A new cooking class series titled "Cooking For One with Canopy Rose" will begin soon in the Tallahassee - Havana Florida area. This is a great class for single adults who want to sharpen their culinary skills, meet other singles and have fun!
Class: Cooking For One with Canopy Rose
Class Style: A unique blend of cooking instruction, socializing and snacking
Cooking Instructor: Kathi Dameron, Chef/ Owner (Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio & Catering Company) and Food Writer & Newspaper Columnist ( Entertaining with Kathi)
Location: Tallahassee / Havana Florida
Dates: Ongoing Series
Cooking Class Contact Info: 850-539-7750 or email us at canopyrose@aol.com
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Entertaining with Kathi Newspaper Column For November 5, 2008
(The Entertaining with Kathi column runs in the Northeast Chronicle of The Tallahassee Democrat newspaper.)
Event PlanningTakes Skill
By Kathi Dameron
"Six bucks for a loaf of bread? You've got to be kidding!" My inner voice scolded as I doled out the bills from my slim pocketbook and handed them to the cashier.
"Ouch! Why am I doing this?" I agonized. But I knew this was the only halfway decent loaf of bread for 12 miles.
"Well, it does have chunks of roasted garlic in it," the cashier offered in response to my quiet, but apparently very visible, non-verbal sticker shock.
I knew I could bake my own loaf for a fraction of the cost. But it was already past the dinner hour and my tummy was rumbling for a quick bite — just a simple sandwich would do, except I had no bread in the kitchen to make this simple sandwich.
With today's economy, everyone seems to be feeling the pinch in the pocketbook. Our weekly grocery store receipts are often double, if not triple what they were a few years ago.
The need to become smarter and savvier at stretching a rapidly shrinking food dollar without forfeiting quality is essential.
I have always been a fan of semi-catered parties. Semi-catered parties are cost efficient, empowering and to those who are fairly proficient in the kitchen, they offer the best of all worlds.
Just between you and me, even as a caterer, when I host my own parties I use these strategies, too.
How To Do A Semi-Catered Party
1. Spend some time thinking about how you want your party to unfold from beginning to end. A party is like a theatrical production of sorts.
2. Make a list of the type of foods that you would like to serve at your party. Determine which of these foods you would be comfortable preparing yourself. Ask yourself this question: "Can some of these foods be prepared in advance and frozen?" Then set up a baking or cooking schedule that you can do in your free time.
3. Select some specialty dishes that you would like for a favorite caterer to prepare. When you contact your caterer be very specific about what you need. Keep in mind that the fewer services you need from the caterer, the more money you'll save. For example, can the sodas. Do you really need a caterer to bring in sodas when you can buy the soda at a significant savings yourself? Figure out what things you absolutely want help with and splurge on those things.
4. Ask a family member, friend or neighbor to help you. It is amazing what can be accomplished with a couple sets of willing hands. Be willing to reciprocate. The idea of semi-catered parties extends far beyond the holidays.
If you work this semi-catered strategy right- you'll never have to shell out six bucks for a mediocre loaf of bread. You'll have your very own sliced or un-sliced loaves of delicious home-baked bread in your very own home freezer, ready to be thawed on a moment's notice.
Kathi Dameron is a professional caterer and event planner. She owns Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio and Catering Company. Please visit her on the web at www.canopyrose.com she can be reached at 539-7750 or at canopyrose@aol.com
Event PlanningTakes Skill
By Kathi Dameron
"Six bucks for a loaf of bread? You've got to be kidding!" My inner voice scolded as I doled out the bills from my slim pocketbook and handed them to the cashier.
"Ouch! Why am I doing this?" I agonized. But I knew this was the only halfway decent loaf of bread for 12 miles.
"Well, it does have chunks of roasted garlic in it," the cashier offered in response to my quiet, but apparently very visible, non-verbal sticker shock.
I knew I could bake my own loaf for a fraction of the cost. But it was already past the dinner hour and my tummy was rumbling for a quick bite — just a simple sandwich would do, except I had no bread in the kitchen to make this simple sandwich.
With today's economy, everyone seems to be feeling the pinch in the pocketbook. Our weekly grocery store receipts are often double, if not triple what they were a few years ago.
The need to become smarter and savvier at stretching a rapidly shrinking food dollar without forfeiting quality is essential.
I have always been a fan of semi-catered parties. Semi-catered parties are cost efficient, empowering and to those who are fairly proficient in the kitchen, they offer the best of all worlds.
Just between you and me, even as a caterer, when I host my own parties I use these strategies, too.
How To Do A Semi-Catered Party
1. Spend some time thinking about how you want your party to unfold from beginning to end. A party is like a theatrical production of sorts.
2. Make a list of the type of foods that you would like to serve at your party. Determine which of these foods you would be comfortable preparing yourself. Ask yourself this question: "Can some of these foods be prepared in advance and frozen?" Then set up a baking or cooking schedule that you can do in your free time.
3. Select some specialty dishes that you would like for a favorite caterer to prepare. When you contact your caterer be very specific about what you need. Keep in mind that the fewer services you need from the caterer, the more money you'll save. For example, can the sodas. Do you really need a caterer to bring in sodas when you can buy the soda at a significant savings yourself? Figure out what things you absolutely want help with and splurge on those things.
4. Ask a family member, friend or neighbor to help you. It is amazing what can be accomplished with a couple sets of willing hands. Be willing to reciprocate. The idea of semi-catered parties extends far beyond the holidays.
If you work this semi-catered strategy right- you'll never have to shell out six bucks for a mediocre loaf of bread. You'll have your very own sliced or un-sliced loaves of delicious home-baked bread in your very own home freezer, ready to be thawed on a moment's notice.
Kathi Dameron is a professional caterer and event planner. She owns Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio and Catering Company. Please visit her on the web at www.canopyrose.com she can be reached at 539-7750 or at canopyrose@aol.com
Monday, October 13, 2008
My October 8, 2008 Column About Fried Green Tomatoes
"Fried Green Tomatoes...Yum!"
By Kathi Dameron (From the October 8, 2008 Entertaining with Kathi newspaper column
“Oh, what I wouldn't give for a plate of fried green tomatoes like we used to have at the café,” Ninny Threadgoode said in the 1991 block buster movie, Fried Green Tomatoes.
A spotlight of national hoopla shined bright on this fabulous Southern delicacy.
Beyond the Fried Green Tomato Girdle of the Deep South, from coast to coast, the fame of green tomatoes skyrocketed following the release of the movie.
In sophisticated and cosmopolitan cities like Manhattan, Chicago and LA the humble Fried Green Tomato became a hip, hot and honorable hors d’ oeuvre.
Just about everyone fell in love with these smile-poppers.
Mention ”a plate of fried green matos” to someone and you can almost guarantee that the corner of their mouth will raise heaven ward in anticipation.
But then “a plate of em’ is sort of a misnomer isn’t it? In many homes, Fried Green Tomatoes never seem to get to the table.
How many of you remember hovering around your momma and the old cast iron frying pan while ‘matoes sizzled away in bacon grease? Did you eat ‘em just about as fast as your momma could fry ‘em?
For today’s column, I’m sharing the Fried Green Tomato recipe that I’ve been using in my tallahassee catering business since the mid 1990’s.
One of the novel things that we get to do from time to time at Canopy Rose is to set up a Fried Green Tomato Station at a wedding, tailgate party or other special event.
If you have never experienced a Fried Green Tomato themed station at a party - you really should have this experience at least once.
Guests go wild!
Now granted, setting up a LIVE Fried Green Tomato Station for a couple hundred friends will create a lot of wow…keep in mind it will also create a whole lot of hands-on work, but then that is why there are caterers.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Firm green tomatoes
Milk
All Purpose Flour
Eggs, Beaten
Breadcrumbs, panko or cornmeal (I like to season my crumbs for extra flavor)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Seasoning Salt
Wash & Dry Green Tomatoes
Slice tomatoes in one half inch or less slices.
Sprinkle tomato slices with salt, pepper and seasoning salt. Allow to stand for 15 minutes.
Line up 4 pie pans on the counter in a row. Put milk, flour, eggs and breadcrumbs into their own pie pan.
Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
Dip green tomatoes in milk, then flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.
Fry about 5 minutes per side or until nice and golden brown.
Kathi Dameron is a caterer, special event designer and creator of innovative food stations for weddings, parties and other soirees. She owns Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio and Catering Company. Visit her on the web at http://www.canopyrose.com/ She can also be reached at canopyrose@aol.com or at 850-539-7750.
By Kathi Dameron (From the October 8, 2008 Entertaining with Kathi newspaper column
“Oh, what I wouldn't give for a plate of fried green tomatoes like we used to have at the café,” Ninny Threadgoode said in the 1991 block buster movie, Fried Green Tomatoes.
A spotlight of national hoopla shined bright on this fabulous Southern delicacy.
Beyond the Fried Green Tomato Girdle of the Deep South, from coast to coast, the fame of green tomatoes skyrocketed following the release of the movie.
In sophisticated and cosmopolitan cities like Manhattan, Chicago and LA the humble Fried Green Tomato became a hip, hot and honorable hors d’ oeuvre.
Just about everyone fell in love with these smile-poppers.
Mention ”a plate of fried green matos” to someone and you can almost guarantee that the corner of their mouth will raise heaven ward in anticipation.
But then “a plate of em’ is sort of a misnomer isn’t it? In many homes, Fried Green Tomatoes never seem to get to the table.
How many of you remember hovering around your momma and the old cast iron frying pan while ‘matoes sizzled away in bacon grease? Did you eat ‘em just about as fast as your momma could fry ‘em?
For today’s column, I’m sharing the Fried Green Tomato recipe that I’ve been using in my tallahassee catering business since the mid 1990’s.
One of the novel things that we get to do from time to time at Canopy Rose is to set up a Fried Green Tomato Station at a wedding, tailgate party or other special event.
If you have never experienced a Fried Green Tomato themed station at a party - you really should have this experience at least once.
Guests go wild!
Now granted, setting up a LIVE Fried Green Tomato Station for a couple hundred friends will create a lot of wow…keep in mind it will also create a whole lot of hands-on work, but then that is why there are caterers.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Firm green tomatoes
Milk
All Purpose Flour
Eggs, Beaten
Breadcrumbs, panko or cornmeal (I like to season my crumbs for extra flavor)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Seasoning Salt
Wash & Dry Green Tomatoes
Slice tomatoes in one half inch or less slices.
Sprinkle tomato slices with salt, pepper and seasoning salt. Allow to stand for 15 minutes.
Line up 4 pie pans on the counter in a row. Put milk, flour, eggs and breadcrumbs into their own pie pan.
Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
Dip green tomatoes in milk, then flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.
Fry about 5 minutes per side or until nice and golden brown.
Kathi Dameron is a caterer, special event designer and creator of innovative food stations for weddings, parties and other soirees. She owns Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio and Catering Company. Visit her on the web at http://www.canopyrose.com/ She can also be reached at canopyrose@aol.com or at 850-539-7750.
My Next Column
Pumpkin Bread- A Delicious Way To Make New Friends
By Kathi Dameron
The aromas of autumn swirl through the old Havana Bank building as I write today’s column. So enticing are these fragrant old-fashioned scents, I wonder how I will be able to stick to my diet.
I try to tell myself that nothing tastes as good as thin feels…but all too often the desire for immediate gratification prevails. After all someone needs to be the taste tester and make certain that the flavoring is simply perfect before a hundred or more batches are stirred up.
This week, I’m going totally against my grain by baking a cornucopia of pumpkin-filled confections that are not yet sold. For a sugar addict, such as myself, this is very dangerous.
My inspiration for this pumpkin-palooza baking frenzy is the Annual Havana Pumpkin Festival on Saturday, October 18, when masses of festivalgoers descend on the quaint, historic old tobacco town, a pumpkin seed toss away from Tallahassee.
Several years ago, long before my days as a Tallahassee caterer, I discovered a delicious recipe for chocolate chip pumpkin bread in Southern Living magazine. The recipe became one of my all time favorite autumn breads. I would often devote leisurely Sunday afternoons during the season of harvest to baking dozens and dozens of loaves that I would share with neighbors, friends and colleagues.
Back in those days, I found great joy in cooking up these surprise food gifts for old friends and new. And believe me…when one comes bearing the gift of food, they can make a lot of friends pretty quick. Another great advantage of giving away home baked sweets is that sugary temptations are removed from your own kitchen, which is a very good thing especially for all us fluffy, kindred souls who love to bake, but are constantly challenged by the act of moderation when it comes to sweet indulgences.
If you are looking for a delicious and old-fashioned way to connect with people this season… there is not a sweeter gesture than sharing the delicious bounty from one’s kitchen.
Simply bake, cool, then wrap for freezing and/ or gifting. Pumpkin breads are a perfect treat for October and November noshing. Tuck a festively wrapped and beribboned loaf in a rustic basket with a jar of homemade preserves, perhaps some spiced cider mix and you will have the makings of a great autumn flavored food gift.
Easy As Pie –Pumpkin Bread (The Canopy Rose version of a tried and true favorite)
One batch of your favorite pumpkin bread batter
8 oz. chocolate chips
8 oz. chopped pecans
Streusel topping
Glaze (optional)
Mix pumpkin batter, chocolate chips and pecans together. Spoon mixture into greased and floured loaf pans. Top with streusel. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour.
Drizzle with a glaze, if desired. Glazes are the easiest thing in the world to whip up and are best when you express your own creativity in the concocting of them! Right now I’m thinking of doing a spirited glaze with a shot of Kahlua and Cream, a bit of butter, powdered sugar and a dusting of autumn spices.
Kathi Dameron is a Tallahassee area caterer and food writer. She owns Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio and Catering Company. Visit her online at www.canopyrose.com.
She can be reached at 850-539-7750 or at canopyrose@aol.com .
By Kathi Dameron
The aromas of autumn swirl through the old Havana Bank building as I write today’s column. So enticing are these fragrant old-fashioned scents, I wonder how I will be able to stick to my diet.
I try to tell myself that nothing tastes as good as thin feels…but all too often the desire for immediate gratification prevails. After all someone needs to be the taste tester and make certain that the flavoring is simply perfect before a hundred or more batches are stirred up.
This week, I’m going totally against my grain by baking a cornucopia of pumpkin-filled confections that are not yet sold. For a sugar addict, such as myself, this is very dangerous.
My inspiration for this pumpkin-palooza baking frenzy is the Annual Havana Pumpkin Festival on Saturday, October 18, when masses of festivalgoers descend on the quaint, historic old tobacco town, a pumpkin seed toss away from Tallahassee.
Several years ago, long before my days as a Tallahassee caterer, I discovered a delicious recipe for chocolate chip pumpkin bread in Southern Living magazine. The recipe became one of my all time favorite autumn breads. I would often devote leisurely Sunday afternoons during the season of harvest to baking dozens and dozens of loaves that I would share with neighbors, friends and colleagues.
Back in those days, I found great joy in cooking up these surprise food gifts for old friends and new. And believe me…when one comes bearing the gift of food, they can make a lot of friends pretty quick. Another great advantage of giving away home baked sweets is that sugary temptations are removed from your own kitchen, which is a very good thing especially for all us fluffy, kindred souls who love to bake, but are constantly challenged by the act of moderation when it comes to sweet indulgences.
If you are looking for a delicious and old-fashioned way to connect with people this season… there is not a sweeter gesture than sharing the delicious bounty from one’s kitchen.
Simply bake, cool, then wrap for freezing and/ or gifting. Pumpkin breads are a perfect treat for October and November noshing. Tuck a festively wrapped and beribboned loaf in a rustic basket with a jar of homemade preserves, perhaps some spiced cider mix and you will have the makings of a great autumn flavored food gift.
Easy As Pie –Pumpkin Bread (The Canopy Rose version of a tried and true favorite)
One batch of your favorite pumpkin bread batter
8 oz. chocolate chips
8 oz. chopped pecans
Streusel topping
Glaze (optional)
Mix pumpkin batter, chocolate chips and pecans together. Spoon mixture into greased and floured loaf pans. Top with streusel. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour.
Drizzle with a glaze, if desired. Glazes are the easiest thing in the world to whip up and are best when you express your own creativity in the concocting of them! Right now I’m thinking of doing a spirited glaze with a shot of Kahlua and Cream, a bit of butter, powdered sugar and a dusting of autumn spices.
Kathi Dameron is a Tallahassee area caterer and food writer. She owns Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio and Catering Company. Visit her online at www.canopyrose.com.
She can be reached at 850-539-7750 or at canopyrose@aol.com .
Monday, September 29, 2008
Thank You Tallahassee Florida!!
Catering is my passion!
I just want to thank all of you who nudged me back into the kitchen.
Catering is a very demanding profession, especially in a city like Tallahassee with the capitol, three colleges and a thriving business community, that keep a caterer running from breakfast to dinner with van loads of fragrant foods down Tallahassee's beautiful canopy roads.
The demands placed on a caterer can become all-encompassing. At least that was my experience as the owner of my own Tallahassee Florida catering company.
Many of you know that I took a sabbatical of sorts for a brief period of time.
This break from the hectic pace that had been my life as a caterer was perhaps one of the smartest moves I've ever made.
Last year I returned to the profession that I love and the extraordinary thing that I have discovered is that my love affair with catering continues to grow daily, like a beautiful and healthy plant that has been rooted in rich soil.
I've always said that when I cease loving what I'm doing, I will stop and find a new passion.
My passion today for catering far surpasses the passion that once fueled this catering career.
Life is certainly full of mysteries. But one thing I know... we must trust that inner whisper, that whisper that is yours alone. For when we follow the call of the heart and trust in its authenticity, we can be assured that we are indeed living out the life that we were created to live.
For me that life, at least for the present season is to once again be a caterer, to once again pour my heart and soul into Tallahassee area catered functions.
I thank you for your love and support and I ask you to support me in this exciting new catering journey by visiting my catering website where I've poured my creative energy into posting menus, prices and lots of cool information.
Canopy Rose Catering New Website
If you've followed the Entertaining With Kathi newspaper column... THANK YOU!
I just want to thank all of you who nudged me back into the kitchen.
Catering is a very demanding profession, especially in a city like Tallahassee with the capitol, three colleges and a thriving business community, that keep a caterer running from breakfast to dinner with van loads of fragrant foods down Tallahassee's beautiful canopy roads.
The demands placed on a caterer can become all-encompassing. At least that was my experience as the owner of my own Tallahassee Florida catering company.
Many of you know that I took a sabbatical of sorts for a brief period of time.
This break from the hectic pace that had been my life as a caterer was perhaps one of the smartest moves I've ever made.
Last year I returned to the profession that I love and the extraordinary thing that I have discovered is that my love affair with catering continues to grow daily, like a beautiful and healthy plant that has been rooted in rich soil.
I've always said that when I cease loving what I'm doing, I will stop and find a new passion.
My passion today for catering far surpasses the passion that once fueled this catering career.
Life is certainly full of mysteries. But one thing I know... we must trust that inner whisper, that whisper that is yours alone. For when we follow the call of the heart and trust in its authenticity, we can be assured that we are indeed living out the life that we were created to live.
For me that life, at least for the present season is to once again be a caterer, to once again pour my heart and soul into Tallahassee area catered functions.
I thank you for your love and support and I ask you to support me in this exciting new catering journey by visiting my catering website where I've poured my creative energy into posting menus, prices and lots of cool information.
Canopy Rose Catering New Website
If you've followed the Entertaining With Kathi newspaper column... THANK YOU!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Holiday Catering Tallahassee Florida
Photo: Kalamata Olive, Fig and Olive Tapenade over Goat Cheese Appetizer by Kathi Dameron
A Beautiful and delicious holiday appetizer available from:
Canopy Rose Catering
www. canopyrose.com
850-539-7750
Tallahassee catering menu and prices
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Kathi Dameron Wins Writing Award at The 2008 SCWC Conference In Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Kathi Dameron has won the 2nd Place Award in the Newspaper Article Category at the 2008 Southern Christian Writer's Conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for her article, Simple Act of Sharing Food Can Truly Bring People Together. This article appeared in the Northeast Chronicle - Tallahassee Democrat during the spring of this year in the Entertaining with Kathi column.
Kathi Dameron, owns Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio and Catering Company.
Kathi Dameron, owns Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio and Catering Company.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Coming Soon...Entertaining with Kathi - The Book
Kathi Dameron's food memoirs are being published in a book!
To reserve a copy, please send an email to canopyrose@aol.com with your contact information and a request to be notified when the books are in.
Kathi's new book will be available in 2009. We anticipate that this book will be a popular Christmas gift item for Christmas 2009 among our many faithful readers.
The "Entertaining with Kathi" column runs every other week in the Northeast Chronicle, a community publication of the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper.
The column is also being made available for newspapers and magazines to purchase. To discuss running "Entertaining with Kathi" in your publication, contact Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio & Catering Company at 850-539-7750.
Thanks for reading "Entertaining with Kathi!"
(For obvious reasons, the articles are no longer being posted on this site. However, you can still read them every other week in the newspaper.)
To reserve a copy, please send an email to canopyrose@aol.com with your contact information and a request to be notified when the books are in.
Kathi's new book will be available in 2009. We anticipate that this book will be a popular Christmas gift item for Christmas 2009 among our many faithful readers.
The "Entertaining with Kathi" column runs every other week in the Northeast Chronicle, a community publication of the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper.
The column is also being made available for newspapers and magazines to purchase. To discuss running "Entertaining with Kathi" in your publication, contact Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio & Catering Company at 850-539-7750.
Thanks for reading "Entertaining with Kathi!"
(For obvious reasons, the articles are no longer being posted on this site. However, you can still read them every other week in the newspaper.)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Entertaining with Kathi Newspaper Column ~ January 16, 2008
Enjoy Old-World Flavor With This Delicious Fidget Pie
By Kathi Dameron ~ ENTERTAINING WITH KATHI
"Kathi, when you get to England, make sure and find some Fidget Pie," a family friend suggested. For weeks, family friends had been offering up a queue of must-do tips and suggestions for my overseas student-teaching assignment. Ah, now here was a tip that I could sink my teeth into, I mused.
"Fidget Pie? What is Fidget Pie?" I asked the high-school English Lit teacher who offered the suggestion.
As visions of something plump, sweet and fudgy danced on my taste buds, the lit teacher reveled in the teachable moment.
I would soon learn that Fidget Pie wasn't the sweet confection I had imagined at all, but rather it was a lovely old-fashioned savory pie eaten as a main course. Being true to her profession, the teacher wove an amusing lesson into our conversation and left me hungering not only to taste Fidget Pie but also to brush up on my English literature, as well.
This merry Old English dish was so popular and beloved, that Charles Dickens was said to have written this when he received one as a gift: "It was no sooner brought into my room than I fainted away It prevents me from writing at any length, as my faculties are absorbed in crust."
"Ok, I'll make it my mission to find the best tasting Fidget Pie in London!" I assured her.
Arriving in London in January, during an especially cold and damp winter, my hunt for the best tasting Fidget Pie proved to be a smart, cold-weather sustainer. I don't know that I ever actually judged one to be the best. The different versions that I had the great opportunity to partake of all proved to be mighty fine tasting! Looking back I would venture so far as to say that Fidget Pie is indeed one of Great Britain's finest contributions to the culinary world.
With the recent dip in temperatures and the large blocks of time I'm spending these days in the quaint old-fashioned town of Havana, my thoughts have returned to Januarys past and to the time-honored foods of by-gone eras. It didn't take long for the lingering memories of this Old English treat to inspire my pen or my taste buds. As not to "faint away and have my faculties absorbed in crust," as Dickens would say, I've elected to write first, then cook.
If you are looking to cook up something wonderful this winter with some deep soul-nurturing goodness, and don't mind laboring for a while in the kitchen with your rolling pin an Old Fashioned Fidget Pie will be well worth the effort. Who knows maybe you'll like it so much that you'll depart on your own mission to uncover your most favorite Fidget Pie recipe. This particular recipe joins together ham, potatoes, onions, leeks and apples inside a rich, buttery pastry crust. But all sorts of other combinations could be concocted, just engage your imagination!
Old Fashioned Fidget Pie
1 pound potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced, sea salt, pepper and Lawry's Seasoning Salt to taste
1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
one-half teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
12 oz. Black Forest Ham, cooked and diced
2 small onions, thinly sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 pound cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 and one-quarter cups home-made chicken broth
home-made or store-bought pastry for a single crust 9 inch pie
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 2-quart souffle dish.
2. Layer potatoes in the bottom of casserole. Lightly season as you go. Layer ham, onions, leeks and apples. Top with chicken broth.
3. Roll out pastry on a floured board to a one fourth inch thickness. Fit the pastry over the filled soufflé dish. Seal and flute the edges. Cut a decorative hole in the center to allow the steam to escape. Add decorative pastry embellishments.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
5. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for about 40 more minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden and the potatoes are tender.
Kathi Dameron is a caterer, special event designer, food writer and teacher of cooking classes. She owns Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio and Catering Company. She can be reached at canopyrose@aol.com or at 850-539-7750.
This article originally appeared in the Northeast Chronicle, a community publication of the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. The Entertaining with Kathi column comes out every other Wednesday.
Tags: Tallahassee, Havana, Thomasville, Bainbridge, Monticello, St. George Island, Wakulla, Crawfordville, St. Marks, North Florida, South Georgia, Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson, Franklin, Bay, Thomas County, special events, weddings, rehearsal dinners, receptions, parties, gourmet, food, office luncheons, corporate, legislative, Chamber of Commerce Business Member, Licensed, Insured, Banquet Room, Day on the Hill, Session, food purveyor, buffet lunch, box lunches, grand openings, ribbon cutting ceremony, bill signing reception, birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, black-tie galas, food tourism, international cooking classes, personal chef, instructor, cookery school, food stylist.
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