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From: Tori
Sent: Monday, July 29, 2013 1:59 AM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Recipe converter link
I found this page a while back, and I found it very helpful in making restaurant
recipes reasonable for a small crowd:
Recipe Converter
I just wanted to share it with you, and all your readers.
Hope you had a great weekend!
-Tori
Hi Tori,
That converter looks great. Thanks!
Phaed
See also: Cooking for a Crowd
From: Fran
Sent: Saturday, July 27, 2013 4:31 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Buttermilk Sherbet
Hi,
Can you help me. My mother was a fabulous cook. People came from everywhere
to eat her recipes. Her most famous ones was Buttermilk Sherbet and Lemon
Meringue Pie. I want to know how to make her buttermilk sherbet. Unfortunately,
she died back in 1970, suddenly, before I could ask for her recipes.
As near as I can remember, she cooked it on the stove before freezing in the
ice cream maker. It contained
buttermilk and pineapple , maybe cream, sugar and eggs, but all I’m sure of is
buttermilk and pineapple.
I have been looking for the recipe for over 40 years. The ones I found do not
sound like the recipe Mama made.
Maybe it’s because my mama made it, but that was the best sherbet ever and I
miss sitting on the porch making it and then all of us eating it together.
Thank you very much for your kind attention to my most important request and
God bless you for your service.
Fran
Mobile, AL.
Hi Fran,
I wish you had told me what was “wrong” with the recipes that you’ve already found. It helps me to narrow down the search.
Here’s what you are giving me:
1. Certain: Contained buttermilk and pineapple
2. Near as you can remember, which I take as probably, but not for sure: Cooked before freezing
3. Maybe it contained: Contained cream, sugar and eggs.
I worked in the ice cream business for a few years in my younger days, so let’s talk about definitions:
Sherbet must contain 1-2% butterfat. This butterfat can be from a tiny bit of cream, but it’s usually just from milk.
Sherbet doesn't have any whole eggs in it, but it may contain a little egg white as a “stabilizer”.
Ice Cream has to contain at least 10% butterfat. Since whole milk only contains 3 1/2% butterfat, this is usually from
cream or a mixture of milk and cream. Buttermilk contains less than 1/2% butterfat.
Frozen Custard ice cream must contain at least 10% butterfat, but must also have at least 1.4% egg yolks.
I know that home cooks are not bound by federal regulations, and a home cook might make ice cream and call it sherbet
or vice versa.
A home cook might make frozen custard and call it ice cream or sherbet, etc.
All of these products are cooked when they’re made by ice cream companies, ecause by law they must be pasteurized.
However, home cooks might not cook sherbet or ice cream. Due to the egg content, custard ice cream is usually cooked.
Homemade ice cream may or may not contain eggs according to the recipe, but if it does, then it’s basically a custard
ice cream and should be cooked before freezing.
Looking back at your description, if your mother’s “buttermilk sherbet” contained only the ingredients that you are
certain of, plus a little milk and sugar and maybe an egg white for texture, then it was a sherbet like the first two
recipes below. However, if it contained cream and whole eggs, then it was not really a sherbet. Also, sherbets are not
usually cooked unless they're made with raw milk that needs pasteurizing.
If your mother used all of the ingredients that you mention and cooked the mixture, then was technically making a
buttermilk custard ice cream and was just calling it “buttermilk sherbet.” I did not find anything called “buttermilk
sherbet” that contained eggs and was cooked, nor did I find a “buttermilk ice cream” recipe that was cooked.
See below for a sampling of the recipes that I found.
Phaed
Pineapple Buttermilk Sherbet
2 c. buttermilk
2 c. undrained canned crushed pineapple (20 oz. can)
2/3 c. sugar
In a bowl, stir together the buttermilk, pineapple, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. After about an hour, when the
mixture has begun to harden, stir it with a fork until it becomes slushy. Cover and return
to the freezer for another hour or two, until it is very stiff but not frozen solid. Stir it
again with a fork and serve. If the sherbet has frozen hard, remove it from the freezer to
soften for about 30 minutes before serving or whirl it in a food processor, scraping down
the sides several times, for about 2 minutes, until well-blended and smooth.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buttermilk Sherbet
2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. crushed pineapple in juice
1 pasteurized egg white, slightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Combine first three ingredients and freeze until slushy. Place in a chilled bowl, adding
egg white and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Return to freezer in covered mold or
foil refrigerator trays. Beat again twice at 30 minute intervals. Remove from freezer to
refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buttermilk Ice Cream
2 c. buttermilk
1 c. crushed pineapple
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg white
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. sugar
Mix buttermilk and sugar. Add salt, pineapple and vanilla. Freeze to a mush.
Add stiffly beaten egg white.
Mix. Freeze.
From: Fran
Sent: Sunday, July 28, 2013 2:11 PM
To: 'Phaedrus'
Subject: RE: Buttermilk Sherbet
Dear Phaed,
Thank you very much for your effort in looking for a recipe like Mama’s
Buttermilk sherbet. Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure it had cream also,
and she cooked it on the stove before putting it in the ice cream freezer.
It definitely had the look, feel, and taste of sherbet.
I am greedy, mama made a dish with crumbled corn bread, onions, I can’t
remember what else, and fried it. I’m not sure of the spelling, but it was
really Southern, called Cous Cous, not the Middle Eastern pasta.
Do you know the spelling and what it has in it?
Your grateful Southern friend and again, God bless you for this service,
Also thank you for the fast service and personal e-mail. I thought I would
have to wait for ages and then check your website to find the answer,
Fran
Hi Fran,
I don’t think most people would call it sherbet if it had cream and was cooked.
I cannot find anything made of fried corn bread crumbs and onions. There are plenty of things made with cornmeal batter
and onions that are fried – like hushpuppies. Cornbread dressing and cornbread stuffing are made with crumbled cornbread
and onions. There are some Mexican and South American breads called “cous cous”, but they are made with cornmeal batter,
not crumbled cornbread. I was born in the South and lived there for over 60 years, but I’ve never heard of such a thing
made with crumbled cornbread. If you find this, let me know.
Phaed
From: Fran
Sent: Sunday, July 28, 2013 10:01 PM
To: 'Phaedrus'
Subject: RE: fried crumbled cornbread
Hi again,
I’m getting to be a regular worry wart, aren’t I? I remembered the name
of the corn bread recipe. It is Cush-Cush and evidently a Southern dish.
The Cajuns called it Couche Couche, but the Southern Civil War soldiers called
it Cush-Cush. Momma made it a lot when we were young, it was cheap, filling,
and my Daddy loved cornbread. The way the Cajuns made it was with corn meal as
a breakfast cereal. The way the soldiers made it was cooked in a pot with
possibly bacon grease but most likely any kind of grease they could get.
My mother altered the recipe or someone in the family did because I can’t find
it as a recipe. She made it with leftover cooked cornbread, onions and bacon
grease & it is a delicious cousin of the Cajun Couche-Couche or the Civil War
soldier’s Cush. I remember also that in a book about my great-grandfather Calvin
Ezell’s Civil War military unit, they mentioned they ate Cush-Cush as part of
their diet. My grandfather was in the same company as his 3 brothers and all
4 came home from the war.
One of the web sites about the Civil War is Civil War foodways.
But, you can find other references under Cush Cush.
Thank you.
Fran
Hi Fran,
No problem, especially when you lead me to something I didn’t know.
I found recipes for “cush”, “cush-cush”, and for “couche-couche”. All of the recipes that I can find for “cush-cush”,
“coush-coush”, and “couche-couche” are made with cornmeal, not crumbled cornbread, which is why I couldn’t find it right
off. That includes the civil war reference that you give, which is linked to this recipe: Coush-Coush
I found recipes called just “cush” that are more like your description, using crumbled cornbread. Note that many (but not all)
of these cush recipes are not exactly fried. You just saute the onions, then add the cornbread crumbs and a little water and
sort of stew or steam the mixture. See below. There are cush-cush recipes below them.
One reference said that this dish began with the Indians, who passed it on to the Cajuns in Louisiana.
Phaed
Cush
Old cornbread
Black pepper
Salt
Onions
Water
Crumble cornbread. Add water to right consistency. Black pepper to taste.
Salt to taste. Onions to your taste. Combine together for right juiciness.
Serves 3 to 4.
--------------------------------------------
Cush
Cornbread can be made with 2 packages of Jiffy corn muffin mix, baked in square pan.
1 pkg. chopped onions Salt
& pepper to taste
In large frying pan saute onions, crumble in corn bread, adding water to keep it from
sticking. Lower heat, cover and let steam. Stir occasionally. May need to add more
water. Cook until fairly dry. If you want it browned, put in greased baking dish and
bake.
--------------------------------------------
Cush Cush
2 c. cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
Salt to taste
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 c. shortening or oil
Mix the cornmeal, baking powder, salt and water thoroughly in a bowl. Heat shortening
until hot in heavy skillet or iron pot. Add cornmeal mixture to hot shortening.
Place skillet over high heat and stir to fry the mush. Lower heat and keep stirring
until it looks like cornmeal again. Cook about 15 minutes. Serve with milk
--------------------------------------------
Cush-Cush
1/4 c. cooking oil
1 c. yellow or white corn meal
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
2/3 c. water
1/4 c. milk
1 tbsp. butter
Combine corn meal, flour, and baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix well; gradually add water.
In a heavy bottom pot, add oil and corn meal mixture. Cover with a tight fitting lid and
place over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes. Uncover and stir. Cover; cook again, reduce heat
to low, cook 15 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Then add milk and butter.
Cover for a minute or two. Serve hot with Louisiana cane syrup, or as a cereal with milk.
=====================================================
From: Fran
Sent: Monday, July 29, 2013 2:43 PM
To: 'Phaedrus'
Subject: RE: cornbread cush
Thank you Phaed, You are such a comfort. I really enjoyed corresponding with you and am
very appreciative of all you have done. I’m glad I found your web site. You are one person
that does this, aren’t you? It seems better when I think you are a dedicated servant of the
people searching out old recipes that are all mixed up in their happy family life. When you
reach my age, those happy memories of family meeting over really delicious meals is a special
joy, especially nowadays with both parents working and latchkey children. My mother stayed
home and was always singing and raised her children, instilling in them a sense of
decency and a love of God and nature. She said “a guilty conscience is God’s way of telling
us we have done wrong” And I always hear her voice whenever I say an idle word or talk about
someone. She never met a bad person. One of her big things was “there’s a little bit of good
in the worse of us and a little bit of bad in the best of us” & she always saw the good in
everyone. Man, am I ever rambling, sorry, I can only chalk it up to living alone mostly and
never talking to anyone much.
Keep up the good work and God bless you,
Fran
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: cush
From: elzie
Date: 5/10/2019, 7:52 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
On 5/10/2019 4:44 PM, elzie wrote:
my mother was part indian she made indian cush all time ingredients is crumbled cornbread
chicken broth onion salt sugar sage water milk egg brown in 9x9 cake dish GLASS brown in
bacon grease turn and brown all through till chopped onions are done turn and brown turn
and brown
Hi Elzie,
I found the below recipe on the web. It's pretty close to your description, but it uses butter
and is cooked in a skillet.
Phaed
Cush
Ingredients
1/2 stick butter
1/2 C. onion, small dice
1/4 C. celery, small dice
4 C. cornbread, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. sage
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 C. chicken broth
Directions
Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and celery. Cook until just soft.
In a separate bowl, toss together the cornbread, herbs and broth.
Add to the skillet and cook over medium-low heat until the bottom begins to brown.
Yield: 6 servings
From: dave
Sent: Sunday, July 28, 2013 4:09 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Fall River Coney Dogs
I've found many recipes for "Coney Dogs" that come from Michigan, Coney Island etc.
In Fall River MA there are several little hot dog shops that sell "Coney Dogs" using
a meat sauce that doesn't match any of the recipes I've found. These small shops date
back to the 1920's and the Coney sauces are addicting. Each is slightly different and
the recipes are guarded like the KFC recipe. The historical shops are called "Nick's
Original Coney Island Hot Dogs" and "George's King Of Hot Dogs" both dating from the
1920's and the decor hasn't really changed since.
Can you find the secret recipe?
Dave
Swansea MA
Hello Dave,
You are correct about the recipes being closely guarded secrets. They aren’t available. Sorry.
George’s has a small web presence here:
Georges King of Hot Dogs
Nick’s has a much bigger web presence:
Nick's Original Coney Island Hot Dogs
You can buy a spice packet to make Nick’s sauce at home from their website:
Nick's Coney Sauce
A couple of people have tried to make sauce like Nick’s. Try these:
Coney Sauce for Gaggers
Fall River Coney Sauce
Phaed
Hi Phaedrus,
In regards to the Fall River Coney Island sauce, I’ve eaten at Nick’s and their
sauce is pretty much the same as the New York System hot dog recipe I found on
your site. Hope this helps.
John
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