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The Stew: Fruitcake Redux

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By JEFF HOUCK | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 4, 2009

Once again, our Mrs. Harvey's White Fruitcake Haiku Contest prompted much reaction from readers, not all of it favorable.

"I thought you intended to use my haiku in the paper," Phronia Stanley e-mailed. "It wasn't in the paper, and I was disappointed. You should have e-mailed me back and let me know you weren't using it. I may never enter it again."

So sorry, Phronia. We received hundreds of poems again this year and didn't have the space to run them all. I do hope you'll enter next year. (For the record, Doris Hertz of Apollo Beach won this year's contest.)

Several callers were hacked off that they couldn't order fruitcake from our judge, Evelyn Sanchez of Brandon, who did a lovely job sorting through our haiku finalists. By the time the story ran on Dec. 21, Sanchez had stopped baking for the season. By all means, pencil her in for an order next year.

Karen Lee of Tampa, who sent us photos of herself posed next to ancient Egyptian artifacts and landmarks, noted that the pharaoh-flavored haiku I wrote, which suggested the great kings might still be around if the pyramids were built with fruitcake instead of stone, was somewhat historically accurate.

Lee sent the following paragraph from an article titled "Et Tu, Fruitcake!" from the Web site Ingest AndImbibe.com:

"Food scholars date fruitcake back to ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire. According to some historians, Egyptian fruitcake was considered an essential food for the afterlife, and there are those today who maintain that this is the only thing they are good for. In ancient Rome, raisins, pine nuts and pomegranate seeds were added to barley mash, making the fruitcake not only handy and lethal catapult ammunition, but also hearty compact foodstuff for the long campaigns waged by the conquering Roman legions. Centuries later, during the Middle Ages, preserved fruits, honey and spices were added, bumping the status of fruitcake up from granola bar to decadent dessert."

Thanks, Karen. Nice to know we could be somewhat, accidentally, historically accurate.

CALLING ALL RECIPES

Cindy Lewis of Plant City (below), who placed second in the Mrs. Harvey's contest, wrote to say that she would like to see us do an article on "old" family recipes (those are her quotation marks, not mine).

"I'd love to share one that's been in my family for nearly 100 years," Lewis wrote.

"I am first-generation Greek (my dad came here from Rhodes when he was 5-years-old) and my 'Aunt Stella's Greek Cookies' are another holiday tradition that has been passed down through the years."

Lewis wrote that when they were children, she and her brother couldn't wait for the cookies to be baked.

"They were really a treat, and so for as many years as I can remember, I have carried on the tradition of making her cookies for all the family members for special occasions, i.e., Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, weddings, baby showers ... you get the picture!

"When I send cookies to my son, I have to send two separate containers: one for the wife and kids and one for HIM! My brother is still the first one to call and say, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.'

"I think it would be very fitting for Aunt Stella's recipe to be shared with more than just family ... kind of a legacy for her."

Thanks, Cindy. I'm glad to do so.

In fact, if any other readers want to share their family heirloom recipes and the stories behind them, you can mail or e-mail them to me here at the Tribune. If I get enough, I'll collect them into a story and pass them along so others may enjoy making them.

Oh, and you can find the recipe for Aunt Stella's Greek Cookies on my blog, The Stew, at www.tinyurl.com/thestew.

BEST THINGS I ATE IN 2008

People are always asking me about places I've eaten or food I've enjoyed. I think of it as a happy occupational hazard.

I don't eat at as many restaurants as you might think, mostly because I don't do formal reviews for the Tribune. If I eat something great, it's more than likely I did it on my own or that I find it accidentally.

In no particular order, here are my favorite flavors from the year.

•The plate of fourme d'ambert, golden beet dip-in-dots and minus-8 vinegar served during the Ruffino wine dinner at Todd English's bluezoo restaurant at Disney's Dolphin Resort.

•The juicy bison burger served for lunch at NoHo Bistro on Armenia Avenue in Tampa.

•The Guava Butter Tart with Dulce de Leches (above), made by Richard Bottini of Six Tables in Tampa for the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida's Desserts First dinner at the Renaissance Vinoy in St. Petersburg.

•A shot of homemade pear grappa made by Fabrizio Schenardi at Pelagia Trattoria in Tampa.

•The faux lobster bisque made with popcorn by chef Greg Howe of the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota during the Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival.

•Duck enchiladas made with red onions, poblano peppers and raspberry chipotle sauce at Red Mesa in St. Petersburg.

•The Lady Killer roll and miso soup at Pacific Grill in Valrico.

•Large house coffee, black, at Kahwa Coffee in St. Petersburg.

•Squash risotto with duck breast and duck cracklings made during a cook-off by chef Dave West at Rolling Pin Kitchen Emporium in Brandon.

•The tuna empanadas by Alicia Reale at Alicia's Place in Spring Hill.

•A glass of Diplomatico Reserva Exclusivo rum with just a splash of water.

•Pappardelle noodles with classic Bolognese sauce made by Marcella and Victor Hazan.

•Passion Fruit Alaskan King Crab Ceviche made by Capt. Keith Colbrun of Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch" at the Hyatt on Sarasota Bay.

•The late-night, off-the-menu Paulie Special pizza at Bella's in South Tampa.

•Daniel Boulud and Gavin Kaysen's Brandt beef duo with caramelized beet and gratin served during the Bocuse d'Or USA gala at Epcot.

•The wet burrito made by Angie and Lupe Ybarra at Angie's Tex-Mex in Dade City.

•The truffle mac-and-cheese at Fly in Tampa.

•My mom's pressure-cooker beef stew. Every spoonful is like a flashback.

For the record, that's not where this column got its name. But it should have been.

TIME FOR RUM

Dori Bryant of the Polished Palate begins holding rum tastings the first Monday of each month, starting this week, at Gaspar's Grotto in Ybor City. Guests will judge rums with the same guidelines and scoring sheets used by professionals.

A side note: Dori tells me her Vodka Fest this year looks to be kaput in Tampa because of tough economic times in the industry, but her International Rum Festival will feature more brands than ever. The festival kicks off March 26 with a tasting dinner at Teatro on Seventh in Ybor City. For details, go to www.polishedpalate.com.

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