The Challenging Art of Arguing with Paul Elliott
Almost two years ago my path of life crossed that of Paul Elliott. Since he is a retired doctor and I am a retired nurse, we have plenty to argue about. To make matters worse, he is the son of an English teacher. I can hold my own though, because I was an English teacher before I became an R. N. Having been raised, excuse me, reared in the piney hill country of south Mississippi--I grew up between Sullivan's Hollow, Soso, and Hot Coffee--I inherited a rich legacy of language, both unique and wonderful.
Before Paul and I ever met in person, I sent him a copy of the first edition of Flavored with Love, Mary Lou's Family and Friends Can Cook. He read it. Then when I saw him, he gently and tactfully explained to me that I should say, "Catch fire," not "Catch on fire." He was referring to a cookbook colloquialism that vexed him.
Here is the excerpt from the second edition of the cookbook with the error still intact. As you read the recipe and comments, you will find my admonition about making meringue that offended this scholarly man:
Myrtle's Caramel Pie
Crust
⅛teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
⅓ cup shortening (The butter-flavored kind adds extra flavor.)
2 or 3 tablespoons cold water (The amount will vary.)
Combine flour and salt. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture with 2 knives. (Myrtle used her hands.) The mixture will be in little balls like peas. Add a small amount of cold water. Mix with a fork until the pieces cling together. Make the pastry into a ball. Throw a clean wet cloth over the bowl and let it rest while you drink a glass of tea. Roll out the mixture to a thin crust. (Myrtle always used a big smooth glass. She put the ball on flour on a board. I have used a rolling pin and rolled the pastry between 2 sheets of waxed paper. More recently I have purchased graham cracker crusts!)
Fit the crust into 9" pie pan. Prick holes all over it with a fork, and flute the edges with your fingers. Bake your masterpiece in a hot oven (425°) for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool before adding the filling.
Filling
2 cups milk
1¼ cups light brown sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
3 eggs separated (Save the whites for the meringue.)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla flavor
Mix together dry ingredients. Beat egg yolks slightly, mix with milk and melted butter.
Then mix with dry ingredients. Cook in double boiler over low heat to desired thickness stirring constantly to keep smooth. Allow the filling to cool while the meringue is being prepared.
Meringue
3 egg whites
6 tablespoons sugar (granulated)
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
Beat eggs until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the meringue stands in stiff peaks. Pour the filling into the crust, pile the meringue on top, and spread the meringue to the edges. Bake in hot oven (425°) until it is delicately brown.
Notes about Myrtle's Pie Making:
Myrtle always enjoyed cooking for the preachers, especially when there was a revival (or protracted meeting as Robert called it) and people had to sign for every night of the week to feed them. She said that as long as the pie tasted good it didn't really matter how it looked. If it looked perfect, the preachers would eat it and talk about something else. If, on the other hand, it fell apart, the preachers would rave about how delicious it tasted so she wouldn't feel bad.
Most of her recipes were in her head. The caramel pie recipe is the only one she ever wrote for me.
Actually Myrtle usually made the filling by caramelizing white sugar and then adding the milk to it. Most of the time she used flour instead of cornstarch.
Mrs. Gregg's egg custard pie was Bobby's all-time favorite food. She would whittle slivers of whole nutmeg to season it.
(Myrtle and Robert were my parents. Bobby was my deceased husband.)
Now you will finally have the opportunity to have your sensibilities offended by my
inappropriate usage of the language:
Don't go write e-mail while you brown the meringue. It could turn black easily or catch on fire.
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