America I AM Pass It Down Cookbook (43 page)

BEEF TENDERLOINS

¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon garlic power
5 pounds raw beef tenderloin
1 12-count package of Hawaiian Sweet Rolls or other small bread rolls

Combine seasonings. Dredge tenderloin evenly with seasoning. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight, if possible.

On clean grill, sear all sides and ends. Place tenderloins in roasting pan.

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Place tenderloins in oven and roast until desired temperature is reached.

Slice tenderloin in 2–3 ounce portions. Hold warm until assembly .

MEMPHIS BARBEQUE SAUCE

1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
1½ cups ketchup
¼ cup chili sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons ground yellow mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon liquid hickory smoke
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, slowly sauté onions in butter until soft and translucent. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Place tenderloin pieces on warm slider bread. Add 1 tablespoon of barbeque sauce.

Thyme Sweet Potato Fries

Memphis, Tennessee

SERVES 10

Generation Next Chef

“This recipe offers a delicious alternative to regular French fries, and your waist line won’t suffer because they’re baked instead of fried,” says Luvena Campbell.

10 sweet potatoes cut to look large French fries
½ cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven 400°F.

Place the cut sweet potatoes in a microwave-safe dish with the water. Cook in microwave for about 8 minutes. Drain liquid and toss with oil and seasonings.

Arrange fries on baking sheet in single layer.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning once, or until fries are crispy on the outside.

Donte’ Johnson’s Blackened Salmon

Las Vegas, Nevada

SERVES 4 TO 6

Generation Next Chef

Donte’ Johnson, an up-and-coming pastry chef in Las Vegas, graduated from Le Cordon Bleu of Las Vegas in 2006. He now owns Pastries by Donte’. Though his passion may be decorating whimsical wedding cakes, he also knows a thing or two about savory cooking. His inspiration for this Creole classic came from him wanting to do something different for Sunday dinner. “Adding the garlic and ginger last to the sauce gives the fish a new in-depth f lavor combination,” he says.

4–6 salmon fillets, skin off and rinsed
1 cup butter
½ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons Cajun, Creole, or blackening spice mix
2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger

Rinse fillets and pat dry. Set aside.

Melt butter in microwave-safe bowl. Once melted, mix in lemon juice and set aside until butter mixture has become warm to the touch.

Dip fillets in butter mixture. Once the fillets have been coated, sprinkle spice mix onto both sides of the fish and then gently pat it onto the fish a bit more.

Heat cast iron pan or a heavy frying pan until it beings to smoke, about 6–8 minutes. Place the fillets in the hot skillet, cooking 2–3 minutes on each side. Repeat as needed for remaining fillets.

Once all fillets have been cooked, set aside in the oven to keep warm. Wipe skillet clean and return to stove top. On medium heat, add remaining butter mixture, garlic, and ginger to pan to make the sauce. Continuously stir sauce until the garlic and ginger become aromatic, about 2–3 minutes.

Drizzle sauce over fillet with a side of rice and sautéed vegetables.

Saporous Strawberry Cheesecake

Las Vegas, Nevada

SERVES 12

Generation Next Chef

Donte’ Johnson says it’s the sauce that distinguishes his Saporous (meaning delicious) Strawberry Cheesecake from others. “Using either fresh or frozen strawberries, the sauce adds a freshness to this dessert, leaving you and your loved ones completely satisfied,” he says.

THE CRUST

2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
¼ cup granulated white sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, melted

THE FILLING

4 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

THE STRAWBERRY SAUCE

1 pint fresh strawberries, cleaned, or 16 ounces thawed frozen strawberries
¼ cup of sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350° F with rack in center of the oven.

THE CRUST

In a medium-size bowl, combine the vanilla wafer crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick vegetable spray. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of the springform pan. Bake in the oven at 350° F for 10 minutes. Once baked, remove from oven to cool.

THE FILLING

In the bowl of your electric mixer, place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed. One at a time, add the eggs, beating well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whole milk, vanilla extract, and lemon extract. Beat until incorporated. Do not over mix. Retrieve crust and pour in the filling. Bake for 1 hour at 350° F, or until firm and only the center of the cheesecake looks a little wet. Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake and help prevent cracking.

THE STRAWBERRY SAUCE

Using a blender, combine the fresh or thawed strawberries, sugar, and vanilla extract. Begin on a low setting and increase speed to medium. Once completely smooth, turn blender off. Pour strawberry sauce on top of cooled cheesecake. Serve with whipped cream.

CHAPTER
12
Your Pass It Down Recipes

It’s Your Turn to Pass It Down

BY JONELL NASH

Jonell Nash is the former Essence magazine food editor. Her cookbooks have included
Low-Fat Soul and Essence Brings You Great Cooking.
Ms. Nash served as one of the judges for the
America I AM Pass It Down Cookbook Recipe Contest.

In the early days of our history in America, a satisfying meal was one of the few joys. Today, we often take for granted the wonder and enchantment of mouth-watering soul food as we sit down to Sunday dinner. Our ancestors pieced together amazing meals in their makeshift pantries with produce from their gardens along with seafood and game caught in local waters and nearby woods. Greens, okra, sweet peppers, corn, lima beans, shrimp, crawfish, catfish, possum, and rabbit became the makings of flavorful dishes that held together body, mind, and spirit.

Then, as now, our food was integral to the stories of our lives—weddings, christenings, rites of passage, anniversaries, and wakes. We asked our contributors to keep in mind the food imprint history of their recipe contributions. Now we extend that challenge to you.

By inviting family members and friends to share their favorite recipes—ingredient by ingredient and memory by memory—we not only honor the inheritance gifted to us by the original culinary architects of the food we treasure, we create a priceless oral and written keepsake of shared memories for generations to come.

Pass It Down!