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Thursday, October 11, 2007
Do you have a little-known Southern food tradition?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In this week’s Southern food recipe entry, reader Alicia Anderson of Atlanta writes about her Tennessee grandmother’s stack cake recipe. “Stack cakes are a holiday tradition for as long as I can remember,” she says. “It’s my personal favorite since it’s not a super-sweet dessert. It’s very unique since not many folks make them.”
In the Southern Appalachian tradition, stack cakes were a group effort and were used in place of more expensive wedding cakes. Family members, friends or neighbors would bake a layer to be added to the final product. The more layers, the more popular the couple, or so the thinking went.
Stack cakes are strongly tied to regional Southern identity. Have you ever tried one or helped prepare one? Does your family have its own tradition of a special dish or dessert that you typically don’t find anymore?
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What About Burrata?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve noticed burrata at several restaurants I’ve dined at lately.
Problem is, the cheese I’m eating seems more like mozzarella stuffed with cream than this incredible specialty from Puglia (the “heel” of Italy’s boot). The difficult process of making it is similar to mozzarella and involves heating cow’s milk with rennet until it coagulates, then breaking it up to release the whey. After the curds are boiled, they take on the shape of strings (called lucini). Traditionally, the cheesemaker actually blows a pocket into the lucini, similar to a glassblower blowing glass. This pocket is filled with more curds and cream, tied off, then wrapped in trademark asphodel (leek) leaves — their bright green color an indication that the cheese is still fresh.
The cheese, when pierced, should ooze an irresistible cream.
In the United States, burrata us usually served as mozzarella pulled and shaped around curds and cream, then shaped into the cheese’s characterisitic ball.
Who’s tried this wonderful cheese? Have you tried it someplace here, or in Italy? Could you tell a difference?
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How do you deal with a picky eater?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re swimming in squash and sweet potatoes, and every week brings more. They’re stacking up in my basement, dozens of them, outgrowing a tabletop and spilling over onto the big plastic toys waiting for their date with Goodwill.
The kids don’t like them. My husband and I can’t keep up with the flood. So I’ve started to flip through cookbooks with names like “The Sneaky Chef” and “Deceptively Delicious,” trying to find a way to disguise the vegetables so the kids will eat them.
It seems wrong to sneak healthy stuff into things like brownies (Jessica Seinfeld, yes, Jerry’s wife, adds spinach to hers) and just plain yucky to puree butternut squash and stir it into Sloppy Joes. After all, what happens when the kids realize what you’re doing?
On the other hand, maybe it’s the only way to get them to eat healthy food. Do you try to disguise food that’s good for kids? Or have you gotten busted on this? Is it OK to do this, or a sure way to teach your kids how to lie and deceive you one day?
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