America I AM Pass It Down Cookbook (31 page)

Did you know?
In Colonial times nearly twenty percent of the population of the thirteen colonies was of African descent. This included slaves and free people of color. Ironically, denied their own freedom, many African Americans still served valiantly alongside their white counterparts in the battle for American independence.

Thanksgiving is an ideal time to raise a glass to these patriots, including Crispus Attucks, a leader in the anti-British protest that led to the Boston Massacre; Salem Poor, who served with commendation at the Battle of Bunker Hill; and Private Oliver Cromwell, who was with General George Washington at his famous crossing of the Delaware River on December 25, 1776.

Learn more about these men and others in the book
African American Soldiers in the Revolutionary War
by Lucia Tarbox Raatma (Compass Point Books).

Festive Winter Holiday Gathering Menu

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, or are looking for a menu for a New Year’s Day bash, the dishes in this menu make for a festive, stylish gathering. Traditional sides like black-eyed peas share the table with elegant nibbles like Justin Gillette’s Low Country Crab Cakes and the Duo Dishes’ Cornbread Panzanella, a soulful version of traditional Italian bread salad.

Duo Dishes’ Cornbread Panzanella (
page 33
)
Gillette’s Low Country Crab Cakes (
page 4
)
Eric Spigner’s Everything In the Pot Gumbo (
page 20
)
Donna Daniels’ Pork Chops with Shallots, Lemon, and Capers (
page 87
)
Ron Johnson’s Crunchy Collards (
page 124
)
Angela Dodson’s Hoppin’ John (
page 173
)
Kathleen Henry’s Dirty Rice (
page 172
)
Soul Food Museum Holiday Pecan Pie (
page 217
)
Pass It Down Georgia White Peach Sangria (
page 247
)
Pass It Down Classic Homemade Eggnog (
page 251
)

CHAPTER
8
Desserts

Momma’s Bread Pudding

SERVES 6 TO 8

The beauty of bread pudding is that the basic recipe of bread, milk, eggs, and sugar can be the starting point for any number of variations. Chocolate, white chocolate, candied fruits, and even dried fruits can replace the pineapples, pecans, and coconut in Sandra Miller’s version. Try multiple combinations—the possibilities are endless!

1 loaf French bread
4 cups milk, or more as needed
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups sugar
2 cups crushed pineapple
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon nutmeg
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350° F. Slice the bread into cubes and place on a cookie sheet. Spray lightly with cooking spray and toast in the oven until lightly browned.

Place bread cubes in a large mixing bowl and crumble slightly with your hands. Add the milk slowly to help soften the bread. If needed, add more milk to ensure all the bread is saturated.

Beat the condensed milk, eggs, vanilla, and sugar together in another bowl. Using a spoon, add the mixture to the bread as well.

Stir in pineapple, pecans, coconut, cinnamon, and nutmeg, Add melted butter and mix well.

Pour pudding mixture into greased casserole dish and cover with tin foil. Place the dish in a large, deep tray or pot and fill the tray with water so it’s about halfway up the side of the casserole dish.

Bake 45 minutes or until the bread pudding is puffed. Remove foil and cook 5–10 minutes more, or just until the top is lightly browned. Serve warm.

Mama Dip’s Egg Custard Pie

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

SERVES 8

“I made my first Egg Custard Pie when I was nine years old,” says Mildred Council, better known as Mama Dip. “I would sit in the kitchen and watch as my older brother made meals, remembering everything he did. Papa asked me to fix food for lunch. I listened as the guinea cackled. Papa sold guinea eggs. I made a pie just like my brother. I never told Papa I used his guinea eggs to make the pie, but he said it was the best pie he ever ate.”

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons self-rising flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ stick butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs, beaten
¼ cup milk
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Preheat oven to 375o F.

In a bowl, mix sugar, flour, and nutmeg.

Stir in butter, vanilla, and eggs, and beat for 10 to 15 strokes. Add milk and mix well.

Pour into pie shell and bake 30 minutes or until firm.

“I have always known myself as Mildred Edna Cotton Council. The cultural names haven’t changed my feelings of being an American citizen. I have experienced the Negro or black American cultural world in a tiny area of the United States of America. I grew up and lived in poverty most of my life without knowing it. My children, too, grew up in poverty, never knowing that they were poor. Our house just leaked. No screen doors. An outdoor bathroom and little money.

Our family was happy to sit around the table at dinnertime, eating, poking jokes, and having fun. It didn’t matter if the dishes and the cups didn’t match. (Sometimes just a pie pan would do.) Early childhood experience equipped me to raise my children to accept life by being happy, learning about life and its struggles and disappointments.