Early this past Spring, Kay and I traveled through Nashville, Tennessee, down the Natchez Trace, past the birthplace of Elvis Presley (Tupelo, Mississippi), and on to the closest exit to Sturgis, Mississippi. The Trace was fantastic; it is a scenic parkway that was constructed by the federal government that follows the route that rafters would walk North after taking their goods down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. If you have the time, try the Trace; just remember that your speed on it is considerably limited.
We had been invited to Sturgis to visit the 200 acre MacNeill farm. Barton MacNeill, a member of the class of 1940 of our local New Jersey high school (Penns Grove Regional High School), had been a friend of our family when I was just a little guy. After the Japanese actions of December 7, 1941, Bart enlisted in the Army, and he became a B-17 pilot flying out of England on bombing missions over Germany. His plane was shot down on what was to become his last mission; he spent the balance of the war as a POW. His military life, including his year or so of imprisonment, was the subject of one of the chapters that I wrote in my book Our Final Salute.
Sturgis is a very small, though closely knit, community. There are no strangers, except for those of us who are just passing through. The larger depositors of the only bank in town meet every morning for about an hour at the bank for coffee in the conference room, and Bart was one of them.
On Bart's farm, as is true with nearly all of the farms in the area, they raise and harvest pine trees. We learned much about that kind of agriculture during our stay.
On his farm, Bart had built a "cabin" for his guests to use while visiting. It had two large porches, each of which overlooked a pond. The main part of the structure had a large kitchen with dining area, a living room, a very large dining area, one bedroom and a bath. The other part of the building had another bath and sleeping facilities for his many children and grandchildren. The two parts were separated by what is known as a "Dog Trot". Quite simply, a Dog Trot is the empty space between the two parts of the building. If anyone knows the derivation of the expression, I would like you to tell me about it.
On our last day in Sturgis, we told the MacNeills (Bart, Kate, his son and his daughter-in-law) that we would fix dinner that evening; they would be our guests in the cabin. We were without cookbooks, so we had to prepare foods that were part of our repertoire. They were; Clam Chowder, salad, and Lemon Sponge Custard. A couple bottles of good Chardonnay, well-chilled, were also included. The lemony dessert was exceptionally well receive; the MacNeills (all of them) literally wiped the serving dish clean with their spoons and fingers.
Let's look at the Lemon Sponge Custard:
Ingredients And What To Do With Them:
Cream 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, 1 tbs grated lemon peel; add and beat well 2 or 3 egg yolks; stir in 3 tbs all-purpose flour alternately with 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1 cup milk. Beat until stiff 2 or 3 egg whites, 1/8 tsp salt. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture. Place the batter in buttered custard cups, or in a 7 inch oven-proof dish. Bake the sponge in a moderate oven (350F) for about 45 minutes for the cups and about an hour for the baking dish, or until set. You may serve warm or at room temperature.
The batter separates while cooking, leaving a spongy top and a saucelike substance on the bottom.
You will receive compliments galore when you serve this for dessert.
Bon appetit,
David
P.S.(Added on November 24, 2007) For those who do not like the taste of lemons, a twist to the recipe is the following:
Ingredients And What To Do With Them:
Cream 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tbs butter, 1 tbs grated orange rind, Add and beat well 3 egg yolks, Stir in 3 tbs all-purpose flour alternately with 1/3 cup orange juice and 1 cup milk; beat until stiff 3 egg whites and 1/8 tsp salt; fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Proceed as per the lemony instructions.
(Photo by Amy Mew, posted on www.Flickr.com , license details there.)