We wish to thank Field to Feast for Renee Savary’s Roast Duck recipe below. This wonderful book, describing the growing and preparation of fresh foods from Florida, was copyrighted in 2012 by Pam Brandon, Katie Farmand, and Heather McPherson.
Here is a real baked beans recipe for you. It doesn’t say what kind of beans, but traditionally you would use dried Navy beans that you soak all night before you cook them. This recipe is a large one that you can divide by 2 if you like. It comes from The Progressive Farmer’s SOUTHERN Cookbook.
Miz Belle Gilliam’s Sweet Potato Casserole is terrific. We like using the fresh sweet potatoes, and you can get them now. We found this recipe in Preserving the Big Potato put out by the Apopka Historical Society. Note: Miz Belle said store-bought oranges may have rinds too thick to leave on for this casserole.
From Pot-Pourri of Zellwood, we have Suzie Turner’s Eggplant Supreme. Claire Ellington loaned us this lovely book from her personal collection. (Just in case you forgot you loaned us the book, Miz Claire, we are taking good care of it! And another, Stew-Pot Favorites of Zellwood.)
Betty Ann’s Hermit Cookies was submitted by Nancy Mahusay in The Jones-Morris Family Treasury. These ladies were sisters of a very good friend of ours, Susan, here at the newspaper.
We have a recipe for Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread attributed to Gladys Wager from a tour of Ocean Spray Cranberries in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It should be a wonderful recipe coming from master growers of the cranberry! The recipe is printed in Pot-Pourri of Zellwood, Recipes & Reflections, 1983.
Paths of Sunshine Cookbook has a recipe for Christmas Cake that is a kind of fruitcake. It looks like it might be a good one to try.
RENEE SAVARY’S ROAST DUCK
TWIN OAKS FARM, BONIFAY
Recipe from Field to Feast
1 cleaned, fresh duck
Coarse sea salt, to taste
1 lemon, zested
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup dry white wine
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub duck with salt, lemon zest, and olive oil, then cut the skin in a crosshatched pattern without cutting into the meat. This opens the skin to let extra fat drip away and baste the duck.
Place duck breast side down on a rack set inside a roasting pan. Roast for one hour, then turn duck breast side up. Add the onion to bottom of roasting pan and continue roasting until skin is crisp and meat reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes per pound.
Remove duck from oven, cover with foil and let rest 15 minutes before carving. In the meantime, remove onions and set aside. Pour off all but a few tablespoons of duck fat. (Reserve extra fat for a later use.)
Place roasting pan over two burners on the stove. Add Dijon, wine, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk to combine and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened. Serve this sauce along with the duck and onions.
BAKED BEANS (for 25 people)
The Progressive Farmer’s
SOUTHERN Cookbook
4 cups beans, dried, uncooked
1 pound salt pork
2 large onions, sliced
1/2 cup molasses
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Soak beans overnight in cold water. In the morning, drain, cover with fresh water, and simmer gently until beans are ready to burst their skins. Drain. Bury pork in beans, leaving the rind exposed. Add onions. Mix molasses, salt, pepper, and dry mustard together in a cup and fill with boiling water. Pour this over the beans, then add enough more boiling water to cover beans. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 hours. pan covered until last hour of baking.
BELLE GILLIAM’S SWEET POTATOES AND ORANGE CASSEROLE
Recipe from Apopka Historical
Society Preserving the Big Potato
10 large sweet potatoes
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick of butter equals 1/2 cup)
3 oranges, sliced, with peel left on and seeds removed (right from the tree; remove rind if too thick with white pulp)
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey
Topping:
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1/3 cup brown sugar
Boil sweet potatoes until almost tender; cool enough to handle; peel and slice. Arrange a layer of sweet potato slices in greased casserole dish, sprinkling with some of the brown sugar and dots of butter. Then cover with a layer of thinly sliced unpeeled oranges. Repeat the layers until ingredients are all used. Mix the orange juice and honey together and pour over the top. Mix 1/2 cup of plain bread crumbs with 1/3 cup brown sugar. Sprinkle this mixture on top of casserole. Cover casserole and bake in 350-degree oven for about one hour. During last 15 minutes of baking, carefully remove the cover from the bubbling casserole. Leave the uncovered casserole baking in the oven to crisp up the top. Delicious served with fowl or ham. Serves 10 to 12.
SUZIE TURNER’S
EGGPLANT SUPREME
Recipe from POT-POURRI OF
ZELLWOOD, published by The
Zellwood Community Center
1 tablespoon bacon drippings
1 medium eggplant, cubed small
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash of Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons crumbled bacon
2 slices bread, toasted and cubed
Cook first 9 ingredients in large skillet until tender. Top with Parmesan cheese, bacon, and bread cubes. Brown under broiler.
BETTY ANN VAKAUZA’S
HERMIT COOKIES
Recipe from
The Jones-Morris Family Treasury
1/4 cup cold coffee
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup nutmeats
1 cup brown sugar
1-3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Add flour (mixed with other dry ingredients) alternating with coffee. Add raisins and nuts. Bake as you would any other cookies for 10 to 12 minutes at 400 degrees.
CRANBERRY FRUIT NUT BREAD
From OCEAN SPRAY
CRANBERRIES
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons shortening
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup orange juice
1 well-beaten egg
1 cup Ocean Spray fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Turn into a 9” x 5” loaf pan, greased on bottom only. Bake 55 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool thoroughly before serving.
CHRISTMAS CAKE
Florida Federation of Garden Clubs
Paths of Sunshine Cookbook
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter or margarine
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2-1/4 cups sifted flour, divided
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup candied cherries
1 cup candied green pineapple
1 cup chopped pecans, divided
Blend softened cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gradually add 2 cups sifted flour, sifted with baking powder. Combine balance of flour with fruit and 1/2 cup pecans; fold into batter. Sprinkle a greased 10-inch Bundt or tube pan with 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans. Fill with batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool five minutes; remove from pan. Glaze.
To Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons light cream
Combine powdered sugar and light cream. Garnish with candied fruit and nuts. Serves 18.
