Brunch with the Butlers (a Bonus Edition of Southern Cookin')

Because we're already somewhat awash in weekly features here, we decided we would post our Southern Cookin' series on a more intermittent basis, so the blog doesn't start to resemble a soup du jour menu ("Oh, it's Thursday? I'll take the tomato soup Poster of the Week, please.") 

And while that'll still be the plan going forward, we did have a special request from a reader for another installment of Southern Cookin' this week.  And since we aim to please (and we're in possession of a storehouse of old-time recipes), we're happy to feature another selection from Charleston Recollections and Receipts: Rose P. Ravenel's Cookbook. (If you're just tuning in now, info on the cookbook and its ties to the real Butler clan of Charleston can be found in our inaugural post.)

This week's bonus recipe is a full breakfast/brunch menu.  It's just out of the oven and waiting you on the other side of the jump.   

Breakfast or Brunch Menu

• Fresh Grapefruit
• Drum Fish Roe
• Omelette
• Baked Eggs
• Breakfast Biscuits
• Orange Marmalade

This is a large party breakfast or brunch. The last three receipts can be prepared before hand.

The Drum fish roe is only available at certain times of the year. Any other roe may be more salty, and should be soaked overnight.

Fresh Grapefruit

Cut pink grapefruit in half core, loosen, and serve.

Fish Roe

Drum roe

½ lb. butter

3 pt. milk

1 lemon

2 Tbs. flour (all-purpose)

Wash large fresh Drum roe thoroughly in cold water and dry in a sieve. Have 3 pt. milk boiling. Tie roe in a towel (or cheesecloth) and boil in the milk for 20 or 30 minutes. Drain off milk. Reduce to half and thicken with flour and butter. Add one squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste before serving. This makes the sauce to pour over the roe.

Omelette

1 or 2 eggs

3 Tbs. breadcrumbs

1 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. parsley

Ground minced meat

Salt and pepper to taste

Beat the yolk and white of one or two eggs separately, then together. Add salt and drop into boiling butter for a few minutes. Turn it carefully but need not be turned. Take care that it is not too much done. A little parsley or meat minced may be added. It should rise and be quite light. The crumbs of a slice of bread can be added and rubbed up with the eggs. Serves two. Increase for proper amount for your guests.

Baked Eggs

6 or 8 eggs

2 Tbs. milk

2 Tbs. butter

3 Tbs. breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp. mustard

Some finely chopped cooked meat

Dash pepper

Dash salt

Boil 6 or 8 eggs hard. Start them in cold water and when done throw into cold water. Peel and cut in halves. Take the yolks and mash them well, adding butter, mustard, pepper, salt, milk and crumbs of bread. If it is fancied, add some finely chopped meat. Put most of this in a deep dish which must be buttered first and fill whites with the remainder. Set them into the mixture in the dish. Standing them up. Put the dish in the oven just long enough to heat and brown slightly.

Breakfast Biscuits

1 pt. (2 C.) all purpose flour

1/2 C. milk

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. butter, heaping

Mix dry ingredients first, then add liquid. Roll, not too thin, on floured board, and cut. Place on ungreased sheet without touching edges. Bake 10-12 minutes in 450° oven. (Keep dough soft, and use cold milk.)

Orange Marmalade

3 lb. oranges

1/2 tsp. soda

4 and1/2 lb. sugar

2 C. water

1/2 C. Orange juice

1 bottle pectin

Choose good juice oranges, wash, and dry them. Lightly grate off the outer part of the oranges and cut them in half. Squeeze out the juice and pulp. Put the seeds aside. Boil the skins in sweetened water, (1C.) until they are quite soft and have lost most of the bitter taste. Put a little soda in the water to keep the color the first time they are boiled. When well boiled, add the pulp and 2 C. of the juice, and the remainder of the sugar. Add pectin and boil for 10 minutes.

Bottle in jars with secure screw-on tops.