10
to 12 slices of white bread, crust removed
EGG
MIXTURE:
5 large eggs
2 cups half & half
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
a dash of ground nutmeg
FILLING:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
16 oz crushed pineapple
you can also use
cooked
or canned apples,
peaches or apricot, etc.
First
you arrange half of the bread in the bottom of a greased 11 by 7 glass baking
dish. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, half & half, sugar and
vanilla. Pour half of the egg mixture over the bread.
In
a separate bowl, beat the filling ingredients, then pour the filling evenly
over the bread on the bottom of the baking dish. Heap your pineapple
(or other fruit) over the filling.
Arrange
the remaining bread over the fruit, and pour the rest of the egg mixture
over the bread. Sprinkle with nutmeg. This must be covered and
refrigerated overnight.
In
the morning, bake
covered in a 350\0xFFFD oven for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake another
30-45 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Serve warm with maple
or blueberry syrup.
We
sometimes pull the Charlotte out of the oven 5 minutes before it is done and
sprinkle on shredded coconut, then finish baking. After it's out of the
oven, we sprinkle on powdered sugar. Cinnamon with the powdered sugar is
good if you use cooked apples, which should be tart (like Granny Smith's) or the
Charlotte will be too bland.
This
is very good served with fine Kentucky country ham, or any good breakfast ham.
Enjoy!
Kentucky
Eggs Benedict**
One serving: Toast 2
halves of an English Muffin, top with baked Kentucky Country Ham, then
poached eggs. Top with your favorite recipe for Hollandaise sauce.
We've tried Eggs Benedict every possible way, and can't find anything we
like better than using our own local country ham!
Eggs Rarebit**
This is one of our
inventions, we think. It's a cross between Eggs Benedict and a Welsh
Rarebit. It's almost more suited as a dinner than as a breakfast, but for
people who for whatever reason can't eat pork and want a very hearty
& unusual breakfast, this is a delicious possibility. (give us a
request a day in advance if you'd like to try this here).
Per serving, toast 2
halves of an English Muffin, top with shaved roast beef, then poached
eggs. Top with a Welsh Rarebit cheese sauce. (This is also good
with ham or smoked turkey)
Welsh Rarebit Sauce:
-Shred about 3 cups (8 oz or so) of very sharp cheddar cheese. We like
a good white English cheddar or a good Vermont or Canadian cheddar.
Don't use the common name-brand processed yellow cheddar / American cheese
or you'll have a pretty dull sauce. Especially avoid anything that
says "pasteurized processed cheese food product!)
-beat 2 egg yolks in a bowl, add a half cup of English or Irish type ale, a
teaspoon or so of Worcester sauce, a teaspoon of English dry mustard, and a
healthy dash of cayenne pepper (up to a teaspoon depending on your taste).
-melt a half stick of butter in a thick bottomed pan and gradually add the
cheese until it has melted into a doughy consistency. Gradually add
the seasoned egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Stop cooking just
as the sauce begins to come to a boil.
This sauce amount
serves two to four people.
**Of course, on the
Eggs Benedict theme you can try a number of yummy variations. A
lightly fried over-easy egg can be substituted for a poached egg with little
difference in flavor. Try the Rarebit recipe with toasted rye bread,
&/or with corned beef as a lunch/brunch dish. Make a Swiss fondue type
cheese sauce with Gruyere cheese and white Rhine/Moselle/Mosel wine.
Change the meats, or concoct your recipe with or without eggs. Do the
Rarebit recipe without the egg and with turkey/smoked turkey and bacon, and
you get something similar to but different than a traditional Kentucky Hot
Brown. The possibilities go on & on. The joy of cooking is really just
a combination of experimentation and imagination!
*************
BENEDICTINE
a classic Louisville dish for lunch or brunch
We never make less than a 6x batch
Jennie C.
Benedict, a Louisville caterer from 1893 to 1925, originated famous
Benedictine sandwiches. Jennie lived just two blocks
north of here on Third Street in the 1890s and started her catering
business there. Because she never wrote of it in
any of her own cookbooks, there is some disagreement on "Miss
Jennie's" original Benedictine recipe. Following is one claim to the
original:
-
1 8-ounce
package cream cheese
-
3
tablespoons cucumber juice
-
1/2
large cucumber (grated and strained)
-
I
tablespoon onion juice (grate and strain pulp)
-
1
teaspoon salt
-
Few
grains cayenne pepper Green food coloring
Combine ingredients, including 1 or 2 drops food coloring,
Makes filling for six to eight full-size sandwiches.
This next one is closer to Jennie
Benedict's time, the earliest we have found so far in print.
Still it's 20 years after Jennie's death:
BENEDICTINE
SANDWICH SPREAD (from Out of Kentucky Kitchens by Marion
Flexner, 1949)
This delicious spread was the brain-child of Miss Jennie
Benedict, a beloved Louisville cateress of a generation ago. It is
still a favorite at local
cocktail parties and weddings.
-
2 cream
cheeses (6 oz.) 1 saltspoon salt, or more to taste
-
Grated pulp
of 1 medium-sized cucumber
-
Mayonnaise
-
1 grated
onion
-
Dash of
tabasco
-
2 or 3
drops green coloring
Mash the
cheeses with a fork. Work into them the grated pulp from a peeled,
medium-sized cucumber, first extracting the juice by placing the
pulp in a napkin and squeezing it fairly dry. Add the onion juice
(more if a stronger onion flavor is liked), tabasco and salt and
enough mayonnaise to make a smooth filling, easily spread. (Miss
Jennie used mayonnaise made of lemon juice, real olive oil and egg
yolks.) Last of all, add the green coloring\0xFFFDjust enough to give a
faint green tinge, for too much will look unappetizing.
Now we present our own large batch version, and our favorite based
on taste:
-
6-7
packages of 8 oz cream cheese
-
1/3-1/2 cup onion juice
-
3-6
teaspoons salt to taste
-
6
dashes of tabasco or to taste
-
3-4
large cucumbers, peeled, quartered lengthwise and seeds removed
(a serrated-tip grapefruit spoon works great), the pulpy part
reserved. This may be enough to make the cucumber juice:
-
1-1/4 cup cucumber juice
Let the
cream cheese get to room temperature to soften. Grate at least most
of the cucumbers in a food processor. Let stand a little while
and pour through a strainer, keeping the juice. Put the
reserved pulp with seeds through a juicer, and any remaining
cucumber in case you need extra juice. Put a regular type
onion through a juicer to get your onion juice (in an electric
juicer, a healthy medium onion is usually plenty).
Stir
(you can use a mixer at mid to low speed) all ingredients together,
with about 2 drops of green food coloring. Less cucumber
juice makes a thicker spread, add more for a thinner spread, or one
that you can use as a salad dressing.
Drink any
leftover cucumber juice. It's healthy and delicious.
Any of these
Benedictine recipes makes a better spread than the commercial
varieties.
*************
THE CULBERTSON HOLIDAY EGGNOG
This somewhat embellished generations old recipe has
been a favorite here at the mansion for decades. It's simple,
but time consuming because of the amount of beating involved.
The recipe comes from days when health and diet were of little
concern. We make it only during the holidays, so as not
to overdo it.
12 eggs, separated
1 quart of thick cream ("heavy cream"), whipped
1 quart light cream or regular whipping cream
16 oz of bourbon whisky
1/4 cup rum
2 cups sugar
Break and separate the
eggs. Add one cup of sugar to the yolks at one time and then beat and
beat and beat and beat until the mixture is light colored, thick and
smooth\0xFFFDor until the sugar is completely blended with the yolks. And right
there is the principal idea in mixing. By not beating the yolks first, you
produce a mixture with supporting qualities for the rest of the ingredients.
When the eggs and sugar
have been beaten together to the right consistency, add the bourbon, a little at
a time, beating vigorously. We recommend using at least 16 oz bourbon, but
if the preacher is coming over, you can reduce that to 8-12 oz for a Lite
nog. You could also use a full quart of bourbon, depending on
your taste and your need for cheer.
Add
all of rum and beat again. For the rum, we prefer a dark European (Austrian)
rum if we can find it, since it has the "rummiest" taste, but a
light rum works well too. In any case,
a dark rum is best.
Add the light cream to
the mixture. Half & Half for a thinner nog, whipping cream for a
thicker nog.
Then add the heavy whipping cream, already whipped, by folding in. Beat the
egg whites stiff, then sweeten while still beating with the other cup of
sugar. Finally fold in the beaten egg whites. Let stand to ripen.
This eggnog should be
made at least two days ahead of time. It's better for the standing.
If possible, make it three or four days ahead.
This eggnog will not separate.
