John Carter Cash - The Cash and Carter family cookbook: recipes and recollections from Johnny and Junes table

CONTENTS

J ohn Carter Cash is a five-time Grammy-winning record producer and author of numerous articles published in popular newspapers and magazines. He owns and manages Cash Cabin Studio. John Carter diligently preserves the family legacy and is the only child of June Carter and Johnny Cash. He lives with his family in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

S pecial thanks to:

David Moberg, Kate Etue, Donna Britt, Lou and Karen Robin, Mark Steilper, Cathy Sullivan, Tiffany Dunn, and Trey Call. Tara, Fred, Aran, and Alex Schwoebel. Rosanne Cash, Mary Lauren Teague, Center Point Bar-B-Que, and Caf Rakka. Dale, Teresa, and Tucker Jett. The family of Winifred and George T. Kelly, Shane and Ashley Ownby, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Lynn Russell, the Teresita and Rene Alvarez family, the Olga Perez family, and Jane Seymour. Desna, Carl, and all the Jamaican friends. Chuck and Hope Turner. Fern Salyer, Phil and Tammy Salyer, Joey and Jan Salyer, and Shane Salyer. Marty Stuart, Ophelia Jernigan, John Leventhal, Damon Fielder and family, Mike LaMure, Amy Call, Billy Mitchell, Lisa Trice, and Kenan and Sarah McGuffey. The family of Joe Carter, Carlene Carter, Kristin Irving, and Tamara Sovino. The Kristofferson family. The city of Dyess, Arkansas. Thanks to Cindy Cash Panetta, Kathy Cash Tittle. Janene Maclvor, Jenny Baumgartner, Lori Lynch, and everyone else at HarperCollins. Rita Forrester, Adam Clayton, Bono, Larry Mullens Jr., The Edge, Dave Ferguson, Nadine King and all at Maverick Management. A special thank you to the Bisceglea family, Alan Messer, High Garden Woodland Tea House and Sipping Apothecary, Michelle Rollins and family. James, Johnny, and Kris Keach, Tambi Lane, Kim Reynolds, David Tachek, Lauren Moore, David McClister and crew, Jessi Colter, John and Fiona Prine, Annie and Willie Nelson, and the city of Hendersonville, Tennessee.

This Fresh Berry Compote is easy to make and tastes delicious with pancakes. My mother also served it with her Heavenly Hash and Cheesecake (recipes in chapter 6).

Fresh Berry Compote

4 tablespoons salted butter

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 cup blueberries

1 cup blackberries

2 cups pure cane sugar or white sugar

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

cup cold water

Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 cups milk (a bit more if you prefer thinner batter)

cup half-and-half

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

cup (1 stick) butter, plus more for serving

cup powdered sugar

Whipped cream

To prepare the compote, place the butter in a large saucepan, and melt over medium-high heat. Stir in the berries, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cook the berries, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch into the cold water until well mixed and smooth.

Increase the heat to medium, and return the berry mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the cornstarch mixture to the berries. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, until the compote begins to thicken. Remove from the heat. Let the compote cool to room temperature before serving. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To prepare the pancakes, sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the baking powder and salt, and whisk to combine. Whisk in the egg, milk, half-and-half, and vanilla.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons of the butter. When melted, spread the butter evenly in the pan.

Spoon the batter into the hot butter, using approximately cup of batter per pancake. Cook the pancakes until browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove the pancakes to a paper towellined plate. Cover with another paper towel to keep them warm while cooking the next batch of pancakes. Add more butter to the pan as needed for the remaining batches.

When all the pancakes are done, place them on a large platter, cover with the compote, sprinkle with the powdered sugar, and dollop on the whipped cream. Serve with more butter while still hot.

Makes 4 cups of compote and 18 (4-inch) pancakes.

Biscuits and gravy were at least a biweekly meal at my home growing up. I have eaten gravy all around the country, and it seems to me that Southern gravy has been misinterpreted by cooks north of the Mason-Dixon Line and by most culinary institutions. Most gravy, Ive found, is more like a sausage cream sauce, while the gravy I grew up with is quite different from that. Gravy isnt hard to make, but like many other from-scratch basics, it takes practice to get it right. Trial and error will be your best friend in developing your own sausage gravy. This is an art, and each person may do gravy a bit differently. Take your time and experiment. It very well may turn out a bit different every time, and thats okay!

1 pound Southern-style breakfast sausage

1 tablespoon or more vegetable oil, if necessary

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

Salt and black pepper, optional

Pat out the sausage into small patties, reserving 2 or 3 ounces to crumble into the pan. Place the patties in a medium nonstick skillet, leaving an open space in the middle of the pan. Place the crumbled sausage in the open space you left in the middle of the pan. Fry the sausage over medium heat, until the patties are well done and dark brown on both sides. Remove all but the sausage crumbles from the pan, and place on paper towels to drain. Save the sausage patties to serve with your breakfast.

Check the grease in the skillet. The amount of grease will determine how much flour you will use. (I often have wild boar sausage, which has little fat, but most pork sausage has a lot of fat.) The bottom of the pan should be covered in a thin layer of grease. If there isnt much grease in the pan, add a little vegetable oil. Add in just enough flour to make a bubbling thin paste (about 2 tablespoons). The mixture should not be too thick.

Brown the flour over medium heat for several minutes, stirring constantly, making sure not to burn your sausage bits, flour, or grease.

Increase the heat to medium-high, and slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly until the mixture is at a full boil. Decrease the heat if necessary to make sure the milk does not burn. Continue to stir until the gravy is thickened. Remove the gravy immediately from the heat. Add salt and pepper, if using, and serve hot with biscuits.

Makes 1 to 1 cups gravy.

Fried bologna was one of my fathers favorite breakfasts. I remember smelling the aroma of it frying in the farm kitchen as I walked outside on winter days in Bon Aqua, Tennessee.