Braised Smothered Okra & Eggplant

Check our Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen Blog Post – Late August Recipes: Braised Smothered Okra and Eggplant

1 tbsp canola oil
½ cup diced yellow onion
1 lb diced eggplant
2 cups diced okra
¾ cup V8 juice
¾ cup tomato juice
½ tbsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire
2 tsp Texas Pete
¾ tsp dried thyme

Beat softened cream cheese in mixer with paddle attachment until smooth. Add sugar, cinnamon and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs one at a time, while mixing. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix again. Slowly incorporate milk while mixing. Place two slices of bread in each of 10 casserole dishes, flat sides to the center. Top bread with 3 ounces of custard mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and top each portion with ¼ cup of bourbon stewed apples. Serves: 4.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the diced onions and sauté for about three minutes. Add the eggplant and cook until eggplant is softened (about 5 minutes or so). Add the okra and sauté. Pour in the V8 and tomato juice mixture and braise over medium-low heat. Add the remaining spices and simmer until all is tender (about 5-10 minutes. )

Optional entree: Add some shrimp, sausage or both and serve over rice.

Disclaimer: All our recipes were originally designed for much larger batch size. This recipe has been reduced – but not tested at this scale. Please adjust as to your taste and portion size.

Sweet Potato Fried Pies

Check our Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen Blog Post – Totally Tubular! Musings on the Sweet Potato

3 cups roasted sweet potatoes
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 large eggs
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp Myers Dark Rum
½ tsp Chinese 5 Spice
Homemade Pie Crust (see recipe below)
1 egg (for egg wash)
8 tbsp sugar

Instructions:

Combine potatoes, cream, 3 eggs, brown sugar, spices and rum. Blend until combined and pour into a large shallow pan. Bake at 350 degrees until set. Cool. Divide dough into eight 5 ounce portions. Roll out each portion into a flat circle. Place 2 ounces of cooled potato filling in the center of each dough circle. Brush around circle with beaten egg wash. Fold circle in half and crimp edge with a fork (to seal in the filling). Let pies rest in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Deep fry each pie at 350 degrees for three minutes or until golden brown. Place fried pies on a sheet of parchment and dust with sugar. Makes enough filling for 8 pies.

Lucky 32 Pie Crust

6 1/8 cups all purpose flour
2/3 tbsp salt
3 1/3 sticks unsalted butter
2/3 cup ice cold water

Freeze butter and then grate. Sift flour and salt together. Work cold butter into flour mix and add water slowly, mixing until just combined. Makes enough dough for 8 pies for the recipe above.

Disclaimer: All our recipes were originally designed for much larger batch size. This recipe has been reduced – but not tested at this scale. Please adjust as to your taste and portion size.

Lucky 32 Pie Crust

Check our Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen Blog Post – Totally Tubular! Musings on the Sweet Potato

6 1/8 cups all purpose flour
2/3 tbsp salt
3 1/3 sticks unsalted butter
2/3 cup ice cold water

Instructions:

Freeze butter and then grate. Sift flour and salt together. Work cold butter into flour mix and add water slowly, mixing until just combined. Makes enough dough for 8 pies for the recipe above.

Disclaimer: All our recipes were originally designed for much larger batch size. This recipe has been reduced – but not tested at this scale. Please adjust as to your taste and portion size.

Persimmon Pudding

Check our Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen Blog Post – Shaking Down Persimmon Recipes: Pie, Glaze and southern Comfort Hard Sauce

2 cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
3 fresh eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
2 cups pureed fresh persimmon with hull removed
1 ½ cups Scuppernong wine
¼ cup buttermilk
2 ½ tbsp melted unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix eggs and sugar until well combined. Add pureed persimmon, wine and buttermilk and mix to combine. Stir in butter and vanilla. Grease a baking pan with pan spray. Add liquid mixture to flour mixture and combine well by hand. Transfer mixture to greased pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until center is set and sides begin to pull away from pan. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Makes – 6 portions

Disclaimer: All our recipes were originally designed for much larger batch size. This recipe has been reduced – but not tested at this scale. Please adjust as to your taste and portion size.

Southern Comfort Persimmon Hard Sauce

Check our Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen Blog Post – Shaking Down Persimmon Recipes: Pie, Glaze and southern Comfort Hard Sauce

¾ cup fresh persimmon pulp
2/3 lb butter – room temperature
3 ¾ cup confectioners sugar 10X (add more for thicker sauce)
5 each egg yolks
7 fl ounces Southern Comfort (or your favorite)

Instructions:

Heat persimmons over medium-high heat. Add butter and begin to melt. Add sugar. Cream butter and sugar, and stir until all of the butter is absorbed and a smooth consistency is achieved. Remove from heat. Stir in one egg yolk at a time until all yolks have been incorporated. Gradually pour in Southern Comfort while stirring constantly. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Makes – 3 ½ cups

Disclaimer: All our recipes were originally designed for much larger batch size. This recipe has been reduced – but not tested at this scale. Please adjust as to your taste and portion size.

Chess Pie

Chocolate Chess Pie

Check our Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen Blog Post – Chess Pie…A Southern Tradition, Y’all!

4 eggs
1⁄4 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1⁄2 tbsp white cornmeal
1⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
1⁄4 pound melted butter
1 unbaked pie crust

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, sift dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs to the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Pour into pie shell. Bake 30 minutes.

Disclaimer: All our recipes were originally designed for much larger batch size. This recipe has been reduced – but not tested at this scale. Please adjust as to your taste and portion size.

Buttermilk Custard

Check our Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen Blog Post – Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: Farm-To-Fork Picnic

2 cups buttermilk
½ cup granulated sugar
2 medium eggs
1 tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp butter

Add buttermilk to a sauce pot and heat to a low simmer. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs and cornstarch. Slowly temper the egg mixture by beating in about 1-2 fluid ounces or the warm buttermilk.

Repeat the process until all buttermilk is combined with eggs. Return the mixture to the sauce pot and cook over very low heat for 3-5 minutes or just until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter, stirring until incorporated. Strain to remove any lumps. Cool and then store in refrigerator. Serve atop your favorite waffle or pancake and summer berries.

yields 2 ½ cups

Disclaimer: All our recipes were originally designed for much larger batch size. This recipe has been reduced – but not tested at this scale. Please adjust as to your taste and portion size.

Bourbon Pecan Bars

Check our Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen Blog Post – Come on in. Cider’s on the Stove Eggnog’s in the Fridge. Bourbon’s on the Bar.

3 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1 ½ sticks butter – very cold, grated
9 each eggs
1 1/8 cups light brown sugar
1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
3 ½ cups Karo syrup
2 ½ tbsp bourbon
2 cups pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in 1 cup brown sugar. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cut in butter until mixture looks like cornmeal. Pan spray a sheet tray and pat the mixture evenly into the bottom of the tray. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile beat eggs until well mixed but not light. Add sugar, flour, and salt. Add syrup and bourbon. Mix well. Pour syrup mixture over prebaked crust and then sprinkle pecans over. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Allow dough to cool and cut into 12 portions. Drizzle bourbon icing over the top.

Makes – 12 portions

Bourbon Icing

¼ cup butter – softened
2 cups 10x sugar
3 tbsp bourbon
½ cup whole milk

Whisk together bourbon and butter. Add in small amounts of powdered sugar and milk, alternating until all is incorporated.

Makes – 14 fluid ounces

Disclaimer: All our recipes were originally designed for much larger batch size. This recipe has been reduced – but not tested at this scale. Please adjust as to your taste and portion size.

Blueberry Filling

Check our Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen Blog Post – Buckets of Blueberries, Crepes, Cakes and Edna Lewis

2 lbs of fresh blueberries (8 lbs)
2 tsp orange zest (8 tsp)
2 tsp lemon Zest (8 tsp)
2 tbsp juice from orange (½ cup)
½ cup granulated sugar (2 cups)
¼ cup corn starch (1 cup)

Mix berries, zest, and sugar in a small stock pot. Stir until ingredients are well mixed. Add juice and cook over medium heat until sauce just starts to bubble – approx. 10-15 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in water. Reduce heat and add cornstarch slurry and blend well. Allow to cool before filling crepe shells.

Place 2 Tbsp filling in each crepe shell and roll up. Calculate three crepes per person and arrange in a casserole dish. Bake in 350 degree Fahrenheit oven until heated though and browned on the edges. Remove to serving plate and garnish with sprinkled powdered sugar and more fresh berries.

Disclaimer: All our recipes were originally designed for much larger batch size. This recipe has been reduced – but not tested at this scale. Please adjust as to your taste and portion size.

Edna Lewis Blueberry Cake

Check our Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen Blog Post – Buckets of Blueberries, Crepes, Cakes and Edna Lewis

2 cups fresh blueberries
⅓ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup water
1 tsp cornstarch
¼ cup water
2 cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt flakes
4 tbsp butter
1 fresh, local egg
1 cup Homeland Creamery Milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
⅓ cup granulated sugar

Combine 1/3 cup sugar with 1/3 cup water and blueberries in a medium saucepan; simmer for 3-5 minutes, strain berries and reserve for cake. Return liquid to a pot and return to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and ¼ cup water. Drizzle slurry into simmering juice and cook until syrup consistency is achieved. Set aside.

Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add butter and blend until mixture resembles cornmeal. Beat egg and mix in milk; add to dough, stirring all the while. Add vanilla, continue stirring; add baking powder, mix well. Spoon into a buttered 2″ half hotel pan. Scatter drained berries over the top. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the top.

Place in 425 degree Fahrenheit oven and close. Turn oven down to 375 and cook 25 minutes or until center is done. Serve slices of cake with reserved syrup.

Disclaimer: All our recipes were originally designed for much larger batch size. This recipe has been reduced – but not tested at this scale. Please adjust as to your taste and portion size.