A Real Southern Cook in Her Savannah Kitchen by Dora Charles is a wonderful compendium of recipes from a cook who whose family history and professional background contribute to the quality of her recipes. Her claim to fame is that she worked with Paula Dean, the TV cooking personality and author, at her original restaurant, The Lady and Sons, in Savannah for 22 years before going out on her own.
In fact, she helped Dean launch the restaurant and ultimately her career from the very beginning. Lines formed out the door with diners there for Charles’s cooking and such hallmark dishes as sweet potato pie, fried ribs, smothered pork chops, collards, corn bread and more done in her inimitable way.
She was once asked what the difference is between white southern cooks and black? Her answer was basically that we have more flavor or as she says in her introduction,” Build the flavor and cook it slow so it can bloom.”
I have a big collection of southern cookbooks and most are based on heirloom recipes kept alive from generation to generation. It can be country cooking, plain and simple, but always delicious and rich.
I’ve always favored southern bakers for their great cakes, pies, biscuits and cobblers. And the collection in the book is classic.
So far I’ve made the tomato pie, the berry cobbler and a cake called Lost and Found Pound Cake. I also prepared the crab casserole and a squash bake, both of which were wonderful. The pound cake, however, was actually featured in a recent New York Times article, which referred to the book and hence my interest in acquiring it.
The cobbler is typical of the southern style in that it’s based on a batter instead of biscuit or pastry dough. I’ve seen other versions often in different books and it’s a great style of cobbler. The flour, sugar and milk batter bake up into a candy like coating that is just terrific.
The recipe called for blackberries and raspberries, which are difficult to get now in our region. I happen to have a whole bunch in my freezer but decided to save them for a pie. What I substituted was blueberries for the blackberries and ever-bearing strawberries (now available in various markets) for the raspberries. It was a sensational cobbler.
The book calls on a few old fashioned ingredients, some of which are processed. It’s rare that these pop up in the book so it’s not one of those recipe books extolling the virtue of convenience foods. The tomato pie does, however, use Bisquick for the foundation crust. On it are slices of fresh tomatoes layered with fresh basil. The topping is typically southern: mayonnaise mixed with grated cheese and garlic. The pie had great flavor though I think I’d prefer a standard pastry dough for the crust.
Another ingredient from yesteryear that shows up is Lowry Salt, the seasoned salt that every American home cook had on spice racks. Charles uses it as the foundation for a spice blend that she calls Savannah Seasoning. It’s Lowry Salt, kosher salt, garlic powder and freshly ground pepper and is called for in many of her dishes.
There are so many recipes in the book that are just too appealing. I’m dying to try the fried chicken that’s coated in potato chip crumbs, the smothered pork chops, shrimp and grits and the cheesy meatloaf with mushroom sauce. Then the section on desserts is just as compelling such as the magic peach cobbler, the towering “slap yo mamma” coconut cake and a towering red velvet cake.
Here is my adaptation of both the cobbler and tomato pie recipes. Note that if you don't want to use the Bisquick or the tomato pie, substitute a standard pastry dough as the base.
Ingredients
- Filling
- 3 cups Maine blueberries or blackberries
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup strawberries or raspberries
- Grated zest of 1 lime mixed with 3 tablespoons sugar
- Batter
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 4 to 6 medium tomatoes, sliced 1/3 inch thick
- 2 cups Bisquick
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- Salt and ground pepper to taste
- About 10 leaves fresh basil, torn
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
- 2/3 cups mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 garlic clove minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix the berries with the sugar and lime in a large mixing bowl. Add to skillet and put in the oven briefly while you make the batter.
- Cover the fruit with the batter. It's fine if it doesn't entirely cover the fruit. I you like, pull a spoon through the batter to make a streaky pattern with the juices. Bake the cobber until the fruit is bubbling up at the edges and a toothpick inserted into the "cobbles" on top comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
- The cobbler will be too hot to eat when it comes out of the oven. Let it cool for up to 30 minutes, then serve warm in bowls with a pitcher of cream to pour over it at the table or vanilla ice cream.
- Drain the tomato slices on paper towels and covered with another layer of paper toweling for about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile set the oven to 400 degrees. Have a 9-inch deep dish pie plate or cast-iron skillet ready, greased lightly with butter.
- In a medium bowl, use a fork to combine the Bisquick with the milk. Mix in the green onions. Knead the dough lightly until fairly smooth and then press it evenly into the bottom of the pan and up the sides.
- Salt and pepper the tomato slices. Arrange them in layers in the crust, scattering some of the basil leaves evenly over each layer, adding more salt and pepper and drizzling a little olive oil over each layer.
- In a medium bowl mix together the mayonnaise, cheese and garlic with a fork. Note that the cheese should be grated on the large holes of a box grater. Spread the mixture evenly over the tomatoes with a thin spatula. The topping doesn't need to go all the way to the crust--you can leave a little edge of the tomatoes showing.
- Slide the pie into the oven (on a baking sheet) and bake until golden brown on top, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the pie rest for 10 minutes before serving.