ATLANTA – For her friends, family and admirers, Edna Lewis’ legacy will live on through many a dog-eared recipe found in her cookbooks: “The Edna Lewis Cookbook” (written with Evangeline Peterson; Ecco Press, 1972), “The Taste of Country Cooking” (Knopf, 1976; reissued in 1993), “In Pursuit of Flavor” (Knopf, 1988) and “The Gift of Southern Cooking” (co-written with Scott Peacock; Knopf, 2003). Here are a few favorites:
Crispy Corn Sticks
18 servings
Hands on: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
The unusual baking instructions below produce crisp brown corn sticks, a superior version to the soft corn sticks we are used to.
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
Put the cornmeal and flour in a large mixing bowl. Heat the milk to boiling, and immediately pour it over the cornmeal and flour, stirring as you do so. Add the melted butter, mix well and set the batter aside to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
To prepare foil for baking, cut 2 heavy-duty sheets of foil to 18 inches long and 6 inches wide. Grease with unsalted butter, and pleat to make 18 troughs, each about 1/2 inch deep and 1/2 inch wide. Run a finger down the center of each trough to round it out.
Stir the salt, sugar and baking powder into the cool batter.
When they are well-mixed, add the egg and mix well again. Spoon the batter into the aluminum foil troughs. Use a knife to neaten the edges so that no batter is spilling over the sides.
Put the baking tray in the oven, and immediately lower the temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for 13 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the baking tray from the oven, and lift the foil from the pan. Pull the sides of the foil out all at once; the sticks will fall into the center of the foil. Serve while still hot.
Note: To make single-acting baking powder: Mix 1/4 cup cream of tartar, 2 tablespoons baking soda and 3 tablespoons cornstarch in a small bowl. Stored in a glass jar with a lid, it will keep a month or more. Makes 1 cup.
