Season 8, Episode 13. 3/27/2021 Hot Cross Buns and Easter Foods

Today, we are setting the table with foods that are often shared at the table on Easter Sunday.

Karen Zorio, Former owner of the Bakery Something Savory shares with us the history and recipe of Hot Cross Buns.
Mary “Dee Dee” Constantine shares a recipe for Pimento Cheese from the Tupelo Honey and Blackberry Farm cookbooks. And she also shares a pound cake recipe from the Saltville Centennial cookbook by way of Sarah A Geer McIntyre - who was the cook at the Palmer Inn in Saltville Virginia around around the years of 1888.
Fred Sauceman shares a custard pie recipe that was a favorite of WWI Tennessee war hero Alvin York. This pie was baked for him often by his wife Gracie and the recipe for this pie was shared with Fred by Alvin York’s Great, great grandson.
And I (Amy) share a recipe for candied sweet potatoes by way of Phila Rawlings Hach’s cookbook Kountry Kooking, published in 1974.

To get in touch with Karen Zorio: Karenzorio@gmail.com

All recipes are listen below by scrolling down the page.

**Hot Cross Buns **

Recipe by way of Karen Zorio

Ingredients:

3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees) 3/4 c sugar 3 Tb butter 2 Tb of dried yeast to  1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp cardamon 1 tsp ground cinnamon 3 c plain flour  1 Tb milk 1 beaten egg 1 Tb oil 1/2 c dried fruit (diced small) Dried fruit typically used are lemon peel, orange peel, apricots, golden raisins, currants, or dried cherry. Karen uses currants.

Icing: 1/2 c powdered sugar 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 1 Tb milk or heavy cream

Directions:

Karen puts everything in a mixer all at once, mixes it for 5 minutes, then covers this with a dry towel and lets it rise in a warm spot for about an hour until doubled in size. Then she punches this down, rolls it into a log, cuts it into 12 equal pieces, puts it in a greased 9 x 12 glass dish. She then takes an egg yolk whipped with a teaspoon of water, then she brushes the tops of the rolls with this mixture with a pastry brush and lets these rise another hour or so in a quiet place away from drafts. When these double in size, bake them in a hot oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove them immediately and cool on a wire rack for an hour. Next, whip ingredients for the icing and place them in a pastry bag or zip lock bag (with the corner cut). Create a cross design on the cooled buns.

**Pimento Cheese recipe from the Tupelo Honey Cafe Cookbook

As recited by Mary “Dee Dee” Constantine**

Yeild: 2 cups (served warm)

Ingredients

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 C mayonaise

1 T digon mustard

1 T stone ground mustard

1 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 tsp minced fresh parsley

1/2 C finley diced roasted red bell pepper

Totillia chips for serving

Directions:

Stir all ingredients into a microwavable container. Place in microwave for 20 seconds, or until warm.

Or cook 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 until warm.

**Pimento Cheese from the Blackberry Farm 4 Seasons of Great Food and the Good Life Cookbook**

Yeild: 4 cups

Ingredients:

6 T mayonaise

2 T pickle juice

1 1/2 tsp digon mustard

1 tsp Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 Roasted Red Pepper seeded, chopped

1/2 c pimento pieces drained

1 Lb grated mild or medium sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Stir together first 7 ingredients until smooth. Fold in roasted red pepper and pimento and cheese. Chill 30 minutes before serving.

**Egg Custard Pie **

This pie was baked often for WWI War Hero Alvin York by his wife Gracie. This recipe comes by way of Fred Sauceman who was given this recipe by the Great Grandson of Alvin York. The Yorks usually ate this pie cold.

Ingredients:

3 Farm fresh eggs slightly beaten

1/4 - 1/2 c sugar

pinch of salt

1 c milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

unbaked pie shell

Directions:

Combine 3 farm fresh eggs slightly beaten, with sugar and salt, then add milk with vanilla. Blend well. Pour this mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour.

**Candied Sweet Potatoes**

This recipe comes from Phila Rawlings Hach from her cookbook Kountry Kooking. Published in 1974.

Ingredients:

8 sweet potatoes, thinly sliced

2 c water

2 c sugar

1 stick butter

1 tsp grated orange rind

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp ground dried ginger

Directions:

Bring sugar and water to a boil. Add potatoes and rest of the ingredients. Cook until potatoes are tender.