These recipes were added since the original FT book was released
Mangrove Mama’s Original Key Lime Pie
The Miami Herald
It seems every Floridian has a recipe for Key Lime Pie, so The Miami Herald combed the Keys in a 2-week taste test of restaurants serving Key Lime Pie. They say 674 restaurants they saw in the keys served it. Their No.1 pie came from Mangrove Mama’s on Sugarloaf Key, from proprietor Rose Orzo. Note that Key Lime Pie is supposed to be yellow, not green as some Yankees might have thought.
Here is the winning recipe:
For crust (for 2 pies), combine 1 stick butter (1/2 cup), 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 2 tbsp. sugar and 1 tbsp. cinnamon. Melt the butter and combine with other ingredients in a bowl. Press into two 9-inch pie shells with a spoon. Save some crumbs for a topping. Bake in a 325° oven for 10 minutes or less. If you can smell it it’s already probably burned, so be careful. Leave the oven on for the last step.
To make the filling, separate eight eggs and beat the yolks (yellow, dummy) with a mixer for about 2 minutes, but stop if they start to become whipped. Blend three 10-oz. cans condensed milk into the eggs, then add 1-1/3 cups key lime juice (if it’s from a bottle, don’t use the kind that’s reconstituted from concentrate). Mix well for about a minute and a half, then pour into prepared shells. Bake the pies in a 325° oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Then refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving to set it. Top with fresh whipped cream.
Note: In western Tokyo, key lime juice can be bought at Miuraya in Kichijoji for ¥1200 a bottle, and sweetened condensed milk and ready-made pie crusts can be bought at Kinokuniya grocery, also in Kichijoji,
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The Cathedral Herb Garden Chicken
The All Hallows Guild, Washington, D.C.
The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, or the Washington National Cathedral, has an herb garden that I used to frequent a few times a year. The Cathedral was started in 1907 and was completed in Sept. 1990. This recipe was published in The Washington Post.
2 small broiling chickens, about 2-1/2 lbs. each
1 lemon, cut in half
2 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary or 1 tsp. crushed dried
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger root or 1/4 tsp. ground
6 slices lean, smoked bacon
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 425° F. Rinse and clean the chickens, and excavate and rinse out any innards. Pat dry with a paper towel, then rub the cavities with lemon. Blend the rosemary with the butter and ginger. Spread some of the butter under the skin of the breasts and thighs. Place the chickens on their sides in a roasting pan, cover with strips of bacon, and bake for about 20 minutes. If the bacon becomes too dark, discard it. Turn the chicken breasts up, reduce the heat to 375° F and baste often with the remaining butter and pan drippings. Bake for another 25 minutes or until the juices run perfectly clear when a skewer is inserted into the thigh. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve. (688 calories, 50 gm. fat, 19 gm. saturated fat, 120 mg. cholesterol, 326 mg. sodium per serving.)
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Brie Chicken
Robertson Adams
I made this once for my roommates from a recipe in The Seattle Times, and it was quick and impressive. But the brie doesn't look great after baking, so save some herbs for the end.
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. dried basil or rosemary, crushed.
4 chicken breast halves with bone and skin removed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 lb. herb brie or camembert cheese, rind removed, cut into 4 thin pieces
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Stir together the olive oil, garlic, rosemary or basil. Brush onto the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a foil-lined baking pan and bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and turn the heat up to broil. Place a slice of brie on each chicken breast. Run under hot broiler just until the cheese starts to melt (4-6 minutes). (Note: 300 cal, 17g fat, 433 mg. sodium, 8g saturated fat, 110 mg. cholesterol per serving.)
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Housewarming Guacamole
Robertson Adams
This recipe won a Guacamole contest in California, so I tried it and it worked well at my housewarmng party in Tokyo.
3 ripe avocados
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. chopped fresh dill
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. medium-hot salsa
1 cup low-fat yogurt
Cut avocados in half, remove seeds and scoop out meat. Put in a medium bowl and blend with remaining ingredients until just mixed. Refrigerate, covered, several hours. Serve with corn chips. (Just try to find good corn chips in Tokyo! Try Miuraya.)
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Fudge-Raspberry Thang
Pillsbury Bake-Off, 1989
This won the Refrigerated Pie Crust category. Write your own sarcastic comment here. Its original name was "Fudge Crostata with Raspberry Sauce" but I couldn't tell that to guests with a straight face, could you?
1 15-oz. package refrigerated pie crusts
1 tsp. flour
1 6-oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup butter, divided
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup ground almonds
1 egg
1 egg, separated
sweetened whipped cream, optional
chocolate curls, optional
whole raspberries, optional
For the raspberry sauce:
1 (12-oz.) package frozen raspberries without syrup, thawed.
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice.
Prepare pie crust according to package directions for 2-crust pie using flour and a 10-inch breakaway pan or pie pan. Press one of the two crusts into the pan and trim away the excess from the side. Save the other crust.
Melt chocolate pieces and 2 tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Beat remaining 6 tbsp. butter with sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add almonds, egg, egg yolk and melted chocolate. Blend well. Spread mixture over bottom of pie-crust lined pan.
To make a lattice top, cut reserved crust into 1/2-inch wide strips. Arrange the strips in lattice design over chocolate mixture. Seal edges and trim the excess away. Beat egg white in a small bowl until foamy. Gently brush over lattice. Bake at 425° F for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350° F and bake an additional 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cover edge of pie crust with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking if necessary to avoid excessive browning. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
For raspberry sauce: Process the raspberries in a blender at highest speed until smooth. Press through a large strainer to remove seeds. Discard seeds. Combine this puree, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan, blending well. Then bring to a boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Refrigerate.
Garnish pie with sweetened whipped cream, chocolate curls and whole raspberries. Serve with raspberry sauce. Makes 8-10 servings.
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Pineapple Daiquiri
Linda Tournade
Linda made this for me once when she had over some other guests for dinner. It's good, but if you use fresh pineapple, it must be very ripe, or you'll have "high-fiber" beverages.
1/2 can pineapple
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. sugar
2 oz. light rum
1/3 cup crushed ice
Put the pineapple in the blender first, and run it until the fruit is puréed. Then open it and add the non-pineapple ingredients, and run it again for a minute or so until foamy. Finally add the crushed ice and run for about 10 seconds. You don't want the ice to be too finely processed or it may melt right away and yield a watery daiquiri.
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Crab-Mango-Avocado Salad With Vinaigrette
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Mangos are the most undervalued fruit. Here are some mango tips from the largest-selling paper in the free world.
o Reject mangos that smell sour or alcoholic, a sure sign of fermentation, and reject the ones with withered skin or super-soft spots.
o Smell the stem of the fruit, and if it has a sweet floral scent it's good. Thumping and squeezing will upset your grocer and get you nowhere.
o Store mangos on a flat surface and not in a bag or basket, to avoid mango rot. They require room temperature to ripen.
o If already ripe, you can refrigerate them one or two days.
o If you might be allergic, peel them under running water and avoid the sap and skin. The fruit itself will not cause any allergic reactions.
o Mangos are nutritious: high in vitamin C and only 66 calories for a small mango.
1/2 cup lime juice (key lime is OK, but use a little less)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
cracked black pepper to taste
1 large mango, peeled and cubed into chunks, chilled
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and cubed into medium chunks, chilled
4 small handsful of mixed fresh lettuces, washed, spun dry and kept cold.
1 lb. lump crab meat, picked over and cleaned, then chilled.
Mix the lime juice, and pepper in a small bowl. With a wire whisk, beat in the olive oil gradually. Chill.
Combine the mango and avocado in one bowl. Ladle on enough of the vinaigrette to coat and mix together. Be careful no to mash the avocado. Add the rest of the vinaigrette to the lettuces to coat them lightly. Toss.
Arrange the lettuces casually on plates. Mound the avocado and mango combination over that. Shred the crab meat by tearing it with your fingers, and sprinkle it over the mango. Serve cold, makes 6 servings.
Salsa
Robertson Adams
I made this for the party I had before I went to Scandinavia, and at several parties since then. It's usually a hit, and it's easy to make. It's best for summer when tomatoes are in season, but I made it in November and it was no loss.
3 large tomatoes, diced
3 dill pickles, diced
1 tbsp. dried dill
4 tbsp. cilantro
1/2 a red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce (or more!)
salt and pepper to taste
Combine ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate. Do not cook. Serve with lots of corn chips. If you have some left over, it's good on hamburgers and hot dogs, or even pork chops.
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Mulled Cider
Bruce Gendron
Bruce made this for Thanksgiving 1988 when the Breezers spend the holiday moping in DC. It was good and has been popular at many winter gatherings since then, including family gatherings where the pickest, finickiest eaters alive gather.
Base:
1 part cranberry juice
2 parts clear apple cider
spiced rum, optional
Spices:
Multiply this for each 1/2 gallon mixed
4 balls of allspice
4 whole cloves
1/2 orange with peel and seeds
1/4 cup raisins
Combine ingredients (except orange) in a large stew pot with a lid, and simmer it for 3 hours prior to the party. Let orange float in it just before guests arrive, but leave the heat on. After about an hour, you had better pull out the orange or it'll turn an unappealing brown color.
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Nutella
Linda Schmidt
When I visited the Schmidts in 1989, we had Nutella on French bread for breakfast, a Danish staple. Nutella is chocolate spread that tastes great with coffee, a hard boiled egg and some smoked fish, and your fingers. Linda makes it this way, and it's delicious.
cocoa powder, coconut lard, butter, sugar
Mix it up until you can spread it on bread. Eat it all, then go to the store and buy a jar of Nutella. Then call a physician and tell him you can feel your arteries hardening.
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Meringue Fruit Salad
Millie Schmidt
Millie made this to follow a Thanksgiving dinner of several wild ducks when I visited Århus in 1989. Make several meringue cookies with your favorite recipe. Cut up berries, peaches and pears and chill. Pour them over one or two large cookies in a glass bowl, then top with whipped cream and serve.
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Potato Salad
Robertson Adams
I used to make this before going to the steeple chases with my roommates in Virginia. It keeps well warm or cold.
3-4 new potatoes, boiled whole, then cooled and diced
one strip cooked and cut-up bacon
3 large sprigs parsley, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. celery seed or celery salt
5-6 tbsp. any oil-vinegar salad dressing
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Mix it all up in any order and chill. Serve with beer.
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Marinated Salmon In Cold Mustard Sauce
Lilla Sällskapet club, Stockholm
I picked up this recipe, from a booklet by Lilla Sällskapet club, in Stockholm, but didn't have a chance to use it until I got to Tokyo, where the price of salmon was about the same or less than beef. With such a provocation, I tried it and the sauce is quite good with baked salmon, but the recipe calls for crab meat or marinated salmon. So the whole thing's here for you to try, if you have 48 to 72 hours for the salmon to marinate, and a back yard full of dill.
Gravilaxsas (mustard sauce)
3 tbsp. mild mustard
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1/3 cup corn oil
plenty of finely chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper
Place the mustard in a bowl. Add sugar, vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper. As when making mayonnaise, add oil drop by drop, stirring with a wooden spoon. At the last minute, mix in chopped dill.
Gravilax (marinated salmon)
3 lbs. (1-1/3 kg.) salmon, preferably the middle cut
4 tbsp. salt
4 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. peppercorns, crushed
2 tsp. corn oil
lots of fresh dill, including stalks and crowns.
Scale the salmon and pat dry. Cut lenghthwise, remove the backbone and any small bones. Moisten with oil and rub with a mixture of salt, sugar and pepper. Place half of the fish, skin-side down, in a pan with a thick layer of dill. Sprinkle generously with more dill. Place the other half, skin-side up, with thick end resting on the thin end of the bottom piece. Sprinkle more dill over and around salmon. Refrigerate for 48-72 hours, turning fish once or twice. Before serving, scrape off dill and seasonings. Slice salmon on the diagonal in thin slices. Garnish with lemon wedges and fresh dill.
Salmon A La Bjork
Larry Bjork
When I visited the Bjorks in 1990 Larry made his special salmon concoction, as follows. It requires a good California white or rosé and maybe a cold pasta salad.
4-6 lbs. fresh salmon, skinned and boned
3 large tomatoes
2 red onions
1 stick butter
ground black pepper
lots of dill
aluminum foil and an outdoor barbecue grill
Make a "boat" out of the aluminum foil, large enough for the salmon steak(s). Slice the tomato, onion and butter onto the salmon and sprinkle with black pepper, then cover with a layer of dill. Wrap the whole thing in a double layer of foil. Put it in a barbecue over white coals for about half an hour, flipping the whole packge once, after about 20 minutes. Break open and serve. Serves four.