You asked for it: The South gave the world spoonbread

By ANNE LONG

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 17, 2001

Southern spoonbread is one of the delights of the western world. Lloyd Murphy, obviously a Kentuckian, puts it so well: "In that blessed quadrant of the U.S.A. lying south of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River, the world's best spoonbread is served in the dining room of Boone Tavern, a small hotel owned by Berea College and staffed by the students."

This writer, also a Kentuckian, was raised on discussions concerning the virtues of Kentucky spoonbread as opposed to the spoonbread of my Virginia-born mother's state. There are many excellent versions of this Southern specialty for us to enjoy. Here are just two of them.

Pat Crail asked for a recipe for two crust pineapple pie. Kay Clark sends a recipe using fresh pineapple and a recipe for an interesting pineapple upside down pie prepared with canned pineapple tidbits.

Arnolda Dulwer clipped the recipe for pumpkin mincemeat pie from a newspaper 15 or 20 years ago, and it is still one of her favorite recipes. The pie would be a perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or the Christmas holiday season.

For: Paul Sibley of St. Petersburg.

From: Lloyd Murphy of Tarpon Springs.

Recipe: Spoonbread, from the Boone Tavern, Berea, Ky.

Boone Tavern Spoonbread

• 2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 eggs, separated
• 2 cups boiling water
• Butter (no substitute)

Sift cornmeal, salt and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Add boiling water to meal mixture, enough to make a medium batter. Add beaten egg yolks, stirring gently. Last of all, add stiffly beaten egg whites, folding in carefully.

Pour into a greased bread pan or ovenproof skillet and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown. Serve hot with real butter.

From: Patricia Frazier of St. Petersburg.

Recipe: Southern spoonbread.

Southern Spoonbread

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 cups rich milk (half and half)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 11/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 or 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

Scald cornmeal with boiling water. Let cool, stirring to prevent lumping. Combine milk with salt and baking powder; add slowly to meal mixture. Add well-beaten eggs, then melted butter. Pour into well-buttered baking pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Serve in pan in which it was baked. Serves 4.

For: Pat Crail of St. Petersburg.

From: Kaye Clark of Clearwater.

Recipe: Fresh pineapple pie, from the Farm Journal's Complete Pie Cookbook, 1965.

Fresh Pineapple Pie

• Pastry for 2-crust pie
• 1 medium pineapple
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 11/2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Cut peeled and cored pineapple into bite size chunks. You should have about 3 cups of fruit.

Place eggs in bowl and beat in sugar, flour, lemon peel and juice, and salt. Turn into pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan. Adjust top crust (or use lattice top), flute edges and cut vents.

Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Note: "Excellent way to point up the fruit's natural tart-sweet, fresh flavor."

Recipe: Pineapple upside down pie, from the same source.

Pineapple Upside Down Pie

• 1 20-1/2-ounce can pineapple tidbits
• Water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed, divided
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 cup pecan halves

Drain pineapple. Add enough water to pineapple syrup to make 1-1/4 cups.

Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup brown sugar in saucepan. Add lemon juice and pineapple syrup/water mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and clear. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons butter, stirring until it melts. Add pineapple.

Place remaining 4 tablespoons butter in bottom of 9-inch pie pan. Place in 425-degree oven until butter is melted. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Arrange pecan halves, rounded side down, around bottom and sides of pan. Carefully line pan with pastry. Spoon in pineapple mixture. Adjust top crust, flute edges and cut vents.

To catch drippings, place pie on foil in the oven. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Turn out, upside down, on serving plate immediately. Cool on rack before cutting. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Note: "New, nut-topped pie makes it own luscious caramel sauce while it bakes."

For: Ruth Young of Crystal Beach.

From: Arnolda Dulwer of Oldsmar.

Recipe: Pumpkin mincemeat pie.

Pumpkin Mincemeat Pie

• 2 9-inch pie shells
• 2 cups prepared mincemeat
• 2 cups cooked pumpkin
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1-1/2 cups evaporated milk
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Spread mincemeat over bottom of unbaked pie shells. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

Mix together the pumpkin, eggs, milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Pour over mincemeat and bake about 35 minutes longer, or until pumpkin custard is set. Makes two 9-inch pies.

Note: Halve ingredients to make one pie.

Recipe requests

Linda Hinton of Palm Harbor is looking for a piccalilli recipe that is not made with cabbage. She has had no luck in her search and turns to you for help.

Sidonia Sanders of Pinellas Park clipped a recipe for oatmeal bread, baked it and loved it but lost the recipe. Is it in your files?

Hoe cakes are the nostalgic breakfast memory of the youth of Ed Hinman of Hudson. His mother made them for special occasion breakfasts. The batter was cooked on a griddle on top of the stove, and the result was a combination biscuit, pancake and waffle. Ed would like very much to have the recipe.

- You Asked For It is a reader mail column. If you have a cooking question or the answer to someone else's question, write to You Asked For It, the St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Be sure to include your full name, city and phone number with your letter. Letters without this information will be discarded. Requests cannot be answered by phone or mail.

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