Jarrett House Pie

Jarrett House Pie. I never heard of it before. I  was asking my residents, at the skilled care unit where I work, what recipes they would like me to bake/cook during our baking/cooking club? One gentleman requested Vinegar Pie, Jarrett House Vinegar Pie to be exact and he gave me the recipe.

After researching the story behind the pie, I found out it is another Depression era recipe. I had done a boiled raisin spice cake a while ago based on another resident's recommendation. Now I have another gem of a recipe.

Of course, the fact that this recipe's origins are from the South only makes it more charming and appealing to my Southern sensibilities. It comes from Jarrett House, an inn in North Carolina and was made as an alternative to lemon pie when lemons were not in season. Don't let the name vinegar pie turn you off. Try it!

This is a slight change from my resident's recipe. When I tried to bake it at 300 degree instead of 375 it was not baking properly. And I substituted butter for the margarine he had in his recipe.

Jarrett House Vinegar Pie

1 stick butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 T flour
1 T vanilla
2 T apple cider vinegar
3 eggs
1  9in unbaked pie shell

Combine the six ingredients. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 375 for 45-50 min.

Pie before putting in oven.

Pie after baking.

Serve at room temperature. And with a smile.

PS Don't tell them there is vinegar in it until they decide whether they like it or not. Just call it Jarrett House Pie. The vinegar can be your little secret!



Almost Southern Biscuits

 

Almost Southern. I guess that's how you could describe me. And my biscuits. Growing up in Northern Virginia wasn't quite a Southern experience. But having Southern parents from South Alabama (LA as it is referred to...Lower Alabama) gave me a rich childhood full of visits to the south and plenty of grits, okra, field peas, bbq, greens, fried chicken, dove and quail, catfish, hopin johns, boiled peanuts, banana pudding and of course, biscuits.

 

I still love Southern food and culture. And am grateful for trips to Richmond, Atlanta, Charleston, Raleigh and the coastal towns of North and South Carolina over the years and the foodie experiences I have had in those places.

 

Here is my modified biscuit recipe. Maybe slightly healthier for you than the traditional biscuit, but still tender and delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost Southern Biscuits (This is Alton Brown’s recipe with the substitution of coconut oil for butter and lard)

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 T of coconut oil microwaved 15 seconds
• 1 cup buttermilk, chilled or 1 cup of milk with 1 tsp vinegar added

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a spoon, mix softened coconut oil into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don't want the fats to melt too much.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that's life.)

·        Heather’s note: I use a juice glass to make my circle biscuits. They pop out easily to a baking sheet this way, I think.

Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

 

 

 

Add some scrambled eggs from the hens in my yard and some turkey sausage, oj and coffee and we have a weekend breakfast with a small Southern influence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope everyone has time to have at least one relaxed breakfast this weekend.

Later gator.