Notes from a Southern Kitchen, 10 Questions..... Jan Norris

Jan Norris is a foodie's foodie! For years, Jan was the Food Editor for the Palm Beach Post. Last year when the media world turned upside down, Jan left the Post.

I was not happy about Jan's departure as I enjoyed her columns.

A few months ago I was enjoying lunch at my favorite sandwich shop "Brown Baggin' It" in beautiful Lake Park, Florida, when my friend Leila started talking about Jan. Leila informed me that Jan now had her own website. I couldn't wait to check it out and now am an avid reader getting my Jan fixes! Check out her site http://www.jannorris.com/

Jan's site is filled with stories of her southern Florida life, restaurant reviews, great recipes and most anything else a foodie could want, it is a good read and I recommend it to anyone!

I recently learned that Jan and I live about 2 miles from each other, we are going to get together for coffee soon and regale each other with stories of our southern lives and the joys of sharing our thoughts with the world through the Internet.

I hope you enjoy this edition of,

10 Questions with Jan Norris...

1) Where were you born?

Miami Beach. I'm an adoptee, into a Southern LA (Lower Alabama) family. My kin trace back five generations in Florida.

2) Who is the greatest influence in your life and why?

My parents. Nearly all the values they instilled in me from day one are what I follow today.

3) What is the one thing that you cannot do without in your Southern Kitchen?

Simple: My iron skillet.

4) What is your favorite holiday food?

Probably the fresh orange cake my mother made at Christmas and New Year's.

5) What makes you a Southerner?

The easy answer might be because I can make a mean biscuit and can put up the fig preserves to eat with them.The more complex answer is another question: How does one define DNA? Being Southern isn't an talking with an accent (I lost my thick drawl the minute I went to public school), or rocking on a porch while drinking sweet tea, or knowing how to tell a good story. It's how you're brought up -- with Southerners, family (blood kin or not) is sacred; you respect others and are polite nearly to a fault; you always know your place but are fierce about your beliefs. And food along with college football -- is darn near a religion.

6) Biscuits or Cornbread?

Biscuits AND cornbread (absolutely no sugar in the latter).

7) What is your favorite memory?

I can't pick just one, so I'll pick a favorite food one.

It involves my Aunt Eleanor's buttermilk biscuits -- she made the best in our family. One night at her table as a girl, I was handed one. My Uncle Bill leaned over and said, "You know your Aunt Eleanor's biscuits will kill you, dontcha?"I shook my head, wide-eyed at this revelation. My favorite food on earth would kill me?

"That's right," he said. "They're so good - just set one on the top of your head, and your tongue will slap your brains out to get to it!"Everyone just roared.

This became a tradition to tell with anyone new at Aunt Eleanor's table, and it makes me laugh to this day.

8) Who taught you to cook?

I'm self-taught -- from cookbooks. My mother had zero patience for anyone in her kitchen who wasn't fast - and I was deliberate -- almost compulsively. It took me three minutes to spread one slice of bread with mayonnaise just to get it perfectly even and precisely to the edges. She rarely baked - so I took that task on even as a child, reading recipes, of course. After I was married, I read and cooked from every cookbook I could find. It was quite a surprise to my mom and the rest of the family when I turned out to be a really decent, and now very improvisational cook.

9) Banana Sandwich or Tomato Sandwich?

You left out pimento cheese - my favorite.

10) What would you serve, or have served to you, for your FAVORITE Southern meal?

If I could have them again, a giant pot of my mother's chicken and dumplings.

Jan was kind enough to share one of her favorite Southern Recipes with us and I can't wait to try it!

A recipe for my mom's fresh orange cake.

Simple, but time-consuming

As for the orange cake, I’m giving you a “best guess” recipe. Use any yellow sponge cake recipe you like; I use the same tender cake batter I use with my coconut cake. Make 3 or 4 layers. Soak it with the orange zest syrup. That’s it — simplicity, or so it sounds.With all the grating, juicing and soaking, however, it’s somewhat labor intensive – and you need room in the fridge for it so plan far enough ahead to do this. (Jan’s Rule: Don’t waste your time on this homemade beauty for unappreciative guests who’ll eat anything – bake them a fast box cake or just go buy something.)

Here’s a written recipe; but know that y0u must make a few to get the sugar/orange zest/juice ratio just right.

Nellie’s Orange Cake

For the cake:

■3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

■2 teaspoons baking powder

■1/2 teaspoon salt

■1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

■1 cup milk

■1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

■2 cups sugar

■4 eggs, separated

For the orange syrup:

■juice of 8 Florida juice oranges (see note), strained

■grated rind of 8 oranges

■1 small can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

■1-1/2 to 3 cups granulated sugar, or more (see note)

Note: Thin-skinned backyard juice oranges are key to this cake. You can buy them at fruit stands and occasionally supermarkets. Do not use thick-skinned varieties or those from California.

Sugar: I can’t tell you how much to use; this will depend on amount of juice from the oranges.

Make cake layers.

Prep: Grease and flour 3 or four 9-inch round cake pans. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Measure the milk into a glass measuring cup and add the vanilla. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form in clean medium bowl. Set all aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and add the sugar to continue creaming on medium speed. Scrape sides and beat again. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each is added. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk and vanilla, beating well after each to incorporate. Scrape bowl well. Remove bowl from mixer stand and with a rubber spatula, fold in the egg whites until no whites show; batter should be light and foamy.

Divide batter evenly among pans; bake at 350 degrees until tops are lightly browned and cakes spring back slightly to touch in center of cake, approximately 25 minutes. Cool on racks; set aside.

While cakes bake, make orange zest syrup: Wash oranges very well. Grate rinds on fine grate of box grater or with Microplane zester into a medium mixing bowl. Juice and strain oranges into bowl with zest. Add thawed orange juice concentrate; stir well.

Begin adding sugar and whisking to dissolve sugar. This may take some time – be patient. Add enough sugar so that mixture is very sticky and runs slowly off the tip of a spoon.

Assemble cake: On a cake stand with a lip (essential), layer first cake layer, and poke surface well with thin round skewer. Use a large spoon to spoon syrup over cake. Repeat with each layer. Use several spoonsful per layer, giving time between applications to allow syrup to soak into cake – this will take about 1 hour.

Allow syrup to run down sides and onto plate. As needed, spoon up syrup off the plate edge and spoon over cake again. Use as much syrup as possible. (Reserve remainder in refrigerator and use on cupcakes or orange quick bread.)

Add orange zest curls to top of cake as garnish, if desired.Serves 16-20 (cake is very rich).

Keep cake refrigerated; cake freezes very well.