A Salute To Julia Reed

Southern cooks really are the backbone of American cooking. Their recipes reflect the history and ingredients that make up American cooking. Julia Reed was one such chef. She created some amazing and often fun recipes that are perfect for any US table, Southern or not.

Regular contributor , Kim Severson, a Southern based writer paid homage to this great chef in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. Ms Reed died a week ago at the age of fifty-nine of cancer. She still would have had many years ahead of her, creating interesting dishes and celebrating her heritage. She interestingly started out in political writing, with a famous article about George and Laura Bush along with pieces on Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush and former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards,a famed gambler and womanizer. Politics turned to food as she wrote articles about cuisine for Vogue,  Elle Decor and Garden and Gum magazines. It was a Southern inspired cocktail party for her Vogue colleagues that pushed her to write food articles for the New York Times. She served ham biscuits and beef tenderloins on yeast rolls, a novelty for food snob Manhattanites. Now her recipes are back in the paper. There is summer squash casserole along with hot cheese olives. Two very Southern classics , milk punch and pralines are also included.Ms. Reed was also a world class traveler and fell in love with rosemary scented steak at Nino's in Rome.  She adapted another great chef's Paula Wolfert's recipe for it.

These are fun recipes to herald in a new season.The squash casserole has a Southern  cuisine staple in it, Ritz crackers.Ms. Reed famously included Uncle Ben's Rice and Pepperidge Farm Very Thin white bread in her cookbook Julia Reed's Cookbook,  out in 2016. There is also toasted white bread in this recipe too. The star is yellow summer squash which is the main ingredient.It's enriched by eggs, whole cream and sharp Cheddar cheese and given bite with jalapenos and cayenne pepper. Serve it with Roman steak which she got from Paula Wolfert's book Mediterranean Cooking.  This is an easy make with marinating the meat in an olive oil, mashed garlic and crushed rosemary marinade and then grilling it for  a few minutes.  You could also serve her hot cheese olives which are green olives baked in a cheesy , cayenne laced dough. Of course any of these would go well with Ms. Reed's milk punch. This is a rich drink of vanilla ice cream or heavy cream mixed with a simple syrup and a heady mix of four cups of brandy and two cups of bourbon. Nutmeg is sprinkled on for some color. End with pralines. This candy is a lush mix of  dark brown and white sugars and cooked with evaporated milk. Butter and pecan pieces are added for more flavor. It's dropped as rounds onto parchment paper. These would even make nice thank you favors too. because they have to be individually wrapped once cooled.

Julia Reed was an amazing writer who brought Southern cooking to light. Thanks to her  we can taste classic American cooking.  Her recipes like her reputation, will live on.

Milk Punch Hip Again?

This is the season for celebrations.Between weddings, graduations and engagements, people will. E looking for something to toast the celebrated.Surprisingly a centuries old recipe might do the trick.Milk punch is hot again and in a whole new way.It's also an elegant touch to any shower or party. It was the lone non bread article in The New York Times Dining section that was yeast centric on Wednesday.Robert Simonson wrote about it and how it's sweeping the nation ,from New York to San Francisco.The drink is nothing new,being first made during the Renaissance.A century later, the famed first female playwright Aphra Behn reinvented the quaff during England "s Restoration period.She made it as an individual drink ,similar to what is now being served.One of the more popular is the California style made with rum, spices and Batavia arrack, a fermented sweet rice wine..It's served at San Francisco's Coachman Bar where it's known for the 19th Century drinks.It's also a favorite choice at Manhattan's Underground too.Chicago's Punch House, famed for it's punches has an ancient recipe revamped and changed every week. Most of these punches are not creamy or milky,like what is served in New Orleans bars .The ingredients are mixed with hot milk so that the milk curdles.The blend is sieved repeatedly until the liquid becomes clear.This is a time intensive project, taking hours to make.It then rests a day before being served.However there is a cult following for this and bartenders let milk punch lovers know hone they"re making it.This kind of milk punch does take some getting used to.Not many people enjoy a mix of spirits and dairy.,Once acquired ,it's addictive.Some bars such as Bar Pleides make a milk punch base and patrons canchoose their spirit of choice to add. Don't try this at home.Stick with the old fashioned milk punch recipe where bourbon or rum is added.For added richness use half milk and half whole cream .You could also add some chocolate syrup for a twist on the kid classic. Milk punch is an elegant drink, perfect for an elegant party or just a night out.You can try it both ways ,either clear or creamy .Either way it's a rich drink ,perfect forth times ahead.