Marion Brown's Southern Cook Book

1. Hors d’Oeuvres

The hors d’oeuvre, now generally accepted as the complement of the cocktail, has within the past several decades acquired new stature and a list of subregional titles such as appetizers, tantalizers, tidbits and so on. Added to the small finger foods in recent years, many substantial dishes are served as the hors d’oeuvre: chafing-dish foods, casseroles, molded mixtures, pâtés, and so on. These substantial items turn many cocktail parties into buffet dinners.

The hors d’oeuvre hour is not entirely a recent innovation in the South. In Colonial Williamsburg and in other Colonial sections, assorted relishes were served with the midday and evening meals—a custom adhered to in many homes and establishments. In the Deep South the hors d’oeuvre is a French inheritance classified as hors d’oeuvres chauds and hors d’oeuvres froids, or hot and cold side-dishes. The hot hors d’oeuvre is a recherché course more often reserved for formal entertaining, and may substitute for an entree. The cold hors d’oeuvre in many Southern sections is served daily and consists of such crisp raw vegetables as celery, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, onions, radishes, and so on.

In this section we are giving some of the light and hearty; the hot and the cold hors d’oeuvres.

DATES IN BACON

About fifty dates

1 1/2 lbs. pasteurized dates, pitted

Halves of pecan nut meats (around 50)

1 lb. thin bacon

Open the dates, and insert in one date a large half of pecan. Take a second date, open it, and form it with the first date to make one large date. Continue until all dates have been used. (Dates vary in shape so it may be necessary to use 3 small dates to make 1 large one. Or, if preferred, 1 date may be stuffed with a broken piece of nut meat.)

Allow bacon to stand at room temperature until slices may be separated without tearing. Spread bacon on cookie sheets with sides; bake the bacon for 8 to 10 minutes in a preheated 325-degree oven. Pour off the fat and drain bacon on absorbent towels. As soon as bacon is cool enough to handle, cut each strip in half crosswise. Wrap each formed date in 1/2 strip of bacon; secure the ends with a toothpick. Arrange the dates on a cookie sheet and place on middle rack of a preheated 400-degree oven. Bake the dates for 10 minutes, or until bacon is crisp. Serve warm.

These may be made ahead of serving time and frozen or refrigerated. Before baking, however, be sure dates are thoroughly thawed and are at room temperature. The dates may be made with bacon that has not been precooked, but they are not as greasy if bacon has been precooked.

Alfred G. Lea, St. Petersburg, Fla.

PRUNE RELLENAS (Stuffed Fried Prunes)

Dried prunes, soaked in water, pitted

Ground cooked ham

Vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

Fine bread crumbs

Soak the dried prunes in cold water for at least 1 hour. Remove and dry well. Slit the prunes and remove the pits. Fill the cavities with small balls of ground ham. In a deep fryer with basket, heat vegetable oil (or any frying oil) until the oil is hot enough to fry a small piece of bread brown (375 degrees). Dip the prunes in the beaten egg, then roll them in the bread crumbs. Fry until the coating is golden brown. Remove and drain on paper. Serve hot.

Mr. and Mrs. Kent Belmore, Hickory, N.C.

BARBECUE OYSTERS

Serves ten to twelve

The secret of this dish is to try to keep the oysters from being too soupy.

1 qt. large select oysters

1 cup Sauce Concentrate (see recipe below)

Crackers and toothpicks

Put the oysters in a saucepan over medium heat; heat just long enough to liquify the juice. Do not overcook. Drain oysters through a colander; discard juice. Return oysters to saucepan; carefully stir in the Sauce Concentrate. Just before serving time, reheat oysters to about boiling point, but do not boil. To serve, pour the mixture into a chafing dish and keep heated while guests help themselves.

Sauce Concentrate

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup tomato catchup

1/3 cup vinegar

2 teaspoons powdered (dry) mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Blend all together by beating vigorously. Pour over the oysters and stir carefully. Makes 1 cup.

Mrs. W. Clary Holt, Burlington, N.C.

BROILED OYSTERS COLLEGE INN

Twenty-four

Salt and pepper 24 select oysters (large); dredge in flour. Broil on lightly buttered griddle on top of stove until crisp and browned on both sides. Dress with the following sauce:

3 tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons A-l steak sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 jigger sherry or Madeira wine

Have sauce hot before dressing freshly broiled oysters.

Ernest Coker, Owner, Ye Old College Inn, Houston, Tex.

PICKLED OYSTERS

One-half gallon

Pickled oysters is an early Southern dish, the ripe oyster often having been served as a salad. This is an old recipe of Mrs. J. D. Murray, Acton, Maryland.

1/2 gal. raw oysters

1 cup vinegar

Pinch allspice

Pinch powdered cloves

Pinch stick mace, yellow

Red pepper, salt

Remove oysters from own liquor; wash oysters and put back on stove in liquor. Add vinegar, spices, etc.; let simmer until the gills just turn (curl). Take out oysters and let liquid come to a scald and pour over the oysters and set to cool. Cover them up to keep them in strength. (They may be placed in covered jar and refrigerated.) Serve on crackers or dunk in any good red sauce.

Contributed by Mrs. J. P. McComas, from St. Anne’s Parish Recipe Book, Annapolis, Md.

MRS. POWELL’S COCKTAIL CLAM FRITTERS

About forty

Mrs. Robert J. Powell is known for specialties such as these little fritters, which she piles high on a serving platter and passes at cocktail parties.

2 cups finely ground raw clams, drained, save juice

2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pepper, use generously

Milk or water

2 eggs, beaten

Minced green pepper to taste

Mix flour with dry ingredients; add enough milk or water to clam juice to make 1 cup liquid; mix liquid into flour. Add beaten eggs, clams, and minced green pepper. The batter should be thin like pancake batter. Fry on a hot griddle or in heavy frying pan in shallow hot lard. Fritters should be about the size of a silver dollar. Serve at once.

Mrs. Robert J. Powell, Fayetteville, N.C.

ROSEMARY BOLLES’S LOBSTER CELERY

Twelve stalks

This delicious hors d oeuvre is lobster meat with cheese or mayonnaise or both. Blend the following and stuff celery stalks.

1/2 lb. lobster meat, flaked

1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese

Mayonnaise or cream to make thick mixture

Salt, cayenne pepper to taste

Mrs. Chadborne Bolles, Charlotte, N.C.

LITTLE CRAB CAKES

About twelve to fourteen

1 lb. fresh crab meat (or canned, or frozen, drained)

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper (fresh ground)

2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs, finely crumbled

Butter for frying

Flake the crab meat and pick over for bones. Place crab meat in a bowl, and beat the eggs into the meat. Add the salt and pepper, and mix in the bread crumbs. Heat about 1/4 inch butter in a skillet. When butter is bubbling hot, spoon in the crab meat mixture, using a teaspoon of mixture for cocktail-size cakes, or a larger amount if regular cakes are to be made. Fry until golden brown on one side; turn and brown other side. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve hot with any seafood sauce. Spear the little cakes with toothpicks; arrange them around a bowl of sauce if cakes are to be served as an hors d’oeuvre.

Mrs. Calvin Smith, Burlington, N.C.

GARLIC SUGGESTIONS

Rub cocktail toothpicks with clove of peeled garlic; stick the picks into shrimp, sausages, other cocktail bites A subtle flavor penetrates the food. Or, to give a garlic flavor, stick a clove of garlic on a toothpick and swish around in cheese mixtures or sauces. Or place a peeled clove of garlic in a tin container of potato chips; close the lid, and let stand several hours. Chips will have garlic flavor. Garlic clove added to hot melted butter gives seasoning when poured over popped corn.

ANNIE LEIGH’S CRAB MEAT IN CHOUX PASTE PUFFS

Thirty small puffs

This delightful little cream puff filled with crab meat is served by Mrs. Harden as an hors d’oeuvre or on a party plate.

1 lb. crab meat

2 teaspoons fresh horseradish

1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup grated hard-boiled egg

30 little cream puffs (See Choux Paste recipe, p. 320)

Mix the ingredients well and heap into the hollowed-out cream puff shells. Garnish with grated egg or chopped parsley.

Mrs. Robert Harden, Burlington, N.C.

SHRIMP ERNIE

Serves eight

Ye Old College Inn, Houston, Texas, has been famous for its fine Southern cuisine since its establishment in 1920. Under Mr. Coker’s direction since 1945, the Inn has received many honors. Selected several years ago by Duncan Hines in a Saturday Evening Post article as among the fifty-four best eating establishments in the United States, it was the first Texas restaurant to receive the noted connoisseur’s rating. Mr. Coker, originator of the Inn’s best dishes, gives here two of his celebrated sea food recipes. Shrimp Ernie, named for the owner, is served as an hors d’oeuvre or an entrée.

Prepare two lbs. raw shrimp as for frying; marinate overnight in refrigerator in the following sauce:

2 cups salad oil

1 level tablespoon salt

4 tablespoons catchup

1 teaspoon paprika

1 small garlic clove, chopped fine

Put shrimp on sides in shallow pan. Pour over some of the sauce; do not let sauce cover them. Broil at 350 degrees under flame until lightly browned on both sides, allowing 7 to 8 minutes to each side.

Ernest Coker, Owner, Ye Old College Inn, Houston, Tex.

CURLY’S BOILED SHRIMP

About 3 lbs. cooked shrimp

This recipe is a specialty of Mr. Sanders, and one he originated after years of experimenting. This is the first time anyone has been fortunate enough to persuade him to put it on paper.

5 lbs. raw shrimp

3 qts. cold water

1/2 cup salt

3 teaspoons black pepper

20 whole allspice

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

6 bay leaves

Celery tops: 1 bunch celery cut to first joint, rinsed

Juice of 1 lemon (squeeze lemon until no juice left), and the rind, cut up

1 pod of garlic (use all the cloves in one pod), peeled

3 medium onions, peeled, sliced

Rinse the shrimp; drain. Combine all other ingredients in a large kettle. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Put in the shrimp; cover the kettle, and boil slowly for 10 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp and the toughness. Test after 10 minutes to see if tender. When shrimp are done, run cold water into the shrimp until they sink to the bottom. Allow them to remain 3 to 5 minutes. Drain; spread the shrimp out to cool thoroughly. Peel shrimp and devein them. Serve with a sauce, with mayonnaise, or in any manner desired. They may be placed in plastic and frozen. Thaw thoroughly.

Emerson T. (Curly) Sanders, Burlington, N.C.

SHRIMP PICK-UPS

This is a miniature turnover pie; a delicious finger-food for a cocktail party—or any party.

Cleaned, cooked shrimp, whole or broken

Pie crust (homemade or pie crust mix)

Shrimp cocktail sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the shrimp (or use frozen or canned shrimp, cooked). Make a pie crust dough. Roll out thin on a floured board. Cut the crust with a cutter about the size of a doughnut cutter. Place 1 to 2 shrimp (according to size) on one side of the cut out dough. Place a teaspoon or more of cocktail sauce on the shrimp. Fold the dough over the shrimp and crimp the edges to seal. Place the pies on a baking sheet and bake until brown on top. Turn and brown the other side. Total baking time is about 20 minutes. These may be kept in a warm oven, and served as needed.

If fresh shrimp are used, the unbaked pies may be frozen and then defrosted and baked as needed.

E. Z. Jones, WBBB Radio, Burlington, N.C.

MUZZIE’S GARLIC SHRIMP

Twenty to thirty shrimp

1 lb. cooked, shelled shrimp

2 garlic cloves, mashed

1 cup chili sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 dashes Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Thin bacon strips, cut in sections

Toothpicks

Dry the shrimp well with absorbent paper. In a bowl, mash the garlic cloves to a pulp. Add the sauces and lemon juice. Blend well. Dip each shrimp in the sauce mixture, being sure to coat well. Wrap each shrimp in a section of the bacon and secure the bacon with toothpicks. Fry the shrimp in a 350-degree heated skillet, turning them so the bacon will be brown on each side. Serve in a heated serving dish.

Mrs. A. F. Soutar, St. Petersburg Beach, Fla.

NOTE: These are best fried in an electric fry-pan.

SHRIMP BOWLS (Hors d’Oeuvres Froids)

The shrimp bowl, the piéce de resistance of the modern cocktail party, is a satisfying dish and needs but a few rounds of toast, crackers, or chips as accompaniment. The shrimp may be piled in a hollowed-out block of ice, a salad bowl, a cabbage head; stuck on toothpicks and arranged piggy back on an hors d’oeuvre pig, arranged on a platter, or marinated in sauce and served from a chafing bowl. Here the imagination has full swing—the shrimp and sauce are the requisites; the serving manner is incidental.

SHRIMP IN BEER

Boil shrimp in beer to bring out a flavor similar to lobster. Use 1 lb. shrimp (not peeled), enough beer to cover. Heat beer to boiling point. Drop in shrimp; boil 10 to 15 minutes, according to size of shrimp. Let cool in beer. May be served hot or cold.

Mrs. Robert W. Messer, Burlington, N.C.

SHRIMP ARNAUD

One of the most famous shrimp bowls is Shrimp Arnaud, originated by the late Count Arnaud Cazenave, founder of Arnaud’s Restaurant. The following recipe was given me by Germaine Wells, daughter of Count Cazenave. I am giving this in the original form, which does not specify proportions. One pound of shrimp will make about 4 servings.

Chop green onions, parsley, and celery very fine. Add Creole mustard, paprika, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well; pour over boiled shrimp.

Mrs. Germaine Wells, Arnaud’s Restaurant, New Orleans, La.

SHRIMP BOWL A LA TEXAS

Serves eight to ten

Mrs. Robert Nutt, whose husband is a memory expert, has a keen memory of this shrimp bowl from Texas. The basis is shrimp and onion rings marinated in a special French dressing. Serve from large salad bowl.

2 lbs. cooked peeled shrimp

2 Bermuda onions, sliced thin and divided into rings

French dressing

Arrange shrimp and onion rings alternately in salad bowl. Pour over the following dressing, and allow all to marinate in the refrigerator 24 hours.

French Dressing

1 cup olive oil

2 cups vinegar

1/2 bottle Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon French’s mustard

2 cloves garlic

2 small onions cut in small pieces

1 teaspoon paprika

Salt, pepper to taste

Mix well; let stand until flavors are blended; strain before pouring over shrimp.

Mrs. Robert Nutt, Greensboro, N.C.

ISABEL TORREY’S SHRIMP LOUISIANA

Serves four

Isabel Torrey, of Oak Grove, Madison Heights, near Lynchburg, serves this shrimp at cocktail parties as an hors d’oeuvre from a bowl, on crackers, or as a salad on lettuce leaves.

1 lb. cooked shrimp

About 20 bay leaves

1/2 cup vinegar

1 teaspoon paprika

Dash cayenne pepper

2 medium sized onions, sliced

2 cups salad oil

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

Clean shrimp; remove the black vein. Rinse in cold water, and drain. Heat vinegar in a saucepan with about 10 of the bay leaves, but do not allow to boil. Remove bay leaves, and set vinegar aside to cool. In a quart-size stone crock or jar, place a layer of shrimp, a layer of onion, a few bay leaves, and so on until all shrimp have been used. Make a dressing, using the spiced vinegar, salad oil, Worcestershire, paprika, salt, and cayenne. Pour over shrimp and let stand in refrigerator 24 hours.

Mrs. Thomas T. Torrey, Madison Heights, Va.

SHRIMP MOLD

Serves eight

This may be served as an hors d’oeuvre or as a salad.

1 tablespoon plain gelatin

1/4 cup water

Juice of 1 lemon

2 pimientos (canned) chopped fine

1 small onion, grated fine

1 2-oz. bottle stuffed green olives, chopped fine

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups cooked, deveined shrimp, broken fine

1 cup minced celery

2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

Black pepper to taste, use generously

1 cup mayonnaise

Soften the gelatin in the water; stir the lemon juice into the gelatin. Heat and dissolve gelatin mixture over hot water. Mix the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the gelatin and mix well. Pour into a 1-quart mold (melon mold is pretty), or individual molds for a salad. Chill until firm. Be sure all ingredients are chopped very fine to insure easy slicing. Unmold and garnish platter as desired. Furnish crackers and knives so guests may serve themselves. A bowl of mayonnaise may accompany the shrimp mold.

Mrs. Staley P. Gordon, Burlington, N.C.

SHRIMP CANAPE A LA IRMA

About three dozen

Germaine Wells inherited Arnaud’s Restaurant in 1948 from her father, Count Arnaud Cazenave. Mrs. Wells has continued to preserve the famous recipes of the establishment and has originated many dishes in the true Arnaud tradition. Canapé Irma is named for her mother.

1 lb. shrimp, boiled

1/2 bunch shallots, minced

Small clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

Fish broth

2 tablespoons claret

2 egg yolks, beaten

Toast cut in desired forms

2 hard-boiled eggs

Parsley

Bread crumbs

Grated cheese

Mince shallots with garlic and fry in butter until browned. Add 2 tablespoons flour to make a roux. Add enough fish broth to make a thick sauce. Slice shrimp fine; add to sauce. Cook about 20 minutes. Slowly add wine mixed with beaten egg yolks to tighten dressing. Season to taste. Spread on toast forms; border with hard-boiled eggs and parsley, minced fine. Top with bread crumbs and cheese and bake in moderate (350-degree) oven until golden brown. [See To Make a Roux, p. 430.]

Mrs. Germaine Wells, Arnaud’s Restaurant, New Orleans, La.

SHRIMP COCKTAIL FRITTERS

Eighteen to twenty

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled, minced

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

2 eggs, beaten

Milk

1 small onion, minced

1 tablespoon parsley, minced

Dash Tabasco sauce

Sift together the dry ingredients; add eggs and enough milk to make a thick batter; add onion, parsley, Tabasco, and shrimp. Beat well; drop by teaspoon into deep hot lard (375 degrees). Brown until golden. Serve hot.

Mrs. Everette Rogers, Greenville, Miss.

AVOCADO MADEIRA

Serves six

This is an excellent first course for a sea food dinner.

3 ripe avocados, halved ( 1/2 for each serving)

2 cups seedless green grapes, fresh or canned

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg (optional)

Chilled Madeira

Just before serving, slice the avocados. Wash and dry fresh grapes; drain canned ones. Roll the grapes in a mixture of sugar and nutmeg. Have everything cold. Half fill the avocado halves with the grapes. Pass the wine decanter and let each guest fill his avocado.

Mrs. Ray Taylor, Greensboro, N.C.

AVOCADO AND CHEESE CANAPE

Two dozen

1 ripe avocado

2 3-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, or 1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese and 3 ozs. of Roquefort cheese

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon onion juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt to taste

Sieve the peeled, stoned avocado. Mash the cream cheese (or cheeses) and mix with the avocado; add remaining ingredients; cream to a smooth paste. Serve at once on rounds of bread, crackers, or potato chips.

Mrs. John M. McCoy, from The Junior League of Dallas Cook Book, Dallas, Tex.

BENEDICTINE SANDWICH (Canape)

Two dozen small

This little party sandwich, or canapé, was originated by the late Miss Jennie Benedict, leading caterer of Louisville, Kentucky, for thirty-two years. When she died she left her treasured recipes as a guide for Louisville cooks. Cissy Gregg, Home Consultant for the Courier-Journal, says of her, Miss Benedict’s fame extended far beyond the borders of Louisville and Kentucky—her recipes have become synonymous with Kentucky and Kentucky cooking. Through the courtesy of Mrs. Gregg and others, a few of Miss Benedict’s best recipes have been contributed.

Cream cheese

Onion and chopped cucumber to taste

Homemade mayonnaise to moisten

Salt to taste

Green food coloring

Mix thoroughly and spread on open-face bread or between thin slices of bread. These may be garnished or served plain.

Contributed by Mrs. Harris W. Rankin, Paducah, Ky.

GINGER-CHEESE PINWHEELS

Twenty-four

1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese

2 tablespoons ground crystallized ginger

Cream to make paste

Loaf bread

Softened butter

Make a smooth paste of cheese, ginger, and cream. Slice day-old bread thin, lengthwise. Spread bread with thin coating of softened butter, then with cheese mixture; roll in long slender roll; wrap in damp cloth to chill. Cut in thin sections like jelly roll. This mixture may also be spread on open-face or deck sandwiches.

Mrs. Paul Huddles ton, Bowling Green, Ky.

MRS. REID’S MUSHROOM SANDWICH

Eighteen

A rolled mushroom sandwich sounds easy, but until Mrs. Reid consented to part with her recipe the right consistency and flavor were to many a coveted secret.

1/2 cup sweet milk

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Few grains black pepper

1 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Thinly-sliced fresh bread

1/4 cup creamed butter

Make a thick white sauce of the first 6 ingredients, using your preferred method. Clean mushrooms; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and lemon juice; sauté in butter until tender. Add mushrooms to white sauce. Allow mixture to cool until ready to spread. Spread slices of bread with mixture and roll sandwiches. When ready to serve, toast until bread is slightly browned. Garnish with a sprig of parsley in end of each roll. (Each sandwich may be tied with twine or held together with toothpick until ready to toast. A damp cloth spread over sandwiches helps to keep them from unrolling.)

Mrs. R. M. Reid, Burlington, N.C.

MUSHROOMS CARBEREAN (with Caviar)

Mrs. Hendricks, the owner of Normandy Farm (on the Great Falls Road), Maryland, and Water Gate Inn, Washington, D.C., has created numbers of wonderful dishes. Mushrooms Carberean is an original Normandy Farm creation given me by Flora G. Orr, publicity associate.

Remove stems from large cap mushrooms so that nice cap depressions will be available. Broil mushrooms, putting a bit of sherry and butter in each cap. When mushrooms are tender, remove from broiler. Allow to cool; then fill each with fine caviar.

Mushrooms Carberean are suitable for serving on toast points with lemon slices as a first course, for hors d’oeuvres on toothpicks, or for making unusual canapés.

Marjory Hendricks, Owner, Normandy Farm, Rt. 189, Rockville, Md.

CAVIAR CANAPE

About two dozen

3/4 cup caviar

1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese

1 teaspoon onion juice

1 teaspoon lime juice

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Few grains cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon minced parsley

Mayonnaise to soften

Prepare canapés from thinly sliced bread. Mix cream cheese with cream and soften to desired consistency with mayonnaise. Add cayenne pepper and spread thinly on canapes. Mix onion and lime juice with caviar. In the center of each canapé place a small biscuit cutter or open mold. Into each mold pour 1 teaspoon of caviar. Remove mold. Flute edges with cream cheese mixture, using pastry tube or knife. Sprinkle parsley over cream cheese fluting. Serve at once.

Mrs. Lynwood Fowkes, Rockingham, N.C.

GORDITAS DE TORTILLA (South-of-the-Border Cheese Balls)

About thirty

These little Mexican fritters, with cheese and chili added, are favorite Texas cocktail party appetizers. The basis is the tortilla, a corn cake made of coarse Mexican meal not available in many sections of the South.

12 tortillas, canned or frozen

1 cup milk

3 ozs. American cheese, grated

1 mashed red chile ancho

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Soak tortillas in milk and mash with half the cheese and the red chili. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and form into little fat cakes. Fry until crisp in deep hot fat (375 degrees). Sprinkle rest of the grated cheese on top. Serve very hot.

Mrs. H. G. De Partearroyo, from La Cocina

Mexicana, by Sally Ann, Food Editor,

El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Tex.

NOCHES TORRIDO (Torrid Nights)

These are grand with beer!

Tortillas, canned or frozen

Vegetable oil and shortening

Chile Torridos (canned), or any hot chili peppers, cut into strips or wedges

Sharp cheese

Cut the tortillas into bite-sized pie wedges. In a skillet heat about 1/3 inch of vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon of butter or Crisco. Fry the wedges quickly for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until they just begin to brown. Remove the tortillas to absorbent towels to drain. Place the tortilla wedges on a flat baking sheet. On each wedge lay several strips of the peppers (the more peppers the hotter the Noche). Place a thin slice of cheese over the peppers. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Serve hot. These may be made hours before baking.

Alfred G. Lea, St. Petersburg, Fla.

HAM FRITTERS

Twenty-five to thirty small fritters

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups ground cooked ham, boiled or baked

2/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon Angostura bitters

Fat for deep frying

Sauce

Drain the pineapple. Grind ham and measure.

In a mixing bowl sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the milk, eggs, and bitters; beat until mixture is smooth. Fold in the pineapple and ham. Let chill in refrigerator for about one hour. Heat fat in deep fryer to 350 degrees. Drop the ham mixture by teaspoons (a few at a time) into the fat. Fry until fritters are golden brown.

To serve as an hors d’oeuvre, arrange fritters around a bowl of any sauce (mustard, chili, curry, etc.).

Mrs. Robert E. Woo ten, Burlington, N.C.

HAM ROLLS

Wrap slices of paper-thin boiled ham around 1 tablespoon of apricot preserves or tart conserve. Serve cold.

Mrs. E. H. Foley, Burlington, N.C.

HAM-CHEESE ROLLS

Thin slices boiled ham

Guava jelly

1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese

1/2 cup finely ground pecans

Cream to moisten

Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

Spread the ham slices with the jelly. Combine cream cheese and pecans. Add cream to moisten; season to taste. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the ham slices and roll up.

Mrs. E. H. Foley, Burlington, N.C.

CREOLE MEAT BALLS

About one hundred

2 lbs. choice beef round, ground

1/2 lb. pork shoulder, ground

1 cup soft bread crumbs

1 medium onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 green bell pepper, minced

1 egg, well beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons tomato catchup

Extra ground black pepper

Fresh parsley, minced fine, optional

Oil or shortening for frying

Meat Sauce

Have the meats ground together 3 times. In a mixing bowl combine the meat and the next 8 ingredients; mix well. Roll into little balls about the size of a hickory nut. Sprinkle black pepper on waxed paper and roll the balls in pepper. Then roll them in minced parsley if desired. (These meat balls may be wrapped in plastic and frozen and cooked later, or fried and frozen.)

Heat about 1/4 inch fat in a heavy skillet. Fry a few meat balls at a time over medium heat. Turn them so all sides will brown. Cook for about 10 minutes. Remove to absorbent paper to drain; continue frying until as many as needed are fried. To serve, pile in a chafing dish and pour over any desired meat sauce (see Sauces). Keep hot. Furnish guests with toothpicks for spearing out the meat balls. Serve with rounds of bread.

NOTE: These meat balls may be added to spaghetti sauce and served over spaghetti.

FRANKS IN BOURBON SAUCE

Serves twenty

1 1/2 cups good bourbon whiskey

1 1/2 cups tomato catchup

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 lbs frankfurters, cut into bite-size sections

Crackers or toast rounds

In a saucepan mix the bourbon, catchup, and brown sugar. Bring to near boiling point, but do not boil. Add the frankfurters and stir. Serve in a chafing dish, or in a dish with heat under it to keep the mixture hot.

This is better if it is made the day before and franks are allowed to stand in the sauce overnight. Reheat before serving. Serve with crackers or toast rounds.

Mrs. Dana T. Moore, Omar, W. Va.

CHILIS RELLENOS (Deep Fried Chilis)

Serves six

1 doz. canned green chilis (peppers), roasted

Sharp Cheddar cheese (grated or cut into wedges)

Flour

1 egg, beaten

1/8 teaspoon salt

Heated oil or shortening (Crisco)

Roast the chilis in a hot oven until the skin is tender. Remove skin; rinse in cold water. Remove the seeds and stems. (Split the chilis carefully). Insert in each chili a small ball of grated cheese or a cheese wedge. Roll chilis lightly in flour; dip into the beaten egg mixed with the salt. Have about 2 inches of oil or shortening smoking hot. Fry the chilis until they are browned, turning them with a spatula so they will brown on all sides. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve with a tomato sauce.

Sauce

2 tablespoons oil (olive or any vegetable oil)

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon each chili powder and oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 dashes Tabasco sauce

2 cups peeled, diced tomatoes

1 cup beef consommé

Heat the oil in heavy skillet; fry in it the onion and garlic until slightly browned. Stir in flour and seasonings. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Simmer the sauce until the tomatoes are tender and sauce has thickened to desired consistency. Reseason to taste.

Candalaria Cornish, from How We Cook in El Paso, El Paso, Tex.

DIP-SPREAD MIXTURES

The dip-spread mixtures are numerous; the same concoction often doubles for spreading sandwiches and dunking bouchées (bites) such as shrimp, cocktail sausages, oysters, celery, potato chips, etc. Here again the recipes are flexible; favorite seasonings may be added or substituted without serious injury to the original recipes.

PRAIRIE FIRE

Serves eight to ten

The recipes of Adalyn Lindley, manager of the Neiman-Marcus Tea Room, are a treasure-trove to the fortunate.

1 no. 2 can Ranch-Style Beans (put through sieve)

1/2 lb. butter

1/3 lb. grated sharp cheese

2 jalanpini peppers; a little of the juice

1 medium onion, grated fine

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

Heat all in double boiler until cheese is melted. Serve in a chafing dish to keep warm. Serve with crackers or as a dip for corn chips, potato chips, etc.

Adalyn Lindley, Manager, Neiman-Marcus Tea Room, Dallas, Tex.

HOT CLAM DIP

One and one-fourth cups

1 6 1/2 -oz. can minced clams

2 tablespoons minced onions

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon catchup

2 to 3 dashes Tabasco sauce

1 cup sharp cheese, grated

2 tablespoons chopped ripe olives

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 egg, beaten (the egg keeps the cheese from separating in the dip)

Drain the clams, reserving 1 tablespoon of the liquid. In a skillet, fry the onions in the butter until tender but not brown. Add the clams and reserved clam juice. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat until the cheese is melted and mixture is hot. Pour into a chafing dish so the dip may be kept hot.

Mrs. Albert A. Stoddard, Burlington, N.C.

GUACAMOLE (Avocado Dip)

Serves eight

Guacamole, a Mexican dish of mashed avocado with added condiments, is popular in the South as a cocktail sandwich spread or dip for shrimp, sausages, crackers, potato chips, etc. Sally Ann, Food Editor for El Paso’s Herald-Post, lists a basic guacamole with the notation that the most famous salad of the country is the inimitable guacamole. This basic recipe is adapted to conform to dipping or spreading, but it may also serve as a salad.

1 cut clove garlic

2 ripe avocados (aguacates)

1 small onion, minced

1 small ripe tomato, minced

Few canned green chilis, minced

Juice 1 lemon

Mayonnaise

Rub a salad bowl with garlic. Peel and slice ripe avocados (aguacates) and mash them to a pulp with fork, removing any fibre. Add onion, tomato, green chilis, lemon juice. Mix with enough mayonnaise to make creamy. As a salad serve on lettuce leaves with crisp tostados—pieces of deep-fried tortillas.

This dish may be varied by the addition of chili Colorado (red chili sauce) to give color and added flavor. [For Chili Colorado see p. 451.]

Adapted from recipe by Mrs. Oren C. Wingfield, Santa Rita, N.M., from La Cocina Mexicana, by "Sally Ann," El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Tex.

BEER CHEESE

Two pounds

Marion Flexner, of Louisville, Kentucky, author of Out of Kentucky Kitchens, Dixie Dishes, and many magazine articles on cookery, has graciously permitted us to use recipes from her books. Of this beer cheese she says in part, In the days when free lunches were served in Kentucky saloons with every 5-cent glass of beer, we were told of a wonderful Beer Cheese that decked every bar. Finally we found someone who had eaten it and who told us vaguely how to prepare it. So Dorothy Clark and I experimented until we had what proved to be a very tangy sandwich spread. It will keep for weeks in a covered jar in the icebox. . . . It makes wonderful sautéed sandwiches, or it can be dumped into a double boiler and allowed to melt, when it makes a perfect understudy for Welsh Rabbit. Mrs. Flexner usually puts the cheese jar on a tray and surrounds it with toasted crackers.

1 lb. aged Cheddar cheese (sharp)

1 lb. American or rat cheese (bland)

2 or 3 cloves garlic (to taste)

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

1 teaspoon powdered mustard

Dash Tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper

3/4 of a 12-oz. bottle of beer (about 1 cup more or less)

Grind the cheese (do not use processed cheese) with garlic cloves. Mix with this: Worcestershire sauce, salt, mustard, and Tabasco or cayenne. Put in a bowl in an electric mixer and slowly add enough beer to make a paste smooth enough to spread. Store in covered jars and keep in icebox until needed.

From Out of Kentucky Kitchens, by Marion Flexner, Louisville, Ky.

MRS. MESSER’S GARLIC CHEESE

One and a half pounds

1 lb. American cheese (sharp)

3 3-oz. pkgs. cream cheese

3 garlic cloves, ground

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

Dash salt and cayenne pepper

Blend all ingredients thoroughly (grind together American cheese and garlic; mash in the cream cheese). Divide mixture into about 6 pieces and form each into a small roll about 3/4 inch in diameter. Wrap rolls separately and store in refrigerator several days. Slice thin and serve on crisp crackers.

Mrs. Robert W. Messer, Burlington, N.C.

SAUSAGE-CHEESE BALLS

One hundred balls

1 lb. lean sausage

10 ozs. grated sharp Cheddar cheese

3 1/2 cups Bisquick mix

Break up sausage into small pieces; allow to stand at room temperature until softened. Mix in the cheese and Bisquick with your hands. Thoroughly blend the mixture until it can be formed into a large ball. Pinch off small pieces and roll between palms to form balls about the size of a large marble. Place on a baking sheet (do not let the sausage balls touch each other), and bake in a preheated 325- to 350-degree oven for around 20 minutes, or until balls are puffed and golden brown. They should be baked on a rack one notch below the middle of the oven. Serve; at once with a chili or mustard sauce.

Mrs. Mary W. Umstead, Durham, N.C.

CHEESE-OLIVE PUFFS

Sixty puffs

2 cups grated natural sharp American cheese

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon paprika

60 stuffed olives

In a mixing bowl blend the cheese, butter, and dry ingredients to make a stiff dough. Blending with the hand is the best method. Drain the olives until they are as dry as possible. Pinch off a small amount of dough and flatten in the palm of hand; wrap the dough around an olive so that the olive is well sealed. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze. (Freezing keeps the juice from softening the dough.) Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 15 minutes. Do not thaw before baking.

Mrs. Benjamin T. Wade, Jr., Burlington, N.C.

BRANDIED GORGONZOLA CHEESE

One and one-fourth pounds

1 lb. ripe Gorgonzola cheese

1/4 lb. cream cheese

3 ozs. good brandy

Crushed nuts, optional

Soften both Gorgonzola and cream cheese. Crush and mix together with a fork. Add the brandy and blend well. Make into a ball or a roll and place in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve on crackers as an hors d’oeuvre, or as an accompaniment to fruits for an after-dinner course. Crushed nuts may be added if desired.

Mrs. Clarence Salzer, Cincinnati, Ohio

COCKTAIL PRESSED CHICKEN

Two to two and one-half quarts

1 large hen (6 to 7 lbs.), or 2 small ones

Juice of 6 lemons

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons celery seed

2 pkgs. plain gelatin (2 tablespoons)

4 cups chicken broth, all fat skimmed off

12 hard-cooked eggs, ground

Pyrex loaf pans or molds

Boil the hen until the meat falls from the bones. Remove the chicken, reserve the broth. Chill and skim the broth of all fat. Remove all skin and bones from the chicken; grind the meat in a meat grinder (medium blade). Place meat in a large bowl and pour the lemon juice over. Marinate for 1 hour. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and celery seed. The more pepper the better the flavor. Soften the gelatin in 1/2 cup chicken broth. Heat 3 1/2 cups of broth and stir in the softened gelatin; stir until dissolved.

Grind the hard-cooked eggs, and season with salt, pepper, and celery seed to taste.

Use a 2- to 2 1/2-quart mold (loaf pyrex dish) or use two 1 1/2 quart loaf dishes or molds. In the large mold place 1/2 of the ground chicken; then make a layer of the eggs. Spread the remaining chicken over the eggs. Press down with the hands to pack the dish firmly. Gently pour the broth-gelatin mixture over, adding it slowly so the gelatin can seep through the layers.

Chill at least 12 hours. Unmold (garnish platter as desired) on a serving platter. Serve with mayonnaise and crackers on the side. Furnish knives for guests to slice the mold and serve themselves. This may be used as a salad or main course dish.

Mrs. Josephine Hill Carrigan, Burlington, N.C.

CHICKEN PATE AMANDINE, NEIMAN-MARCUS

Serves six

1 can minced chicken 3 1/2 to 4 ounces)

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1 tablespoon dry sherry

Salted walnuts or almonds, coarsely chopped

Blend the chicken with the butter; blend in the wine. Put into a small earthenware crock. Sprinkle the top with the nuts.

Special permission, Adalyn Lindley, Manager, Neiman-Marcus Tea Room, Dallas, Tex.

MOLDED FOIE GRAS MOUSSE

Serves eight to ten

2 cups chicken stock or consommé

1 envelope plain gelatin

3/4 cup sliced black olives (ortruffles if obtainable)

1 1/2 cups mock foie gras puree (see p. 25)

1 envelope plain gelatin (for the mousse)

1/2 cup cold water

1/3 cup heavy cream, whipped

Heat 1 cup of the chicken stock in a small saucepan. Soften the gelatin in a small amount of the remaining stock. Combine the gelatin with the hot stock and stir until dissolved; add the remaining stock. Set aside. Place a pâté mold or a pyrex 1 1/2 -pint loaf pan in a pan of cracked ice. Pour in part of the chicken-gelatin mixture and roll the pan from side to side until coated. Repeat this procedure until the bottom and sides have a nice thick coating of aspic. Keep the mold refrigerated until aspic begins to set. Press slices of olives or truffles into the aspic, making any desired pattern in the pan.

Pour the foie gras purée into a bowl. Soften the envelope of gelatin in the cold water; melt it over a pan of hot water. Stir the purée; add the gelatin and stir again. Fold in the whipped cream. Pack the mousse into the aspic-lined mold or pan. Chill. Pour a layer of the remaining chicken-gelatin mixture over the mousse. Chill for at least 12 hours. Unmold on serving dish. Garnish the dish as desired. Slice to serve with crackers or bread rounds.

MEMPHIS LIVER PATE

One pound

1 lb. liver, chicken, turkey, calf’s, or goose (preferred)

1 cup minced onion

4 tablespoons butter

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon garlic juice

2 tablespoons brandy

Salt and pepper

2 hard-cooked eggs, sieved

Chopped mushrooms, nuts (optional)

Boil the liver in water to cover until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain; grind in medium-blade food chopper or mash with fork. Sauté the onions (mushrooms also if used) in the butter until soft. Toss with the liver paste. Add lemon juice to taste, garlic, and brandy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chopped nuts (truffles are best if can be had) may be added. Make into a mound and chill thoroughly. Serve with the sieved egg sprinkled over. Slice and serve as salad or on toast rounds for an hors d’oeuvre. This is a favorite with the medical students at Memphis State University.

Jack Camp, Memphis, Term.

FOIE GRAS (Mock Foie Gras Puree)

About two cups

Foie gras literally means fat liver. The term is commonly applied to liver from geese which have been fattened by a special feeding. Fine foie comes from Alsace and southwestern France. A few other Europeans countries import the purée to this country. The purée comes in cans and may be converted into other foie gras dishes. This is a mock foie gras made of chicken livers.

1 lb. chicken livers, big fat ones preferred

1 cup sherry

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup chopped truffles, or sliced black olives

Salt and pepper to taste

Put the chicken livers and the wine into a heated skillet. Cover the vessel and bring quickly to boiling point. Reduce heat and simmer livers for about 5 to 7 minutes, according to size of the livers. Purée the livers through a food mill or sieve (or blender). Stir in the softened butter, truffles, or olives. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This purèe may be used to cover a roast fillet of beef such as that used for Beef Wellington (see recipe). It may be molded, baked, or served cold as an hors d’oeuvre spread.

To store, pack in a small jar or jars, and cover with a layer of melted butter Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 cups.

Mrs. W. H. May, Jr., Burlington, N.C.

EGGS STUFFED WITH CHICKEN LIVERS

Serves six

6 hard-cooked eggs

3 large chicken livers

1 teaspoon minced onion

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 dash Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon tomato catchup

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese, or Parmesan cheese

Toast rounds and chili sauce

Peel and cut eggs lengthwise. Remove the yolks and press them through a sieve. Set aside. Chop the livers and mix with the minced onion. Sauté in the butter until livers are tender. Mix the livers with the egg yolks, parsley, sauces, and tomato catchup. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Blend mixture well and fill the egg whites with the mixture. Place eggs in a baking dish and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake eggs in a 350-degree oven until cheese melts. Place on small toast rounds and serve. Accompany eggs with a bowl of chili sauce, or place a small amount of sauce on top of each egg.

Mrs. Graydon Pugh, Atlanta, Ga.

CRAB- OR SHRIMP-STUFFED EGGS

Serves twelve to fourteen

12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled, cut in half lengthwise

1/2 cup cooked crab meat, or cooked shrimp, finely minced

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon hot prepared mustard

Salt and white pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Durkee’s dressing

Mayonnaise

Paprika

Garnishing for eggs (sliced stuffed olives, a dab of red caviar, sprig of parsley, strips of pimiento, etc.)

While eggs are still warm, cut and remove yolks. Mash the yolks in a bowl. Mix in the crab meat or shrimp, sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, and Durkee’s dressing. Fold in enough mayonnaise to make a thick mixture. Fill the egg whites with the egg paste. Sprinkle with paprika and garnish as desired.

They may be made a day before serving time if kept well wrapped and refrigerated in very cold compartment. Do not freeze.

Mrs. John F. Schoonmaker, Freeport, Grand Bahama

SHRIMP PASTE

Serves four to six

This is often called Shrimp Butter. It is for spreading canapés or it may be molded and served as a salad.

1 qt. boiled and picked shrimp

Seasoning to taste

3 tablespoons butter

Grind shrimp; place in a saucepan with butter and any desired seasoning (salt, pepper, etc.). Heat thoroughly; pack in molds, pressing down hard with a spoon, and pour melted butter on top. Place in refrigerator to chill. An excellent hors d’oeuvre or, sliced, an addition to a salad. [I sometimes add 1/2 cup minced celery, 1 teaspoonful Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoonful minced onion to the recipe.—M.B.]

Mrs. Joseph Brennan, from The Cotton Blossom Cook Book, Atlanta, Ga.

THELMA THOMPSON’S SEA FOOD COCKTAIL

Serves two

Thelma Thompson, author of Give Us This Night, Dr. Red, and Bright Ramparts, extends her talents to cookery. This sauce may be served over crab, oysters, lobster, or other sea food.

1/2 cup catchup

2 tablespoons vinegar from canned chilis

1 tablespoon fresh horseradish

5 drops garlic juice

Mix well, chill, and