Delicious Recipes for Your Next Seventeenth Birthday Celebration | Voices from the Smithsonian

Today is June 18, the date the final implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Galveston, Texas at the end of the American Civil War in 1865. The following year, Afro-American communities -Americans began having celebrations, and they often focused on foods, particularly red foods to symbolize resilience and joy. Sweet Home Café Cookbook celebrates African-American cuisine and draws on family and brotherly traditions reinforced by shared meals, and today we present three recipes perfect for your Juneteenth festivities.

1. Texas caviar

Also known as pickled black-eyed peas, Texas caviar is the nation’s version of a pickled bean salad. It consists of only black-eyed peas or a mixture of various beans, sliced ​​peppers and corn. Created around 1940, it has become a Lone Star classic and is sure to appear at many Juneteenth celebrations.

Vegetarian

For 4 to 6 people

Activity time: 20 minutes

Total duration: 4 hours and 20 minutes

• 2½ cups cooked black-eyed peas, preferably fresh or frozen (rinse and drain well if using canned peas)
• 1 yellow pepper, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 Italian tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 6 green onions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced ​​¼ cup red onion, diced ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Hot sauce, for seasoning

TO MAKE THE CAVIAR

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix gently until combined. Add the cumin and salt. Adjust seasoning with black pepper and hot sauce to taste. Transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours.

Serve as an accompaniment to salad or with tortilla chips.

2. Sweet Cherry Lemonade

Lemonade is popular throughout the South and the addition of homemade sweet cherry syrup turns it red, making it an ideal drink for picnics and Juneteenth celebrations. Red drinks are traditional at Juneteenth events and may be reminiscent of the festive hibiscus and kola nut teas of West Africa.

Makes 1 1/2 liters

Activity time: 45 minutes

Total duration: 6 hours and 45 minutes

SWEET CHERRY SYRUP

• 1 pound fresh or frozen pitted Bing cherries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup of water

LEMONADE

• 1½ cups sugar
• 8 cups cold water, divided 1½ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 10 lemons 2 lemons, thinly sliced ​​and seeded, for garnish

TO MAKE THE SWEET CHERRY SYRUP

Combine the cherries, sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing against the solids to extract as much syrup as possible. Pour into a bottle and cool well before use.

TO MAKE LEMONADE

Combine sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Add the lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water to the cooled sugar water and mix well. Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until thoroughly chilled.

Serve chilled lemonade over ice in tall glasses. Invite your guests to sweeten it as they wish with sweet cherry syrup.

3. Red Velvet Cake

Although many believe that red velvet cake has been an American specialty for centuries, it is actually a 20th century invention, born in the 1920s. The ruby-colored chocolate cake was later adopted with delicacy by African Americans and began appearing on their menus. The famous soul food restaurant Amy Ruth’s in Harlem began serving it in 1998, and Cake Man Raven opened one of the first bakeries dedicated to the cake in Brooklyn in 2000.

Makes 1 2-inch layer cake

Activity time: 45 minutes

Total duration: 3 hours 15 minutes

CAKE

• 2½ cups cake flour
• 2 tablespoons Dutch process
• cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk, preferably whole
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably Bourbon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

ICING

• ½ pound (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted 1 teaspoon Bourbon vanilla extract 1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
• ¼ cup mascarpone cheese
• ½ cup pecans, finely chopped

TO MAKE THE CAKE
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and lightly flour two 8×3-inch nonstick cake pans.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

Combine the oil, eggs, sugar, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, mix on medium-low speed until the mixture is smooth.

Set the mixer to low speed and gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until a dough forms. Stop the machine, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix for another 30 seconds.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake until the cake pulls slightly away from the sides of the pans, about 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Invert the cakes onto racks, remove the pan, turn them over and let them cool to room temperature.

TO MAKE THE FROSTING
Combine the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. With the paddle attachment, mix the ingredients on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add cream cheese and mascarpone and mix until combined.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

Using a long serrated knife, shave a very thin layer of cake from the top and bottom of each cake layer (this will help the frosting adhere to the cake). Place the trimmings in the bowl of a food processor and pulse them into very fine crumbs. reserve for decoration.

Place one of the cake layers on a cake stand. With a narrow offset spatula, spread a layer of frosting on top of the first layer, spreading it to an even depth of ½ inch. Place the second layer of cake on top. With the remaining frosting, evenly cover the sides and top of the cake.

Combine reserved cake crumbs and pecans. Immediately after applying the frosting, decorate the sides of the cake with a thin layer of the crumb mixture. The top of the cake should remain frosted white. Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Sweet Home Café Cookbook is available from Smithsonian Books. Visit the Smithsonian Books website to learn more about its publications and a complete list of titles.

Extract Sweet Home Café Cookbook © 2018 by the Smithsonian Institution. Recipes © 2018 by Smithsonian Institution and Restaurant Associates. Food photography © 2018 by Scott Suchman, Smithsonian Institution and Restaurant Associates.