c. 1998 Religion News Service

UNDATED _ The Rev. Charlie Booth, who served as a chef in the Nixon White House, has written a cookbook,”Confessions of a White House Cook: Truth in the Nixon Kitchen.”Here are four recipes from the book:

STUFFED, FRESH CURED HAM

This was President Nixon’s favorite, Brown says.

1 10- to 14-pound ham

1/2 pound grated crackers or bread

1/2 pound butter

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon mace

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons celery seed or 3/4 to 1 cup chopped fresh celery

6 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon mustard

Cook the ham at 325 degrees, 15 minutes for each pound. Thoroughly mix together remaining ingredients; moisten with some cream if mixture is too stiff. When the ham is three-fourths done, take it out of the oven. While the ham is hot, take a knife and make a slit down to the bone on the right side. Fill it with stuffing mixture. Return to oven and brown, making sure the dressing has cooked thoroughly. The ham is done when the internal thermometer reads 180 degrees. Remove the stuffing to serve it.

—

CHARLIE’S SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN WITH CREAM GRAVY

2 1/2-pound frying chicken, cut into serving-size pieces

Salt

1 cup flour

1 cup lard or 1/2 cup vegetable shortening with 1/2 cup lard

Salt to taste

Wash chicken under cold running water and pat dry with paper towel. Sprinkle chicken with salt on all sides. Put flour in sturdy paper bag, drop chicken into bag a few pieces at a time and shake until all of the chicken is covered. Remove from bag, shake vigorously to free pieces of excess flour and lay them side by side on wax paper.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees, and in the middle of the oven, place a shallow baking dish.

Over high heat, melt the lard in a 10- or 12-inch heavy skillet. The fat should be about 1/4 inch deep. If it is not, add more lard.

When a light haze forms above the lard, place the chicken pieces in, skin sides down. It is preferable to start the legs and thighs first because they take longer to cook than the breasts and wings.

Cover and fry chicken over moderate heat for 6 to 8 minutes. Check regularly to make sure pieces do not burn.

When pieces are deep brown on one side, turn them over and cover pan again. Transfer all of the finished pieces to the baking dish in the oven and continue frying until all of the pieces are cooked. Keep chicken warm in the oven while you make the gravy (recipe below). Serves four.

—

CREAM GRAVY

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 to 3/4 cup light cream

Salt and white pepper to taste

After removing fried chicken (recipe above) from pan, pour off all but two tablespoons of fat in frying pan. Add flour and stir well. Pour in chicken stock and 1/2 cup of cream. Cook over moderate heat, beating with a whisk until gravy is smooth and thick. If gravy is too thick, add remaining cream. Season to taste and serve with fried chicken.

—

CHARLIE’S POUND CAKE

2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon mace (optional)

1/2 pound butter

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 cup eggs (usually 5)

1 1/2 cups sugar

Lemon flavoring to taste

Sift flour with mace, if used. Cream butter with flour. Add baking powder and salt to eggs and beat lightly. Add sugar gradually and beat well. Combine the two mixtures and beat thoroughly. Add flavoring to taste. Bake in oven at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

DEA END ALBANESE