[Question] "Baking in the American South" - what to make first?
[Question] "Baking in the American South" - what to make first?
First 100 pages are cornbread and biscuits.
Don't know if it's in there, but when it comes to southern baking, the king of the heap that's distinctly southern, but not biscuits or cornbread, is probably pecan pie, with sweet potato pie being an almost tie.
After that, peach cobbler/pie.
Then probably strawberry rhubarb pie/cobbler
Pies are a little more old school southern, since they've been baked in some form or another since europeans came over.
But, if you step out of that, bread pudding is maybe more ubiquitous, depending on where in the south you are.
Now, cake wise, hummingbird cake is likely the one most people think of, and is likely to be in that book.
However, soda cakes are incredibly beloved. Coke and cheerwine in particular have honored places. RC cola, and sun-drop too, though the sun-drop is a bit more regional. But any recipe for any of the sodiepop cakes are interchangeable. They're obviously more recent, but still a staple.
If there's a recipe in there, fresh apple cake is amazing, but it isn't as popular.
Another one that's not purely southern, but has become a deep tradition in some families are "friendship" cakes. They're called that because part of the process involves fermenting fruit, and when you make the cake, you split off part of the resulting starter and give it to others. It's essentially fruitcake, but much better than any of the usual commercial brands. Moist, rich, and full of flavor.
It depends on what's in the book though.
If there is a sour cream pound cake, I would start there!
There are SIX poundcake recipes, but only 2 use sour cream and one of those is a peach poundcake and I'm not a fan of peaches, but I suppose I could sub in pears or apples.
I did find this one that has no sour cream, but it does have three STICKS of butter AND 8 ounces of cream cheese.
I would serve the fruit fresh as a topping with whipped cream. Peaches or strawberries! Maybe blueberries. (From a Southerner - me)
With pound cakes, you can sub in almost any fruit and be fine since it's an addition rather than a core ingredient. The fruit isn't necessary for the cake to bake right. You can even leave it out, and the cake will be fine. Most of the time, it wouldn't even change how moist the final result is.
A pound cake is supposed to have a pound of butter, hence the name. So, four sticks. Three sticks is a diet pound cake.
With pound cakes, you can sub in almost any fruit and be fine since it's an addition rather than a core ingredient. The fruit isn't necessary for the cake to bake right. You can even leave it out, and the cake will be fine. Most of the time, it wouldn't even change how moist the final result is.
Oh damn. Heading to Amazon...
Cornbread in all it's glorious variations...
Collard greens made with ham hocks and no sugar
Buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy (you will not drain the pan before making the gravy…)
Nilla Puddin
Tacos.
I'd make that cake on the cover. It looks delicious.
Another vote for the cake.
Just flipping through, it looks like Minnie Pearl's Corn Light Bread:
I'm sure 100 of those are a butter or lard cakes. Probably delicious, but they will kill you eventually 🤣
But damn what a great way to go!
Seriously though, it's less the fats and more the sugar and simple carbs (flour). Combine them all and it's really Not a Good Thing©.
But I'm still makin' it. With all the butter and lard.
Watch the lard brands, make sure it's not some hydrogenated oil garbage. Best is home rendered, but there are decent mass produced.
I'm already on borrowed time... ;)
I'm told southern trees are bearing strange fruits