Morning Waffle Perfection - No. 304

Plus, notes from my Baking in the American South book tour!

WHEN KENTUCKY’S MARION FLEXNER WROTE HER much-loved cookbook, Out of Kentucky Kitchens (1949), it wasn’t her first book, and yet it was her best.

In this classic book, her detailed recipe organization, passion for cooking, and love of local foods gelled. I was able to study a copy of this book while researching Baking in the American South, and with school mornings back in swing, I wanted to share her story and recipe.

Marion was the daughter of cookbook author Adele Kahn Weil, of Montgomery, Alabama, who co-wrote The Twentieth Century Cook Book (1898), a comprehensive book filled with Southern recipes and specifically, Southern Jewish recipes. Marion Flexner, whom her grandchildren called ‘’Gran-Gran,’’ took a page from her mother’s playbook and immersed herself in fine cooking.

She flew to Paris for cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu, summoned restaurant chefs out of the kitchen for their recipes and wrote about them in Louisville’s newspaper, The Courier-Journal. And she secretly hoped one grandchild would pursue cooking because she found such joy in it. But that didn’t happen.

As was the case with many home cooks in the 1950s and ‘60s, she employed Black help in her Louisville kitchen, most notably Margaret and Louis Smith. Louis taught Marion’s grandson Morris Flexner to scramble eggs slowly over low heat.

Morris, now an environmental scientist in Athens, Georgia, says those were ‘’the best scrambled eggs I have ever eaten. I inherited the small iron skillet that he used to teach me as a child, and I still scramble my eggs in it. Louis had a big smile that could light up a room and was a quiet, gentle person with a warm soul. I can still hear him saying, ‘Yes, Mrs. Flexner,’ when they worked together in the kitchen…I’ve never met another person that was as passionate about cooking and bringing people together at the dinner table to eat a home cooked meal than Gran-Gran.’’

Marion Flexner. Photo courtesy of her family.

Marion Flexner thought these were the best waffles she had ever eaten—‘’crisp on the outside, yet they have body.’’

The dame of Kentucky cooking, Marion would use waffles as a bed for creamed oysters or chicken a la king. She would place them instead of biscuits in strawberry shortcake. And she would cook them for breakfast with Louis Smith’s help.

Ever detail oriented, Marion, who tested recipes repeatedly until one was just right for publication, converting pinches and dashes into teaspoons and tablespoons, stored the leftover waffle batter in the refrigerator and used it the following day. But she notes that it needs 1/2 to 1 teaspoon baking powder dissolved in 1 to 2 tablespoons water to every cup of leftover batter to give it a boost so the waffles cook up light again.

And if you add a little milk to thin out the batter, you’ve got pancakes.

Marion’s son and Morris’ father, John M. Flexner, M.D., was professor of medicine emeritus at Vanderbilt University. After his mother died in 1992, he donated her papers, including recipe notes, revisions, personal cookbooks, and photographs, to Vanderbilt, where I spent hours in the archives learning about Marion Flexner.

Marion Flexner’s Perfection Waffles. Photos: Rinne Allen.

Travel Notes from Book Tour!

Here are some highlights and suggestions thus far should you travel to the South: (This morning I am in New Orleans and have a signing tonight at 6 pm at Octavia Books, New Orleans people. Tomorrow I will be at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum at 6 pm.)

• When in Athens, Georgia: Dine at local favorite, Five & Ten restaurant on Milledge, owned by Peter Dale. For the month of September, a cake recipe from my book will be on the menu! Head to Tamez for hand-made breakfast burritos and Sea Bear for grouper sandwiches. For wine sampling, work, or conversation, check out The Lark Winespace where owner Krista Slater curates her favorite little-known but still affordable wines from Europe. And then there is something called Georgia football…

• Atlanta: Loved the new Kimpton hotel in Buckhead called The Sylvan. It’s a cozy boutique hotel but quite affordable should you go to Atlanta for a wedding or shopping trip. If you are there on a Saturday morning, check out the Peachtree Farmer’s Market at St. Philip’s Cathedral parking lot on Peachtree, tour the Atlanta History Center properties in Buckhead as well as the Margaret Mitchell House near Piedmont Park in Midtown. While in Midtown, two restaurants in the revamped Colony Square space stand out—Holeman and Finch ‘’gastropub’’ with fabulous burgers from chef Linton Hopkins, and Rumi’s Kitchen, for glorious grilled salmon and meats, breads, and everything touched by Persian seasonings. And on the south side, head to Sweet Auburn for a tour of The King Center, telling the story of Martin Luther King, Jr. Stop for sweet potato pie and cheesecake at the Sweet Auburn Bread Co., owned by chef Sonya Jones, and head over to VIne City near Morris Brown college for the best fried chicken, mac & cheese, and greens.

  

  Vegetable plate at the Woman’s Exchange Tea Room in Memphis.

• Memphis: If you find yourself in Memphis and you’re not heading to the Bar-B-Q Shop on Madison Avenue for ribs, think again. It’s simply the best place for dry-rub ribs and pulled pork sandwiches. But there is also a lot of meat and three cooking in Memphis. (That means a meat, plus three vegetables on the plate.) In 1885, the Memphis Woman’s Exchange was founded where women in need could bring handiworks to sell. Today, this charitable work continues, and at the Woman’s Exchange Tea Room on Racine Avenue, daily Southern meat and vegetable specials are served at lunchtime. I dashed in for a vegetable plate with candied yams, sautéed summer (yellow) squash, black-eyed peas, and greens (a mix of spicy mustard and turnip greens), plus their signature crispy corn muffin. For something sweet, head to Muddy’s Bake Shop in the West Broad Arts District. Known since 2008 for their chicken pot pies to go, one local told me it’s what she takes to new mothers and neighbors. The sweet pies made by founder Kat Gordon are glorious—chocolate chess, coconut chess, pecan, and lemon—with their own clever names. And those chocolate ‘’Prozac’’ cupcakes? One of them sustained me on my drive south into Mississippi.

• Mississippi (when in Oxford and Jackson): Absolutely walk around the Oxford square and find Square Books. This legend of a bookstore just turned 45 this week, and the store hosts the world’s top authors—even me! If you want a comfy hotel within walking distance of Square Books or a Mississippi football game, check out the Oliver Hotel. I highly recommend it, and the spinach salad with diced Bosc pear, toasted sliced almonds, and shaved Pecorino cheese with red wine vinaigrette hit the spot. If you head further south to Jackson, make time for the Mississippi museums situated next to each other downtown—the state museum which tells the history of this place and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, a poignant look at the Civil Rights movement in the Deep South, including tough topics like prejudice, lynching, religion, and education. You will want to head to Walker Drive-In for tamales and to Lou’s for local redfish, and nearby is the home and gardens of Pulitzer-Prize winning author and local hero, Eudora Welty.

What’s coming next Tuesday for Paid Subscribers? My visit to Eudora Welty’s house and gardens.

Have you been baking from my book? Shelf Awareness (a newsletter written by booksellers and librarians) gives it a starred review this week as one of the 25 Best Books This Week. You can also post a review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble! I appreciate your support so much.

- xo, Anne

THE RECIPE:

Marion Flexner’s Perfection Waffles

This recipe made about 8 to 10 waffles on my waffle iron, but the yield really depends on the size of your waffle iron. Make sure the iron is well heated and brushed with oil before pouring on batter. Cook as long as the waffle maker suggests, waiting for the light to turn green before opening.

Makes 6 servings

Prep: 20 to 25 minutes

Cook: 2 to 4 minutes per waffle, depending on your waffle iron

• 2 cups (240 grams) sifted all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs, separated

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus oil for brushing the waffle iron

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• Maple syrup, for serving

1. Sift the flour with the sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk the yolks into the milk in a small bowl, and whisk in the oil and melted butter. Beat the egg whites on high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.

2. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture, and stir to combine. Thoroughly fold in the whites until only a few bits of white remain.

3. To cook the waffles, heat a waffle iron ‘’smoking hot.’’ Brush it lightly with a little oil. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the hot iron and close. Cook until deeply browned or the waffle iron indicates it is done, from 2 to 4 minutes. Serve hot with maple syrup. Repeat with the remaining batter.