This week, you are going to get a treat: all of today’s recipes are from Mrs. Emily Meggett’s Gullah Geechee Home Cooking, Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island in South Carolina.
We have Mrs. Meggett’s Chicken Liver with Onions. She says, “This is what I call easy cookin’. You sizzle some liver on both sides and make a quick gravy, and you’ve got yourself a good meal.”
Emily Meggett’s Fried Grits are terrific. You can have them for breakfast, as I like, or for supper. They are really good.
She says, “Apple Brown Betty was one of many desserts I learned how to make at the Dodge House. Layers of sugary crunch are in each and every bite, and the sweet and woody cinnamon flavor shines throughout the dish. The flavors of this dish represent fall and winter to me, so I bake this dish when I want a little spoon of comfort during the cooler months. Serve this dish with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a real treat.
Emily Meggett says, “This pie crust works for any of my pies. Most of my pies require one layer of crust for the bottom and one for the top, but like I say, you cook to your taste. When making a pie crust, you always want to use all-purpose flour for the dough, because self-rising flour will make the dough too thick. Give this recipe a couple of tries, and you’ll be surprised at how quickly you become a pie crust expert.”
For Emily Meggett’s Chocolate Cream Pie, she says, “The chocolate lovers in your life will adore this pie. This light filling benefits from a night in the fridge, which will allow the filling to fully firm up. The whipped cream topping adds another layer of sweetness, and helps to balance some fo the chocolaty taste.”
And we have her Whipped Cream instructions here, too.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
CHICKEN LIVER WITH ONIONS
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
4 to 6 pieces chicken liver
1-1/2 tablespoons seasoning salt,
preferably Gold Medal
1/4 cup olive oil, bacon drippings,
or vegetable oil
1/4 pound salt pork, sliced into
1-inch chunks
1 onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
2 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
About 3 cups water, plus more
as needed
Cooked long-grain white rice, f
or serving
1) Wash the liver, pat dry with paper towels, and season with seasoning salt. 2) In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, reduce the heat to medium and add the liver. Cook the liver on one side until done, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Until it’s a chocolate brown color on the outside and the center of the meat is no longer bloody. Once the liver is done, remove the liver from the skillet and place it on a paper towel. Set aside. 3) Pour off the grease from the skillet, and add the salt pork to the skillet. Fry the salt pork over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper, and saute with the salt pork until softened. Slowly add the flour, using a spoon to combine it with the sautéed pork and vegetables. Once all the flour is added, use a spoon to mix the ingredients together. Stir constantly while slowly adding water as needed and creating a gravy, cooking for about 10 minutes. 4) Turn the stove off. Put the liver back in the skillet. Put the gravy on top of the liver, and be careful not to let the gravy boil or cook. Serve with rice.
EMILY MEGGETT’S BAKED GARLIC GRITS OR LEFTOVER GRITS
Gullah Geechee Home Cooking,
Recipes from the
Matriarch of Edisto Island
At least 6 cups leftover grits
3 garlic cloves, crushed; or 1 cup
grated cheddar cheese
2 large eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup breadcrumbs, or 1/4 cup
grated cheese
Paprika
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. 2) In a large bowl, combine the grits with the garlic or 1 cup cheese, the eggs, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. 3) Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the breadcrumbs or cheese. 4) Preheat your oven’s broiler to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, or its highest setting. Once heated, place the grits under the broiler and cook until golden. Garnish with paprika.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
APPLE BROWN BETTY
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
6 slices white or whole-wheat bread
7 apples (2-1/2 pounds) preferably Granny Smith
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 to 1/2 cup packed brown sugar,
plus more to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
(from 1 orange)
1) Preheat your oven’s broiler to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, or its highest setting. On your oven’s highest rack, broil the bread on both sides, about 7 minutes total. Remove the bread from the oven and let it dry out until crunchy. 2) Cut the bread into squares, and place one half of the bread squares in the bottom of a greased 9- by 13-inch baking dish. 3) Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 4) Wash, peel, core, and slice the apples. 5) In a large mixing bowl, combine the cinnamon, raisins, butter, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Add the apple slices and toss to coat. Spread half of the apple mixture over the bread in the baking dish and repeat the layering until the dish is full. Sprinkle the orange juice over the entire dish. Cover with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the apples are cooked. Remove the foil and bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes until brown.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
PIE CRUST
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus about 1/2 cup for the countertop
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 heaping tablespoons Crisco
shortening
7 tablespoons ice-cold water,
plus more if needed
1) In a mixing bowl, combine the 1-1/2 cups flour and the salt. With a knife, cut the Crisco into the flour until it is a little lumpy. 2) Add the cold water by the tablespoon, and mix together until the dough holds together. If needed, add more water by the teaspoon. Careful… the dough should not be too wet or get stuck to your hands. Do not overwork the dough or it will become stiff. 3) Sprinkle 1/2 cup flour on the countertop. Take the dough and work it on the floured area. Separate the dough into two balls. 4) Roll out the dough with a rolling pin as thin as possible, making two pie crusts. Place one in the bottom of a pie dish. You may use a small knife to remove or trim any extra crust. Use other for the top crust. 5) To prebake a single crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the crust in the pie dish until golden, about 15 minutes, checking after 10 minutes: If the crust bubbles up during baking, pierce the bubbles with a fork and return to the oven to finish baking. Let cool completely on a wire rack. If you’re making my chocolate cream pie, lemon meringue pie, or sweet potato pie, you may use a fork to press into the rim edges of the pie dish, securing the pie crust to the dish.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
3 ounces Baker’s unsweetened
chocolate
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups milk, whole or 2%
4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 baked (9-inch) pie crust
Sweetened whipped cream
1) Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. 2) In a mixing bowl, whisk 1 cup of the sugar, the flour, and salt together with 1/2 cup of the milk until smooth. Add the egg yolks and the remaining 2 cups milk. Add this mixture to the melted chocolate, whisking well. 3) Stir constantly and cook over medium heat until thick and smooth, about 10 minutes. Add the butter and vanilla, stir until melted, then pour into the pie shell. 4) Let cool, then cover loosely and refrigerate the pie overnight to chill. 5) Spread the whipped cream over the chocolate.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
SWEETENED WHIPPED CREAM
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
1 pint whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream until peaks begin to form. While mixing, add the sugar. Continue to mix until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes total. Add a spoonful of this topping to each piece of pie before serving.
