I never know when it hits, but when it does - it's like a brick. Growing up my brother and I would spend two months every summer with my father who, at the time, lived in San Diego. After retiring from the Navy, he fulfilled his dream of opening a bakery - in fact, I learned most of my scratch baking from him. But before the bakery, my grandmother Helen, his mother, would watch us during those warm, salty summer days. My grandmother, who passed away when I was living in Italy, baked and cooked constantly. Otherwise she was watching Perry Mason or Wheel of Fortune, or reading a book while sipping on a Gin and Tonic.

She was a force. A tiny little Irish pixie full of moxie. My dad once told me that when she was 19 she was dying of scarlet fever and received her last rites. Before falling ill she had a head full of glorious black tresses. After recovering from the fever, her hair grew back red and curly. It was one of my favorite stories - I always imagined that the fever scorched not only her body, but her soul and she rose again as a fiery spirit you just didn't mess with. And I miss her terribly. When I miss her, I bake something that reminds me of the meals she created those summers. One of my favorites was her corned beef bake - or baked Rueben - I don't think she ever actually named it. She did however, make it at least a couple times for us over the summer. One of our favorite ways to eat it was the next day, sliced and eaten cold late in the evenings as my girlfriend (who is now my sister-in-law!) and I snuck beers out of the refrigerator and watched Headbanger's Ball. It was also something my Dad always wrapped in tinfoil and threw in the cooler on our days at the beach or hiking in the canyons.

GRANDMA'S RUEBEN BAKE

- 1 pizza crust (recipe below - or if you're in a hurry a store bought crust will do)

- 8-10 oz. corned beef (thinly sliced)

- 3 T. 1,000 Island Dressing

- 1/2 c. sauerkraut (drained)

- 4 oz. Swiss cheese (shredded or thinly sliced) 

The Crust:

This recipe is from Baking With Julia by Dorrie Greenspan - it's a wonderfully diverse recipe and what I love most is that you can make it and freeze it for later use just after the second rise.

1 1/2 t. active dry yeast

1 1/2 c. tepid water (about 80F)

2 T. olive oil

2 1 /4 c. flour

In a mixing bowl, combine the yeast and water together and let sit for about 5 minutes, allowing the yeast to activate. Add olive oil and flour and mix until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again. Cover and allow to rise (should double in bulk) in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours. 

Deflate the sponge a bit with a spatula and add 2 to 2 1/4 additional cups of flour and 2 t. of salt. Mix with a dough hook until completely incorporated. Knead with the dough hook for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.

Lightly oil a large bowl and turn the dough out into it. Turn the dough gently to oil the entire surface of the dough and cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Prepare a large baking sheet with a light spray of non-stick cooking spray. Transfer your dough to this baking sheet and roll or flatten the dough with your hands into a long oval shape.

Working down the middle of the dough, first spread out the 1,000 Island dressing. Ensure that you are leaving about 1 1/2 inches at each end of the dough. Layer your corned beef on top of the dressing, then add the sauerkraut and top with the Swiss cheese.

 

Take a paring knife and make diagonal cuts in the dough - to create strips - down each side of the dough. Careful not to start your cuts too close to the filling. Then working from one side to the next, fold the strips of dough on top of each other to enclose the filling inside the dough (you can pull them a bit as needed as the dough is fairly elastic). Brush very lightly with olive oil (so lightly, I use my fingers) and sprinkle the top with caraway seeds.

Bake for 20 minutes (or until top begins to turn light gold and you can see the cheese bubbling through the holes in the dough). Let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.

 

MY YOUTH

White Rabbit : Slapshot

With The Quickness : Bad Brains

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida : Iron Butterfly

We Care A Lot : Faith No More

The Sweetest Drop : Peter Murphy

Fire Woman : The Cult

Looking Down A Barrel Of A Gun : Beastie Boys

Promises : Fugazi

Soul On Fire : Danzig

Pigs In Zen : Jane's Addiction

Passing Me By : The Pharcyde

I'm The Man : Anthrax

John The Fisherman : Primus

I Awake : Soundergarden

Listen here.

p.s. My Smoked Salmon, Asparagus and Goat Cheese Quiche was feautured on The Cooking Channel's Blog today - thank you so much for that CC! 

p.p.s. I'm giving away an advanced copy of my upcoming title, Instant Love: How To Make Magic and Memories With Polaroids over at Nectar & Light - enter to win!

 

Comments

[tinajo]

This looks really nice, thanks for sharing! :-)

[jen]

wow, now that looks amazing! i love the story too! xo

[Rose D., Frenchtown, NJ]

My husband would absolutely love this! Thank you!

[jen a]

thank you ladies! it's pretty ridiculous - ours in nearly gone already!

[Ashley]

My husband LOVES Rueben sandwiches and I can't wait to share this with him. Thank you!

[Miss T]

despite the magnificence of the sandwich, that list of songs is my exact list of songs that I love.

[Claudia G]

Wow that sounds so good! Amazing story about your grandmothers hair. My mom said when she was a baby they noticed she had curls so they thought they'd shave her head to make it come in curlier and it actually came in straight. LOL

[beth]

what a beautiful story along with a wonderful recipe.

[jen a]

hope he enjoys it ashley!

miss t - me too ;)

claudia - i've heard the same thing about JUST cutting/trimming baby curls - i've been so careful w/ my girls' hair!

beth - thank you!

[Geneviève Brodeur]

Hello,

Could you tell me waht is 1,000 Island Dressing??? Do you buy it or do it? I'm living in Canada... :) Thank you :)

[emily]

I have a question: When you're making this are you add 2 and 1/4 cups of flour TWICE? or does that mean that you're addind 1/4 cup of flour twice?

[jen a]

genevieve - It's also spelled "Thousand Island" and another alternative is Russian Dressing - you should be able to find them in the salad dressing isle of your supermarket - and I owe you an email! ;)

emily - and additional 2 1/4 cups of flour after you've made the sponge - hope that makes more sense!

[Geneviève Brodeur]

Hello Jen,

Take your time to answer my strange idea ;)I have a conversation with a couple of friends of mine yesterday. They said that Quebec City is not a sexy destination... :) But I'm not agree with them... Quebec is like a small Paris, it's near Montreal (where I have lived for 3 years during my university), it's "whales" (it's a thrill to take a zodiac (boat) and to see and feel them), it's the St-Lawrence river, the nature, the good food!!! :) But in other hand, to propose this is "freaking" for me... Ge :)

[Anna]

hello! just wanted to stop by real quick to tell you that i am making this for the third time since i first read about it. it is so delicious and hendrix LOVES it. thanks for sharing. xo!

[Melissa Affa]

This site just might be my new obsession. Everything looks wonderful.

[June Arrigo]

I am making this for the first time for dinner tonight. It was so easy to put together. It is in the oven now. I can't wait to try it! My husband is anxious to try it too.