Southern Chef Layne Prescott

By Layne Prescott Photography by Cynthia Paxton

Beef Tenderloin, Southern Good Luck Soup & Chocolate Pound Cake

Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients: 3-3 ½ pound trimmed Beef Tenderloin

Morning of: Make paste with butter and all seasonings. Rinse and pat dry beef tenderloin and place on plate.

Paste 6 tbsp. softened butter 5 tsp. coarse salt 1 Tbsp. dry mustard 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire 1 tsp. coarse black pepper 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. onion powder

Spread paste and completely cover tenderloin. Place in refrigerator for 3, up to 8 hours. Thirty minutes before roasting, take out of refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 425-450 degrees. (Very important). Place tenderloin in aluminum lined roasting pan and place in hot oven. Roast 25-30 minutes. Use meat thermometer; when thickest part of tenderloin registers 135 degrees (medium-rare) remove from oven. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest 20 minutes before carving. „

Southern Good Luck Soup

4 large cans Collard, Turnip or Mustard Greens (canned works better) -Represents money... 4 cans Black-eyed peas -Represents coins... 1 onion, diced 1 bell pepper, diced 1 pkg. small link sausage Conecuh), cut ½ inch 1 pkg. large link smoked sausage, cut ¼ inch 2 cups ham or pork belly, diced -Represents prosperity... 2 cans crisp corn 2 chicken bouillon cubes 4 cups potatoes, cut 1-inch cube Salt & Pepper to taste

In large pot, sauté all meat (2 sausages and pork). Once meats are almost cooked, add onion and bell pepper and sauté. Add all remaining ingredients except potatoes. Stir to thoroughly combine and simmer 5 minutes. Add potatoes and press down into soup and continue to cook on low until potatoes are tender.

Everything you need to bring you good luck for the coming year in one pot!

Chocolate Pound Cake

Ingredients: 3 sticks butter (1 ½ cups), softened 3 cups white sugar 5 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 2 tsp. instant espresso dissolved into ¼ cup Hot water 1 cup buttermilk 2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare tube pan.

Mix together dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Set aside.

In mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and slowly incorporate. Add vanilla. Alternate adding dry ingredients with buttermilk and espresso until all together. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan on wire rack 20 minutes before turning it out.

NOTE: If using a decorative tube pan, it may not require all of batter. But, don’t waste, make miniature cake.