Southern Culinary Writer

[Cucina]

Just an aside, Coastal Carolina Cooking just went through another printing at UNC Press.  Take a look at the table of contents, and Mrs. Varmint's grandparents, Katherine and Emest (not Ernest) are the focus of Chapter 1!

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Varmint - do you happen to know of any N.C. books or sources on how to do a N.C. style barbeque/pig pickin'? The best barbeque I have ever put in my mouth some 20+ years ago now was in Farmville NC and came directly out of a pig that had been roasted all day. the meat was chopped up accordingly in each half of the pig - some as hash - some as pieces - and then the barbeque sauce which seemed to have a vinegar component was poured directly into the pig. I have never had any better since.

[Cucina]

I think the best source for good U.S. Southern cooking and information about same is in the many civic organization-type cookbooks (junior league, women's club, churches, etc.) that are so very popular in the South.

Here's an excerpt from Charleston Receipts:

Anyone who'd like to get really familiar with U.S. Southern-style cooking would do well to begin a collection of these treasures.

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Jaymes -

I love my Charleston Receipts! But my favorite coastal cookbook (and I'm partial because of my coastal Georgia roots) is Coastal Cookery. It was first published in 1937 by the Cassina Garden Club on St. Simons Island and is still in print. I have the 50 year anniversary addition from 1987. While there are some similar recipies between the books, you also see some interesting contrasts. Charleston Receipts comes out ahead on the number of shrimp recipies but Coastal Cookery has more crab and oyster recipies for example.

One of my favorite fattening recipies in the book attributed to "Mrs Gladys McKinnon" is Crab Mornay

1 lb white crab meat

1/2 pd grated cheese

1/2 cup butter

3 tablespoons of flour

2 teaspoons white pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 pint milk

Make thick cream sauce of butter, flour, salt and pepper. (she forgets to mention add the milk here)

Into greased baking dish place a layer of crab meat, layer of cheese. Pour in some cream sauce and continue until dish is filled. Bake in moderate oven for 25 or 30 minutes.

She doesn't say so (because it's assumed you would know) but this is typically served with a puff pastry shell or over a nice hardy piece of bread sliced from a whole loaf.

[Varmint]

Varmint - do you happen to know of any N.C. books or sources on how to do a N.C. style barbeque/pig pickin'?  The best barbeque I have ever put in my mouth some 20+ years ago now was in Farmville NC and came directly out of a pig that had been roasted all day.  the meat was chopped up accordingly in each half of the pig - some as hash - some as pieces - and then the barbeque sauce which seemed to have a vinegar component was poured directly into the pig.  I have never had any better since.

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The best way to learn, unfortunately, is to witness a pig pickin' first hand. However, I think Bob Garner's first book discusses how to do it.

Your chance to witness a pig pickin' first hand will come over Labor Day weekend!

[Lan4Dawg]

Let me second (or third) the suggestions for old Junior League or church cook books--esp. those fr/ old, established communities and churches. Some of my very favorite receipts come fr/ these cook books. Granted you have to work w/ the ubiquitous cream of mushroom soup on way too many occasions & sort through several different versions of the same casserole all too often but especially for desserts some of these cook books are absolutely priceless. I also like the food editors fr/ the "old line" type newspapers--Camille Glenn is a great example and I thoroughly enjoy her book. Some one that no one has yet mentioned is Mrs. S. R. Dull, the long time food editor of the Atlanta Journal (or Constitution--I can not remember which as she was there before they were combined). I do not believe any of her books are still in print but I got a copy fr/ my great aunt and enjoy picking through some of the old line receipts included. I do not remember seeing Leah Chase' name mentioned as a source for Creole food and Justin Wilson--although it is hard to take him seriously--is a great read for good, "down home" type Louisiana cooking as well as some delightful stories.

You can not say enough about John Edge, John Egerton, Scott Peacock, Damon Fowler and the job they (amongst many others) are doing in spreading the joys of Southern cooking to a new generation. Let me also mention Joseph Dabney and his excellent book, SmokeHouse Ham, SpoonBread, & Scuppernong Wine as a great source for Appalachian food & life style along w/ the old Foxfire series.

in loving memory of Mr. Squirt (1998-2004) --the best cat ever