkey, brush with butter again. Flip now with breast-side up. Roast until thickest part of breast registers 165 degrees and thickest part of thigh registers 170-175 on instant read thermometer, 30-45 minutes longer. Move turkey from rack to carving board and let rest 20-30 minutes.
PERFECT BIRD!! Be careful when flipping. I found oven mitts give me a good grip to work best.
PECAN PIE CHEESECAKE
1 (2-lb) frozen pecan pie
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2(8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
2/3 cups sour cream
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 TBL all-purpose flour
Thaw pie at room temperature 30 minutes. Cut pie in half: reserve half of pie for another use. Cut remaining half into 10 wedges, keeping wedges intact, and set aside. Pie will be still be partially froazen after thawing 30 minutes; this ensures cleaner slices.
Stir together 2 cups graham cracker crumbs and next 3 ingredients; press mixture onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a 10-inch sprinform pan.
Arrange pie wedges in a spoke design in prepared pan, placing 1 cut side of each wedge on crust with narrow end towards center of pan.
Beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add sour cream, half-and-half, and vanilla; beat until blended. Stir in powdered sugar and flour, stirring until smooth. Carefully pour cream cheese mixture evenly over pie wedges in pan, making sure wedges remain in place.
Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Turn off oven, and let cake stand in oven 1 hour. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Chill at least 8 hours or overnight before serving.
BANANA NUT BREAD
2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup warm vegetable oil
4 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups raisins
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (9x5 inch) loaf pans. In a large bowl, with a mixer, cream sugar, butter and oil. Mix in eggs, vanilla, pecans and raisins. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix well. Add bananas and mix thoroughly.
Pour batter into pans. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until bread begins to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (This can be tricky as you may hit a banana which means your toothpick won't be clean--keep poking around). Just make sure the top is golden brown. Let bread sit for a few minutes, it will continue to firm up as it cools. If you use the new darker, non-stick pans you will need to reduce temperature to 325 and watch after one hour.
This comes from my Nannie Bess, Newport, Arkansas. I grew up with this one and there is no one that has ever turned down a piece or two or three. Enjoy. |
