Satartia, Mississippi
Griffith Street Skyline
The Warehouse’s Bloody Mary Mix
This recipe comes from Dr. Billie Baker Swift. I received it a few years ago, but somehow lost it among a lot of other messages, and I’m only now getting around to posting it. I’ve also lost track with Billie, so if any of you know her, please tag her for me.
I first met LW while working my way through school and working at the Abbey’s Irish Rose. L.W. and his friend Sean were often at the Abbey and I believe they were working on Master’s Degrees in English. As time and my education progressed, I ended up working as a bartender in most of the everchanging bars in Oxford; Beth Munday and I were the only females working as bartenders at that time.
Eventually I ended up at the Warehouse (I think the Peddler by then) with LW., where he perfected this Bloody Mary mix. We made this mix 2 or 3 times a week. It makes a mildly spicy mix which can be kicked up with more Tabasco for those who prefer it that way. Our measuring cups were bar glasses, highball glasses, the type for gin and tonics, probably 12 oz.; I’ll leave it to you to come up with exact measurements. This makes a large quantity, and refrigerates well, a week at least.
Combine 2 large (46 oz.) cans of V-8 juice with 1/3 a highball glass (see above) each lemon juice and Tabasco (@ 4 oz,, jly) and 1/2 a glass of Worcestershire sauce (@ 8 oz. jlyi). Shake well. We garnished with whatever was handy; celery; lemons; pearl onions and olives. These days I would put bacon on the garnish.
Here Comes the Sun King
Pink Cadillac
Cold Day at the State Fair
Pastel on Mill Street
Grievous Angel
Late Zinnias
Mother of Cream Soup
Cream soups add a warm touch to any cool-weather occasion. These soups involve many of the same procedures and ingredients as others: aromatics, broth, vegetables, or seafood, with an enrichment of cream. In my experience, a bisque (“twice cooked”) usually refers to a cream soup containing seafood such as shrimp, crawfish, or lobster, though some tomato cream soups seem to fall into the category.
If you happen to be a domestic deity and have homemade stock on hand, then by all means use it; if not, use a quart of store-bought. Add a cup of diced onion, celery, and carrot along with a few pinches of thyme and parsley. Let it sweat on a low heat for about an hour or so. Strain and set aside. Make a light roux with a ½ stick of butter and a quarter cup of plain flour. Drizzle into the stock and mix with a whip until it begins to thicken. Add a cup of whole cream and about two cups of your choice of prepared meats or vegetables.Let soup rest off heat before serving with a little swirl of butter. This recipe makes about about six 12-oz. servings.
