The OLD FASHIONED FIVE - Pound Cake

Hard to go wrong making stuff with flour, sugar, milk, butter, and eggs in it! If you want to make something that's really good ... and easy to make, try the simplest of all baking recipes ... one that gives equal weight to each of those five magic ingredients ... The OLD FASHIONED FIVE - Pound Cake.

4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
4 sticks butter
8 large eggs
1 pint whole milk

Old Fashioned? ... Man, that's just plain OLD!

That's it ... mix it and bake it!

Well, cream the sugar and butter ... add and thoroughly mix the rest, one thing at a time, ... including the eggs, sans the shells, of course.

Yes, add the eggs, one at a time while beating well ... after half the eggs have has been well beaten in, add half the flour and mix. Then add the rest of the eggs and flour, and mix well.

Pour into greased and flowered loaf pans and bake in preheated oven at 350° ... back in the day, most folks didn't have fancy cooking thermometers ... but they did have broomstraw and toothpicks. Just stick a clean one in the middle of the cake ... and if it comes out clean when you remove it, it's done. If it comes out with cake batter on it, is a sure sign it ain't ready!

It pays to look at it now and again too ... if it's turning golden brown on the top, chances are it's close to ready ... if it ain't, chances are it ain't.

Maybe one hour and 20 minutes, give or take ...

Did you notice? On an approximate basis, each of the ingredients weighs the same ... one pound!

1 pint milk ... 8 Large eggs ... 4 Sticks of butter ... 2 Cups of sugar ... 4 Cups of flour = 1 pound.

How do you think it got its name ... dang!

I tried that recipe in Germany, November, 1964 ... turned out real well too, especially given that it was my first effort!

That was just after another of my first efforts ... making homemade bread. I made some very tasty sourdough bread ... hard work ... the bread really was good but one loaf weighed a ton!! Unbelievable ... but it sliced well ... my only attempt at making Sourdough Bread. Never figured out why it was so heavy ... probably left out some soda or something.

The pound cake's heavy too!

OLD-FASHIONED POUND CAKE - Adapted

Nice thing about this recipe are the proportions ... since 1 pint = 2 cups, you can easily make a nice snack or desert for two ... The OLD FASHIONED ONE AND ONE QUARTER - Pound Cake

Flour = 1 cup
Sugar = 1/2 cup
Butter = 1 stick
Eggs = 2 large
Milk = 1/2 cup

To that I would add a pinch of salt and baking powder

Enjoy!

Mama's Cherry Salad

This is the dish that I most looked forward to at Thanksgiving and Christmas at Mr. Bobby's family home.

1 can sour cherries
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 orange, juice and rind (grated)
1 pkg. lemon jello
1 cup sugar
1 envelope Knox gelatin (unflavored)
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans)

Dissolve Knox gelatin in 1/4 cup water.

Heat cherries w/ juice, sugar, and pineapple w/ juice in saucepan.

Bring to a boil so sugar dissolves.

Add lemon jello and Knox gelatin.

Let cool.

Add orange juice, grated rind and nuts. (If needed, add a few drops red food coloring for color.)

Pour into square glass dish and chill until firm.

Cut into squares.

I know Mr. Bobby's mom's recipes sometimes found their way into Southern Living but my corn bread and my fried corn were just as good and my fried okra was actually even better than hers.

I didn't really like her cornbread dressing which I always referred to as sage dressing (way too much sage, way too much!) ... and I don't like giblet gravy. My mother made the best brown cream turkey gravy which was perfect on the turkey open faced sandwiches that we would have Thanksgiving night and the rest of the week.

But her cherry salad was to die for! Mr. Bobby's mother and I would see which of us could eat more ... I think that she got a kick out of that.

Enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

Our Matt (Matthew Collier, for them what don't know) got this recipe from one of his colleagues ... won't divulge her name cause she don't know it's being posted. Her secret's safe ... but the proof of the chili is in the eatin' not the name of them what gave us the recipe! If it's half a good as he says it is, she deserves the credit and he promises to "try to ask her" ... preachers is something else, but I'll bet if he tries, he'll succeed!

It's a favorite at all of their faculty potlucks!

1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 T olive oil
1 4 oz can of chopped green chilis, drained
3 T flour
2 tsp ground cumin
2 (15.8 oz) bags of Great Northern Beans
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth or two cubes of chicken bullion
1 1/2 cup finely chopped, cooked chicken breast

Add Ons: shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, sour cream, salsa, rotel, white pepper, chili powder, salt, etc. to suit your own taste

I figured that them folks like me what ain't familiar with making white chili ain't gonna have a clue as to what might suit their own taste when comes to the add-ons ... and could use some help and advice from an expert!

Matt was happy to oblige ... "For the add-ons, I prefer a little sharp cheddar cheese (actually the more the better), and enough chili powder to make me reach for the Prilosec!"

In large skillet, cook onion in oil until transparent. Add chilis, flour, and cumin; cook and stir 2 minutes. This will be a thick-like paste.

Add chicken broth slowly while stirring. Add beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken, cook until hot through. Garnish with cheeses, sour cream, and salsa if desired.

For added heat, add white pepper and/or chili powder. For added veggies, add rotel with the chicken broth.

Matt also promises to take a picture of the finished product, the very next time the have it at home!

Enjoy!

Grandma's Old Fashoned Teacakes!

Being old is a bummer but being the oldest was super good when I was young!

My father was the eldest of five, my mother of four... and when my little sister was born, she was the second oldest grandchild on either side of the family ... meaning that I turned a whole bunch of folks into aunts, uncles, grandparents, granduncles, grandaunts and a few greatgrands too; not to mention all the first and second removed cousins what got promoted. Better still, I held center stage for a long time and they all treated their new play toy really well!

Mama's mama was the world's greatest cook, hand's down ... no contest ... but, Daddy's mama could make breads ... all kinds ... better than anybody else, bar none, even Mama said so ... and it was true! Well, all except hotwater and cracklin' cornbread ... Grandma Hatchett was the world's best at those and biscuits too. Daddy's mama, my "Grandma" ... she had all kinds of flour and could bake most any kind of bread ... real good!

However this ain't about no bread ... she made teacakes, special ... just for me, every time we visited ... well, at least until they moved to the city and left the old wood stove behind!

She made me a large cloth sack with straps ... filled it full and hung it around my neck ... and as I grew, she increased the size of the sack to accommodate a three day's supply. I miss her teacakes almost as much as I miss "Grandma" herself ... with emphasis on the almost.

I can't really describe them ... never could ... it's been over 55 years since I last tasted one and if I couldn't do it then, well ... just know that they were to die for!

I say special, just for me ... that not exactly true ... she made them for Grandpa too, and Daddy when he was a boy! Unfortunately, I have neither the recipe nor a wood stove ... alas and alak!

One thing's for certain ... they weren't no sugar cookies like you buy in the store ... them things are for sissies, and not nearly as good. She rolled out the dough on a large board lightly covered with flour mixed with sugar ... and sprinkled some of that mixture on them just before baking too ... the ones burned on the bottom were the best, but they weren't what I'd describe as hard or crispy.

Grandma told Mama that she got it from her own mama but it was the same as Lottie Moon's recipe ... but, like most things, written recipes don't mean much ... she'd been making them since the turn of the century and as with all good cooks, it was all her!

A few years back, I was frequently reminded of Lottie Moon when I helped my friend David Thagana's then small Kenyan ministry. One of its primary focuses was the "street" children, mostly orphaned as a result of AIDS ... spreading their spiritual message, caring for them, feeding them ... taking some into their orphanage and finding others homes.

The success of David's Ministry is a testimony to the man himself, his beliefs and his dedication ... but, like Lottie Moon, they found that the kids were more receptive to spiritual food after receiving something for the tummy! No telling what they could have done if they used teacakes instead of plain bread!

Lottie Moon's recipe seems pretty simple ...

4 pints of plain flour

Simple perhaps, but my thinking has always been that a tea cup = 6 ounces (3/4 of a regular cup) so that 4 pints of plain flour would convert to 10 2/3 teacups ... the proof of the teacake is in the eating ... the more flour, the less sweet.

1 teacup of sour milk

Grandma would put milk, straight from the cow, into quart canning jars, seal them and leave them on the porch ... same as she did when churning to make butter and buttermilk ... that's how she got her "sour milk" ... don't think she added anything.

That still works ... but, just adding a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of whole milk will do the trick ... just stir and let sit until it curdles ... takes maybe 15 minutes. Truth is ain't much if any difference 'tween sour milk and buttermilk when it comes to cooking ... only makes good sense ... there are two kinds of milk, sweet and sour ... "sweetmilk" and "buttermilk" ... buttermilk or sourmilk, take your choice.

Okay then, in teacups ...
10 2/3 teacups of plain flour
1 teacup of sour milk
3 teacups of sugar
1 teacup of butter
3 large eggs, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

That's 15 2/3 teacups of mixture, not counting the eggs and soda ... no big deal ... but if you treat a teacup like a cup in the recipe calling for 4 pints (8 cups) of flour, you get 1 2/3 more teacups of mixture (17 1/3 teacups) ... suggesting that you might want to use extra large eggs and a pinch more soda.

Flavor to taste, roll thin, bake in a quick oven.

Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs and mix it well before adding in the flour, soda and sour milk ... you could add maybe a teaspoon of vanilla extract for the "flavoring to taste" part ... but I don't think Grandma did.

Dust the surface on which you're rolling out the dough with your flour/sugar mixture ... my mind says she used powdered sugar, like a cake flour ... but I remember, as should you, that I was very young at the time. That's what I've done though, the few times I've tried to find her secret formula. I think I came pretty close once ... and though nobody passed out no cigars, they didn't leave none for me neither.

Granny didn't have one but I suggest using nonsticking cookie sheets ... a quick oven ... I guess some ovens are quicker than others, mine's slower than me ... but as a rule of thumb, I think a "quick oven" is one that's preheated at 400-425. Grandma used a wood stove and they were almost burned on the bottom in about 5 minutes ... my guess it was hotter. I cook them at 425-450 on parchment paper ... still 5 minutes.

Keep in mind ... roughly 17 teacups of mixture ... makes more than just a few teacakes!

This is the so called "adapted" recipe for Lottie's teacakes:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
1 heaping cup of sugar
1 well-beaten egg ... about 2 ounces
1 tablespoon cream

... roughly 1/3 the volume of the original before milk and soda, but not anything the original mixture if you ask me!

Here's my adaptation of choice ...
3 1/2 cups plain flour
2/3 stick of butter
1 cup sugar (heaping!)
1 extra large egg, well beaten
1/3 cup sour milk or buttermilk
1/3 teaspoon of baking soda

Nice thing is that just about anything close to that usually turns out pretty good. The milk is what I call the flex ... if when it's all mixed up, the dough seems a bit too dry, add a little more! After two or three times out, my guess is that you'll have your very own version perfected!

If those thirds give you headache, but a dozen small eggs and try ...

5 cups plain flour
1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 small eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

A bit less flour relatively speaking should make them just a bit sweeter too ... so I eliminated the "heaping" part but but there ain't no law agin' it ... should make about 36 teacakes, methinks.

Grandma made some different shapes for me ... like "gingerbread" characters, but mostly used a canning jar to cut her teacakes ... they were spaced close together so that they ran together when baked ... but it didn't matter to me! Don't forget the special sack ... that's important ... kids remember little things like that, sometimes for 60 years or more!

Wish this was Grandma's exact old recipe ... hope you'll share some of your grandmothers' recipes with us ... mother's too!

Enjoy!!

Grandmother Murray's Grandma's Vegetable Soup

My grandmother Murray called this Grandma's Vegetable soup, which meant it was her grandmother's. I know, I know that it's made with beef stock so why do we call it vegetable soup?

Well, "Grandmother Murray's Grandma's Vegetable Soup" was too big of a mouthful so we just called it vegetable soup.

First, you need a good turkey roasting pan ... you cannot use one of those things made of heavy duty aluminum foil that you can buy at the grocery store ... but I guess you really could use any pot big enough to hold all the vegetables, water and stuff. We use our roaster because it's big and still fits in the fridgerator.

Nice soup bone (if your butcher cannot produce one, change butchers), in an emergency, you can use 2 short ribs.

6 large potatoes
4 medium to small onions
2 heads of celery
1 small to medium cabbage (just a regular old cabbage, nothing fancy)

secret ingredient (apple cider vinegar)
2 cans of Hunt's diced tomatoes
small or medium macaroni shell pasta

Brown the soup bone in the turkey roasting pan or pot, when browned, fill pan full of cold water and bring to a boil. Begin preparing the potatoes by pealing them and cutting them into large chunks. Skim the scum from the boiling water. When all scum is gone, add the potatoes, salt and pepper.

Clean and peel onions, cut into slices and add to pot.

Clean celery heads and cut stalks/ribs into slices and add to pot.

Remove the 2 outer leaves of the cabbage and slice no more than 1/4 of the head of cabbage into thin slices and add to the pot.

Add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes and stir well.

Grandmother Murray's Grandma's soup recipe didn't actually call for Hunt's diced tomatoes ... the Hunt brothers started their company in 1890 and her recipe's older than that ... and even Grandmother Murray's version is older than Hunt's Diced tomatoes which weren't introduced until after WWII!

Add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar ... this is where the tang of the soup comes from. Taste, and then, if not tangy enough just add a little more vinegar, and keep tasting and adding until you get it just right. Careful not to add too much, adding is easy ... subtracting ain't!

Finally add no more than 1 small handful of shell macaroni.

That's my "Grandmother Murray's Grandma's Vegetable Soup" ... simple, easy to make ... about the only thing easier is Campbell's Vegetable but I think you'll like this a whole bunch better!

Make a big skillet of cornbread (remember no sugar to ever be added to the cornbread mixture, it's un-American)

Yes, you can add carrots, peas, butterbeans, squash, corn and peppers and such to your soup, but if you do, you'll have to rename it!

I know it sounds like a lot of soup, and it is ... but it only lasts the two of us 2 days at the most around here.

Submitted By ... Miss Carol

Mama's Old-Fashioned Chocolate Fudge

Sometimes the simplest things are the best ... that's what Mama said and she practiced what she said in her cooking ... of course, she learned to cook on a wood stove which gave her an advantage!

Her chocolate fudge was perhaps her best example of simple being best! Here it is ...

2 cups white sugar
6 heaping tablespoons Cocoa
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Well, I know heaping tablespoons can be confusing since what's heaping is a matter of personal ascertainment ... I don't measure such things so I'm not sure, but I figure 2 heaping is about 3 level.

That's convenient too 'cause if 6 heaping = 9 level, then it equals 1/2 cup ... and that's simple recipe magic since you don't have to worry about using measuring cups and stuff like that!

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 cup milk

Any cup will do, just so long as you use the same one to measure everything!

I don't worry about being too exact with the butter and vanilla measuring either, but think it's probably better to err a bit on the side too much rather than too little ... them sizes work well with measuring cups and a little larger .

My guess is that you'll love it just that way ... but, after a batch or two, you'll know what little adjustments, if any, need to be made to satisfy your personal taste preferences so that it's just right for you.

Mama's candy wouldn't be Mama's without the nuts ... but, they're optional, with the amount being a matter of choice. Her favorite was finely chopped pecans ... we liked nuts and used a full cup! She made it with black walnuts too, extra special good ... but it meant extra hard work for me with a hammer and pick ... and fraught with danger too ... busted thumbs for me and because of the strong flavor and increased oil from the nuts, she used about 1/3 of a cup.

Directions

1. Grease a platter with butter ... set aside ... it's what you're going to pour the candy into when it's ready.

2. Combine sugar, cocoa and milk in a medium saucepan ... I actually use a 3.5 quart size so as to eliminate any problems from boiling over. Stir well to blend completely, then cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to cook down.

3. Continue cooking mixture until until a drop in a cup of cold water can be formed into a soft ball with your fingers ... critical point one ... no ball, no candy.

4. Remove from heat. Add butter, vanilla extract and nuts.

5. Beat with large spoon (wooden cooking spoon is best) until it starts to definitely "set" and lose its sheen ... gets somewhat difficult to beat. Critical point two ... if it doesn't start to "set" while you're beating it, it ain't gonna when you stop ... do not under beat.

6. Pour into greased platter and let cool ... "pour" is a poor choice of words, methinks. The stuff is continuing to stiffen like flowing lava that's beginning to cool, not a liquid that's being poured.

7. Cut into small squares or rectangles as desired. Makes a bunch ... how many pieces depends on the size but I normally get about 35-40.

It is simple ... it's good ... and if I can do it, so can you!

Delicious Stuffed Pumpkin With Cranberry-Raisin Bread Pudding ...

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1  (2 1/2- to 3-pound) pumpkin*
• 2  tablespoons  butter or margarine, melted and divided
• 2  tablespoons  sugar, divided
• 2  large eggs
• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 1/2  cup  butter or margarine, melted
• 3/4  cup  half-and-half
• 3/4  cup  chopped pecans, toasted
• 1  (16-ounce) raisin bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2  cup  fresh cranberries
• Lemon-Vanilla Sauce

Preparation

Cut off top of pumpkin, reserving lid with stem. Scoop out pumpkin seeds and pulp, and reserve for another use. Brush inside of pumpkin shell with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Top with lid.
Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
Brush inside of baked pumpkin shell with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
Stir together eggs and next 6 ingredients; spoon pudding mixture into a lightly greased 8-inch square pan.
Bake pumpkin and bread pudding at 350° for 25 minutes. Let pumpkin cool; spoon bread pudding evenly into pumpkin shell. Serve with Lemon-Vanilla Sauce.
Note: For individual servings, substitute 12 (1/2-pound) pumpkins. Scoop out seeds and pulp; sprinkle each pumpkin shell with 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon sugar, and bake with the bread pudding. (Do not prebake as with the larger pumpkin.) Spoon bread pudding evenly into baked pumpkin shells.

Southern Living, OCTOBER 2002

Wilted Lettuce

Fry 1/4 lb of bacon so that it is evenly brown; crisp ... remove from skillet, crumble and save. In these days of hogs being bred for producing "the other white meat", the amount of drippings you'll get is anybody's guess ... some hogs are just greasier than others so you may find you need a little more ... or less, depending.

To the hot bacon grease in skillet, add, stirring over low-medium heat until the mixture is evenly hot ... reduce to low

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar,
1/2 fresh squeezed lemon (1 tbsp),
1 teaspoon sugar, and
1 teaspoon ground black pepper


It's all about the dressing ... while we don't actually measure, the drippings should be about 2/3 of the total mixture or 6-7 tablespoons. I suggest actually starting with 1/2 teaspoons of sugar and pepper ... taste test the dressing before mixing it with the lettuce, onions and radishes ... then adjust as needed to get the taste you like. It's a lot easier to add than to subtract!

Those are just the proportions ... that's a lot of lettuce if they're good heads ... and a lot of dressing too, probably enough for 5-6 if they like it, so adjust accordingly.

In a large bowl, combine

2 heads leaf lettuce; torn into small pieces,
3 radishes, chopped or thinly sliced, and
6 green onions with tops, thinly sliced


The lettuce, radishes and onions should be rinsed thouroghly and dried, and remember, they come in different sizes too ... it may make a little experimentation to find just the right blend for you and yours.

Add the dressing from the skillet and toss. The "dressing" is really good, but remember, it's a salad not a soup ... use just enough to thoroughly wilt the lettuce, not drown it!

Add the crumbled bacon and serve ... Enjoy!

Mama's Fried White Field Corn

Fresh young tender field corn that's loaded with milk is the key ... mash a kernel and if it don't squirt, get some different corn! If the corn isn't as milky as desired, shame on somebody, but you can add some ... whole milk and maybe a little corn starch or meal, that is.

Varieties like "Trucker's Favorite White" are where it's at, methinks ... but I suppose that "Silver Queen" works for those who like it sweet. Actually, Mama always said the corn they got out of Mr. Whittaker's field was the best!

How many ears does it take? It all depends on the ears and who's doing the eating, but two ears per person has most always worked for us.

Shuck the corn, removing the silks and cutting away any areas damaged by worms ... always save the worms for fishing, or for added flavor and then ... slice away the very top of the kernels with a sharp knife; just enough to give access to the good stuff ... and a second time, a bit deeper. Scrape the cob well, removing all the juice and milk ... placing those ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix well!

That accomplished, it's a walk in the park ... or to the store if you don't have a well seasoned cast iron skillet.

Heat your grease in the skillet ... how much is a matter of taste, as is your choice of bacon, fatback or streak-o-lean, but about one tablespoon per three ears works well for me. If you freshly fry bacon to get your grease, I suggest saving it for some wilted lettuce ...

Add in the corn, water, and a pinch of salt ... bring to a boil, simmer, stirring often, if not constantly, and adding water as needed to maintain the desired consistency. It should cook down and thicken in roughly 20-30 minutes.

What you're after is ... thick, and on the pasty, creamy side. Not to worry, it'll happen, ... the starch from the corn's milk will do that for you ... that's just to let you know when it's ready. The fresher the corn, the less water you'll need ... try just covering the corn with water or using 1/2 cup at the start, and adjust as necessary.

Season with salt, lots of freshly ground black pepper, and maybe a little butter ... it's really a matter of taste.

It's good as is ... but, spicing it up at the dinner table with green hot peppers makes it even better! And if you fry up the hog pieces to get your grease, serve them too!

Fried corn, cornbread, buttermilk, wilted lettuce and maybe some blackberry cobbler ... Goodness!

Make room in your freezer ...

The season for good, tender young ears of field corn is short for most of us ... too short, if you like good fried corn. Luckily, corn freezes rather well, especially if you blanch it first.

Another approach, especially if you have somebody to do all that front end work, is to cook it up as usual, until it starts to thicken ... freeze that! Defrost when ready to eat, put it in the skillet and resume where you left off!

HotWater Cornbread goes great ... Mix twice as much boiling water as cornmeal ... 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon bacon grease per 3 cups of water! Make pones ... cook at 460 for 15 minutes or until brown.

Rustic Strawberry-Rhubarb Tart ...

When the rhubarb was high and the wild strawberries were ripe, my grandmother would treat us to dessert with this open-face pie ... today, rustic tarts are served at the most elegant restaurants ...

Using honey as a sweetener is typically Eastern European and I've followed suit here, but honey doesn't have the sweetening power of sugar, so adjust as necessary. I've substituted unsalted butter for the lard grandma used ...

You can get by with seedless strawberry-rhubarb jam instead of making your own puree ...

Makes 2 (9-inch) tarts ... Prep Time: 20 minutes ... Cook Time 40 minutes ...

Ingredients:

1 recipe Sweet Pastry Dough (see below)
2 cups ripe whole strawberries, plus 4 cups sliced strawberries
2 cups sliced rhubarb (1 1/4-inch pieces)
1 tablespoon water
1 cup honey or to taste
1/4 cup graham cracker, vanilla wafer or shortbread crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation:

1. In a medium saucepan, place 2 cups ripe whole strawberries, rhubarb, water and honey. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until a thick puree forms, at least 15 minutes, but probably longer. Note: Store-bought seedless strawberry-rhubarb jam can be substituted for this step.

2. Transfer puree to a bowl to cool at room temperature. Once cool, cover and refrigerate or proceed with next step.

3. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Divide Sweet Pastry Dough in half and, on parchment-lined baking sheets, roll out 2 (12-inch) diameter disks. Trim with pastry wheel or pizza cutter so the edges are not ragged.

4. Leaving a 2-inch border of untouched dough, sprinkle crumbs evenly in the center of each disk. Spread 1/4 of the fruit puree over crumbs of each disk, leaving the border untouched, as before.

5. Place 4 cups sliced strawberries in an even layer on each disk, covering the puree completely.

6. Now shape the tart by lifting the untouched dough toward the center, pleating as necessary to
create a 9-inch round. The edge will partially cover the filling which is perfect.

7. Divide remaining puree between the two tarts, completely covering the strawberries. Brush edges of each pastry with half the melted butter and half the sugar for a sparkling crust.

8. Bake 40 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling. Cool on pan for at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving. May also be served at room temperature. Accompany with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired.



If you have a favorite recipe, please share it with us --sja