texasmesquite

Comfort foods are back again

Homey, old-fashioned dishes often are economical and satisfying, say cookbook authors
Wednesday, November 05, 2008 By JANE MILZA
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE


STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- "I remember asking my father what it was like living through the Depression," said Marilynn Brass, who with her sister Sheila Brass authored both "Heirloom Baking" and the newly released "Heirloom Cooking With the Brass Sisters" cookbooks.
"He looked at me and said 'Which Depression?'

And, you know, he was right. We're going through tough economic times now, but it's all cyclical. We'll recover," she said.
The sisters, who have been dubbed "the Queens of Comfort Food" are credited with being "newly minted television personalities who have launched a whole new genre of cookbooks."
Homey, old-fashioned dishes, they claim, often are economical and satisfying.
Their Brass sisters' books are laced with ancient recipes as well as updated versions of long-favored, home-cooked dishes based on those they discovered in heirloom family cookbooks and, on hand-written notes scribbled on scraps of paper stashed away for generations. Others were sent to them by home cooks, or unearthed in antique shops. THRIFTY RECIPES
"Most of the recipes featured in our books are very economical," chimed in sister Sheila Brass, adding that the recipes fit right in with today's need by home cooks for thrifty, inexpensive and comforting meals.
Most of the book recipes, she said, are very simple. Yet, the flavors are wonderful. "If you look at the antique recipes, none of them call for exotic foods -- all the recipes can be found in your pantry or kitchen cabinets or in neighborhood stores." COMFORT IS BACK
The rising cost of food has more people taking a closer look at their grocery receipts as they leave food stores these days.
Comfort foods are back in style. The reason? Both chefs and home cooks find that casseroles, one-pot meals and homemade sweets are usu
Shoppers are being more cautious when making out their food lists -- checking them twice to make sure they've included only essentials, with no excess "baggage" added.
Smart home cooks are leaving less food in the refrigerator to spoil. Most family shoppers are more careful about checking out the bargains and "two-for-one" offerings as well as the sale flyers available at check-out counters ally less expensive to produce and are satisfying to eat.
The key to keeping control of the food budget these days is to plan meals in advance, purchase in bulk when possible, take advantage of sales, buy in-season items and make use of practical kitchen tools. Items like slow cookers and pressure cookers can be thrifty, allowing the cook to seek out less-expensive meats and foods that can be made into inexpensive stews and soups. TASTES FROM PAST
"Our recipes are as user-friendly as possible." said Marilynn Brass, recalling a recipe she and her sister obtained from the mother of a young man on their travels. "The meatloaf uses sausage meat as well as beef. The top of the meatloaf is coated with tomato soup -- although homemade sauce can be substituted. Alternate strips of green bell peppers and bacon slices are then laid across the top."
"But the secret ingredient -- that made the meatloaf taste so good -- was the little bit of poultry seasoning included in the meat mixture," she recalled.
During their 20 years of collecting antique kitchen tools as well as recipes, the sisters even discovered a love letter containing a recipe -- "from Charles to Helen" -- in an antique shop in Marblehead, Mass.
The letter, dated in the last quarter of the 19th century, included a recipe for Cheese Balls, hand-written by the intended bride. "It's in the appetizer section of "Heirloom Cooking With the Brass Sisters" and we paired it with chili mayonnaise. It's absolutely delicious," said Marilynn Brass.
After all, as she explained it, "The recipes in our books are based on hand-written, living recipes and are user-friendly." Home cooks love to share their recipes with the authors. "We love to hear from people on both our blog -- "comfort food and joy" -- and our Web site, www.thebrasssisters.com.
Home cooks send the authors recipes from all over the United States and Canada, and the Brass sisters have become experts in updating them to satisfy today's palates and cooking methods. Many of them are lavishly illustrated, or shown in full-color photographs by Andy Ryan.
Many of the recipes, however, may not be economical when it comes to fat and calories, Marilynn admitted, adding, But they can be eaten once in awhile, or changed to suit an individual's own taste. NATIONAL BOOK TOUR
The authors say their latest national book tour, which began this week, gives them a chance to discover America, and meet people with unusual stories.
The authors' first book was nominated for a James Beard Award. Since then, they've been selected by Publishers Weekly as being among "this year's crop of top 10 cookbook authors who are headed to become the next stars of the culinary book world."
"On our last tour, we discovered many new recipes," said Marilynn. As a result, the sisters have settled on a technique for unearthing more -- a method they plan to will rely on during this tour.
When someone comes to you with a recipe, "Listen to the story and save the recipe," said the author. "If you want to start collecting your own family recipes this holiday season, gently prod an older member of the family to start talking about dishes served within the family in the past. Let the person tell the story and listen carefully."
Back home in Cambridge, Mass., Sheila Brass has been with TV channel WGBH for 24 years in the national programming department and spends a good deal of time testing recipes.
Marilynn Brass, meanwhile, also is under contract to WGBH, and admits that it wasn't until she reached the age of 60 did she start writing cookbooks.
"What's wonderful is that most of the recipes we've collected are simple," Marilynn said. Some have very few ingredients, many can be made ahead of time and none are very expensive. The exception to that rule -- the single recipe the authors found challenging when compiling possibilities for their latest cookbook is one for Danish Roast Goose.
When it comes to many of the beef recipes, for example, inexpensive cuts often are used. "The meat has to be braised or boiled -- a relatively easy cooking method," according to Sheila.
Typical of the easy dishes is a corned beef recipe included in "Heirloom Cooking."
"The meat is cooked in a pot on top of the stove with spices, then it's put it in the oven with maple syrup and a mustard glaze -- and you have it." said sister Sheila. RECIPES UPDATED
In updating many of the recipes, "we like to point out that some are reversible -- like coats," said Marilynn. They can have multiple uses -- as a hot dish, or as a salad. In that way, they can be inexpensive. And, yes, we love leftovers."
"Some of our recipes date back to the 1600s," said Marilynn Brass. "The oldest -- for Clam Chowder with Crulls (crullers) -- was recorded just after the French and Indian War in a little book. "Paper was very valuable at the time. To make full use of paper in the little book, we discovered that the little brother of the girl who wrote down the recipe also had used the book to practice his sums."
The Brass sisters started collecting antique kitchen ware 20 years ago, before eventually branching out to cookbooks and individual recipes garnered from family notebooks. "Through the years, we've collected 2,000 pieces of antique kitchen ware, over 1,000 food molds and 6,500 cookbooks," she noted.
Featured also are many of their own family recipes, like their mother's recipes for Chocolate Velvet Cake and chopped chicken liver -- a traditional Jewish recipe made with chicken fat.
Our book is not a coffee table book, it's a kitchen table book to be used on a regular basis," explained Marilynn Brass. The authors have included a keepsake envelope in the back of the book where family heirloom recipes can be stored.