Wow! This prune pesto is delicious!
. . . should I ask for the recipe?Sure! Most relatives, friends, and potluck donors are happy to dish out the secrets to their specialties.
But beware. The cook who refuses to give out her mother's secret recipe -- the one she revealed just before she left for the big baking pan in the sky -- may be one to avoid.
If you're determined, go ahead . . . beg. Eventually she'll write down the recipe -- but after you bake the thing it's a tasteless disaster. So you telephone the "mother's secret recipe" giver and she feigns surprise -- then memory loss. It's obvious that several ingredients have been left out.
With a smarmy apology, she dictates the REAL version. But can you trust this person? We recommend that you thank her, then run that suspicious "corrected" recipe through the shredder.
If you think about the best "secret" recipes, betcha most of them are made in a 9 X 13-inch pan.
Since the '70s, our all-time favorite 9 X 13 dessert has been a billowy combo of pistachio pudding, Cool Whip and fat grams. Most delicious "handed down" recipes have a few things in common:
First, they come in 9 X 13 pans.
Better cooks have personalized recipe cards labeled something like, "From the kitchen of Aunt Edna St. Vincent Milay."
When authentic scratch cooks speak about cooking, they employ a unique lingo. The language is called "Nowyoutakeyour." Example: "Now, you take your spatula and scoop your mixture into your "DRIPPER PAN."
Which brings us to a strange regional name for what we think means 9 X 13 pans . . . the DRIPPER PAN.
Does anyone really know the actual definition of a dripper pan?
One thing's for sure . . . if someone says "dripper pan" while sharing a recipe . . . it's a red flag. The recipe is a gem. Only a seasoned cook would talk about a dripper pan.
A number of pan enthusiasts believe that a dripper pan is the bottom part of a two-piece oven broiler.
Popular belief says a dripper pan is merely a 9 X 13-inch baking
pan. When meat is roasted, the juices and drippings are collected in the pan. Maybe that's where the dripper thing began.
Think of the comfort foods that are hatched in the 9 X 13-inch baking pan. Lasagna, cinnamon rolls, brownies, chicken-and-rice-casserole; the ever-popular-in-Utah "Relief Society" potatoes a.k.a. "funeral" potatoes.
Patricia Mack, author of the recently released "15-Minute Meals," suggests these ways to make one-dish dinners foolproof:
Double your pleasure -- when time permits, make double portions of a casserole. Eat one now and freeze the other.
Freeze a cooked or uncooked casserole by lining the pan or casserole dish with heavy-duty aluminum foil, leaving enough overhang on all sides to cover and seal the food. Add casserole ingredients and freeze until solid, or bake, cool to room temperature and freeze. It won't take long to freeze.
Immediately after it is frozen, draw up the sides to enclose casserole. Double wrap or enclose in a freezer-style bag, label and return to freezer. To thaw, remove wrapping and pop back into the pan. Cover and defrost in fridge. Refresh reheated casserole with minced fresh herbs.
Baking pans can be confusing. Usually they're measured by volume. If you're unsure of how large a pan is, fill it with water, then measure the liquid. A 9 X 13-inch pan holds 3 quarts; 2 inches deep is standard.
The Mercedes of baking pans is Calphalon's 9 X 13-inch roaster. Retailing for around $60, the pan bakes with evenly-distributed heat. As with other Calphalon pots and pans, cleanup is . . . cake. Sturdy aluminum bakeware with a plain, metallic finish is also a good all-purpose pan for everyday baking.
Other 9 X 13s include nonstick pans, stoneware, porcelain, steel and glass.
A note about glass 9 X 13-inch (or any size) baking pans: Some cookbooks suggest that if you use a glass pan, you should lower the baking temperature 25 degrees because the transparency of the glass allows radiant heat to pass directly through it.
However, this is a matter of preference. The author of "Fanny Farmer Baking Book" Marion Cunningham says she has never found it necessary to lower the heat. She finds that things brown nicely in glass and you can see the coloring all around.
If you know a dripper pan person, RUN to his or her kitchen and beg to let you copy the recipe file.
There might be a problem . . . many excellent cooks don't write down their cherished recipes. Memory is their cookbook.
In the meanwhile, we'll continue our search for the meaning of the Big Dripper.
MEXICAN LASAGNA
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 16-ounce can tomatoes
1 10-ounce can red chili sauce
1 11-ounce can whole kernel corn
1 3.8-ounce can chopped ripe olives
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
8 corn tortillas, cut in half
8 ounces Ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, thickly sliced
4 ounces tortilla chips, crumbled
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Brown meat, onion, and garlic in a large skillet. Combine tomatoes, chili sauce, corn, olives, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a small skillet, heat oil and add tortillas, one at a time, cooking to soften. Drain on paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the Ricotta and egg. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a 9- by 13-inch pan, layer ingredients, using 1/3 of the meat mixture, 1/2 of the cheese slices, all the Ricotta and egg, and 1/2 of the tortillas. Continue layering 1/3 meat, remaining cheese and tortillas, and topping with the remaining meat. Add crumbled tortilla chips and grated cheese. Bake until lasagna becomes bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let set briefly before serving. Serves 8.
Each serving contains 799 calories, 41g protein, 48g fat, 53g carb, 1775mg sodium, 133mg cholesterol. From "Sterling Performances" by the Guilds of the Orange County Performing Arts Center.
OATMEAL CAKE WITH CRUNCHY OAT TOPPING
For cake:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For crunchy oat topping:
4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Place oats in a medium-sized heat proof bowl and pour the boiling water over them; stir once or twice and cool to lukewarm. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking pan. In a medium-sized bowl stir together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the butter until fluffy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla; beat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until light. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just blended. With a spoon, stir in the oatmeal mixture. Turn the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake about 35 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and increase the heat to broil.
Prepare the topping: In a small saucepan combine the butter and evaporated milk; bring to a simmer and stir to melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Remove from the heat and stir in the oats, coconut and walnuts. Spread over the hot cake and place under the broiler for a minute or two, watching carefully until bubbling and golden brown. Remove and cool in the pan on a rack. May be served just slightly warm, if desired. Serves 12.
Each serving contains 381 calories, 5g protein, 17g fat, 53g carb, 296mg sodium, 33mg cholesterol. From "Jim Fobel's Old-Fashioned Baking Book."
WATERGATE CAKE
For cake:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup club soda or 7-Up
1 white cake mix (18.25 ounce)
3 eggs beaten until fluffy
1 box pistachio instant pudding mix (4-serving size)
1/2 cup coconut, optional
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
Combine oil, club soda or 7-Up, eggs, cake and pudding mixes and optional ingredients in a bowl and beat 4 minutes at medium speed with an electric mixer. Bake in a greased and floured pan 9- by 13-inch pan at 350 degrees F. for 40 to 50 minutes. Cool, then frost. Store in refrigerator.
COVER-UP FROSTING
1 container (8 or 9 ounce) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 box pistachio instant pudding (4-serving size)
1/2 cup coconut, optional
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
Beat whipped topping and pudding mix until well mixed, then spread on cooled cake. If desired, sprinkle with coconut and pecans. Serves 12.
Each serving contains 557 calories, 4g protein, 35g fat, 59g carb, 561mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol. From "50+ Friends Club Cookbook."