Blue Ribbon Apple Pie - Old Fashioned Southern Goodness

This was the blue ribbon prize winner at the West TN State Fair and was made by Suzanne Grimsley. Oh y'all this is old fashioned delicious! It's worth making the crust, I promise! And with a scoop of vanilla ice cream oozing as it melts! Who could resist?
Crust
2-¼ cups all purpose flour
1 generous cup of shortening
¼ tsp. salt
1 T. cider vinegar
3-4 T. cold water
Add salt to flour. Cut in shortening thoroughly. Add vinegar and 3 T. water. Mix with a fork until dough
rounds up in the bowl, adding water if necessary. Line greased pie plate with half of dough.
Filling
5-6 apples
1 cup sugar
3 T. flour
Cinnamon
2 T. butter
Peel and core apples. Slice thinly into pie shell. Mix flour and sugar. Sprinkle over apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste. Dot with butter. Add top crust. Cut vents for steam. Brush crust with milk and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Lower oven to 350 and bake for 45 min. to 1 hour.

Apple & Prune Stuffed Pork Loin with Rosemary

Extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices thick bacon, cut into lardons
1 medium red onion, finely dice
Kosher salt
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced
3/4 cup prunes, quartered
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped, divided
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup brandy or Calvados
1 (4-pound) boneless pork loin
1 cup chicken stock


Coat a large sauté pan lightly with olive oil. Add the bacon and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the bacon is crispy and has released a lot of fat, add the onions, and season with salt. Cook the onions until they are soft about, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the apples, prunes, onion powder, chopped parsley and half the chopped rosemary. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Pull the pan off the heat and add the brandy. Return to the fire and flambé, or let the alcohol just burn off. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Lay out a length of plastic wrap about 2-feet in length. Spoon the apple mixture onto the plastic and make a log down the center that is about the same length as the pork loin. Roll the plastic tightly around the apple mixture and twist at the ends to secure. The log should be about 1- inch in diameter. Place the log in the freezer and let it freeze solid. This can and should be done ahead of time.

To stuff the pork: Insert a long, thin knife into the center of one end of the pork loin; repeat this process at the other end. Wiggle the knife back and forth to create a place big enough to accommodate your frozen stuffing log. After cutting with the knife, you can use the handle of a long wooden spoon to make sure the incision goes all the way through the pork loin. Or use your hands to make the opening large enough.

Get the stuffing log from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. Slide the stuffing log through the pork loin - it might need a little encouragement but it should go the length of the loin. Season the outside of the pork generously with salt and sprinkle it with the remaining chopped rosemary.

Coat a roasting pan with olive oil and bring the pan to a high heat. Add the pork to the pan and sear it on all sides until it is brown. Remove the pork to a plate and ditch the fat in the roasting pan. Add the pork back to the pan pour in the chicken stock. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and cook for one hour. Remove it from the oven, cover with foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Corn Light Bread - So GOOD Y'all Will KISS the Cook. . . made the same way since 1900

Country Gourmet

My earliest memories of the fair are from childhood. Most kids remember the rides, but my fondest memories are of the food booth that our church and school had every year. It was a fund raising project for the Browns Church school and church. The children were allowed to get drinks and clean off tables. When you got old enough, you were allowed to actually wait on customers. The food booth was famous for their stew and country ham and corn light bread sandwiches. The stew was made daily outside in large pots at the school and transported to the fairgrounds and served. When Browns ceased to have their booth, the Madison County 4-H club chicken shack took their place. Being in 4-H at the time, I worked at the chicken shack for many years. In the early 70’s, the fair association wanted to expand their competitive exhibits and I was asked to serve as a chairman for a new area, Hobbies and Crafts. I have worked in the competitive exhibit area since that time.

After Browns ceased their booth at the fair, the church later began a bazaar and sold stew and their country ham and corn light bread sandwiches. Many people would come to the bazaar just for the stew and sandwiches. The church no longer has a bazaar, so many will never know about this Browns Church community favorite.

Most young people have never had corn light bread. I grew up with it, and my mother, Hester Exum who was born in 1915, grew up with it. I have no idea how old the recipe is. My grandmother, Dora Parrish who was born in 1888, made it all of her adult life. This is a regional recipe and the Browns Church community version is rather unique. It was a staple on most farm tables in this area for years and is still a treat. We live on a Tennessee designated Century Farm which has been in our family for almost 145 years. This recipe is as good today as it was at the turn of the century. Carol Ann Watson, Jackson TN

You can't imagine how delicious the sandwich is - saltiness of the cured ham with the sweetness of the bread! You owe it to yourself to try this and I like to slice and toast the bread then top with shaved ham for a "Country Gourmet" appetizer. For an extra kiss of taste - rub a sliced tomato and a clove of garlic over the toasted bread - yum yum! Your guests are bound to kiss the cook!
Charlie Tripp of Tripp Country Ham - slices a baked ham. Order your ham or slices today . . . they ship world wide.Grandmother’s Corn Light Bread
Carol Ann Watson, Jackson Tennessee
Scald:
1 cup plain meal with 2 cups boiling water
Add:
1-½ cups milk
Salt to taste
Beat in:
1 cup meal
1 cup plain flour
Spread 1 cup dry meal over top, cover with a towel, let stand overnight. Place in a warm environment. (I put in the oven with just the light in the oven on. Do not turn on the oven, just the light.) Batter should be slightly puffed on top and the meal broken across the top.
Next morning, add:
1 tsp. soda
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp oil
Beat. Grease a large loaf pan or 2 medium size loaf pans. Line bottom of pan with parchment or wax paper, if pan is not non- stick pan. Pour into pan and bake at 350 about 1 ½ hours for large pan and 1 hour for smaller pans. (Bread will not rise a great deal.) Check for doneness with a toothpick…should come out clean. The secret to this recipe is letting the batter ferment (sour.)