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A RED VELVET RETURN

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By JEFF HOUCK

jhouck@tampatrib.com

Published: March 1, 2009

When we last left the culinary soap opera called "As The Red Velvet Cake Turns," a reader named Maria Lungo had written in early February to say that her cake was the one that was featured on the Branch Ranch Restaurant's billboard along Interstate 4 in Plant City.

Lungo wrote as a counterpoint to a letter we received in January from Tammy Monroe Greenlee of Riverview, who had written to say that it was she who baked red velvet cakes while she worked as a waitress at Branch Ranch. Greenlee said she used a recipe passed down by a great-aunt.

When she left the restaurant, Greenlee says she gave the recipe to Lungo, who worked as a bartender, not knowing it would become the "dessert of the Branch Ranch."

Lungo says she doesn't remember Greenlee and says the recipe she used came from a gourmet magazine.
Greenlee didn't want to part with her recipe (neither did Lungo) so I put Greenlee in touch with reader Sandra Wright Pierce, whose request for the red velvet cake initially touched off the baking brouhaha.
Greenlee wrote last week to say that she had dinner at Pierce's home.

"First, we had her famous homemade lasagna, a wonderful salad her friend Sonja brought over for the occasion and some awesome olive bread to complement the meal," Greenlee wrote.

"I wanted to personally thank you for publishing her original e-mail about looking for the recipe of the famous cake! Nothing can bring people together closer than food! And we have become good friends throughout this and will continue to remain close."

After dinner, the new friends took pictures and cut the cake.

"I watched Sandra as she took her first bite," Greenlee wrote. "Her first words were, 'This is the cake!' And then she didn't say another word as she indulged herself. You could tell she savored each and every bite. ... I caught her licking the icing."

Pierce told Greenlee stories during dinner about how her friends had tried to bake the cake for her, but it didn't compare.

"Not only did this make me feel good, the best part was the friendship I made along the way," Greenlee wrote.

FINALLY, A RECIPE!

"My mother, who lived in Kentucky, never worked at Branch Ranch, never baked for Branch Ranch and I'm sure never heard of Branch Ranch," wrote Wenonah Linville of Zephyrhills. "But she did bake Red Velvet Cake. Here is her recipe, dated 1963, which I will gladly share with Sandra Wright Pierce."

Thank you, Wenonah.

RECIPE REQUEST

Eugene Baus of Brooksville remembers a Stouffers restaurant in Cleveland. "They had a great jolly hour featuring sauerkraut balls that were wonderful, a little involved to make, but worth it. Does anyone have the recipe?"

LEFTOVER REQUESTS

Catherine Honschar wants a recipe for chocolate kok, a Greek chocolate sponge cake with chocolate mousse covered in a chocolate cream and chocolate sprinkles.

B. Dyer of Pasco County wants the cornbread made by Remington's Steakhouse.

RED VELVET CAKE

For the cake:

1 cup shortening

11/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

4 1/2-ounce bottles red food coloring (1/4 cup)

21/4 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon vinegar

Cream shortening and sugar till fluffy. Add whole eggs, one at a time, beating one minute after each egg. Mix food coloring carefully. Sift together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Mix buttermilk, vanilla and vinegar to creamed ingredients, alternately add dry and liquid ingredients beginning and ending with flour mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Makes three 8-inch layers.

For the frosting:

1 cup milk

5 tablespoons flour

1 cup margarine

1 1/2 cups 10x confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a jar, shake milk and flour until smooth. Put in saucepan and cook at medium heat until it thickens and is smooth - stir constantly to cool. Beat together margarine, sugar and vanilla. Add first mixture and beat until smooth and fluffy.

CHAI-CURED SALMON WITH GINGER-PLUM JAM

1 salmon filet, 2 to 3 pounds

1/3 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 bunch of cilantro

1 shallot, sliced thin

1/4 cup molasses

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon red curry paste

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons coriander

2 tablespoons cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon fine ground star anise

1 tablespoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients. Smear on belly side of salmon, leaving the skin on. Wrap tightly in plastic and place on baking sheet in refrigerator with a weight over the fish. Cure 3 days. Remove from refrigerator, wipe off excess cure and slice thinly. Drizzle with plum jam.

For Plum Jam:

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 small plums, diced

1/2 cup red plum jam

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce

Heat a saucepan with the canola oil. Add onion and ginger. Cook over medium heat for 4 to 7 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, stir in jam, vinegar and soy sauce. Cook for a few minutes, or until jam is melted, stirring occasionally. Stir in plums and serve.

Looking for a recipe? Write to Jeff Houck, The Tampa Tribune, P.O. Box 191, Tampa, FL 33601 or e-mail jhouck@tampatrib.com. Keyword: Recipes, for more recipes and to check out our archive.

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