(Editor’s Note: This is The Best Food I have ever eaten! The menu comes to ARTS&FOOD® via The Latture Family of Hot Springs, Arkansas. Every recipe was designed by Hazel Branch Latture and was perfected over the years by her daughters Ann, Jamie, Carol and Cindy. This meal is both company impressing and down-home, comfort food! By any definition, it’s a pleasure to see it on the buffet line, on your plate, and of course, it’s fabulous to eat. Luckily, I have had the pleasure of sharing this meal with them for many years.)
MENU:
– The Best Ever Turkey
– Turkey Gravy, with or without giblets
– Latture Deviled Eggs
– Asparagus Almondine
– Momma’s Dressing
– 24 Hour Salad
– Ann’s Cranberry Salad
– Mashed Potatoes
– Praline Yam Casserole with Orange Sauce
or alternate: Baked Fruit and Vegetable Casserole
– Nan’s Cornbread
– Dinner Rolls
– Pickled Relish Tray
– Mandarin Orange Cake
& Classic Pecan Pie
Iced Tea (Sweet & Unsweet)
Coffee
RECIPES:
The Best Ever Turkey
1 Turkey, thawed (no fancy turkey, just the basic turkey)
1 Stick Butter, softened
Salt/Pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Remove turkey from refrigerator. Remove plastic covering, giblets, and the pop-up thermometer from the turkey.
Wash turkey inside and out with warm water. Dry thoroughly with paper towels, being careful to dispose properly of the towels. Massage turkey with butter on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and massage into the turkey.
Put the turkey into a low, open baking dish. Truss the legs with the tail. Put a small amount of water into the bottom of the pan. Bake turkey for 30 minutes, then turn thermometer to 350 degrees until thermometer into the meaty part of the thigh and the breast reads 165 degrees.
Remove turkey as soon as it reaches 165 degrees, let rest for at least 30 minutes. You will have a beautifully browned bird, crisp skin, and moist, tender meat.
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| Turkey & Cornbread Dressing |
Turkey Gravy, with or without giblets
After cooking the turkey, remove it to a platter and tent with foil to keep it warm.
Separate the fat from the rest of the drippings in the turkey pan, reserving both the drippings and the fat.
In a boiler, whisk ½ cup turkey fat with ½ cup flour until bubbly. Measure the strained pan drippings, adding chicken stock if necessary to make 6 cups. Stir constantly until desired consistency. Season with turkey base (found in supermarkets), salt, and white pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
If you want giblet gravy, cook the neck and all giblets except the liver in a small amount of salted water until done. Add liver about 15 minutes before giblets are done. While giblets are cooking, boil 2 eggs. Slice giblets, pick the meat from the neck, peel and slice hard-boiled eggs and add to the gravy just prior to serving.
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| Deviled Eggs, Pickled Relishes/Olives & Yeasty Dinner Roles |
Deviled Eggs
1 dozen eggs
Hellman’s mayonnaise
Bread and Butter pickles, minced
Onion, minced
Yellow Mustard
Salt
White pepper
Paprika
Boil eggs, cool, and peel. Cut in half lengthwise. Carefully remove yolks, reserving whites. Mash yolks adding a little mayonnaise, a dab of mustard, a few minced pickles, onion, salt, and pepper to make a thick paste. Using a teaspoon, over-fill egg whites with egg yolk mixture or pipe into whites with a pastry bag. Sprinkle with paprika.
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| Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus Almondine, Ann’s Cranberry Salad & 24 Hour Salad. |
Asparagus Almondine
2-3 cans green asparagus spears, drained and juice reserved
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup juice drained from asparagus
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup bread crumbs
4 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup slivered almonds
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray oblong casserole dish with Pam
Lay asparagus in casserole. Mix mushroom soup with water and pepper, pour over the asparagus. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Mix bread crumbs with melted butter, sprinkle over the grated cheese. Dot with almonds. Bake 45 minutes. Serves 8.
“Momma’s Dressing”
1 bunch celery
3 yellow onions
1 stick butter
4 recipes of Momma’s Cornbread
1 loaf white bread
Pecans, chopped
Boiled eggs, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
Chicken broth
Poultry Seasoning & Sage (easy on the P.S. & Sage, not “too much”)
Finely chop celery and onion. Melt butter in a large skillet, add the celery and onion. Cook until soft.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, crumble cornbread and tear white bread into small pieces. Add cooled celery/onion mixture. Add boiled eggs and pecans to your taste. Moisten with chicken broth. Season with poultry season, sage, salt & pepper (warning: be cautious with the poultry seasoning and sage, it is easy to over season). Mix in beaten eggs. Place in baking pan sprayed with Pam. Bake until knife inserted into the center come out clean.
24 Hour Salad
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups halved light sweet cherries (Mother leaves these out)
2 cups pineapple tidbits
2 cups mandarin orange sections
2 cups halved seedless grapes (I prefer black or purple grapes)
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
Combine eggs, vinegar, and sugar in the top of a double boiler, cook over low heat, beating constantly, until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat, add butter, and cool.
Fold in fruit, marshmallows, and whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.
“Ann’s Cranberry Salad”
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 1/3 cups sugar
Juice of 2 oranges
Juice of 1 lemon
Cook all together until berries pop.
Dissolve 1 envelope (2 if juicy) of plain gelatin in ¾ cup hot water (moisten first in cold water). Add to berries.
Refrigerate.
After this begins to set, add:
1 finely chopped apple
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup chopped pecans
Spray mold with Pam, fill with cranberry mixture, and refrigerate until set.
Mashed Potatoes
Peel russet potatoes, dice, put in a boiler with salted water to cover.
Boil until fork-tender.
Drain potatoes put in mixer bowl. Add butter and milk to desired consistency, season with salt and pepper. Do not overbeat.
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| Praline Yam Casserole with Orange Sauce, Mashed Potatoes |
Praline Yam Casserole with Orange Sauce
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Praline Yam Casserole: Bake 4 medium Louisiana yams on a foil-lined baking sheet until tender. Peel and quarter yams; beat with paddle beater of a stand mixer. Beat in 2 eggs, ¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 teaspoon salt. Spray a 1-quart casserole with Pam, turn the potato mixture into casserole. Arrange pecan halves in a pattern over top. Sprinkle with ¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar, drizzle with ¼ cup melted butter. Bake, uncovered, in a 375-degree oven for 20 minutes.
Orange Sauce: Combine 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and 1/8 teaspoons salt in a saucepan, add 1 teaspoon grated orange peel, 1 cup orange juice, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook until sauce is thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 2 tablespoons butter and 3 dashes angostura bitters. Serve warm orange sauce over praline yam casserole.
If you need multiple recipes, make the potato yam casserole in single recipe batches, it keeps the potato mixture fluffy.
Orange Sauce
¼ cup chopped green onions
1 orange, seeded and coarsely ground
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup orange marmalade
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup rum
Saute onions and orange in butter until tender; stir in reserved stock, marmalade, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, or until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in rum.
ALT: (Yam Casserole) Baked Fruit and Vegetable Casserole
3 pounds freshly cooked Candied Yams* (see attached recipe)
4 slices canned pineapple in syrup (I substituted pineapple tidbits)
3 bananas sliced lengthwise (I cut each half in half across)
1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup raisins
1 cup light brown sugar
1 stick butter or margarine
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cup Triple Sec (left it out and people still loved it)
Drain yams and pineapple, reserving liquid. Layer yams, pineapple, bananas, apples,s, and raisins in a baking dish, sprinkling each layer with brown sugar. In a saucepan, mix the liquid from the yams and the liquid from the pineapple. Add butter, cinnamon, and Triple sec. Boil until reduced by half and pour over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
*Candied Yams (for Baked Fruit and Vegetable Casserole)
3 pounds yams, peeled
1 stick butter or margarine
1 ½ cups water
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch allspice
Pinch mace
Slice yams in half lengthwise if large; leave whole if small. Put all ingredients into a large pot and bring to a boil over fairly high heat. Lift and rotate yams with a spatula as they cook to make sure they cook evenly on all sides. Cook for about 25 minutes with lid ajar. Drain and reserve liquid.
Nan’s Cornbread
1 cup white cornmeal (available at http://fallsmill.com/)
½ cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 egg
¼ cup oil
1 tsp salt
Buttermilk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Put the oil in the iron skillet and put it in the oven to heat up.
Stir other ingredients together. Add enough buttermilk to make a batter of the “right” consistency (thick but pourable).
Get the hot skillet out of the oven and pour the (hot) oil into the batter.
Stir quickly and pour the mixture back into the hot skillet.
Place skillet back in the oven & bake 18 to 20 minutes.
Flip out crispy cornbread (called a wheel, loaf, or pone of cornbread) onto a serving platter.
(Cornbread is cooked in an iron skillet reserved for cornbread, which is rinsed and gently dried, but NEVER washed with soap.)
Yields: 1 wheel = 6 to 8 pieces
Mandarin Orange Cake:
1 box Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
¾ c. Vegetable Oil
4 Eggs
2 11oz. cans Mandarin Oranges (drain 1)
Mix cake mix, eggs, oil, and juice from 1 can of oranges. Fold in oranges (Momma leaves them out). Pour into 3 greased & floured cake pans. Bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes. Cool and fill with frosting.
Frosting for Mandarin Orange Cake:
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
1 small package of instant vanilla pudding
1 (9 oz) Cool Whip
1 can Angel Flake Coconut (1 1/3 cups)
Mix all ingredients together and fill between layers and to top and sides. Keep refrigerated. It is better if made a day ahead.
© 2020 Jack A. Atkinson
The above recipes are from the cookbook:
“Louisiana Cooking, North & South”
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Recipes are protected under this publisher’s copyright and by all international © copyright laws.
These recipes are from a current book and may not be re-posted on the internet, copied for commercial use, distributed, or republished in any fashion, without written permission of Jack A. Atkinson, Publisher ArtsandFood.com® Magazine, Jack Atkinson Studios, LLC, “Louisiana Cooking ,North & South™)
