Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Sonker Mania


So, I think I had gone over a week without turning on the oven until July 4th, and even then it was only to make a sonker. "A sonker?" you ask. Mmm hmmm, sonker. Mom says "zonker" with a z, but all the research I turned up has it with an s. It's an odd thing, like a puffy fruit cobbler, specific to western North Carolina, and even there to just a small area - there's even a Sonker Festival (yes, I'm going). If you look at the blackboard picture, you can see the recipe (though the list on the upper left is not part of the recipe...as far as I can recall, a sonker does not require the inclusion of any Miller High Life; also, there is no grapefruit juice involved. The blackboard is Complicated). We used blackberries. Mom said on the phone "now this is Ellen Church's recipe, so if you don't like it you can just blame her." One of the recipe instructions - according to Ellen Church - was "DON'T RUIN IT BY STIRRING IT!" But! There was no reason to take it up with Ellen Church because it was delicious. Of course, it had a stick of butter in it so I don't know how it couldn't be.

The rest of the menu was grilled: corn and chicken. Oh, and watermelon salad. It looked like a magazine photo when it was all put on the platter together. I try to keep food porn off this blog, but I couldn't resist. With the CSA basket starting to overflow now, you're pretty much looking at the menu for the rest of the summer. Poor me.

3 comments:

Meg said...

Well, I've been talking it up as a "zonker" all over town, so, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Other than the spelling issue, it was fabulous and I thank you and Ellen Church very much.

Tana Butler said...

Define "watermelon salad," please. Mint and lime thing à la KB? Something else? It might get hot enough here this week to have a watermelon.

DG Strong said...

Watermelon, red onion, feta, olive oil, salt, pepper.