Recipes

[MissButtercup]

A thread next door reminded me of these recipes and I just felt like posting them for you all. I was on an afternoon tea kick years ago and I found these and made them and they are really delish. They're good on a nice dense bread spread thinly.I found the recipes in the NY times years ago. Hope someone enjoys!

SOUTHERN HAM SPREAD ( I really like this a lot and I hate ham salad or any meat or egg "salad" with mayo)

Adapted from Sally Bell's Kitchen

Time: about 15 minutes

1/2 pound baked or boiled ham

1/2 cup golden raisins

2 ounces softened cream cheese

3 tablespoons mayonnaise, preferably homemade

2 tablespoons sweet relish.

Using a hand-operated or mechanical grinder, or a blender or food processor, grind ham and raisins separately. The texture should be almost a paste, not chunky. Mix both together in a bowl. Cut cream cheese into several pieces, and blend into the ham mixture along with the mayonnaise. Stir in the relish, and distribute well.

Yield: 2 cups, enough for 4 sandwiches.

PIMENTO CHEESE SPREAD

Adapted from Sally Bell's Kitchen

Time: about 15 minutes

8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated

2 ounces softened cream cheese, cut into pieces

3 tablespoons mayonnaise, preferably homemade

2 ounces pimentos (half a small jar), drained and chopped

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper.

Combine Cheddar cheese and cream cheese in a bowl, and blend together with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add mayonnaise, and continue blending. Add pimentos and cayenne, and mix until well distributed.

Yield 2 cups enough for 4 large sandwiches

Shrimp Paste (Adapted from ''Charleston Receipts,'' 1986)

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 3 minutes

1/2 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined and cooked

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon

juice Few dashes mace

2 to 3 tablespoons top-quality mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon or more hot pepper sauce

Salt and pepper to taste.

1.Place all ingredients in food processor and process until mixture becomes paste-like.

2.Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more mayonnaise if necessary for consistency.

3.Serve shrimp paste, chilled, on thin, crisp toast or crackers or make shrimp paste sandwich loaves by spreading on three slices of trimmed white bread and layering the bread, beginning and ending with the bread. Cut into finger sandwiches.

Yield: 3 cups.