Several weeks ago, I saw the Julie and Julia movie with a group of moms and our college age daughters. We all really enjoyed it and thought the film extremely well done. Meryl Streep did an excellent portrayal of Julia Child, whom I grew up watching on PBS, and Amy Adams was an appealing Julia wanna be/blogger.
The concept for the movie was particularly intriguing. And it got me to thinking about my old cookbooks. Julia Child was into French cuisine and pursued that culinary art, while my collection is more reflective of the melting pot that is America, in particular, the old South. One vintage cookbook that comes to mind is Charleston Receipts, an antiquated volume my mom bought years ago on a family trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Our impoverished family camped at the beach on that particular outing amid one of the worst mosquito infestations and heat waves ever. For my father’s birthday during our stay, we gifted him with a fly swatter, another indication of the plagues with which we were visited.
However, we were highly impressed with historic Charleston–the shining light in our otherwise horrific trip and part of the inspiration behind my historical romance, ENEMY OF THE KING. For more on my work please visit www.bethtrissel.com
Published in 1950 by the (women’s) Junior League, Charleston Receipts is reflective of that time and place and not the least bit politically correct, a recent term. Right or very wrong, History wasn’t enacted with political correctness in mind. It was, what it was.
The Scots’ heritage of many Southerners (including me) is the inspiration behind the inclusion of this recipe for scones. The intro says, “Among the rich and crumbly delights to serve with jams and marmalade are Scones, those our Grandmothers loved to make; not too sweet, not too hearty, but just right as a morsel of goodness to go with the hospitable gesture of a cup of tea and a good gossip.”
Scones:
2 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup cream
4 tabs butter
1 tsp salt
5 tsps sugar
3 tsps baking powder
Sift dry ingredients, rub in the butter with fingertips. Beat eggs, add cream and mix gently with flour mixture. Roll out to one half an inch in thickness; cut in shapes. Brush with white of an egg. Bake 15 minutes in moderate over at 375. Yield 2 dozen.
Contributed by Mrs. Louis Y. Dawson, Jr. (Virginia Walker)
****
