Recipes
Tasty Tidbits of Old Naples
In FlashBack in the March 2008 issue, Doris Reynolds reminisces about enterprising and creative cooks she’s known. To sample a taste of those times, try some of these recipes from Reynold’s book, When Peacocks Were Roasted and Mullet Was Fried.
Oysters Rockefeller from The Fish House Dining Room
4 dozen fresh oysters, cleaned and shells retained for use
1 pound fresh raw spinach
2 bunches green onions
1 cup celery, diced
½ cup fresh parsley, minced
1 pound butter, melted
1 ½ cups fine bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
4 tablespoons absinthe
Hot sauce to taste
Salt to taste
Topping:
¾ cup fine bread crumbs
¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Grind the spinach, onions, celery and parsley very fine. Mix in melted butter and bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy paste, hot sauce, and salt. Place clean oyster shells in a pan of rock salt. Put one oyster in each shell and cover with some sauce. Cover with bread crumbs and cheese. Bake in pre-heated, 450 degree oven until brown. Serves 4.
Pat Combs’ Key Lime Pie from The Fish House Dining Room
3 large eggs
1/3 cup Key lime juice
1 ½ cups sugar
1 partially baked pie shell
Whipping cream for topping
Separate eggs. Combine egg yolks, slightly beaten, lime juice and sugar. Cook in double boiler until custard is thick. Remove from heat. Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar for each egg. Beat thoroughly. Fold egg whites in hot custard. Put in partially baked pie shell to bake about 20 minutes. Cool and top with thin layer of whipped cream. This pie freezes well.
Winnie Storter Bomer’s Banana Pudding from Rudy’s Cafe
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
Dash salt
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla wafers
5 to 6 medium ripe bananas, sliced
Combine ½ cup sugar, flour and salt in top of double boiler. Mix in 1 whole egg and 3 egg yolks. Stir in milk. Cook, uncovered, over boiling water, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Line the bottom and sides of a 1 ½ quart casserole with vanilla wafers. Spread small amount of custard on bottom of casserole; cover with a layer of sliced bananas. Pour about 1/3 of the custard over bananas. Continue to layer wafers, bananas and custard to make 3 layers of each, ending with custard. Beat remaining 3 egg whites until stiff but not dry; gradually add remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat until mixture forms stiff peaks. Pile on top of pudding covering entire surface. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 5 minutes or until delicately browned. Serve warm or chilled. Makes 8 servings.
The Beach Store Egg Salad from The Beach Store
Peel a fresh, hardboiled egg. Mash it with 1 teaspoon good quality prepared mustard, add a dollop of mayonnaise, about half a tablespoon of sweet pickle relish and, if you like, a bit of onion. Place on a white or whole wheat bread, which has been spread with mayonnaise, and serve.
Willie House’s Chicken And Dumplings from The Gulf Hotel
Take one fat hen, cut into pieces and season with salt and pepper. Cover with water in a large pot, add a whole onion, a couple of ribs of celery and cook until tender (about 45 minutes). This should make about a quart of rich broth. While the hen is boiling make the dumplings:
1 egg, beaten
¾ cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Salt to taste
Mix egg and buttermilk and beat well. Mix dry ingredients until well combined. Make a well in center of dry mixture and pour in liquid mixture. Mix, stir and beat until dough is smooth, tossing it about. Cut into strips two by three inches and drop into boiling broth. Cook 12 to 15 minutes uncovered.
