Tuples and Attributes

Last night I had 3 fully vaccinated people over for dinner. What a delight to finally be able to cook and share a meal with some neighbors!

I had been looking through my cookbook last week trying to decide what to make for this occasion. I ran across a recipe I hadn’t made for years: Beef Birds with Bacon. This is the first recipe that I ever read and proceeded to make on my own. I was in high school at the time and, if I am remembering correctly, it was from Seventeen magazine. I made it several times for my family and then it somehow dropped off my rotation.

Here’s the recipe:

• Step 1
  4 Pounds, top round sliced 1/2 in. thick and pounded flat
  2 teaspoons unseasoned meat tenderizer
  1 pound. beef bacon
  1 or 2 cups minced onion
  2 garlic cloves
  6 or 8 ounce. can chopped mushrooms
  1/2 to 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
  2 cups packaged seasoned croutons
  1/2 cup water
  1 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Step 2
  1/4 cup flour
  1/2 t salt
  4 t monosodium glutamate
  1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
  1 onion sliced
  1/4 cup tomato paste
  2 cans consommé
  1 t oregano
  1 t basil
  4 bay leaves crumbled
• Step 1
  Cut meat into pieces about 4 in. square. Sprinkle meat tenderizer over all surfaces of meat, pierce with fork, let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour.
• Prepare stuffing–fry bacon until crisp; remove and drain on paper towel. Pour off bacon drippings and measure 4 tablespoons. In this sauté onion, garlic and mushrooms until golden. Remove from heat, add parsley, croutons mixed with water, crumbled bacon, salt and pepper. Mix well; put about 2 tablespoons of stuffing on each piece of meat. Roll up, secure with toothpicks or string.
• Step 2
  Mix flour, salt, pepper and mon. glutamate and use to coat beef birds. Brown birds on all sides in olive oil (Do not skimp on this, the browning is really important.). Remove from pan and add sliced onion. Sauté onion until soft. Stir in tomato paste and add remaining ingredients. Simmer 5 min. Stir frequently. Place birds in casserole, add sauce, bake at 350° for 45 to 60 min. or until tender. Makes 14 to 16 birds
• Good served over noodles or rice.

I made a few changes like cooking the bacon in the oven and using fresh mushrooms, but, on the whole, the recipe has stood up quite well over the last 50+ (!) years.

I also made a Pecan Pie Cake. It’s very good!

Here’s the recipe if you want to try it:

• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  2/3 cup water
  1 large egg yolk
  3/4 cup chopped pecans
  1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
  1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  1/2 tsp vanilla
  2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  2 tsp baking powder
  3/4 tsp salt
  3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  3/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
  3/4 cup granulated sugar
  3 large eggs (room temperature)
  1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  1 cup milk (room temperature)
  5 large egg whites
  1 2/3 cups dark brown sugar
  2 cups unsalted butter (room temperature)
  2 tsp vanilla
  2 cups pecan halves
• Pecan Pie Filling:
  • In a medium pot, whisk together water, egg yolk, and cornstarch. Add in brown sugar and chopped pecans and whisk to combine.
  • Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly for approx. 1 min.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Cool completely before using on cake.
• Brown Sugar Cake:
  • Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8″ cake rounds and line with parchment.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
  • Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
  • Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
  • Bake for 35-40mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
  • Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.
• Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
  • Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
  • Place bowl over a double boiler on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins). Or registers 160F on a candy thermometer.
  • Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
  • Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.**
  • Add vanilla and whip until smooth.
• Assembly:
  • Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Pipe a dam of buttercream around the top and fill with approximately 2/3rds of the pecan pie filling.
  • Place second cake layer on top and apply a thin coat of frosting all over to crumb coat. Chill for 20mins.
  • Frost & smooth the top and sides of the cake. Do a rope border using a Wilton 6B piping tip. Chill for 20mins.
  • Fill the middle between the rope border with the remainder of the pecan pie filling. Decorate top and bottom with pecan halves if desired.
• Notes
  *Ensure there is NO trace of egg yolks in your whites and that your mixer bowl and whisk is completely grease free or your meringue won’t stiffen.
  ** The buttercream may look like it’s curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
• Source: livforcake.com