Items related to The Blue Willow Inn Cookbook

The Blue Willow Inn Cookbook - Hardcover

Stern, Jane; Stern, Michael

 
9781558539914: The Blue Willow Inn Cookbook
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 1558539913 ISBN 13: 9781558539914
Publisher: Rutledge Hill Pr, 2001

Synopsis

Chicken and Dumplings, Fried Green Tomatoes, Cornbread, Collard Greens, and Sugared Pecans!

By any measure, the Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle, Georgia is as southern as you can get. Proprietor Billie Van Dyke says that no one is allowed to leave hungry, and certainly no one should after feasting on a variety of Southern salads, meats, vegetables, breads and desserts and, of course, sweet tea, the "Champagne of the South," and lemonade. Housed in a gloriously restored southern mansion, The Blue Willow Inn is home to Southern hospitality and charm at its best.

The Blue Willow Inn Cookbook offers delicious Southern recipes, vintage pictures from the early days of Social Circle, and fascinating anecdotes about the restaurant. It's a book that's wonderful for reading or for cooking.

The greatest restaurants in America are its wonderful independent regional restaurants. And there are no greater experts on America's regional restaurants than Michael and Jane Stern. "Coast to coast," said theNew York Times, "they know where to find the freshest lobster rolls, the fluffiest pancakes, the crispiest catfish."

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Louis and Billie Van Dyke's The Blue Willow Inn COOKBOOK

By Jane Stern, Michael Stern

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2002 Jane and Michael Stern
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-55853-991-4

Contents

Foreword...................................................................ix
Introduction...............................................................xi
DRINKS and BREADS..........................................................1
SANDWICH and SALAD.........................................................23
APPETIZERS.................................................................45
SIDE DISHES................................................................77
MAIN COURSES...............................................................111
DESSERTS...................................................................139
Acknowledgments............................................................199
Index......................................................................201

CHAPTER 1

DRINKSandBREADS


SWEET TEA

Iced tea is Dixie's eau de vie. It excites the palate, slips down the throat, andbrings vigor back to bodies wrung out from the hot sun.

Throughout the Deep South, people drink sweet tea, which means that thereis no need to add any sugar to what is served. It comes already sweetened. It isbest drunk from a tall, wide-mouthed glass with clear, fresh ice cubes or heaps ofcrushed ice. Lots and lots of ice, always lots of ice. And, of course, a big pitcherfor refills, as needed. If you wish, you can be fancy and squeeze a little lemon in itor add a sprig of mint, but really, any addition is gilding the lily. Sweet tea shouldbe perfect just the way it is served—no garnish necessary. One important rule formaking it is to use regular supermarket tea, not fancy gourmet tea. Another ruleis to make it sweeter than you think it should be. Indeed, the motto at the BlueWillow Inn is to serve tea "strong and just a little too sweet."

Many are the hot summer days when we have gulped multiple glasses of thistea, realizing that this and only this is the beverage that God meant parchedsoutherners to drink. It quenches thirst, replenishes verve and vitality, andstimulates your appetite for a nice hot supper.

According to Louis Van Dyke, "Grandmothers and mothers of the Old Southserved sweetened iced tea at every meal. In the Old South, children were neverallowed to drink iced tea until they were twelve years old. They drank milk, water,or lemonade. Soft drinks were never allowed at the dinner table. The Blue WillowInn honors these traditions by serving only sweetened iced tea, lemonade, coffee,water, and—to the unfortunate—unsweetened iced tea. Soft drinks are notavailable.

1 gallon water
4 to 5 family-size tea bags (each one is enough for a quart of tea)
3 cups sugar, at least
Lemon slices, for garnish (optional)
Sprig of mint (optional)


Bring the water to a boil in a 1 ½-gallon saucepan. Turn off the heat, andadd the tea bags. Cover and steep 12 to 15 minutes. For stronger tea, let itsteep longer, up to 20 minutes. Add the sugar while the tea is hot, stirringvigorously until dissolved. Allow to cool; then pour over ice. Garnish asdesired.

MAKES ABOUT 4 QUARTS


Veranda Tea Punch

Sweet tea and lemonade are the traditional beverages to drink before and during aBlue Willow meal; but for special summertime moments on the porch, this equallysugary punch is something completely different.

2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
Juice of 4 oranges
2 cups strong-brewed tea
1 quart Coca-Cola
1 quart soda water
Lemon and orange slices, for garnish


In a large saucepan combine the sugar and water, and boil for 10 minutes to makesugar syrup. Cool. Mix the orange juice with the cooled sugar syrup. Add the hottea. Allow to cool. Just before serving, add the Coca-Cola (or ginger ale, ifpreferred) and soda water. Garnish with lemon and orange slices.

MAKES ABOUT 3 QUARTS: 20 SERVINGS


Angel Biscuits

Leavened with yeast, these biscuits are airier and lighter than the traditionalbiscuit that comes with breakfast. They make a great choice for the breadbasket atsuppertime.

1 package active dry yeast
2 teaspoons warm water (110°F)
4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
½ cup solid vegetable shortening
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda


Preheat the oven to 475°F. Sprinkle the yeast into the warm water in a small cupor bowl. Stir and give the yeast time to get frothy. Sift together the flour, bakingpowder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening. Mix the yeast with the buttermilk,and combine with the flour/shortening mixture. Add the baking soda. Roll thedough out onto a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut with abiscuit cutter (a clean standard-size can works fine). Place each biscuit on a lightlybuttered baking pan, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.

MAKES 15 TO 20 BISCUITS


Banana Nut Bread

This is more like dessert than it is bread to accompany a meal. For afternoon tea,or with morning coffee, it's just right.

½ cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup mashed overripe bananas
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a bread loaf pan. In a small bowl cream theshortening and sugar together. In a separate bowl beat the eggs until light andfluffy. Add the lemon juice and mashed bananas. Blend the eggs with the creamedshortening and sugar. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together, and mixquickly into the banana mixture. Add the nuts, if desired. Pour the mixture intothe prepared loaf pan, and bake for 1-¼ hours, or until a toothpick inserted in themiddle comes out clean.

MAKES 1 LOAF


Blueberry Muffins

Social Circle's Hard Labor Creek Blueberry Farm suggested this recipe to thecooks at the Blue Willow Inn. They're wonderful served warm from the oven,with softened butter to melt inside when you pull one apart.

1 egg
½ cup milk
¼ cup salad oil
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh blueberries, washed and dried,
or
3/4 cup drained, frozen blueberries


Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the egg, milk, oil, flour, sugar, bakingpowder, salt, and blueberries, mixing lightly. Do not overmix. Pour into a dozenlightly greased muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

MAKES 12 MUFFINS


Buttermilk Biscuits

Having grown up in Savannah, the Van Dykes know just how important biscuitsare as part of a big southern-style restaurant meal. They dined often at Mrs. WilkesBoarding House on Jones Street, famous for its bountiful all-you-can eat meals.They always include plenty of buttermilk biscuits, which are essential companionsfor any meat or vegetable dish with juices that need sopping. In the buffet room atthe Blue Willow Inn, biscuits are constantly being replenished.

We watched the Blue Willow cooks make them, and the one thing that impressedus was how little they handle the dough: the less kneading, the fluffier the biscuit.

2 cups self-rising flour
Dash of salt
½ teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons shortening
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup sweet milk
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon melted butter


Preheat the oven to 475°F. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar together into a mixingbowl. Cut in the shortening until the mixture is coarse. Add the buttermilk, sweetmilk, water, and 1 tablespoon butter. Mix lightly until combined, but do notovermix. Pour the mixture out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough two orthree times. (If biscuits are to be used for sandwiches, such as ham biscuits or otherbreakfast sandwiches, knead them a few extra times.) With floured hands, pat outthe dough to approximately ½-inch thickness. Using a floured biscuit cutter orstandard-size can, cut out the biscuits. Do not twist the cutter when doing this;press straight down. (Dough scraps can be rekneaded and cut, but biscuits from thiscutting will be tougher, more suitable for sandwiches.) Place the biscuits on a lightlygreased baking pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove thebiscuits from the oven, and brush them with the melted butter. Serve immediately.

MAKES 10 TO 12 BISCUITS


Buttery Biscuit Rolls

These rolls are another easily freezable breadstuff. If you plan on freezing them,remove them from the oven a few minutes early when they are only pale tan. Coolthem completely, then seal them in plastic bags for freezing. To serve, thaw therolls, then bake them at 350 degrees for a few minutes until golden brown. TheVan Dykes suggest that you can add a tablespoon of dried herbs or two tablespoonsof chopped fresh herbs (such as basil or rosemary) to the batter and give the rolls aflavor twist.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
1 cup sour cream
2 cups self-rising flour


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium lowheat, whisking until completely melted. Add the sour cream and flour, and mixlightly. Spoon the batter into miniature muffin cups (do not grease), filling eachone to the top. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately. (Adding a tablespoon ofdried herbs such as basil, rosemary, or 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped herbs to thebatter makes a tasty addition to your meal.)

[Note: To freeze, remove the rolls from the oven several minutes early. Coolcompletely before freezing. To serve, thaw the rolls, and bake at 350°F for only afew minutes until golden brown.]

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 2 DOZEN


Cornbread Biscuits

Given to the Van Dykes by Mrs. W. D. Partee, this recipe makes biscuits that areideal for crumbling atop a heap of collard greens or into a bowl of pot likker.

2 cups self-rising cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
1 ½ cups buttermilk


Preheat the oven to 475°F. Sift together the cornmeal, baking powder, salt, andbaking soda. Cut in the shortening until the mixture is like meal. Add thebuttermilk, and knead very lightly, only until mixed. Pour out onto a flouredboard, and roll out to about 1/3-inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to cut biscuits.Gently reroll the scraps, and cut more biscuits from them. Place the biscuits onlightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes, until brown and slightlycrunchy on the outside.

MAKES 12 TO 15 BISCUITS


Cornbread or Corn Muffins

There are two warm-bread drawers always filled in the buffet room of the BlueWillow Inn. On the top are biscuits. On the bottom are corn muffins. An essentialelement of almost any southern meal, corn muffins have a starchy sweetness that isan especially good complement to ham, pork chops, or streak o' lean.

All-vegetable shortening
2 cups self-rising cornmeal
½ cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted


Use the shortening to grease 15 cavities of a muffin tin or a baking pan. Preheatthe oven to 350°F. Combine the cornmeal, buttermilk, egg, sugar, and the ¼ cupmelted butter in a mixing bowl. Mix gently with a whisk, but do not beat. Pourinto 12 to 15 cavities of the muffin tin or into the baking pan. Bake 15 to 18minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and brush the muffins orcornbread with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Remove the muffinsfrom the tin, or cut the cornbread into squares and serve hot.

MAKES 12 TO 15 MUFFINS


Lemon-Sauced Gingerbread

It isn't necessary to serve this gingerbread with lemon sauce, but the sauce totallytransforms it—from a sweet bread suitable for an afternoon snack into a blissfullywarm dessert.

¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup molasses
¾ cup melted butter
2 eggs, well beaten
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup boiling water


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan. In amixing bowl combine the brown sugar, molasses, and melted butter. Add theeggs. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, soda, ginger, cinnamon, andcloves. Add to the sugar, molasses, butter, and eggs mixture. Mix well. Add theboiling water and mix thoroughly. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, andbake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes outclean. Cool. If serving with Lemon Sauce (p. 178), serve the gingerbread andlemon sauce slightly warm.

MAKES 8 TO 10 GINGERBREAD SQUARES


Southern Dinner Rolls

Wonderful for freezing and using as needed when unexpected guests arrive.They'll think you've baked for hours. You have saved your "southern hostesshospitality" reputation once again.

1 cup shortening
1 tablespoon salt
½ cup sugar
2 cups boiling water
2 envelopes dry yeast
½ cup warm water
2 eggs, beaten
7 cups flour
Vegetable oil


Combine the shortening, salt, sugar, and boiling water in a medium bowl, andmix well. Let the mixture stand until cool. In a small bowl dissolve the yeast inwarm water, and add to the shortening mixture. Add the eggs, and mix well. Addthe flour 1 cup at a time, and mix well. Grease the top of the dough withvegetable oil, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours to let rise. Preheat the oven to400°F. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut thedough into rounds with a 2-inch round cutter. Brush the top of each round withvegetable oil, then fold the rounds in half to form half-moons. Arrange the rollson a baking sheet so the edges touch. Bake until brown. Serve hot, or let coolcompletely on a wire rack, and then freeze.

MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN ROLLS


Spinach Cornbread

Greens and cornbread go together as well as ham and eggs. This recipe, given tothe Blue Willow Inn by Kitty Jacobs of Guidelines, Georgia, combines them in aluscious loaf that is moist, high-flavored ... and good for you!

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
1 (6-ounce) package Mexican cornbread mix
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup melted margarine
¾ cup cottage cheese
1 cup chopped onions
4 eggs, lightly beaten


Preheat the oven to 400°F. Thaw the spinach well, and squeeze out as muchmoisture as possible. Place the drained spinach in a mixing bowl, and add thecornbread mix, salt, margarine, cheese, onions, and eggs. Mix well, and pour intoa lightly greased, 8-inch-square baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, or until lightlybrowned. Allow to settle for 10 minutes before cutting pieces.

MAKES 16 (2-INCH) SQUARES


Spoon Bread

The name is a bit deceptive, for spoon bread is more like a cornmeal soufflé thanany known piece of breadstuff. Although etiquette demands you eat it with a fork,it gets its name from the fact that it is served from the pan with a large spoon.

4 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cream of tartar


In a mixing bowl beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer at high speed untilthick and light. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk and butter.When hot, stir in the cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. When the batterthickens, remove from the heat, and gradually beat in the egg yolks. Preheat theoven to 375°F. In a medium bowl beat the egg whites with the cream of tartaruntil stiff. Gently fold the batter into the egg whites, and pour into a greased,2-quart baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in thecenter comes out clean. Serve immediately with butter.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS


Sweet Potato Biscuits

Only slightly sweet, these biscuits make a fantastic companion for pork chops orham. They should be served so hot from the oven that when they are split openand buttered, the butter melts right into them. If you have leftovers, use theminstead of ordinary biscuits or bread as the secret ingredient in the best breadstuffing you've ever made!

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
¾ cup buttermilk


Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a large bowl sift together the flour, salt, bakingsoda, and sugar. Cut in the shortening, and add the sweet potatoes. Stir in enoughbuttermilk to make a stiff dough. (You may need up to 1 cup or more.) Toss thedough onto a floured board, and knead lightly. Roll out to ½-inch thickness, andcut with a floured cutter. Bake until golden brown.

MAKES 12 TO 15 BISCUITS


Sweet Potato Bread

This is a simple, moist loaf that begs to be served warm with soft butter meltinginto it.

3 large sweet potatoes
4 tablespoons vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
4 eggs
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons nutmeg
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk


Wash and peel the potatoes. Cover with water, and boil until cooked through.Drain off the water, and mash the potatoes, using a whisk or potato masher.Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the mashed sweet potatoes with the vanilla,flour, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and milk. Mix well. Place in a large loafpan, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

MAKES 1 LOAF


Yeast Rolls

Any worthy southern meal offers a breadbasket with not just one kind of bread.At the Blue Willow Inn, you can always count on corn muffins and buttermilkbiscuits; but for mopping gravy, sometimes a soft yeast roll is essential.

1 cup boiling water
¼ cup shortening
¼ cup butter plus melted butter for brushing tops
1/3 cup sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
3 2/3 cups flour


In a mixing bowl pour the boiling water over the shortening and the ¼ cup butter.When the butter and shortening have melted, stir in the sugar, and cool tolukewarm (about 105°F). Stir in the yeast, and let it dissolve. Stir in the egg andsalt. Sift the flour into the liquid, about ¾ cup at a time, adding enough to make asoft dough. Lightly cover, and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for aboutan hour, until doubled in size. Punch down the dough, and form it into roundrolls, each slightly bigger than a golf ball. Place these rolls on a lightly greasedbaking pan, and allow them to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls for 10 to 12 minutes until lightlybrown. Remove from the oven, and brush with the melted butter. Serveimmediately.

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN ROLLS


(Continues...)
Excerpted from Louis and Billie Van Dyke's The Blue Willow Inn COOKBOOK by Jane Stern, Michael Stern. Copyright © 2002 Jane and Michael Stern. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Rutledge Hill Pr
Publication date
2001
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1558539913
ISBN 13 
9781558539914
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
240