Jeri just sent me a cookbook: "The Taste of Country Cooking" by Edna Lewis. It's one of those that is as much to read from as to cook, she grew up in the Piedmont area of Virginia that was settled by freed slaves.


Country Toast

"We would slice some bread from our homemade loaf, butter it liberally, and place it in the oven. When cooked it would be browned in the areas where there was no butter and the buttered part would be golden and soft. This was the most delicious way of toasting bread. It can be done under the broiler as well, especially if the bread is placed on a hot broiler pan. That will crisp the underside of the bread and the top will be be brown and crisp in spots where there is no butter. The combination of crispy brown and soft buttered bread is simply heavenly."

It reminds me of the baked cheese sandwiches I make sometimes, an adaptation based on the sandwiches formerly served at the Boulder Station buffet here in Las Vegas.

Baked Cheese Sandwiches

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees with a baking sheet in it. Make cheese sandwiches with white bread and American cheese. Brush the outsides of the sandwiches with some oil. Put them on the hot cookie sheet, and bake until brown and crispy, turning once. Don't let them get too dried out.

Here's another recipe from Ms. Lewis. She says that meat these days doesn't have the same flavor as years ago, so all this is necessary to get something good. I recently did the thing with sticking whole cloves into the onion you cook with boiled meats, it really adds flavor.


Virginia Country-Style Beef Consomme

4 pounds bottom round beef
1 knuckle and shinbone (aka 'soup bones' from the butcher)
3 quarts water
2 chicken backs plus necks
1 large onion stuck with 4 cloves
2 carrots, sliced
1 large leek, top removed
1 bunch celery
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
4 peppercorns
1 bouquet parsley and bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon thyme, fresh or dry
1 tablespoon salt

Place the beef and bones in the 3 quarts cold water. Cover and bring to a slow simmer without letting the pot come to a boil. A gray scum will rise to the surface as it starts to heat up, skim it off and discard. Continue to skim until there isn't any more. At this point, add the chicken and vegetables, peppercorns, and herbs. Add the salt about halfway through. Cover loosely and barely simmer for 6 hours. Remove from the burner, strain, and leave to cool. When cold, skim off all the fat. This consomme can be served clear, or used for other soups, onion soup in particular.

After 2 hours of cooking, the celery may be removed and reserved for later. When the consomme has finished cooking, the meat may be removed and served later for supper with the celery, heated in horseradish sauce.

Horseradish Sauce

4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups hot milk
4 tablespoons grated horseradish
1/2 teaspoon salt

Take a quart saucepan, put in the butter, and melt it over a low burner. Add the flour and cook slowly, stirring all the while, until the mixture becomes well blended. Then cook until it just begins to turn slightly brown around the edges of the pan. Pour in the hot milk. Stir well and continue to cook very slowly for 25 to 30 minutes. Strain and add in the grated horseradish and salt. Mix well and serve hot with boiled beef.


Thanks for the cookbooks, Jeri.