Commemorate the birth of our nation with this feast.
July 4 marks the day our founding fathers declared sovereignty from Britain. To celebrate, cook up these all-American recipes.
Pimento Cheese
Courtesy Mattie’s, Austin, Texas
(Yields 3½ cups)
1 red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
Canola oil
1 pound Irish cheddar, grated
8 ounces mayonnaise
2 tablespoons thyme, fresh and finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, ground
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Dash nutmeg
Roast bell pepper over an open mesquite flame or in a 450-degree oven until skin becomes charred all the way around. Place roasted pepper in bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes. Once steamed, peel pepper, remove seeds and stem, and finely chop.
Toss whole garlic cloves in canola oil and roast at 350 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes or until garlic browns and softens. Cool, peel, and set aside.
Combine the bell pepper, garlic, grated cheese, and remaining ingredients in medium bowl. Refrigerate and allow flavors to meld for up to 4 – 6 hours.
For more information on Mattie’s or to make reservations, visit the restaurant’s website.
Bacon-Wrapped Torpedoes
(Yields 24)
12 extra-large jalapeños (split lengthwise with core and seeds removed)
24 raw bacon strips
Torpedo mix (recipe follows)
Take a split jalapeño and stuff with approximately 1 tablespoon of torpedo mix.
Wrap entire length of jalapeño tightly with a bacon strip and secure with 2 toothpicks. Smoke or grill torpedoes for approximately 1 hour at 200-225 degrees or until bacon is golden brown
Remove toothpicks and enjoy!
Torpedo Mix
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 pound smoked brisket or chicken, rough chopped
1 roasted red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1 large jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon red chili powder
Add ingredients to large mixing bowl. Mix ingredients until blended.
Lillie’s Q Oven-to-Grill Baby Back Ribs
Courtesy Chef Charlie McKenna, The Resort at Paws Up
2¼ – 2½ pound rack pork loin back ribs
¼ cup Lillie’s Q Gold
1 cup Lillie’s Q Carolina Dirt
½ cup Lillie’s Q Smoky or your favorite Lillie’s Q sauce
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. With a pastry brush, spread Lillie’s Q Gold all over both sides of the ribs. Generously sprinkle Lille’s Q Carolina Dirt over both sides of the ribs.
Place ribs in the middle of a double thickness of heavy foil cut 6 inches longer than the ribs. Wrap ribs in the foil. Bake for 1½ – 2 hours or until tender (the 2 middle bones of the rack should start to pull apart easily).
Remove ribs to a tray (discard liquid in foil packet). Spread Lillie’s Q Smoky or your favorite Lillie’s Q sauce all over both sides of the ribs. Grill on the rack of a covered grill directly over medium heat for 15 minutes, brushing with additional sauce every 5 minutes, turning once. Adjust heat as necessary to prevent burning.
Ann’s Pecan Pie
Courtesy Royers Round Top Café
(Yields 1 10-inch pie)
Filling
⅓ cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 10-inch pie crust, preferably Royers Round Top Café’s pie crust (recipe follows)
1½ cups pecan halves
The Café’s Pie Crust
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup water
2 cups (minus 3 tablespoons) shortening
5 cups white flour
Dissolve the salt in the water and set aside. Cut the vegetable shortening into the flour, working the mixture thoroughly until it is crumbly. Add salt water to the mixture and continue to work the dough until the water is absorbed. Add several tablespoons of flour and continue to work the dough until it pulls cleanly away from your hands. Ball the dough up into three balls. Put them in plastic baggies and freeze them till you need them.
To use the dough, set it out on the counter to thaw for 3 – 4 hours or set in your refrigerator overnight. The dough is rolled out the easiest when it is chilled.
Combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla in a bowl: mix well. Beat the eggs until very light. Add to corn syrup mixture. Pour into pie shell. Arrange the pecan halves on top. Bake at 350 degrees until the filling is set and a knife inserted comes out clean.
Ice Cream
7 cups whipping cream
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 13-ounce cans evaporated milk
In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into ice cream maker. Surround ice cream maker with ice and rock salt. Churn until thick. Pour into storage container. Thoroughly add in crushed Oreo cookies. Freeze.
Photography: Courtesy The Resort at Paws Up, Courtesy Dulce Vida Spirits, Courtesy Ten50 BBQ, Recipe edited and excerpted with permission from Queso!: Regional Recipes for the World's Favorite Chile-Cheese Dip by Lisa Fain (Ten Speed Press, 2017). Purchase the book at Amazon.com. Photography Courtesy Ten Speed Press, Courtesy The Resort at Paws Up,
Martha Washington’s Rum Punch
(Serves 6 – 10)
1 orange quartered
3 lemons quartered
3 cinnamon sticks, broken
6 cloves
½ tablespoon grated nutmeg
4 ounces simple syrup
4 ounces lemon juice
4 ounces fresh orange juice
12 ounces boiling water
3 ounces white rum
3 ounces dark rum
3 ounces orange curacao
In a large, heat-resistant bowl, mash the orange, lemons, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and nutmeg. Add the syrup, lemon, and orange juices.
Pour the boiling water over the mixture in the bowl. Let cool for a few minutes to allow the spices to open. When cool, add the white rum, dark rum, and orange curacao. Strain well into a pitcher or punch bowl (to remove all of the spice marinade).
Serve over ice in goblets and decorate with wheels of lemon and orange.
Photography: Royers Round Top Cafe/Facebook, Courtesy Ten50 BBQ, Courtesy Resort at Paws Up, Courtesy Elk Mountain Ranch
Martha Washington’s Rum Punch recipe reprinted and adapted from George Washington’s Mount Vernon. For more recipes and information on Martha Washington’s recipes, visit mountvernon.org/inn/recipes.