It’s time for summer to say goodbye as we welcome my favorite season of the year. Not only am I lucky enough to live in an area of the world that experiences clear differentiations of the seasons, but I also have the added benefit of classic family recipes that bring to mind each season. I’ll never live in the south because I simply hate the heat. I don’t like sweating with every step I take, and I equally don’t want to get into an argument about humid versus dry heat. You people can keep your hot climate, dry or wet. After all, unbearably hot is still unbearable no matter the moisture levels.
Fall brings with it so many things that make life enjoyable. The kitchen I work in will be slightly cooler, or at least as cool as can be when you’re standing next to 500 degree grills, fryers and ovens. The leaves will turn color, which means maybe my parents will finally visit again. As much as summer is the typical travel season I rarely see any family outside of those who live minutes away during the hot days. Fall is a time to gather for our family. And when we do we usually eat.
If we’re talking about eating then I hate to admit that I’d much rather visit my wife’s parents down on Long Island. Her mom can often be relied upon to provide an array of snacky goodness like artichoke hearts and cheese platters. Then there’s her father, who has an avid curiosity for food and cooking. This is a man who will put together something he’s never even heard of until that afternoon simply because it sounds good. What more can you ask for when visiting with family? Sure you may encounter the occasional disaster, but more often than not you’ll get something quite tasty and interesting. Plus there’s the joy of sharing simple recipes.
I love to cook, and often times I’ll make recommendations when visiting the in-laws. But I’m often told to step back and let the master do the cooking. There’s rarely a time I’m disappointed. I pride myself on my perfect turkey (a recipe I’ll be sharing with you this fall), but good old dad has some tasty poultry of his own to unleash on the family each Thanksgiving. And if the cost of getting all of this good food is to recommend grilling up a head of romaine and topping it with vinaigrette and shaved parmesan…well, I think I get the better end of that deal.
Any family members from my wife’s side who are reading this are probably wondering when I’ll get to “the dish.” I’m sure that for my wife and her siblings there were plenty of things they ate growing up that make them think of home. But there’s one that rises above all others: Connecticut Supper. It’s a simple casserole dish that is so brilliantly decadent and delicious it defies logic. I’ve been given the recipe, which I sadly do not have anymore. In fact I’ve made a more haute cuisine version that is comparable in flavor (perhaps even better) but just doesn’t live up to the homey goodness that is my father-in-law’s Connecticut Supper. The ingredients are simple: meat, potatoes, cheese, corn flakes. The result is pure culinary delight.
We’re so insistent upon eating this dish when we visit in the fall that I’ve been known to dig through Raisin Bran to get all of the raisins out just so we have some sort of flake based cereal to serve as a topping. Hey, I already told you this is a guy who is willing to try anything.
And while I may tease my mom and her clear lack of cooking skills there are some things she can offer our family during the upcoming months. Unfortunately she has continued to refuse my birth right to have sour cream twists any time I want. Year after year she has made the secret family recipe only during the time right before Christmas. My dad and I wait patiently as she bemoans the task of taking up this baking behemoth. From her talk you’d think she had to pick the wheat herself and grind it into flour in order to perform her yearly duties. I can’t say what it is about the cookie that is so troublesome because I’ve never seen or heard the recipe.
You see, this is one of those “secret family recipes.” So much so that I haven’t even bothered to ask if I could get it for Munch Monster. I strongly believe the answer would be no. The recipe comes from my father’s family, and it wasn’t until my parents were married for a number of years that my grandmother passed the secret along. All I can say is that it takes a day or two to make, or maybe my mom just drags it out to make it seem worse so my father and I would never demand sour cream twists during the summer, and she does some twisting motion to get the right look. I’ve tried five recipes for sour cream twists and not a single one comes close to the family recipe. It makes me wonder if the West family brought it over from Germany when they came to America.
Thinking back on this past summer, and all those that came before, I can’t think of anything that comes remotely close to the times I get to sit and enjoy a bite of Connecticut Supper while watching a Yankee game on Long Island. Or, for that matter, the satisfaction of that first sticky sweet bite of a sour cream twist. Yeah, you can have summer and all of its picnics. Keep your blueberries to yourself. I’m looking forward to hearty cheese soups, stews made with Guinness and of course the best casserole to ever cross the plate of a diehard foodie.
