4. 1 About the Author 2
Grace Kenneth Collins is a senior at Dulaney High School in Baltimore County,
Maryland. She is also enrolled at Baltimore County Community College to
jumpstart her college education. She is a storyteller with a passion for family
traditions and family dinners. She loves the hectic pace of restaurant work.
She lives with her parents; her sister, Emily; and her two cats and two dogs.
A connoisseur of popular culture and a budding cook, she makes a mean apple pie.
www.gracecollinsmedia.com
5.
6. Acknowledgments v
Acknowledgments
Since this is my first book, I have learned much about what goes
into producing a book! I have been fortunate to have some great
partners guiding me through this adventure on the editorial and pro-
duction side.
Thanks first to Karen Doyle, who served as my copy editor; her editorial
suggestions, especially on the recipes, made this a more useful book. I’d also
like to thank Laura Carter for working with me on the final “look” of the
book. She is a book designer with extraordinary talent!
Thanks to my energetic grandmother YaYa (Marilyn McSherry) for the
shared meals and sleepovers, making me laugh, and the endless love. I will
always be your “sunshine”!
To Emily, thank you for everything you’ve done for me—the laughs, the
tears, the hugs, and most importantly your friendship. I love you so much,
Big Sis.
Thanks to my Aunt Laurel McSherry and Michael McGrath for their sup-
port and love, and my introduction to Stella. Also, thanks for the sweatshirt.
Thanks to my New Jersey family, Gail and Andy Carlstrom; Patti, Marc,
and Lucas Feola; Danny and Lisa Carlstrom and their children, Brendan,
Brea, and Jack; and Andy and Sharon Carlstrom and their children, Rachel,
Terry, and Halle, for helping me to keep my roots in New Jersey.
Thanks to Rosemary Hanley for being there and to Ms. Knott, my junior
year cooking teacher, for taking me on that culinary journey around the world.
A particular special thank you to Mollie, Sadie, and Carl Kellenberger;
The Faller Family: Uncle Greg, Aunt Rita, and Henrik; The Prassas Family:
Uncle Dean, Aunt Rita, Jennifer, and Katherine; John Gardner and Wil
Barrueto; Skylar Lasky, Kathy Tontarski and her mother, Edna Degen; and
Stash Wojcik.
7. vi Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
I am grateful for my amazing circle of friends, Amanda Chesser, Natalie
Crawford, Hallie Criste, Daisy Hilliard, Jessica Mattson, Kate Shipley,
Lorrie Sinibaldi, Jamie Tambor, and Melissa Webster, who are so very
important to me. Also to “Tonka,” my protector.
Thanks to Sam Sunderland for being like a brother, supporter, and best
friend. I am lucky to have a friend like you. One Love.
Thanks to my mom and dad who have always pushed me to be the best I
could be. Their love and support through everything, the good times and the
bad, truly mean the world to me. I’m honored to record the great meals we’ve
had in our house. I can’t believe I did this!
I dedicate this labor of love to my dad, Steve Collins, for his never-ending
love for and pride in both his daughters. I’m happy to have captured your
family stories. Hands down, you are the best father in the world.
I am indebted to my mom, Nancy Collins, for her invaluable suggestions
on my writing, and her enthusiasm and inexhaustible support for this book.
Thank you so much for your love and your belief in me.
And special thanks are due to my Grandmother Mickey (Marie) Smock,
who inspired my enthusiasm for treasured family recipes. She was not a fancy
cook, just a good, old-fashioned cook, and without her this book would not
have been written.
“Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for
God now accepteth thy works.” —Ecclesiastes 9:7
10. ix
Introduction
This book started with another book—a calico-covered journal
filled with handwritten recipes left behind by my grandmother on
my father’s side, Grandma Mickey. That book, sitting on our kitchen
bookshelf, is now falling apart from use. By writing this book, it is my goal to
preserve not only my grandmother’s legacy of great recipes but also to start
my own family legacy. This book is the story of my life in the context of fam-
ily traditions, family recipes, and personal experiences.
From an early age, I was lucky to have a sophisticated palate, and I could
judge a good meal from a bad one. I have been blessed with the good food
that has been on my dinner table and the experiences I have had. I have a
love of food and travel, and I’m most grateful for the advantages I’ve had.
I’d like to share what I’ve learned so far, even though I am only 17 years old.
You hold in your hands a collection of recipes that have been passed down
to me and are among my friends’ and family’s favorites. I believe that good
food and drink is good for the soul, especially when food is shared with those
you love. I hope that you enjoy these stories that show my enduring love of
food and family and the recipes that go with them.
I must confess that I am more of a storyteller and an eater than a cook.
In fact, I’m learning how to cook. So for this project, think memoir meets
cookbook. I tell stories of my life such as my strange choice of favorite televi-
sion show, my trip to France and the quest for the perfect French onion soup,
how to create the ultimate baklava, life as a teenage girl working in a busy
restaurant and learning the business, the competition of Jersey vs. Maryland
tomatoes, why there is no good pizza in Baltimore, my 14 days of hell, and
why cheesecake fixes all of life’s problems.
I also wrote this book as a guide to teach people my age how to cook.
Actually, these recipes can be mastered by new cooks of all ages. Basic cook-
ing know-how is a skill that every young person should have. Once you reach
11. x Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
your twenties, regardless of gender (because men who know how to cook are
hot!), you should have some elementary cooking skills. And you should have
a few meals that you can assemble on short notice. In the Index of Recipes, in
the back of the book, I have noted the recipes that are vegetarian.
Although I was initially intimidated by the idea of cooking these dishes,
I have found these recipes to be reliable; they have been kitchen tested for
many years. Investing the time to learn these recipes will be well worth it
in the end. Once you try these dishes, you will understand why they are so
special.
Try my family’s easy mushroom barley soup and tuna with spicy pine-
apple relish; our twist on cornbread by adding fresh blueberries; my recipe
for satay with peanut sauce; a cherry noodle Kugel; chocolate chip cookies
from one of the best cooks I know; classic clams casino and crab imperial;
the secret family recipe for sauerbraten and potato balls; and the best New
York-style cheesecake you will ever taste.
My recommendation to you is to start slowly, and don’t be afraid to try
something new. Think of my book as a road map for learning how to prepare
great food. My mother talks sometimes about putting on your “fearless
shoes.” I say put on your “fearless oven mitts!” Your reward will be some
very satisfying meals, and you will be on your way to developing a list of your
own specialty recipes. Feel free to send me your best family recipes at www.
gracecollinsmedia.com.
I’d like to thank my family and friends for their warm generosity in con-
tributing their own family recipes and stories. The inspiration of my cooking
memoir comes from my grandmother and my mother, both amazing women
who inspire me on daily basis. I hope you enjoy my stories; good stories and
good recipes can endure forever.
Grace Kenneth Collins
July 17, 2011
12. 1
Chapter 1
Ninth Day, Ninth Night
Iwas cold. I was wet. I was alone. The only sensation I felt was the
stinging pain of bug bites—new bites and old ones I had scratched too
much. I remember looking up and seeing a large tree over me with its
branches reaching out as if it was attempting to keep me from getting even
wetter. Then it all goes black. The summer between my high school freshman
and sophomore years, I spent two weeks canoeing and backpacking in the
middle of nowhere in Maine. The timing of the trip was awful because the
Outward Bound course I chose was during two weeks of record-breaking
rain on the northern East Coast. Having my parents drop me off at the
airport in Bangor, Maine, where the group got together, was a scary experi-
ence. There were all these people I didn’t know, all of the kids looking sort
of stunned.
Before I continue, you may need to know some terms for clarification:
Portage: This is the act of carrying boats across land to reach a body of
water.
Lightning Drill: When lightning is seen within a seven-second count of
the rumbling sound of thunder, for safety, one must rush to an open space
of land and lie in the fetal position on a rubber sleeping mat to wait out the
storm.
For the first eight days, the adventure was terrifying yet exciting. From the
very beginning, however, I missed good, home-cooked meals. The food on
the trip was simply awful. Don’t get me wrong, I loved putting water in my
food bowl, washing it out with my finger, and being instructed to drink the
rinse water so we wouldn’t leave a “footprint” behind. There were other small
environmental footprint techniques we were taught as well, but that was the
most stunning by far. It was disgusting.
13. 2 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
It was the same routine everyday: wake up; eat; canoe 15 miles; eat;
portage 8 to 10 miles on rocky pathways around trees, swampy water, hills,
and over boulders; find a campsite; eat; go to sleep; lather, rinse, repeat.
The ninth day began with the sun sneaking its way through the clouds
and an interesting breakfast of dehydrated oatmeal and iodinated lake water.
It was the first sunny day of the whole trip, so I decided to wear a light
t-shirt and shorts. As we were canoeing down the Moose River, laughing,
singing, and splashing each other, we noticed a large cloud. Five minutes
later, we were rushing to land because it began storming. The raindrops felt
like bullets, and my light clothing was drenched. I had no time to even grab
a jacket as I ran into a field, laid out my mat, and sat down. We performed
lightning drills more than a dozen times that day. Once it was over, we
walked back to our canoes so we could portage to the other side of the island.
I noticed my canoe was filled with water, and my backpack was floating in
it. My instructors told me to put on my wet clothes from the backpack to
conserve body heat. I am told that during the portage I wandered off from
the group and was found under a tree. I remember crying and looking up at
the tree, wondering how I got there. I was crying because I was scared, and
my teardrops were warm compared to the freezing rain droplets. Two of my
friends found me and carried me back to the group.
After we canoed another six miles that day (stopping seven times for a
lightning drill on another island), we found a campsite. Thus began the ninth
night. Everyone began setting up their tents but for some reason mine was
broken. I had to sleep in a contraption consisting of a tarp tied to four trees
making a barrier between the water and me, a rubber mat, and a sleeping
bag. It was a little drafty. My leaders instructed me to wear a life jacket to keep
my core warm since I had lost a good amount of body warmth. I slept in the
middle while my two friends slept on either side of me in hopes of keeping
me safe and warm. Again, that night I wandered off and woke up lying down
in the waterlogged mud. I got up, wiped the mud from my face and arms and
walked in the direction of a light. Luckily, I made it back to the campsite safely.
I have no recollection of how I walked away from the camp that night, which is
actually quite strange since that was the second time I blacked out in one day.
After those 24 hours of absolute hell, everything seemed to be easier and
I had a better outlook. I constantly thought about the little things at home,
like family dinners or being tucked up in my parents’ bed watching “Sunday
14. Chapter 1 — Ninth Day, Ninth Night 3
Morning” with them. One thing I will never miss is the food on that trip.
Dehydrated and high-fiber meals, nuts, and lake water which we cleansed
with iodine were on the menu each day. What was my favorite meal, you
may wonder? Well, as a snack during the day we were given salsa and cubes
of cheese on bread. So simple, yet so delicious.
Every day and night I thought about food—the food I was familiar with.
On the 11th day, my group hiked up a mountain. We crossed over a road
when suddenly a flash of red caught my eye—strawberries. Beautiful, small
wild strawberries were scattered along the side of the road. We were never
given sweets or fruits during the two weeks of the trip. I was so eager for
a familiar taste that I knelt down and picked the berries one-by-one and
gobbled them down. They were sweet and pungent. Those berries were one
of the best things that I’ve ever tasted, and eating them reassured me that I
would be home soon.
When my parents picked me up after 14 days, there were only two
things I wanted: comfort food and the hottest shower I could get. After a
45-minute shower of “de-scuzzing,” we drove to Boston, because it was 4th
of July weekend and we did not want to travel 14 hours back to our home
in Maryland. That night we stayed in a hotel, and I ordered a chicken pot
pie from room service. What could be more comforting? It was perfect. My
parents asked if I wanted to go watch fireworks but I was perfectly content to
stay in a warm, cozy bed watching John Candy in the movie “Uncle Buck,”
putting lotion on my bug bites, bandaging up the sores on my feet, and
savoring each bite of my pot pie.
The next day, we began our drive back to Maryland, and midway I
received a phone call from my sister, Emily, who said to hurry home because
she was working on a surprise for me. Five hours later I opened the door
to our house, and to my surprise the kitchen table was covered with the
most comfortable comfort food you could ask for—my Grandma Mickey’s
traditional pot roast, gravy, and mashed potatoes; cookies; Goldfish® crackers
(flavor-blasted, of course), and one of the greatest desserts I’ve ever had,
black-bottomed cheesecake brownies. My family thought that I would enjoy
the pot roast, the ultimate comfort food. My sister and her friend, Skylar,
made the brownies for me, and their work really paid off, they were delicious.
The next surprise came when I walked into my room. It was spotlessly
clean, and trust me, I am a messy person. Skylar and Emily had cleaned my
15. 4 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
room from top to bottom and posted written messages on my closet sliding
mirror doors. One said, “Welcome Home Baby!!” The one from Emily said,
“I’m so glad you are alive and unharmed! Sky and I decided you needed a
beautiful room to match your beautiful self, so here it is. You know I will
always love you more than anyone else. You are my shining star! Don’t ever
stop shining as bright as you can Gracie Baby :).” The other message from
Skylar was the written lyrics to the song “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful”
by Kellie Pickler.
We sat around our kitchen table and ate the comfort food, and I told
everyone the stories of my trip. Boy, that pot roast tasted wonderful, and
what could be better than mashed potatoes? I think my family was truly
surprised that I was able to finish the two-week trip. I also told them about
how on the last day the leaders gave feedback to all of the participants. I was
nervous about the type of feedback I might get. I heard that I was a good
leader for my group, and that I was a good cheerleader for other participants
who were having difficulties. Overall it was a good assessment, and I was
pleased with it.
That Outward Bound experience was a wonderful one, and I think I may
want to try another trip sometime. When thinking about Outward Bound,
I recall the adventure and excitement, and I remember the rumble of my
stomach with hunger. There were two things I learned about myself from this
wilderness experience: (1) I learned about who I really am because I was put
in a situation with strangers, and I was able to be myself; and (2) I learned
how huge the basic needs in life—shelter, warm clothes, and good food—
are, while I didn’t care once about my cellphone or how my hair looked or
the stench of my armpits.
I’m sharing the two recipes from that first night home as I’ll always
remember how wonderful it was to be home and with my family. I also
realized how grateful I am for the little things in life, like a little black-
bottomed cheesecake brownie.
16. Chapter 1 — Ninth Day, Ninth Night 5
1 Mickey’s Pot Roast 2
2 tablespoons Crisco®
3 pounds beef rump roast
2 large onions, sliced
3¾ cups water
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 teaspoons Gravy Master®
3 tablespoons flour
Use an iron pot, if possible, or a Dutch oven. Melt the Crisco®
in the pot, and sear the meat on all sides. This browning gives
the pot roast the flavor. Add onions and brown, add salt and
pepper. Add 2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat
down to simmer, and cover tightly. Simmer meat for 3 hours,
turning the meat every 20 minutes or so using a fork. After 3
hours, remove meat from pot, and add 1 cup water, the chicken
bouillon cubes, and the Gravy Master®. Bring all back to a
simmer, and thicken with the flour mixed in ¾ cup of water.
Strain the gravy through a fine sieve. Serve the pot roast with
the gravy and with mashed potatoes or thick egg noodles.
Serves 6
This is from Mickey’s Cookbook:
“This is all guesswork as I don’t really measure ingredients. I’m sure
after a few times you will get the taste you like. If you like the gravy
darker, use a bit more Gravy Master. Use a little less salt, or more,
whatever suits your taste. Practice makes perfect.”
17. 6 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
1 Black-Bottomed Cheesecake Brownies 2
Cooking spray
2 cups flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325°F. Use cooking spray to grease a 9 × 13
baking dish. Line with parchment paper (leave 2 inches to
overhang on the ends), and spray the parchment paper with
cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda,
and salt. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a
mixer until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add the eggs and 2 teaspoons of the vanilla and beat more. Add
the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, and blend on
medium-to-high speed until all is incorporated.
Reserve 1 cup of the dough, cover, and refrigerate. Press the
remaining dough in the bottom of the baking dish. Refrigerate
at least 30 minutes or up to an hour. Bake for 25 minutes, until
the edges are puffy and the middle is set. Let the pan cool.
In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and
½ teaspoon vanilla. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the
cooled dough. Crumble the set aside extra dough and put on
top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake is done. Cool dish,
and then lift out the cake using the parchment ends. Cut the
cake into 24 squares.
18. 7
Chapter 2
Baltimore: Weird and Proud of It
There are many attractions that Baltimore has to offer, includ-
ing its famous crabs, Orioles games, antique stores, concert halls,
and the Inner Harbor. When I was a little girl, I would get overly
excited about going “downtown” because of all the fun I would have. I got
to ride in a car for about an hour (which I considered a road trip), see urban
life, eat in fun restaurants, and have a nice nap on the way home. I always
imagined myself, even as a youngster, as a “city girl.” I could put up with the
smells, and the traffic, and the loud industrial noises; and something about
living in the city seemed so exciting. Of course, I was thinking chic living
like in New York City, strutting around in stiletto heels, yelling “taxi!” so the
driver could take me to my penthouse apartment that I shared with my best
friend Britney Spears. Oh, the aspirations of a young girl!
Baltimore, on the other hand, is quite the opposite of New York—not
terribly chic, loud, a working class town, few celebrities, and downright
strange. But it is my city, my home, and I love it. Sharing both Northern and
Southern traditions, Baltimore has a unique culture that gives “B-more” its
so-called “charm.” It has a rich American history but the town is more often
described as campy and outrageous. It certainly isn’t chic like New York or
Chicago, and it is more of a secondary city like Cleveland or Pittsburgh or
Phoenix. Yes, Baltimore is weird and can be tacky-trashy but it embraces its
weirdness! Most of all, Baltimore has great people. People from “old money”
mix with quirky city people, beautiful people mix with not-so-beautiful
people, and different races and religions make up a homespun mix in this
blue-collar town. Individuals in my town sometimes favor bouffant and
beehive “big” hair, enjoy the taste of “Natty Boh” (National Bohemian) beer,
19. 8 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
live in row homes with beautifully polished marble steps, and insist on end-
ing every statement or question with “Hon.” More about “Hon” in a minute.
I’d like to tell you about two of the signature foods of Maryland. The first
is Old Bay Seasoning. This spicy seasoning composed of pepper, mustard,
bay leaf, paprika, and other herbs is used in many crab dishes. Named after
the “Old Bay Line” ships that would travel back and forth from Virginia to
Baltimore, it is produced in Baltimore by McCormick Company. Not
only seafood benefits from this product (think great shrimp salad), but also
popcorn, salads, eggs, and the famous crab potato chips. If you like your
cocktails, why not put a Baltimore spin on them? In local bars and restau-
rants, you can have a Bloody Mary with Old Bay flavoring on the rim of
the glass. A funny use of Old Bay is on the rim of a glass of Natty Boh beer,
known as an “Old Boh.”
Then there are our crabs. Our blue crabs come from the Chesapeake
Bay, which is the East Coast’s main source of crabs. Crabs are traditionally
steamed in Old Bay Seasoning and rock salt, and served B-more style on a
picnic table covered by newspaper or brown paper. These crustaceans are
tough little suckers from which to pick the crab meat, but it is so worth it.
It’s hard work to crack open, pick apart, and pull off parts of the crab but sit-
ting with friends or family and drinking Natty Boh beer lets you forget the
frustration of getting the meat. Picking crabs is a social event. A nice touch is
to slice local Maryland tomatoes and smear the crab spices all over the toma-
toes. You’re probably thinking what a mess. But it is easy to clean up after a
crab feast. You simply roll up the brown paper or newspaper with all of the
crab shells in it, throw it in a big trash bag, and that’s it! We use the blue crabs
in lots of dishes like traditional crab cakes, crab soups (both a cream of crab
and a lighter, spicy, red vegetable crab soup), a funny dish called crab balls,
and the fancy crab imperial.
I live in Baltimore County, just outside the city. I’m close enough that
I can enjoy the city and the country. Yes, people think of Baltimore as the
location where “Homicide: Life on the Street,” the show from the 1990s,
was filmed, and more recently of “The Wire,” which depicts the crime in
Baltimore. Yes, it is a city that has lots of crime and drugs and poverty. There
are parts of the city where flashing blue lights on the top of light poles warn
people to be extra careful when traveling through. But Baltimore has lots of
good points too. It can boast of Edgar Allen Poe’s haunted grave site; “Ace
20. Chapter 2 — Baltimore: Weird and Proud of It 9
of Cakes”; houses with Formstone, which is a symbol of Baltimore’s funky
architecture; screens painted with landscape designs; and the Baltimore
Orioles, although it seems like people care about the Orioles only when they
are winning. Baltimore has wonderful waterfront neighborhoods like Fells
Point and Federal Hill, full of history and terrific restaurants and hotels. But
remember, I told you that the best part of Baltimore is our people!
Let me tell you about Honfest. “Hon” (abbreviation for “Honey”) is the
word of Baltimore, and we will call everyone “Hon” whether we know your
name or not. We celebrate the Baltimore history of Hon at the Honfest each
June in the neighborhood of Hamden, with women dressing in brightly
printed 1960s dresses with outdated kitty cat glasses and a beehive hairdo.
Modern-day women who dress in these outrageous get-ups represent the
ultimate 1950s or 1960s “Hon.” Face painting, food, games and a contest for
“Baltimore’s Best Hon” complete the festival.
For all of those “LAX” players, you will be happy to know that lacrosse
is the official team sport of Baltimore. Many universities and colleges are
Division One, and even high school teams are a big deal, for both boys and
girls. All spring and summer, there are lacrosse clubs and camps to choose
from. I’ve never been a big team sports person, and the fact that I could not
cradle a ball in a lacrosse stick has kept me from playing the game. But games
are still fun to watch.
Every great summer must end, and every painful school year must begin,
but for 10 days around Labor Day the Maryland State Fair takes place in
Baltimore County. There are best-in-show livestock, live music, and contests
for the best-grown vegetables. But while there, you can also spend way too
much money on overpriced corn dogs, funnel cake, and lemonade; fight the
lines for amusement park rides that make you sick; and encounter the creepy
carnival workers known as “carnies.” The smell of puke and funnel cake wafts
in the hot summer night air while you walk the fair grounds. Sounds wonder-
ful doesn’t it? Well actually it is pretty fun, and the fair is part of growing up for
most Baltimore kids. I would wait all summer for the fair, and make my par-
ents take me and my friends. Once there, we would eat funnel cake until we
felt sick and freak out on the roller coaster ride, begging the carnie to let us off.
Baltimore also has its very own language! Some people think it is quite
amusing when native-born Baltimore residents drop syllables when they
speak and multiple words are chopped into short phrases. “Baltimore,
21. 10 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
Maryland” becomes “Bawlmer, Murland.” If someone wants to go to the
Maryland shore, which is usually what people my age always want to do, they
would say “I’m gohn downy o-shen,” which translates to “I’m going down
to the ocean.” Or there is my personal favorite phrase (and one I’m guilty of
using every now and then), “Zah-rite?,” which translates to “Is that right?”
I think it’s safe to say that Baltimore is a weird, yet charming place. A place
where the universal name is Hon and where we have a strange obsession with
crabs and are highly defensive against any “crab haters”—frankly just a bit of
an odd place. With that said, it is my home, and I love it. We may say strange
phrases and pronounce our words differently but we mean it with the best
intentions of being friendly. Most people who visit Baltimore are pleasantly
surprised when they see what it has to offer. Baltimore is a city that accepts
you for your craziness because chances are we are twice as crazy. As John
Waters, our hometown filmmaker, writer, and Baltimore-city enthusiast, says,
“Nothing is in bad taste if it makes you laugh.” The creator of “Hairspray,”
which gave the entire world a sense of what went on in Baltimore during the
1950s and 1960s, said when asked why people should visit Baltimore, “You
should come to Baltimore because we have a great sense of humor here. It’s
the only city in the world where if you say ‘I’m moving to New York,’ people
say, ‘Why?’” Maybe I will live in New York City someday, but for now, I’ll
enjoy my Baltimore home with all its eccentricities.
1 Edna’s Crab Imperial 2
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 heaping tablespoon mayonnaise
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
¼ cup green pepper, finely chopped (optional)
¼ cup pimento, finely chopped (optional)
1 pound crabmeat (can mix ½ pound backfin and ½ pound lump)
1/3 cup butter, melted
½ cup unflavored breadcrumbs
22. Chapter 2 — Baltimore: Weird and Proud of It 11
In a medium-heavy saucepan, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter
and whisk in the flour. When smooth, add the milk and cook
over high heat, stirring constantly, until it makes a thick, white
sauce. Add the salt, the mayonnaise, the onion, the hard-boiled
eggs, the green pepper, and the pimento.
Put a layer of the sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish,
and layer the crabmeat on top. Cover the crabmeat with the
remaining sauce. Press down with a fork. Cover with plastic
wrap and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Put the 1/3 cup melted butter in a small
saucepan and add the breadcrumbs. Top the casserole with the
buttered breadcrumbs. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes or
until hot throughout.
Serves 8
And this 1960s’ style recipe captures the essence of “Hon.”
1 Edna’s Vegetable Jell-O Mold 2
1 6-ounce box lemon Jell-O
2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
3 cups cabbage, finely chopped
1 cucumber, diced, with the skin on
1 small jar of pimento, diced
2 tablespoons sweet India relish
Parsley for garnish
Combine the first three ingredients. Oil a mold, add the
Jell-O mixture, and chill for 1 hour. Combine the next five
ingredients, and mix into the partially set Jell-O. Refrigerate
until set firmly. At serving time, unmold the Jell-O onto a
serving platter and garnish with parsley.
Serves 12
23.
24. 13
Chapter 3
Thank You for Being a Friend
“Thank you for being a friend. Travelled down the road and back again.
Your heart is true, you’re a pal and a confidant.”
—Andrew Maurice Gold (1951–2011)
Whether it is a high school survey that I’m taking or an
adult trying to make small talk with me, the question “What
is your favorite TV show?” usually comes up. I have no hesita-
tion about which program tops my list but I’m sometimes embarrassed to
admit the truth. You see, my absolute favorite television show is the three-
time Golden Globe winner “The Golden Girls,” which ran on NBC from
1985 to 1992, ending two years before I was born. Some may question my
excitement when the famous “Thank You for Being a Friend” theme song
begins to play and the sky view of the Miami, Florida, coast flashes on the
screen, but my love of the four sassy ladies—Sophia, Dorothy, Blanche, and
Rose—dates back to when I was nine years old. At that time, “Golden Girl”
reruns were shown Monday through Friday, 9 am until 2 pm. I would watch
them whenever I could. You would find me in front of the TV (on days I
didn’t have school) at 8:30 am with a bowl of cereal and milk, waiting with
anticipation.
My parents could never understand why a child would so love the show.
To this day, I still love it; and over the years, the sitcom has taught me many
lessons about life. I stand by the theory that I am the person I am today
in part because of “The Golden Girls.” All of life’s lessons can be found in
a “Golden Girls” episode. And thanks to a Christmas gift, I can watch the
boxed set of seven seasons whenever I want.
25. 14 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
If someone told me about a TV show set in Florida with four postmeno-
pausal women as the stars, I guess it wouldn’t seem very appealing. The show
depicts three older women, named Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche, living in
Miami along with Dorothy’s mother, Sophia. Dorothy, a tall, Italian school
teacher from Brooklyn, who never let anything get to her, was the brains of
the friendship. Getting pregnant at 16, having her husband cheat on her and
leave her for a 25-year old named Chrissie, Dorothy holds strong.
Then there’s Rose, a bubbly airhead blond from St. Olaf, Minnesota.
She began the show with a job as a grief counselor and later became a news
reporter’s assistant. After her husband, Charlie, passed away, she moved to
Florida where she answered an ad to rent a room. Rose’s dimwitted com-
ments and her “back in St. Olaf” stories make her a lovable character. One of
my favorite Rose quotes would have to be, “Like we say in St. Olaf, Christmas
without fruitcake is like St. Sigmund’s Day without the headless boy!”
Blanche Devereaux is the owner of the house, a sexy, lively, and outgoing
woman who is not shy when it comes to men. She is a museum curator, and
she decides to rent rooms in her house after her husband, George, passes
away. Blanche is always ready for late-night chats about men, sex, and love—
and she always has a piece of cheesecake in front of her. I always wondered
how she could keep her figure with all of that cheesecake.
Finally, there is Sophia, an 80-year-old tough Italian woman, and mother
of Dorothy, who although suffering from the effects of a stroke, never fails to
make a comedic joke or witty comment.
These friends taught me a lot. Dorothy taught me never to let the tough
times stop me from trying to succeed, Rose taught me to always be nice and
embrace my innocence, and Blanche taught me to live my life and love every
aspect of it.
In elementary school, I dreaded my first two morning classes because
being in school kept me from my ladies. Sitting in class, I would wonder
which episode was on. Was it the episode where Dorothy’s successful, hand-
some boyfriend threw it all away to join the circus? Or maybe it was the
episode where Blanche’s daughter announces she’s tired of men. Or perhaps
it was the episode where innocent Rose brings a man home to bed and
awakens in the morning to find that he’s died. Or maybe it was my favorite
episode, where Dorothy and Sophia compete in a mother-daughter beauty
26. Chapter 3 — Thank You for Being a Friend 15
pageant, and they dress up as Sonny and Cher for the talent portion and sing
“I Got You Babe!”
The question is still, why do I love the show? Here’s why: their friendship.
Even though they bicker and argue, they are all best friends, and they love
each other, and they are always there for each other. I also like that the situa-
tions they get themselves into are hilarious, the jokes are very witty, and their
late-night chats include cheesecake. Of course, there was always cheesecake.
Whether it was talks about sex, stories of life’s lessons learned, or Rose’s
idiotic tales of her home town of St. Olaf, cheesecake was always a necessity.
(Actually, sometimes they had other desserts, but over the seven seasons
the girls ate over 100 cheesecakes.) They always sat in the kitchen, around
the round table with some type of cheesecake handy. This is why I love this
show. They discussed life and its tough moments and kept a sense of humor.
When I see “The Golden Girls” and their friendship, it reminds me of the
bond I have with my lifelong friends Hallie and Daisy. Friendship means the
world to me, and just like Rose and Blanche and Dorothy and Sophia, I know
that whatever comes my way I have my girls on my side ready to fight with
me. And cheesecake fixes everything.
In my family, there is only one cheesecake we ever make. It is a New York-
style creamy cheesecake that is extremely rich. No fancy ingredients, just
a pure, unadorned, creamy cheesecake that relies on cream cheese, heavy
cream, eggs, and sugar. More than one thin slice can result in a stomachache.
My grandmother Mickey made the cheesecake for my father, Steve, and she
even called it Best Cheese Cake, Steven’s Favorite. Oh, just think of the prob-
lems that “The Golden Girls” could have fixed while eating Grandmother
Mickey’s cheesecake!
1 Best Cheese Cake, Steven’s Favorite 2
For the crust:
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted
For the filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
27. 16 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
1 cup sugar
2 medium eggs
1 pint sour cream
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease the bottom and sides of
a 10-inch springform pan with butter. In a medium bowl,
combine the ingredients for the crust: graham cracker crumbs,
sugar, melted butter. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of
the pan. Place the pan in the freezer while making the cake
filling.
In a large bowl, make the filling. Using an electric mixer, add
each of the ingredients in the order listed, adding each one
by one, and beating and mixing each ingredient thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into the chilled pan and bake for 20 minutes.
Lower the heat to 300°F, and bake another 40 minutes. Turn
off the oven, and let the cheesecake sit and cool in the closed
oven for 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from oven, and cool on a
wire rack to room temperature. Refrigerate the cheesecake for
at least 3 hours or overnight. “This cheesecake can be served with
canned cherries or blueberries. This is a great cheese cake. Steven’s
favorite.” —Grandma Mickey
28. 17
Chapter 4
I Think I’d Be Her Favorite
This book chapter may be the most important, not because
it includes the best recipes or the best story, but because the main
character gave me the inspiration to write this book. My Grandma
Marie (Mickey), on my dad’s side, was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1922.
She grew up in a poor family on Avon Avenue. Mickey was the youngest of
eight children, and she didn’t have many advantages. She inherited hand-me-
downs from her older siblings; and as is the case with many big families, she
didn’t get much attention. Mickey was married at age 15 and gave birth to
her first baby at 16. By the time she was 25 years old, she had four children.
She was a great mother and homemaker, and she did what she could to make
delicious food for her family, learning how to stretch recipes to feed more
people at a meal. She would make amazing soups, casseroles, and roasts
using inexpensive ingredients. She also learned to make great desserts.
When she was living in an apartment in Newark, she befriended an elderly
German lady who lived in the apartment upstairs. Mickey fell in love with
the food this lady prepared, much of which was new to Mickey. One dish in
particular stood out—sauerbraten and potato balls. Sauerbraten, a German
dish, is usually made with beef but can also be made with venison, lamb, or
pork. Before braising, the beef is marinated in water, cider vinegar, onions,
and pickling spices. Traditionally, it is served with red cabbage, boiled pota-
toes, dumplings, or noodles; but Grandma Mickey invented an even better
side dish. She made what she called potato balls, based on the recipe that her
German friend gave her.
Mickey learned the tricks and ingredients for sauerbraten, and she per-
fected it over many years. My father tells me that he and all his siblings
were raised on sauerbraten and potato balls, and many of his neighbors
29. 18 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
and childhood friends also remember Mickey’s sauerbraten. Amazingly,
at a recent reunion, my father’s childhood friend told him how much he
remembered Mickey’s sauerbraten, as did another old friend on Facebook. A
memory of a dish eaten 40 years ago is truly a “memorable” recipe.
Many restaurants that serve sauerbraten serve it with big pasty dumplings,
which is a big no-no. Firm potato balls, a little larger than a golf ball, is the
way to go. (The trick is to rice the potatoes when they are warm, allowing the
steam to escape.) You’ll need to invest in a handheld potato ricer but trust
me, this makes all the difference. For Mickey, it didn’t matter that normal
dumplings are cooked twice, once when the raw potato is first boiled and
then after the dumpling is boiled again. She cooked them a third time, by cut-
ting the balls in half and frying them in a mixture of butter and Crisco®. What
a brilliant idea—that is a special potato ball. Steven (my father and the baby
of the family) ended up being the tallest boy in the family at 6 feet 6 inches.
As a teenager, he held the record of eating the most potato balls, 36 halves,
which equates to 18 full balls. Way to go, Dad!
My father and his family never realized how special this meal was because
they had it several times a year. After Mickey had perfected the sauerbraten
recipe, everyone wanted it. It was that good. The only problem with people
loving the meal was that Mickey was very superstitious about putting the
recipe in writing. She hesitated to give people the recipe. She would describe
the recipe but she never wanted to write it down. She fully believed that if
she wrote down the recipe, it would result in her immediate death.
When my mom and dad got engaged, my dad asked Grandma Mickey for
one thing: “To please write down all her recipes.” My mom went to the sta
tionery store and bought Mickey a simple little journal, with a pretty fabric
cover decorated with strawberries, so Mickey could hand-write the recipes and
keep them all in one place. Mickey agreed to do the journal, because it was for
her youngest, Steven. Once she got started, she found that this was more diffi-
cult than she originally thought because she had to convert all her “eyeballing”
techniques to actual measurements and steps in the recipes. But she did get it
finished. Many of her best recipes and best desserts were captured in that little
book. Although convinced her death was coming near as she finished the last
sentence something surprising happened: she did not die!
Sadly, years later Grandma Mickey did pass away (just to reiterate, not
because of the sauerbraten recipe), and the recipe book was passed down to
30. Chapter 4 — I Think I’d Be Her Favorite 19
“her Steven.” We still have that journal with all of her great recipes and des-
serts. My mom, knowing that she would never be able to live up to Mickey’s
cooking abilities, waited a good 10 years before she attempted the sauerbra-
ten recipe. My first encounter with this dish made me a little unsettled. The
idea of sour meat just didn’t appeal to me; but hearing all the stories all those
years, I knew I was going to have to eat it. But no worries . . . once I smelled
the heavenly gravy and the fried potato balls, my mind quickly changed.
Sauerbraten is so savory and is the ultimate comfort food! I can still taste it
even as I write this now, though it has been a year since the last time we made
it. Once winter comes, I’m sure we will make it again. It isn’t overly compli-
cated, you just have to use the very best ingredients and take the time to go
through the steps. But one bite is all it takes. It is so worth the effort.
As I said before, the recipe journal that my grandmother wrote included
great family recipes and is truly the inspiration for me to write my own book.
This chapter may be focused on sauerbraten—as it should be because it is
delicious—but it is also about my amazing grandmother Mickey. She dealt
with a tough upbringing and life but she was the best example of the saying,
“When the world gives you lemons, make lemonade.” She really is an inspira-
tion for my sister and me. It is important not to let hardships keep you from
being the best you can be, and don’t ever give up, even in the toughest of
times. I never met this amazing lady but a day doesn’t go by that I don’t think
about her. I’m sure when things are hard and I’m at the point of giving up,
she is somewhere looking down on me, cheering me on. Since I’m the one
passing on her best recipe to the world, if she were alive today. . . I think I’d
be her favorite.
1 Mom’s Sour Beef or Sauerbraten 2
(Note: I’ve reproduced Mickey’s recipe here directly from her
handwritten notes, complete with her commentary. Even though
her notes say, “I never measure anything,” these measurements have
been tested by my family, and they work very well. She does say to
make all of this a day ahead of time, and we agree that the meal
tastes much better the next day.)
4- to 5-pound piece top round or rump roast
1 quart cider vinegar
31. 20 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
2 quarts water
3 heaping tablespoons whole pickling spice
1 tablespoon salt
5 large onions, peeled and sliced
Crisco®
Gravy Master®
2 tablespoons sugar
½ to 1 large box of ginger snaps (depending on taste)
Flour and water to thicken gravy
Mix all above ingredients together, up through and including
the onions, and marinate meat for 4 days. Do not use an
aluminum pan. I use a big plastic container with a tight lid.
Keep in a cool place. Turn the meat every day. Make sure meat
is covered in the brine.
After 4 days, remove the meat and dry a little on paper towels.
In a large pot, put 2 tablespoons of Crisco®, and brown meat
on all sides. Be careful as meat may spatter. After the meat is
browned, add the onion slices from the brine. Dry them a little
first. The onions don’t have to brown too much. Add the brine
to the pot with the meat, bring to a full boil, and then turn
down the heat to low and simmer for 3 hours. Put a little Gravy
Master® into the brine to make a nice, dark-brown color. Add 2
tablespoons of sugar.
When the meat is fork-tender, remove and place on a platter,
cover, and refrigerate. In a large bowl, put ½ of a large box
of old fashioned ginger snaps and warm water to cover. Let
ginger snaps get soft and mushy, and then add to your pot of
gravy. Add more Gravy Master® if it isn’t as dark as you like.
Thicken the gravy with flour and water until it reaches the
thickness you desire.
Drain the gravy first through a colander and then again through
a sieve. When the meat is cold, slice in thick slices and then put
back into the gravy. If gravy is too sour, add a little more sugar
or more ginger snaps.
32. Chapter 4 — I Think I’d Be Her Favorite 21
Heat the sour meat and gravy on the stove on low or heat in a
warm oven until the meat slices are warm through the middle.
“This is the best I can tell you because I never measured anything.
Just remember practice makes perfect. Next is the recipe for potato
balls. Make all this a day ahead as it is much better the next day.”
1 Mom’s Own German Potato Balls
(Kartoffelkloesse) 2
5 pounds Idaho baking potatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 medium onions, grated
1 tablespoon dry parsley
Boil potatoes in their jackets until well done. Drain. Cool
potatoes a little and then peel them. It is important to rice the
potatoes with a potato ricer while they are warm so the steam
escapes. This makes a better potato ball. Add salt, pepper, eggs,
flour, and bread crumbs. Add the grated onions and parsley.
With very clean hands, knead all ingredients together. Form
round balls with the mixture, a little larger than a golf ball.
Fill a large pot ¾ full with water, and add ½ teaspoon of salt.
Bring to a boil. Drop the potato balls in the boiling water and
turn the heat to a simmer. The balls will rise to the top, and
when they do, let them cook another minute. Then remove the
potato balls with a slotted spoon. Place potato balls on a tray,
wait until they cool completely, then cover them, and put them
in the refrigerator to chill a few hours or overnight.
33. 22 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
Put ½ stick of butter and ¼ cup of Crisco® in a large frying pan.
Cut the chilled potato balls in half and fry in the melted fat,
about 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown.
Best to serve this meal with bottled red cabbage on the side in
a separate little dish.
“This is my own way of making these Potato Balls and it is a family
secret.”—Grandma Mickey
34. 23
Chapter 5
Vive le France
At the tender age of 15, my mom decided to take me on a trip
of food and history. It was my first trip to France, and I will remem-
ber that trip for the rest of my life. I had long dreamt of the day
I would step foot in Paris, and that dream became a reality in the summer
of 2009. I think my fascination with French culture started because of my
Ukrainian grandmother, Marilyn McSherry, whom we call YaYa. She would
always teach me French phrases such as “Je t’aime,” which translates to “I love
you,” and she would show me her diaries from when she was a young girl,
all written in French. When I got older I loved movies based in France, like
“Chocolat,” “Lili,” and “An American in Paris.” And finally, there’s the food.
The first time I had escargot in the velvety garlic butter, I knew I was going
to love French cuisine.
In my house, we’ve always made a French bistro-type dish of scallops
served over wilted endive and dressed with a lemon butter sauce. How do
the French combine such simple ingredients to make such rich flavors?
The first thing I wanted to do once we arrived in Paris was to eat a fresh,
crusty baguette, right from a bakery. I felt like a real Parisian walking through
the narrow streets eating a fresh baguette. After that mission was completed,
the quest for the perfect bowl of French onion soup began. I am a sucker for
the savory, rich onion soup with cheese melted all over the top, and what bet-
ter place to have this than in Paris? Although it was August, we were still able
to find the soup in many restaurants and bistros in the city . . . and my plan
was to eat as much French onion soup as I could in the 10 days of our trip.
My first tasting was the very first night. At about 9 that night (because
in Paris, I learned, dinner is eaten late), we left our hotel and began walk-
ing down the street to find a bistro. When we arrived at a tightly packed,
35. 24 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
small café located on the sidewalk, we chose a small table for two out in
the open air. I ordered escargot as my appetizer and the soup as my entrée.
While I was waiting, and with my mom’s coaxing, I ordered a Kir, a lovely
mixture of white wine and black currant syrup (cassis). But wait a minute,
I’m underage! My mom told me that I was able to drink wine in France so it
would be OK. I was panicking that I was going to get “carded” so I begged
my mom to go ask the maitre d’. Sure enough, a waiter came to our table
and with a chuckle told us that it was OK. The Kir, served in a tall glass flute,
was refreshing, and the escargot was just what I expected. When my French
onion soup arrived, it appeared to be creamier than I experienced in the
United States. It was a respectable try but it surely wasn’t up to the standard I
expected in Paris. The quest would have to continue. After dinner we walked
through the streets and returned to our hotel in the St. Germain area of the
Left Bank. There we tuned into CNN from America for two reasons: first it
was the only English-language channel; and second, we wanted to see what
was going on back home.
The next experience with French onion soup occurred at 2:00 in the
morning two days later. After a full day of walking and sightseeing, we
returned to our room but neither of us was tired. On a whim, we decided to
dress again and walk the winding River Seine all the way to the Eiffel Tower.
It ended up being a seven mile round-trip walk, and we decided not to take
time to eat, just to get to the Tower as soon as we could. Our idea was to visit
the Tower at night because there were shorter lines, and we wanted to see
the city lit up. We walked along the Seine toward the bright, glowing lights
of the 1063-foot tower. When we arrived, we still had to wait two hours just
to ride in the elevator to the top. After reaching the middle level, we exited
the elevator with the crowds of people and went to the railing to see all of the
streets of Paris, glowing.
By the time we took the ride back down, it was already after midnight,
and my stomach was growling. We took the long winding walk back by the
river, and the only place that was open to dine was the Café de Flore. This
sidewalk café was in our neighborhood, and the guidebooks all said it was
an expensive tourist trap (along with the nearby Les Deux Magots), but we
loved the look of the place, and after midnight it was quiet and the streets
were deserted. There were a few couples smoking and kissing at the tables
in the corners, so French! Since it was so late, the waiter informed us they
36. Chapter 5 — Vive le France 25
had only soups and small appetizer plates available. Of course, I ordered the
French onion soup. It was one of the better soup encounters I had, and after
the meal, I was ready for bed.
My final onion soup tasting in Paris occurred on the last night there.
During the day, my mom and I took the subway to the famous Père Lachaise
Cemetery. We had a list of famous people’s graves to see, and we added Jim
Morrison to that list. His grave was rather small and sort of depressing. But
at least we saw it. Not too many people know about the infamous Victor
Noir, a man who died in the 1800s after losing a pistol duel. He is also bur-
ied in Lachaise, and there are quirky superstitions related to his grave site.
I’ll leave it to YOU to do the Web research to find out who this man really
was. It is pretty racy. After touring the cemetery for hours, we again visited
a wonderful Parisian bistro and ordered soup and Nicoise salad. After my
two years of French class and a few days in Paris, I made a good attempt to
order our meal in French. It wasn’t perfect but our handsome waiter said he
was impressed I tried.
The next part of our trip consisted of a train to Bayeux in Normandy.
This part of the trip was less about food and more about the history of the
French north coast. Since Bayeux was one of the first towns liberated by the
American troops in World War II, the town is beautifully preserved because
it was not bombed like the other French towns further in from the coast. It
is a charming little place. We took a tour of the D Day beaches, including
Omaha and Utah, and even went to the very top of the hill where Germans
watched as the Allied Forces stormed the beach. It had to be terrifying for
those few hundred German soldiers watching the Americans swarm toward
land. Seeing “Saving Private Ryan” is one thing, but being there in person is
an entirely different experience. Touring the American Cemetery is an expe-
rience that every American citizen should have.
After a gloomy day of sightseeing, we thought we’d lighten our spirits
by taking a walk around Bayeux. The only exciting encounter with food
occurred in a pastry shop. I never experienced an eclair at home, and I knew
this was the place to get a good one—pâtè a choux with chocolate creme
filling, who could ask for more? The next day we woke up early and walked
to the train to take us to first to Paris and then onward on the fast train to
Montbard and the town of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain where we stayed with my
mother’s good friends, John and Wil. Flavigny is a remote and ancient town
37. 26 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
that captures all the peace and beauty of the Burgundy region of France. It
is also the town where “Chocolat” with Johnny Depp was filmed. On our
first night in Flavigny, John made a tomato tart, tarte Dijonnaise, that he said
was a favorite recipe of Madame Genevieve Plastre, a friend and cook from
one of the local bed and breakfasts, L’Ange Sourant. It was delicious! The
dish consisted of fresh, local tomatoes, sliced very thinly, flaky crust, crème
fraiche, and Comté cheese, a special cheese that is similar in style to Gruyere.
Following the tart was the main course . . . a rabbit dish served with rice. I
am not shy when it comes to food, and I will try nearly anything but the idea
of eating “Thumper” really creeped me out. However, I’ve been known to try
strange foods, and I did not want to appear to be a rude and nonadventurous
American kid so I tried it enthusiastically. The rabbit was prepared in a broth
and cream sauce with carrots, onions, and mushrooms; and the meat was
more tender than I expected it to be. It was also delicious. John and Wil also
served an interesting vegetable dish, again with very simple ingredients in the
French fashion. Someone had given them fresh wax beans picked right fresh
from the garden, and they cooked the beans in water, drained them, dressed
them with a simple vinaigrette, and then topped the platter of beans with
sliced hard-boiled eggs, salt, and pepper. The beans were tender and served
at room temperature.
Desserts in Flavigny were mainly sweet cheeses and fruit but one mem
orable dish was a clafoutis à la american, which is often made with unpitted
cherries, although this dessert was made with pitted yellow plums. The fruit
is arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick pancake-like batter,
baked, dusted with powdered sugar, and served lukewarm. Over the next
few days, I had wonderful French meals—croissants with jam for breakfast,
wonderful cheeses. From a simple baguette sandwich with a slice of cheese
and ham, served from a stall in the train station, to the rich garlic and butter
sauce on snails, the food in France is what I will always remember.
But for all of the French onion soup I sampled, I was still on a quest for
the perfect onion soup, and I regret to say that I never did find a “perfect”
version. A week or so after we returned home from France, still not pleased
with my onion soup tastings, my dad shared with us his mother’s French
onion soup recipe. Naturally, we had to make it. As we sat down and I
reached with my spoon and began to dig through the drippy melted cheese,
I knew it would be something special. It seems that the real secret to French
38. Chapter 5 — Vive le France 27
onion soup is to very thoroughly toast the bread so that it is dry through and
through. Otherwise, it dissolves into mush, and that’s how the “creamy” tex-
ture can sneak into the dish. To my surprise, my Grandma Mickey’s French
onion soup outdid the soups in many of the bistros in France. I guess instead
of traveling to another country to find the perfect recipe, I should have just
looked in our family cookbook and used the ingredients in our pantry!
1 French Onion Soup 2
9 large onions
One 10¾ ounce can of beef consomme soup
5 chicken bouillon cubes
6 cups water
⅔ stick butter
½ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ cup water
5 slices of Italian bread, toasted
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Slice the onions and saute in butter until golden but not brown.
Add the consomme, bouillon cubes, 5½ cups of the water, and
pepper. Simmer for 1 hour. In a small dish, mix the cornstarch
with ½ a cup of water. Thicken the onion mixture slightly with
the cornstarch mixture.
Serve in ovenware soup dishes or bowls. Ladle in soup, and top
with a slice of the Italian bread, topped with the Parmesan and
mozzarella cheeses. Put under broiler until cheese melts.
Serves 5
39. 28 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
1 Tarte Dijonnaise 2
Make your own pie crust or use a prepackaged crust and prepare
according to directions.
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon crème fraiche
8 thin slices of Comté cheese (Use Gruyere if you can’t find Comté)
5 or 6 fresh tomatoes, sliced very thinly
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
salt and black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare the pie shell by putting
dried beans in the shell so the sides don’t collapse, and bake
until light golden color. In a small bowl, combine the Dijon
mustard and the crème fraiche. Using a pastry brush, brush the
inside of the pastry with the Dijon and crème fraiche mixture.
Layer the thin slices of cheese on top of the Dijon mixture.
Layer the fresh tomatoes in a pretty circular pattern. Sprinkle
the herbes de Provence over all, and drizzle with the extra
virgin olive oil. Bake in oven 45 minutes or until finished. Cool
on a wire rack. Best if served at room temperature.
Serves 4
1 Scallops with Endives or Coquilles Saint-
Jacques a la Fondue d’Endives 2
20 large sea scallops
3 tablespoons butter, PLUS ½ cup butter cut into ¼ inch pieces
6 Belgian endives, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and sliced crosswise
Salt and pepper
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon crème fraiche
½ bunch chives, chopped
40. Chapter 5 — Vive le France 29
Season the scallops with salt and pepper, and set them aside.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and saute the
endives over medium heat. Sprinkle lightly with salt and
pepper to taste, and cook gently for 5 minutes, or until the
endives are tender. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
In a large skillet, melt the additional 1 tablespoon of butter and
saute the scallops for 2 minutes on each side, or until they are
golden brown.
In a small saucepan, bring the lemon juice to a boil and whisk
in the ½ cup of butter one slice at a time. Remove from heat
and whisk in the creme fraiche. Add salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, divide the endives among 4 dinner plates or shallow
soup bowls. Arrange 5 scallops on the top of each serving of
endives. Spoon the lemon butter over the scallops and sprinkle
with the chopped chives for garnish. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
41.
42. 31
Chapter 6
Appetizers
Eating a little something before dinner is a creative way to
infuse the palate with flavors that prepare you for the next course,
and the best cooks know to tie in appetizers with the rest of the meal.
When you plan appetizers, be mindful of the beverages (wine, cocktails,
punch) and other foods you are serving for the main course and dessert.
Appetizers are also great as a social icebreaker as you make small talk
with company or to help curb hunger pains before dinner. I’ve read that
during Victorian times, the hostess of the house would greet guests and
brave the first half hour or hour before dinner without either hors d’oeuvre
or cocktails. Panic! It was up to the hostess to make conversation and keep
the conversation going, and set the stage for the evening. It wasn’t until after
World War I that the custom of pre-dinner “finger foods” and beverages took
hold in America.
One anxiety that many of us share is the fear of awkward silences. To guar-
antee no awkward moments, order appetizers and talk about them! “Oh, this
liver pâté is really lovely . . .” Discussion of the taste and presentation of the
food, the plate it’s on, how it is paired with the wine, who else is eating the
same starter—appetizers are a vehicle for conversation. If you are serving
cocktails or wine, appetizers are also a good way to put something in your
stomach to soak up the alcohol. Enjoying appetizers is an example of how eat-
ing has become more of a social event rather than a survival need. Meetings,
celebrations, dates, all are centered around food. Whether it is cheese and
crackers or rare ahi tuna sliced on a platter, appetizers act as a messenger to
your stomach saying, “OK, here’s a little tease of what’s to come.”
My family is famous for preparing reliable “pre-meal meals.” When you
walk into my house at holiday time or when we are expecting company, there
43. 32 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
are two smells you will encounter. The first is a cleaning product smell as we
will have cleaned the house to be ready for guests. The second smell is most
likely onions, bacon, and green pepper simmering in a skillet on the stove.
The aroma from this savory mush fills the whole house and can instantly
make a person’s mouth water. You see, this mixture is the beginning of my
Grandma Mickey’s famous stuffed clams casino recipe, which has become an
appetizer tradition in our family. Legend has it that clams casino originated
in the early 1900s in Narragansett, Rhode Island, at a restaurant called The
Little Casino. The maitre d’ wanted a very special preparation for clams for
his customers. The clams on the half shell dish became very popular, and
today can still be found on menus all across the United States. There are
many different variations of the clams casino recipe but one main ingredi-
ent remains the same . . . bacon. Bacon gives it the salty flavoring, which
is needed among the other key ingredients of breadcrumbs, onions, and
minced clams.
Growing up in my family, we have been privileged to have a large
kitchen with two ovens, a microwave, a stove-top, and ample counter space.
Unfortunately this was not the case for Grandma Mickey’s kitchen, the one
where my dad grew up. “A 1970s style golden harvest-color, four-burner gas
range; a chrome-trimmed mica-top kitchen table with two chairs; a refrigera-
tor; a small pantry; and a sink,” is how he describes the kitchen. There was
no dishwasher. There was no countertop to work on, just the small kitchen
table. A single fluorescent light fixture was overhead and centered in the
ceiling. Some potholders hung on a nail by the stove. “It was an incredibly
tiny kitchen, and even two people standing in there seemed like a crowd. But
delicious recipes were born there, and an amazing volume of great food was
produced there,” said my dad.
My grandmother was quite a woman! Although she died years before I
was born, the stories I hear about her assure me that we would have been
great friends. Mickey would spend all day cleaning and cooking, while my
grandfather, Jim, was at work. He was an oil burner mechanic. Before Jim
would arrive home, Mickey would spend an hour doing her hair in curlers
and Aqua Net® hairspray, put on her makeup, and get dressed to look nice
for her husband. She would keep the dinner warm in Corning Ware dishes;
and once Jim arrived at the house, they would go to a local tavern to have a
highball and mingle with their friends. Since my dad was a young boy, he was
44. Chapter 6 — Appetizers 33
unable to stay home alone so they would take him along to the bar. The bar
patrons were very nice to young Steven, and he would explore the hidden
rooms in the tavern, making up fun games until it was time to go home and
have the dinner that Mickey had lovingly prepared.
Steve learned many things about cooking in that small kitchen; and as the
baby in the family, he loved the time spent with his mom. It made him a won-
derful cook for his own family, and he also learned other household duties
such as how to iron shirts, fold fitted sheets, and hang tie-back curtains.
One of his favorite memories is making clams casino with his mother. In a
skillet on the stove, the bacon, celery, green peppers, onion, and seasonings
would be cooking. As he tells the story, his mother had an old-fashioned
meat grinder that would clamp on to the side of the counter. Little Steven’s
job was to grind the fresh clams and add to the mix. Since they lived on the
New Jersey shore, there were always fresh clams to use. Once the clams and
other ingredients were combined, Mickey would add breadcrumbs and
Parmesan cheese to thicken the texture. Then the mix would be stuffed into
the clam shells and baked. I can imagine it was difficult and maybe even gross
to push all those clams through the grinder.
After the masterpiece of clams casino was complete, there many dishes
to be washed and no dishwasher. So by hand, they began washing dish after
dish. To make it easier, Mickey would soak the clam shells in soapy water,
rinse, and reuse. This tradition has carried into my family. There is a big bag
of clam shells sitting in my pantry as I write this sentence. We don’t use fresh
clams for our dish, but the canned, chopped clams are a good alternative and
make clams casino easier to put together for modern cooks.
Another famous appetizer in the Collins’ household is the simple yet
highly pleasing stuffed mushrooms Véronique. Anything “Véronique” means
“green grapes,” and the grapes plus the cheese in the stuffed mushroom
seems so random, but it adds a burst of flavor when you bite into the mush-
room. Whenever my mom makes this appetizer, there are always people
asking for the recipe. I encourage you to learn to make this easy appetizer as
it will surely impress your friends and family!
Another lovely appetizer is Italian-style tomato nibbles, made with cherry
tomatoes. This past year, I took a class called Intercultural Nutrition and
Foods; and on the first day of class, each kitchen group was assigned a differ-
ent finger food. My kitchen was assigned this dish. Basically, you cut cherry
45. 34 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
tomatoes in half and scoop out the pulp on the inside. Then in a food proces-
sor, you mix whipping cream, cheese, basil, and garlic until blended. Finally,
you stuff the blended mixture into the tomato halves and serve. So easy and
so good! I expected a mediocre little nibble but I was very surprised by how
tasty they were.
Finger food, nibbles, “a little something before dinner,” appetizers, hors
d’oeuvre, antipasti, starters, whatever you’d like to call them, little pre-meals
really add an extra something to the dining experience. Here are some
recipes to use as you develop your group of specialty appetizers. These were
chosen because they have been kitchen tested for many years. You can also
bring the Italian-style tomato nibbles or the liver pâté to a party when you
need to bring a nice appetizer.
My mother would like me to remind you never to bring to a dinner party
an appetizer that needs to be baked or warmed in the oven. This is not polite
or helpful for the host or hostess if he or she has to stop everything and warm
an oven and look for a cookie sheet or monitor something being cooked.
(Along the same lines, bringing flowers at the beginning of a party, although
a nice idea, is a distraction to the host or hostess to stop, cut the flowers, get
a vase, etc.) In France, it is bad taste to bring flowers, again a distraction from
the preparation of the food! So bring wine, a nice dessert, or an appetizer
that can be put out immediately. This way you can enjoy the pre-meal con-
versation and party and get out of the kitchen. How the Victorian hostess
would have welcomed our modern custom of appetizers; she probably would
not have considered dinner parties to be quite the ordeal!
1 Stuffed Clams Casino, Mom’s Favorite 2
12 medium-to-large clam shells
6 slices bacon
1 large onion, chopped in very small, almost minced pieces
½ large green pepper, chopped in very small, almost minced pieces
2 large stalks celery, chopped in very small, almost minced pieces
Two 8-ounce cans of chopped clams and juice
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus a bit more for sprinkling
½ teaspoon paprika, plus a bit more for sprinkling
46. Chapter 6 — Appetizers 35
1 tablespoon dried parsley
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup Italian-flavored breadcrumbs
In a large skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Drain bacon and set
aside. Saute the onion, peppers, and celery in the bacon grease
until soft, but do not brown. Crumble or chop the cooled
bacon into very small pieces and add to the vegetable mixture.
Along with the clams and juice, add oregano, Parmesan cheese,
paprika, parsley, and cayenne pepper to the mixture. Stir in the
breadcrumbs. Put aside to let the mixture cool.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Stuff the clam mixture into the clam
shells. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese and more paprika.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes until clams are bubbly. Can be served
hot or at room temperature.
Makes 12
1 Stuffed Mushrooms Veronique 2
18 to 20 mushrooms, 1 inch in diameter
18 to 20 seedless green grapes
1 package (5 ounces) Boursin cheese, slightly room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup Parmesan cheese, from a container
(don’t use freshly grated cheese)
Black pepper to taste
Wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth. Remove mushroom
stems and reserve stems for another use. Put a grape in each
mushroom. Using a very small spoon, mound ½ tablespoon of
Boursin over grape. Roll each stuffed mushroom in the melted
butter and then in the Parmesan cheese. (Save any cheese that
doesn’t stick.) Put mushrooms on an ungreased baking sheet
and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
47. 36 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake mushrooms for 15 minutes, and
sprinkle with additional Parmesan and some black pepper as
soon as they are removed from the oven.
Serves 6
1 Italian-Style Tomato Nibbles 2
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 cup of fresh mozzarella cheese, cut in small pieces
6 large basil leaves
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Wash and dry the tomatoes and cut the tops off. Scoop out the
inside with a very small spoon or measuring spoon and discard
pulp. On paper towels, invert the tomato shells to drain.
In a food processor, combine the heavy cream, mozzarella
cheese, basil leaves, and garlic until blended.
Cut a very small hole in the corner of a heavy-duty resealable
plastic bag. Fill with the cheese mixture. On a serving platter,
turn over the tomato halves and drizzle the balsamic vinegar
over all. Using the plastic bag, pipe the cheese mixture into the
tomatoes. Garnish with additional basil leaves and serve.
Makes about 20
1 Pretty Liver Pâté 2
One 3-ounce package cream cheese
1 can Sell’s Liver Pate®
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
¼ cup bourbon or whisky
One 10¾-ounce can of beef consomme
Parsley for garnish
48. Chapter 6 — Appetizers 37
Bring the cream cheese to room temperature and put into a
small bowl. With a fork, mix in the liver pâté. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, mix the gelatin and the bourbon or whiskey.
Add the can of consomme and heat until the gelatin is dissolved.
Heat it through but do not boil.
Grease a small, 18-ounce mold, and pour in ½ of the gelatin
mixture. Refrigerate the mold until the gelatin has set. Mix
the remaining half of the gelatin mix with the pate and cream
cheese mix. (It’s best to use an electric beater to thoroughly
combine the ingredients.) Pour the beaten mixture on top of
the set consomme. Return to the refrigerator for a few hours or
overnight. To serve, unmold the pâté on a plate, garnish with
parsley, and serve with crackers or small rye breads.
Serves 6 to 8
1 Sausage Biscuit Bites 2
1 pound bulk sausage, mild or hot
1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
3 cups dry biscuit baking mix
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large frying pan, cook the sausage
together with the shredded cheese. Use a wooden spoon to
stir together until the cheese has melted. Stir in the biscuit mix
until smooth. Take off the heat and cool. Then put the pan in
the refrigerator for about 30 minutes for ease in handling.
Shape mixture into small balls the size of a quarter. Place on
an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove
from oven and place on paper towels to drain. Serve warm.
Makes 4 dozen
49.
50. 39
Chapter 7
Restaurant Life
When I was 15, my mom and I came to a conclusion. I needed a
job. I’m not really into sports, and I’m not really that interested
in school clubs. But I do like to work. So I began going to the
little stores in my neighborhood and asking for applications. After applying
at grocery stores, country clubs, and small shops, I was told that a nearby
restaurant was looking for a hostess. The idea of working in a restaurant was
very appealing to me. The restaurant is located in the heart of the Maryland
countryside in what we call “horse country.” Also known as the building that
housed George Washington’s horse, the tavern is proud of its rich history.
Nervously, I walked up the front stairs and asked the young man for an appli-
cation. I completed it and returned it a few days later and was interviewed by
two young restaurant managers. Late the next day, they called me and asked
me to come in and train as their hostess the following Tuesday.
I showed up 10 minutes early and was greeted by a manager. He taught
me the table numbers, dining room layout, and how to answer the phone. I
remember being terrified to leave my desk and wander into the kitchen. Later
in my career you couldn’t get me out of the kitchen! That was where all the
fun was! On that first night, the first table that came in was a party of two or
“two-top” as it’s called in the biz. I was told to go to table 27. While I walked
them down the stairs, my mind went blank, and I sat them at the wrong table.
Luckily it was the same server’s section. Things got easier over time.
People underestimate the job of the hostess. I used to also, before I did
the job. Yes, we are hired to look nice, make a good impression when guests
come in the door, and then show people to their tables, but it is more diffi-
cult than it seems. You have to keep the servers’ table counts equal, deal with
their sometimes unreasonable demands, and handle the difficult phone calls
51. 40 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
with “upset” guests. Yes, you say, “Hello” and “Have a nice evening,” but the
hostess is the first person customers (guests) see when they walk in the door
and the last person they see when they leave. It better be a good impression.
The one thing I don’t understand is how some people can be so angry after
a meal. Eating meals with friends or family should be a happy experience. I
know I’m happy after I have a family dinner, at home or out. I even witnessed
a man walk into the kitchen to give the head chef a hard time because his
food was late. Really? Sometimes people are cranky, make noise, and yell,
and at times I’d like to yell right back. Just because the hostess is the last per-
son you see when leaving, doesn’t mean she is the person to complain to. But
that is just part of the restaurant business, so I will continue to put up with it.
I cannot explain the craziness of a restaurant. . . the pace is definitely crazy.
There are some, let’s say, “interesting” people in this world. During a Sunday
brunch I worked, there was a wedding shower going on in the next room. At
the time, I did not have a driver’s license, so my mom came to pick me up.
Before I was allowed to leave, my manager wanted me to help clean up dirty
dishes. After I finished, I walked back out front and greeted my mom who
had a strange look on her face. I asked her what was wrong. “Grace, does
the restaurant have small, brass lamps on the tables?” she asked. To which I
replied that yes, it did. She then informed me that a woman had just walked
out with a lamp hidden under her raincoat. She put the lamp on the floor
in the back of her luxury car, didn’t even cover it up, and went back into the
party. In fact, she was a guest at the fancy wedding shower. Yes, a woman
stole a lamp from the restaurant.
I went back inside to tell the manager but he was nowhere to be found,
and frankly, nobody seemed to really care. I didn’t feel like it was my job to
confront the woman but I didn’t want her to think she had gotten away with
it. I don’t know why I felt so strongly about this—I felt like she was ripping
off my restaurant. We came up with a plan. My mom cleverly wrote a note
saying, “Someone saw what you did,” and I placed it on her windshield so
she couldn’t miss it. We left before seeing her come outside so we don’t know
how she reacted but my guess is next time she’ll think twice before stealing
another light fixture.
I think it is interesting to see the trends in restaurant food. I guess there
are trends everywhere in life, and these days, it seems as if every restaurant
I go to has short ribs on the menu. Why is that? Doesn’t that seem to be a
52. Chapter 7 — Restaurant Life 41
strange addition? There’s probably a reason why this trend got started but I
don’t know what it is. Heirloom tomatoes—that’s another trend. And blue
cheese! There are blue cheese crumbles on everything—potatoes, steak, sal-
ads, burgers. Maybe people got used to eating blue cheese dressing with their
hot chicken wings. Or maybe it is because everyone who is on a low-carb diet
seems to eat blue cheese.
The wedge salad is another trend. Something to make with awful iceberg
lettuce? It is a brilliant solution. Some chopped tomatoes, maybe some
chopped egg, blue cheese dressing, maybe some crabmeat to make it fancy.
Served very chilled, it is fabulous! What about marrow bones? Serving
bones and digging out the marrow to spread on toast points? Unusual but
really delicious. And tuna that is served rare in the middle. Never used to see
this, and now you see it on nearly every menu, either as an appetizer or as an
entrée. Included with this chapter is a wonderful tuna recipe served with a
spicy pineapple relish. The tuna must be red or rare in the middle.
Working in a restaurant is like being part of a big family, and I made many
friends during my work experience. One special relationship was with a
bartender named Charlie and his girlfriend, Rachel. They were expecting a
baby girl, and I offered my babysitting services. Rachel and Charlie named
their baby girl Charlie Grace, after me. It was such a honor! She is a beautiful
child, and I hope to be a part of her life and stay close to her amazing parents.
After a year and a half, I moved on to a new restaurant that was opening.
When I arrived on my first day, I was homesick for the old place. I tried to
straddle working at both restaurants but I learned quickly that that was a
no-no—not something you do in a small community. The new restaurant
really grew on me, and I enjoyed it more and more. It was really interesting
to witness the opening of a new restaurant. There were compliments on the
food, and the location is brilliant with a view overlooking a beautiful reser-
voir in Baltimore County.
I have now worked there for nearly a year, and I love my job. Originally, I
had been hostessing but I really wanted to be a busser. The money is better,
and my goal is to do every job, at least for a bit, in the restaurant business.
I carefully watched the bussers, and I paid attention to the ones who were
good—and the ones who weren’t. I knew I could do the job well. I had
bussed at my previous job and knew I had what it takes. I wanted to prove to
my managers that I could do it and would even stay late to help the bussers
53. 42 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
reset the dining room. Finally, after eight months of begging, I was offered
my chance during the Mother’s Day brunch since the restaurant was under-
staffed and I was the only one who didn’t need to be trained. At 9:45 AM
I showed up in black pants, black shoes, a white long-sleeved button-down
shirt, a black tie, and my hair back in a high ponytail. I was ready for action.
When people started coming in, I was on my A game. This was my first
and probably only opportunity to prove to my managers and coworkers
that I was up to the task. Once the day got rolling, I heard comments such
as, “Where have you been the last eight months?” and “You’re better than
the other bussers!” that were greatly appreciated. I was then asked to stay
on to work the night shift—a “double” as we call it in the restaurant busi-
ness. I stayed late that night, hustling the entire time, and I worked my butt
off. When I got home, I raved to my parents about how well I did. I was
exhausted yet exhilarated. A few days later, my manager hired me on as a
busser as well as the hostess. I was also proud that I was the first female
busser that the restaurant had hired.
Even though I’ve been in this business for only a few years, there are
many, many observations I have made and techniques I have learned. For
example, did you know the format of a menu is designed to increase the
money spent in the restaurant? Smart menus do not include dollar signs as
they remind you that you are paying money for food. There is also a trick
where you place an overpriced dish among the other entrées to make guests
feel they are being smart with their money. And describing a particular dish
as “Aunt Clara’s Secret Rice Pudding” sounds more interesting than just
“rice pudding,” and you can get a customer to pay more for Aunt Clara’s pud-
ding. Smart restaurants limit their food choices and design their menus to
manipulate the diner; having pages and pages of options is not as effective.
Another strategy is never put bar snacks on the bar. If there are no snacks,
people will order appetizers or dinners at the bar. Lastly, maybe the most
important lesson I’ve learned is when to stay out of the kitchen. On a good
night, the cooks will be yelling and, yes, possibly cursing but it is only in a
joking matter, not to be taken seriously. If you walk in and the kitchen is dead
silent, get out quickly; it means the cooks are stressed and don’t need more
distractions in their way.
Also, I’ve observed that there are patrons who will come in, eat and
talk, then leave. On the other hand, there are guests who will stay too long
54. Chapter 7 — Restaurant Life 43
after the meal and after the dessert and after the “dropping of the bill.” I’ve
watched bussers purposely blow out the table candles around the seated
table in an effort to hint to the customers that it’s time to leave.
Recently, I asked my manager if he could see me in the hospitality business,
and he responded with a question, “Do you mind working long hours, late
nights, and exhausting days? Do you mind occasionally putting up with rude
people?” NowwhenpeopleaskmewhatmyhobbiesareIrespond,“Working.”
Some say I work too much for a 17-year old but I really want to learn all I can
about the restaurant business. I would love to spend my life working long
nights and hard days; some say it is crazy . . . I say that is the restaurant business.
1 Braised Short Ribs 2
5 to 6 pounds bone-in short ribs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups tomato paste
3 cups dry red wine, preferably cabernet sauvignon
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Puree the vegetables and the garlic
in a food processor until it resembles a thick mash and set aside.
Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat
the olive oil to high, and brown the ribs on all sides, about 3
minutes on each side. Cook in batches so the pan isn’t crowded.
When the ribs are brown on all sides, remove them from the
pan and set aside. Wipe out the pan and add more olive oil, and
cook the pureed vegetables in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper
55. 44 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
to the vegetables and cook about 7 minutes until thick on the
bottom of the pan. Scrape the pan and cook again for 5 minutes.
Scrape the pan again, add the tomato paste, and cook for 5 more
minutes. Add the wine, and scrape all of the browned vegetable
bits. Reduce the vegetable/wine mix by half.
Add the short ribs back to the pan, and add the water and
chicken broth. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Cover the pan,
and cook in the oven for 3 hours. If needed, add more water or
broth during the cooking. After 1½ hours, turn the short ribs
and continue cooking. During the last 15 minutes of cooking,
remove the lid to further reduce the liquid. Serve with buttered
noodles or mashed potatoes.
Serves 8
1 Tuna with Spicy Pineapple Relish 2
Eight 6- to 8-ounce tuna steaks, about 1-inch thick
½ cup vegetable oil
Relish ingredients:
1 ripe fresh pineapple, peeled and cored, chopped, save all the juice
1 large red onion, diced
6 tablespoons cilantro, minced
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons green or red jalapeno chilis, seeded and minced
4 dashes of hot sauce
Salt
Pepper
Preheat broiler to 400°F (or you can cook tuna on a grill).
Bring the tuna steaks to room temperature and brush with oil.
In a large bowl, combine the relish ingredients and set aside.
Cook the tuna steaks for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, for rare in
the middle. Serve with the pineapple relish spooned over the
top of the steak.
Serves 8
56. 45
Chapter 8
Soup Is Home
It all started with chicken noodle soup. My mom was carrying
a steaming bowl of soup in one hand and an Advil® in the other. As far
back as I can remember, I had a tendency to be sick more often than the
other kids. Whether it was strep throat, bronchitis, or a sinus infection, there
I was in bed, complaining of my sore throat or pain-ridden chest. When sick,
I would eat a big bowl of soup because it soothed my pain. Soup is a great
way to put some food in your stomach before you have to take an antibiotic!
In elementary school, it was strep throat. For awhile there, I was home sick
twice a month. For a week and a half, my throat was on fire. I would get
104°F fevers, throw up, and not eat. The only highlights were missing school,
so I could stay home and watch “The Golden Girls” reruns on TV, and eating
soup. Come to think of it, that doesn’t sound too bad! On the days I was tired
of chicken noodle soup, my mom would make me beef broth with alphabet
or star pastina pasta. This continued for a good three years, until I was old
enough to get my tonsils out. After the surgery, talk about soup! I couldn’t
eat anything else, so soup and ice cream were all I ate. My health improved
dramatically thanks to my tonsillectomy.
Soup is the perfect meal because it is easy and convenient; and if some-
thing goes wrong you can just adjust the seasonings, and it will probably be
just fine. Broths, chowders, bisques, cold soups, fruit soups—I love them
all. I love French onion soup so much, I’ve dedicated an entire chapter to
the quest for the perfect soup. (See Vive le France on page 23.) With a good
soup as the basis for the meal, add some good bread and butter, a small salad,
a nice dessert, and you’re all set.
My absolute favorite soup is lobster bisque. The first time I had it was in
the Circular Dining Room at The Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pennsylvania,
57. 46 Sour Beef Cheesecake: A Food Family Memoir
the home of the Hershey Chocolate Factory. The Circular Dining Room is a
beautiful gourmet restaurant. There is a story that in his many world travels,
Milton S. Hershey noticed that the guests who did not tip well were often
placed in the corners of restaurants. That’s why he designed his flagship
restaurant at the hotel with no corners. The room is perfectly round with
windows that look out over sculptured gardens. Anyway, the lobster bisque
I had there was a creamy, rich soup with a big lump of lobster. It makes my
mouth water just thinking about it. It has been difficult to find that soup
anywhere else although the Wegmans Supermarket near my house does
a pretty decent job of it. No big chunks of lobster but a good flavor and a
nice texture. Now I drive the seven miles round trip to get a medium-sized
cardboard container filled with heaven. Bisques and seafood chowders are
terrific comfort soups, but indulged only on occasion because of the cream
and high fat content.
Being from Maryland, I do love our state’s well known-crab soups. There
are two traditional types; and when you say “crab soup” in Maryland, that
primarily means the spicy, tomato-based, vegetable soup with jumbo lump
crab meat. Then there is the cream-of-crab soup, which is my favorite. Like a
cross between a bisque and a chowder, cream of crab could be a meal in itself.
If you eat steamed crabs and have some leftovers, you can use the shells for
flavoring a stock—a great basis for crab soups. I guess I think of the red crab
soup as being more of a summer soup whereas the thick cream-of-crab soup
is more suited for a cold winter day.
Growing up in the Collins household, my mom was famous for making
soups out of the strangest ingredients. She likes to make soups for some very
basic reasons. First, they are economical, and she is very frugal. Second, as
the soups are simmering they make the house smell like “home.” And third,
they are very nutritious.
Her soups sometimes look strange but taste amazing. Take her sweet and
sour cabbage soup, which she has perfected over many years. The first time
she had this dish was in a deli in California near the UCLA campus. It was
the cook’s special for the day, scribbled on notepaper, and clipped to the plas-
tic menu. She had never heard of such a thing, so she tried it. She enjoyed it
so much that she asked if the chef would give her the recipe. He was not too
forthcoming about the ingredients. She explained that she was from New
Jersey so it wasn’t like she wanted to steal his recipe, she just wanted to be
58. Chapter 8 — Soup Is Home 47
able to make it at home. He gave her a broad description of how to make the
soup, and then she came home and researched old Jewish cookbooks to find
the perfect balance of tart and sweet ingredients that are in her soup today.
Then there is the soup she calls her “Italian soup.” She starts with a leftover
chicken or turkey carcass and makes broth. (We always have a few chicken or
turkey carcasses frozen and wrapped up in our freezer.) Then she adds in a
can or two of tomatoes, some oregano and basil, and every type of vegetable
that she has in the fridge. This could be some onions or scallions, green or
red peppers, mushrooms, or yellow squash, whatever. She also adds a bit of
frozen chopped spinach, probably to get a few more vitamins in the soup.
She pops in a chicken bouillon cube or two, and this simmers for a few hours
on low. It gives the whole house a nice, homey smell.
Initially a soup made from so many vegetables was not high on my list.
For a girl who answers, “I don’t have one” when asked about her favorite
vegetable, this was not a soup I wanted. When the Italian soup is ready, it
is ladled into big bowls, and grated mozzarella cheese is added to the top of
each serving. The first time I saw this bowl of vegetable soup with melted
cheese on top, I considered faking a stomachache so I could be excused from
dinner. To my surprise, this melted gooey mess was actually quite wonderful.
My family still laughs about how we thought she was crazy to think we would
enjoy this soup. When my mom makes this soup everyone gives her a hard
time, “Really, again Nancy?” but the funny thing is we forget how good it is
before she makes it. The idea of it sounds bad but every time we have it we
laugh about how much we really like it! This is the same with her mushroom
barley soup.
Mushroom barley soup always gets rave reviews at our house. My mom
tells a story that back in the 1980s she had this soup at the Russian Tea Room
in New York City. It made such an impression on her she got a Russian Tea
Room cookbook out of the library and researched the ingredients for the
soup. So her recipe was first based on that rich and classic soup, and she has
changed it a bit over time. For me, the soup tastes and looks like food peas-
ants of the seventeenth century would have eaten. The mushrooms are such
a wonderful addition, and it really makes moms happy when their kids are
scarfing down bowls of this healthy soup. Another soup is her turkey rice
soup, which I am convinced was nothing more than a lucky experiment.
Maybe she didn’t have noodles the day she made it, and she substituted rice.
