Hobotee

Hobotee is a traditional dish originating from Charleston. Although there are many variations and recipes, it's usually made with a combination of chopped meat (veal, beef, or pork), onions, curry powder, almonds, lemon juice, eggs, bread soaked in milk, butter, salt, sugar, white pepper, half-and-half (equal parts whole milk and cream), and bay leaves. The onions are sautéed in butter until soft and mixed with the curry powder. The onions are then blended with the meat, almonds, bread, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and eggs. The meat mixture is placed into buttered ramekins and topped with a mixture of eggs, white pepper, and half-and-half. The tops are garnished with bay leaves and the dish is baked until golden before it's served hot as an appetizer. Hobotee is often paired with a glass of semidry sherry.