Cooking to Honor Edna Lewis

[Gifted Gourmet]

There is already a thread in progress here on the death and lifetime achievements of Miss Edna Lewis, who died this week at the age of 89. Lewis and her co-author, Scott Peacock, wrote cookbooks celebrating authentic Southern cuisine. Among her many books which received numerous awards are: "The Taste of Country Cooking", "The Gift of Southern Cooking : Recipes and Revelations from Two Great Southern Cooks", "In Pursuit of Flavor"

Epicurious article on Edna Lewis which gives numerous details on her background

In celebration of her life, as well as Black History Month, we are planning to have our own tribute, using her recipes as our base of operations ...Some of us will be joining in our own personal tributes to Edna by trying some of her recipes here (Southern Food Culture forum) and sharing both our thinking about Edna as well as our versions of her recipes .. join us? You need not own her books, some recipes are on the Net ....

I don't think that this has to be done in a day ... maybe over a week or two .. with a winding up using our thoughts and, if you wish, photos .. and maybe a few words on how Edna made the recipe worth producing ... a few of us Edna Lewis fans are going to try it. ... PM me if you wish details ...

[Gifted Gourmet]

I have heard from a number of interested members as to how they are planning to honor Edna... if you have the book by Edna Lewis, you may wish to choose a recipe which you find particularly appealing. Then, sometime during the next few weeks, you may wish to tell us how the finished recipe came out and, if you wish, share photographs of the dish.

If you don't have Edna's books, the Net has her recipes for 13 bean soup, her fruitcake, her coconut cake, her fried chicken, and maybe even a few more ... recipes below if you scroll down ...

There might be other people who may choose to make the same Lewis recipe. Doesn't matter at all! What we want to hear is your personal impressions ...

One member, Lan4Dawg, is thinking about doing his Edna Lewis tribute differently: he was planning to take a day and make breakfast/lunch/dinner/dessert/ from at least one of her books.

However you choose to join us, do post your results in this thread and share your thoughts with us .. we all have a place in our hearts for Edna ...

I will soon post the way in which you may buy her books from Amazon which will benefit eGullet at the same time ...

[annecros]

I am so looking forward to this thread!

Good food makes me happy.

[Chris Amirault]

In Pursuit of Flavor includes her recipe for chocolate soufflé -- hands down my favorite dessert recipe in the world. We'll be having it soon in tribute to one of the most remarkable chefs, food writers, and Americans of the 20th century.

[annecros]

In Pursuit of Flavor includes her recipe for chocolate soufflé -- hands down my favorite dessert recipe in the world. We'll be having it soon in tribute to one of the most remarkable chefs, food writers, and Americans of the 20th century.

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Looking forward to hearing about it. I was born sans the souffle gene. I don't know why, my mother made the most amazing souffles I have ever eaten out of the most amazing things (sweet potato, pumpkin, corn, squash), and I have eaten quite a few in quite a few different places. I watched her every move, too. I was a counter monkey as a child (you get first dibs on the batter bowl that way) but I have never been able to get it quite right.

To be fair, I have never been able to duplicate her divinity either. Don't get me wrong, it is good stuff and never goes uneaten, but it just isn't the same as Mom's. But she was famous for her divinity, and universally acknowledged by many a southern cook as the master. HER mother even acknowledged that, and if you knew my grandmother you would know what a big deal that is.

Maybe I was born without the egg white gene? Must have come from Dad's side.

Pictures please, if you don't mind. I learn so much from this message board.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Looking forward to hearing about it. I was born sans the souffle gene.

Maybe I was born without the egg white gene? Must have come from Dad's side.

Pictures please, if you don't mind. I learn so much from this message board.

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So, if I may ask, which recipe are you looking to try here? Edna Lewis didn't say anything about having specific genes for her cooking ... guess it was not terribly elaborate in its conception ... just incredibly delicious!

I may make her:

Sauteed chicken with hominy casserole

Creamed scallions

Apple Brown Betty

Edna's Biscuits

Yeah, that would be a lovely dinner!

[Gifted Gourmet]

Here's the great cookbook by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock which I had promised you earlier in this thread ... thanks for your patience .. the book is now under $19 for a used edition!

[Gifted Gourmet]

beautiful article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (free registration required)

"It was unbelievable," she remembered. "I had never cooked professionally." But soon there was a steady clientele of writers, artists and movie stars. "We had everybody that was anybody," she said: Howard Hughes, Salvador Dali, Marlene Dietrich, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett.The night that William Faulkner came in, Lewis said, "I went over to him ... Tennessee Williams lived nearby, so he walked her home at night. Garbo dropped in with her two little poodles. Truman Capote was a regular. "He was a big mess," Lewis recalled. "He had on these little pumps. If he got something new, he would come in and ...

In 1995, the James Beard Foundation gave her its first Living Legend Award. In 1998, Saveur magazine placed her at No. 9 on its list of 100 favorite things,

For a woman who foraged for wild 'cress and berries, and listened to cakes to see if they were done, it seems the perfect epitaph.

[racheld]

Thank you for posting that link. It was a lovely tribute.

[annecros]

Looking forward to hearing about it. I was born sans the souffle gene.

Maybe I was born without the egg white gene? Must have come from Dad's side.

Pictures please, if you don't mind. I learn so much from this message board.

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So, if I may ask, which recipe are you looking to try here? Edna Lewis didn't say anything about having specific genes for her cooking ... guess it was not terribly elaborate in its conception ... just incredibly delicious!

I may make her:

Sauteed chicken with hominy casserole

Creamed scallions

Apple Brown Betty

Edna's Biscuits

Yeah, that would be a lovely dinner!

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Sounds great!

I am still consulting with hubby. We eat southern style two or three times a week, and in fact I made blackberry cobbler similar to Scott Peacock's on Valentines Day, so I am considering something a little different. Maybe one of her game recipes (I've been hungry for quail lately, snicker). Maybe even one of her African style recipes. I'll have it finalized in the next day or so, as I also want to "forage" in the local farmer's market to see what is available and looks really good.

We also have a family gathering planned March 6 for my stepdaughter's birthday, and I have fixed a meal of southern style vegetables for her since she was 13 (she's now 27), so I'll probably do it again then, and just pull a bunch of recipes from "In Persuit of Flavor" and remember what these foods have meant to me all my life. There will be 8 to 10 of us eating, and I get to meet my son's new girlfriend (he is so in love), and being Jewish from New Jersey it should be intresting to see her reaction to southern foods. Thank goodness she doesn't keep kosher!

I don't know what it was with Mom and the egg whites. I swear the woman had cream of tartar brain waves or something. Everybody else loves souffles when I do prepare them, they just aren't "right" to me. Oh well, I'll just keep trying I suppose.

Edited February 16, 2006 by annecros (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

More Edna Lewis southern recipes for those of us without her cookbook on hand:

Pan fried chicken

She-crab soup

Edna Lewis thirteen bean soup

Edna Lewis Christmas fruitcake

Fresh apple cake with caramel glaze

Famous Coconut Lane Cake

[malarkey]

From the Oprah website:

"The subtle, nutty sweetness of grated coconut makes Edna Lewis's layer cake an all-time favorite"

Oh honey, it ain't the coconut, it's the BOURBON in the coconut that makes that cake so damn special. LOL

[annecros]

From the Oprah website:

"The subtle, nutty sweetness of grated coconut makes Edna Lewis's layer cake an all-time favorite"

Oh honey, it ain't the coconut, it's the BOURBON in the coconut that makes that cake so damn special. LOL

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Yep. I am trying to figure out how I can sneak a cup of Maker's Mark from darling husband's bottle for the pound cake without him getting snippy.

But, after all, don't cook with any alcohol you wouldn't drink, in the words of Miz Lewis!

[hannnah]

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Feb. 14, 2006:

The granddaughter of a Virginia slave, Edna Lewis created a gastronomic temple out of a tiny New York cafe and served such 20th-century luminaries as Truman Capote, Greta Garbo and William Faulkner.

A culinary purist, she milked her own cows, walked blocks to find the perfect peach and could tell when a cake was ready by "listening" to it.

 

By the time of her death early Monday at 89, she had become the South's answer to Julia Child, influencing a generation of cooks and writers who were eager to preserve the region's vanishing food culture.

Full text (free registration required).

[debbiemoose]

I'm looking with lust at either the apple cake or coconut cake.

[annecros]

Keep it simple.

Hubby made this hot pepper vinegar today from "The Gift".

We are running low, and in about a week this will be ready to sprinkle on the greens. As an added bonus, hubby was inspired to prepare a "Peppar" type vodka to use in his Bloody Mary's in the future. We had no glass ketchup bottles handy, but I graciously emptied this bottle for my husband's use.

Yes, those are my sheets on the line. I couldn't sleep without sheets dried in the fresh air.

Presently there is a "Bay Studded Pork" roast (I used a butt) in the oven. It smells so good. Will update later.

Annie

[Gifted Gourmet]

Presently there is a "Bay Studded Pork" roast (I used a butt) in the oven. It smells so good. Will update later.

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Anticipation building .. can't wait, Anne!

Edna Lewis' Thirteen-Bean Soup is one of the dishes I plan to make exchanging only the ham for kosher smoked turkey ... and those Creamed Scallions will also be a must-try ...

[artisan02]

Epicurious article on Edna Lewis which gives numerous details on her background

In celebration of her life, as well as Black History Month, we are planning to have our own tribute, using her recipes as our base of operations ...Some of us will be joining in our own personal tributes to Edna by trying some of her recipes here (Southern Food Culture forum) and sharing both our thinking about Edna as well as our versions of her recipes .. join us? You need not own her books, some recipes are on the Net ....

I don't think that this has to be done in a day ... maybe over a week or two .. with a winding up using our thoughts and, if you wish, photos .. and maybe a few words on how Edna made the recipe worth producing ... a few of us Edna Lewis fans are going to try it. ... PM me if you wish details ...

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This touches my heart. I too am a native Virginian, like Edna Lewis. I grew up with the foods she talks about in her books and I learned to cook there as well.

I moved away about 30 years ago, but the South has never really left me. I have had to reteach myself some of the things I learned while growing up in Virginia. Edna helped me with this process.

I have all of her books but most of them, except for the last one, are in storage right now.

I am going to a potluck with a group of foodies tomorrow, and I changed my offerings based on the news of her death. I am making several things from her last book, as well as some from my own southern heritage.

I am thinking of making Country Captain, and Chess Pie. The Asparagus and Scallion Pie is calling out to me too, as asparagus is starting to fill some of the produce markets here in northern California. I am looking for other ideas as well: I figure I might as well expose Californians to some good Southern cooking.

Christine

[racheld]

Annie

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Porch!!

[moosnsqrl]

We're having (tomorrow) beef short ribs, whipped rutabagas, creamed scallions, cole slaw and warm apple crisp. Looking forward to it. I wish Edna were her to lend a hand (but I'm sure she'll be here in spirit).

[Gifted Gourmet]

I am going to a potluck with a group of foodies tomorrow, and I changed my offerings based on the news of her death.  I am making  several things from her last book, as well as some from my own southern heritage. 

I am thinking of making Country Captain, and Chess Pie.  The Asparagus and Scallion Pie

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Please share how they turned out and what your thoughts were ... and, yes, exposing Californians to true southern cuisine is always a good idea!

We're having (tomorrow) beef short ribs, whipped rutabagas, creamed scallions, cole slaw and warm apple crisp. Looking forward to it.

Judy, hope you'll share these with us in this thread ...

I think Edna Lewis must be smiling happily at this thread ...

[moosnsqrl]

Judy, hope you'll share these with us in this thread ...

I'll share the outcome but you're not getting any of my scallions! Actually the idea of being able to share food over the web should be explored. Not sure how it would work but oh, the benefit to mankind. If there's anyone from Cisco reading this, please try to figure out how to route tiny packets of good food around the world at warp speed. That would be much better than smell-a-vision.

[annecros]

Bay Leaf Studded Pork. Actually, the whole plate is from "The Gift of Southern Cooking"

Watercress in Pork Stock

Butterbeans in Pork Stock

Plain Rice

Bay Leaf Studded Pork with Mushroom Sauce

If you've never had watercress in pork stock, just do it. There are no words to describe just how wonderful this dish is, and it cooks up in less than 10 minutes, closer to 5.

The butterbeans and rice are just simple presentations of the food I have eaten all my life, and these were particularly good butterbeans, but I must admit they came from the freezer.

I make my pork stock ad hoc (as in "add a hock to some boiling water"), but I do have a good source for quality smoked hocks and other meats. The cookbook calls for making a stock from an entire pork shoulder, which would be a bit too much trouble for me to store and keep track of. I hate to waste.

I wouldn't argue too hard with you if you told me that you cooked a pork roast just to get some of this mushroom sauce! There's a whole bottle of port that lived in the pot with the pork roast as it roasted 5 hours, with onion and other spices, and it just took the whole meal over the top with flavor once it was done. It made that plain rice come to life, and although the roast was already moist and tender, the sauce made it a thing of beauty.

We ate good. A very satisfying meal.

[annecros]

Presently there is a "Bay Studded Pork" roast (I used a butt) in the oven. It smells so good. Will update later.

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Anticipation building .. can't wait, Anne!

Edna Lewis' Thirteen-Bean Soup is one of the dishes I plan to make exchanging only the ham for kosher smoked turkey ... and those Creamed Scallions will also be a must-try ...

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I love, love, love 13 bean soup! I usually make up some cheese toast to go with, and hubby generally eats three bowls.

Smoked turkey wings are a great source of flavor. I use hocks a lot, because hubby considers them obligatory, but the wings can impart an awful lot of smoke flavor. We especially like them from our home smoked turkeys, and will keep the wings and drumsticks just for this purpose.

Sounds like a great, wholesome, cold weather meal.

[ludja]

A beautiful meal, annecros; my mouth is watering and it is a very nice tribute.

I need an occasion with more people to make this big cake, but I found a link to "Esther's Orange Marmalade Cake" on line that has been on my serious to-bake list. It's from Lewis' and Scott's joint cookbook

Esther's Orange Marmalade Cake (may need free subscription to Atlanta Journal Constitution)

It's a 3 layer buttermilk cake flavored with orange zest and peel. The cake layers are moistened with an orange syrup, filled with orange marmalade and covered with a whipped cream/sour cream frosting.