Baby Doe's Matchless Mine Beer Cheese Soup - Not as Cheesy as it Looks

Baby Doe's Matchless Mine Restaurant, Dallas

Many of you probably remember Baby Doe's Matchless Mine, on Harry Hines, overlooking lovely I-35, behind the famous waterfall billboard. The building is gone now, but the memories remain. The restaurant was named after Baby Doe Tabor, who, through a scandalous marriage, was the wife of Horace Tabor, one of the wealthiest men of the late 19th century. When Horace died penniless, after silver prices dropped as a result of the gold standard, Baby Doe moved into one of their holdings, the Matchless Mine where she eventually died from old age.


Baby Doe Tabor

Back in 1986 I was the DJ down in the mine and became friends with some of the managers. I used to love their beer cheese soup and was able to talk the kitchen manger out of the recipe, but was kind of startled when I saw the ingredients, due to their "cost effectiveness," but you can't argue with great taste. This is a really simple, great Fall/Winter recipe to warm to cockles of your heart.

Here it is...

Amount Ingredient
-------- -----------
8 cups Milk
2 ts Tabasco sauce
4 ts Worcestershire sauce
4 tb Chicken base (powder or granules, I like Knorr)
16 oz Cheez Whiz
6 tb Cornstarch
1/3 cup Warm Water
1 cup Beer (Baby Doe's used to use either Shaefer or Lone Star)
Cayenne pepper to taste

Combine the milk, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and chicken base in a stock pot. Bring it to a boil, stirring frequently.

Add the Cheez Whiz, after warming it up in hot water or in the microwave. Mix in well.

Dissolve the cornstarch completely in the 1/3 cup of warm water. Add it to the soup, which should start to thicken almost immediately. Reduce the heat a bit and stir in the beer.

To serve, ladle into bowls and dust with cayenne pepper and top with some chives. Croutons do quite well in the soup as well.

Greg

Nuts to the Soup

Peanuts came to the U.S. on slave ships, as an African crop. Two common names for peanuts, with African origins, are pinder and goober, hence the Civil War term "goober peas." As they were commonly available to enslaved Africans, and a good source of protien, peanuts were used in pies and soup, on many plantations. My mother used to make peanut soup when I was a child, in Berkely, CA. and I still crave it. I have turned my friends on to it and often get requests for this recipe, so here it is.

Peanut Soup

Ingerdients:

3 tb Butter
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
6 cups Chicken Stock
1 Yellow Onion, chopped
2 Stalks Celery, chopped or Celery Seed to taste
1 tb Flour
Lemon Juice to taste
Salt to taste

Garnish with:
Chopped Peanuts
Green Onion or Chives
Crutons
Heavy Cream or Sour Cream

Saute the onions and celery or celery seed in butter until they are soft. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat. Add stock, salt, lemon juice, and peanut butter and simmer for 20 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool for 15 minutes, then puree in batches in a blender or food processor. The soup may be made ahead to this point and refrigerated. Serve it with a splash of cream or dolop of sour cream, a sprinkling of chopped peanuts (I like dry roasted for this), green onion or chives, and crutons.

Killer Quiche For Real Men

The infamous book written by Bruce Feirstein, "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche," created a gastronomic boundary over which men with machismo seldom dare to cross. This "Mountain Man" Quiche Lorraine recipe should be an exception to the rule. This quiche can kill you! What real man could pass up a challenge like that? The fat and cholesterol content of a slice of this breakfast pie are right up there with loaded nachos, a chili cheese burger (with fries), or a large meat lovers pizza with extra cheese. That being said, it's also one of the best tasting Quiche Lorraine's you're likely to ever put in your mouth. It has a very light texture and the combination of grated onion and bacon create a wonderfully smokey and savory flavor. Any good dietitian or doctor will tell you that even if you're on a diet, you still need to satiate those cravings for "bad" food every once so often. Moderation is the key. You may certainly substitute lower fat ingredients in this recipe to make it more health conscious, but where is the fun and flavor in that, I ask you? On to the recipe.

Mountain Man Quiche

Ingredients:

Prebaked pastry shell for 9" pie
1/2 pound lean bacon (cooked to crumble stage without burning)
1/2 pound Swiss Cheese (grated)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 whole eggs
1 clove of garlic (pressed or finely minced)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika (1/2 in egg mixture and 1/2 for garnish)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grated white onion
1/2 cup green onion (set aside a pinch for garnish)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix eggs, white onion, half of the green onion, and spices together well (but do not beat).
3. Add cream and mix again.
4. Spread bacon evenly on the bottom of the pastry shell.
5. Layer cheese over bacon and press down.
6. Pour egg mixture over cheese to fill the shell.
7. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
8. Once the top has begun to set, sprinkle with remaining green onion and paprika, to garnish.
9. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking for 20-25 minutes, until golden, or a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just cheese clinging.
10. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

You can also add your favorite herbs such as sage or rosemary to the quiche to create a very different flavor. This dish tastes great cold, or at room temperature, so you can easily prepare it the night before and take it on a picnic or road trip. Enjoy!

Deelish Fish!

The first couple of recipes I'm posting are Salmon/Aioli dishes that are both, real winners with the ladies. I was given this first recipe by our friends, Sid and Melinda. Lisa and Melinda have been raving about this one for weeks. Sid, a great bartender by the way, offers us his Baked Salmon with Wasabi Aioli. This recipe was designed for two servings, so adjust proportionally.

Baked Salmon in Wasabi Aioli

Aioli Sauce:
1 1/2 Tbl. Mayonaise
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp. Dill Weed
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbl. Lemon Juice
1 big tsp. Wasabi Paste
1 tsp. Tony’s Seasoning
Capers (optional)

Whisk all ingredients together and spread over salmon.
Bake at 425 degrees for 18 – 20 minutes. Make sure that you don't overcook it.

----------------------------------------------------

The next recipe is for my Hot Smoked, Koshered Salmon which I get frequent requests for. Our friend Toni loves it so much that she has asked me to teach it to her husband, Jeff (yes, we have lots of friends named Jeff) as a birthday present.

Cedar Planked, Hot Smoked Salmon with Garlic-Lemon Aioli

For this recipe, you will need:

A smoker (with an off-set firebox preferably)

Untreated cedar shingles or a cedar cooking plank

1 fresh, fileted, deboned side of salmon (skin on)

Kosher salt

White pepper

Cinnamon

Aioli:

3/4 cup mayonaise

2-3 cloves of garlic

Juice from 1/2 lg. lemon

Salt

White pepper

1. First rinse the fish and pat it dry.

2. Place it on a foil covered cookie sheet and lightly sprinkle it with white pepper and cinnamon.

3. Completely cover the slamon with Kosher salt, until you can see no pink, and place it in the refrigerator for 3 to 6 hours (This is the Koshering part.) This draws out some of the moisture and removes any fishy flavors.

4. Get your fire started in your smoker (I prefer pecan or red oak wood) and let it rise to about 250 to 275 degrees

5. Soak your cedar in warm water while the smoker is heating up.

6. When your fire is ready, rinse the fish in slowly running water, just to get the salt off. The cinnamon and pepper should have bonded to the fish.

7. Very lightly pat it dry, taking care not to remove any of the seasonings.

8. Place the salmon on the smoker for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it has a nice dark color and little fat pockets begins to turn white on the surface.

9. Prepare the aioli while the fish is smoking.

Garlic-Lemon Aioli

1. In a bowl, mix the mayonaise with 2-3 cloves of pressed garlic.
2. Add the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Let sit in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Remove the salmon from the smoker, plate and serve aioli, crackers, lemon wedges, and capers, on the side. Oh! and a nice bottle of white wine (Coppala Diamond Series chardonay goes well).