Traditional Kentucky Recipes from a 1949 Cookbook is a Culinary Winner
by Larry Cox on Mar. 09, 2010, under UncategorizedOut of Kentucky Kitchens by Marion Flexner (University of Kentucky Press, $19.95 softbound)
Kentucky has an international reputation based mainly on three things: fine horses, bourbon whiskey, and incredible food.
Marion Flenner, a Kentucky-based writer, published several books on cooking and was a frequent contributor to such publications as Vogue, Gourmet, and House and Garden before her death in 1992. One of her more popular books, “Out of Kentucky Kitchens,” was originally published in 1949 and updated ten years later. After being out-of-print and almost impossible to find, it has been reissued by the University of Kentucky Press and is a cause for celebration.
What makes “Out of Kentucky Kitchens” such an outstanding cookbook is that it features many regional and heirloom recipes. For example, Josephine Cox’s Batter Bread is a variation of Kentucky Spoon Bread and was given to the author by a friend. Confederate Pie dates back to the War Between the States, Mary Todd’s White Cake was a favorite in Lincoln’s White House, and Chicken Cacciatore, a signature dish at the Ashbourne Inn, a restaurant about an hour’s drive from Louisville.
According to the author in a preface to the 1989 edition, when she first got married in 1922, she could make excellent fudge and a good herb mayonnaise, but little else. She knew what tasted good and she learned by watching some of the most accomplished cooks in her region. The result is a cookbook that is certain to become a favorite with yet another generation.
I tested four recipes from this collection (I just couldn’t stop myself). Fried Green Tomatoes were a perfect side dish with my fried chicken supper. Alabama Chicken Gumbo took a little time and effort but was a good version of the traditional Creole dish. Mary Louise McNair’s Chutney featured onions, mustard, crystallized ginger, chili powder, and peaches and tasted a great deal like the chutney my grandmother made. It reminded me of her Sunday suppers with the family. Let me clear up a small point. In the South where I was raised, dinner was the noonday meal, supper was always the evening spread. The two terms were never reversed.
Since I will try almost any recipe calling for nutmeg, one of my favorite spices, Judge H.H. Tye’s Woodford Pudding seemed a good choice. It was.
Judge H.H. Tye’s Woodford Pudding
One half c softened butter
1 c sugar
3 egg yolks
One and one half c blackberry jam
1 c milk
1 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
One half t nutmeg (I used one full teaspoon)
One fourth tsp cloves
3 egg whites, well beaten
Cream the butter or margarine with the sugar. Add egg yolks and black berry jam. Sift flour with baking powder and spices. Add the milk and the butter mixture alternately to the flour mixture. Fold in the well-beaten egg whites. Pour into greased mold or pyrex dish and bake in a moderate oven (375F) until pudding sets, half an hour to 45 minutes. Serve hot with pudding sauce.
Pudding sauce
One fourth c butter
One half c sugar
1 well beaten egg
One fourth c whiskey, or more to taste
Cream the butter with the sugar. Add the egg. Put into a double boiler and stir until the mixture thickens, BUT DO NOT BOIL. Add the whiskey (or brandy) and serve at once.
