Fare Exchange: 'Fantastica' enchiladas; homemade peach ice cream

TO REACH US

Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send.Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750E-mail: chattfare@gmail.comFax: 423-668-5092

Good morning, July readers. As you live into - and cook from - the fullness of summer, hopefully you can stop to answer a spate of requests. We are looking for Eidson Restaurant's rice pudding, chipped beef dip, pecan-cheese spread for crackers and for ideas for supper clubs or regular gatherings over food.

Last week there was a reader hungry for recipes from the Tick Tock Restaurant that once graced Ringgold Road. This week we are still on Ringgold Road. Charlotte Garrett asked, "Can anyone furnish the recipe for rice pudding from Eidson's? It was delicious and the recipe would be greatly appreciated."

Brainerd Reader is planning a summer party and is hoping that you can unearth a recipe printed in the newspaper years ago for chipped beef dip. BR also wants a pecan-cheese spread like the one recently tasted at Whole Foods.

Finally, a visitor from Atlanta read about an informal supper club and wants your ideas for "planning a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or quarterly meal with family and friends." This visitor had read in the "Edible Atlanta" magazine about a supper club and would like to try one. Here's the caution: "I want it to be about the people, not who has the fanciest dish." This reminds me of a dictum read long ago: "Cook to please your guests, not to edify or amaze them."


Today we are returning to a stack of recipes sent in the past. The first was originally attributed to Robbie Moore, who gives credit to the Pace Salsa Cook-Off. This recipe evidently won the prize.

Enchiladas Fantastica

1 pound ground turkey or chicken

2 cups Pace picante sauce

1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, pressed dry and chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese

12 (7-inch) flour tortillas

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

4 ounces shredded cheddar

Garnish: shredded lettuce, ripe olive slices, avocado slices (optional)

Cook turkey or chicken until it loses its pink color, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add 1 cup picante sauce and spinach, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin and salt. Cook and stir 5 minutes until most of liquid has evaporated. Add cubed cream cheese and stir just until melted. Remove from heat. Spoon about 1/3 cup filling down center of each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down in a lightly greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Combine tomatoes and their juice, remaining cup of picante sauce and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. Mix well. Spoon over enchiladas. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for 2 minutes to melt cheese.

Top with shredded lettuce, olives and avocado slices as desired.


J. B. sent several recipes for low-sugar fruit butters. We printed her apple butter but here, fit for July, is the fresh peach version. It calls for sugar substitute but you may substitute real sugar to turn the tables.

Low-Sugar Peach Butter

12 cups (approximately 5 pounds whole) peeled, pitted and chopped ripe peaches

3 tablespoons fresh or frozen lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

30 to 48 packets of your favorite sugar substitute (or real sugar to taste)

Place peaches in an 8-quart saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat about 30 to 40 minutes or until peaches are soft and transparent, stirring frequently. Puree peaches in a food processor or blender or press through a sieve.

Pour lemon juice into an 8-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir in peach puree and spices. Return to a boil and simmer over low heat about 35-60 minutes or until very thick, stirring frequently.

Measure pulp. For every 1 cup pulp, you will need 12 packages of artificial sweetener or a corresponding amount of real sugar. Return pulp to saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in sweetener immediately. Fill hot pint or half-pint jars with peach butter, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar tops and threads clean. Place hot lids on jars and screw bands on firmly. Process in boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

Yield: 1 to 2 pints or 3 to 4 half-pints.


And finally, also in the peach department, here is a recipe from "Young Old-Timer," as she calls herself. Old souls: A fine group of people. Long may this one, and all old souls, thrive. She wrote that she found this recipe to suit the one "made when I was a little girl, churning it by hand in our farmhouse kitchen."

Homemade Peach Ice Cream

6 cups ripe peaches, slightly mashed, peeled

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

3 eggs

2 tablespoons plain flour or 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (preferably cornstarch)

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Combine peaches and 1/4 cup sugar. Cover and refrigerate.

Beat eggs until frothy. Add remaining sugar, adjusting to taste but using 1 to 1 1/2 cups. Add flour or cornstarch and salt and beat again until well-mixed and thickened. Stir in milk and cream.

Cook in large saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and will coat a metal spoon, about 15 minutes. The preferred method is to cook in a double boiler as product will not require constant stirring and makes a smoother base. Just stir occasionally. This method will take a little longer, 20 to 25 minutes, to thicken.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. This may be done by putting pan in ice water, stirring occasionally to speed up cooling. Stir in cream and vanilla. Add peaches, mixing thoroughly.

Freeze in a 1-gallon ice cream freezer according to direction. Allow to ripen for 1 hour after churning is done if you can wait that long. Will keep well for a few weeks in an air-tight container in the freezer.


Just a Dash...

Today's dash came from Atlanta Visitor, who read about antipasti plates and decided to find out more. "Turns out this is such a simple way to serve company. Although there are many things to serve on such a platter, I will give my favorites below. You may purchase as many ingredients as you want, and the good thing is that all of this will keep for sandwiches or a simple supper later. Serve with salad plates and salad forks. This makes a meal."

If you are more of an artist than a cook, making this a beautiful platter will be fun.

• Pepperoncini or any favorite peppers

• Kalamata olives

• Stuffed green olives

• Marinated or canned artichoke hearts and/or hearts of palm

• Salami and any favorite sausages

• Small mozzarella balls

• Cubes of feta, Monterey Jack, provolone, or any favorite cheese

• Thin-sliced prosciutto and any other ham

• Pickled cornichons from a jar

• Cherry tomatoes or tomato quarters from larger tomatoes

• Potato salad

• Sliced cantaloupe or chunks of watermelon

• Deviled eggs

• Boursin, herbed goat cheese or other soft spreadable cheese

• Bread sticks

• Loaves of good crusty bread

Thank you for making this, as usual, a moveable, shareable feast. Let's meet again next week, shall we?

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