Mother Media has just returned from a sojourn in the splendid South. In addition to catching up with old friends, she was reunited with some of the cuisine she left behind when she moved north from Missouri to South Dakota. She ordered fried green tomatoes from the menu at a classy restaurant and mailed herself some grits from Charleston. They arrived in Belle Fourche a day or two ago and are probably the only grits in town. She says I'm required to politely try some next time I'm at her house. If I recall correctly, grits are often served with butter and salt, so the flavor shouldn't be much of a problem. I'm a stickler for texture, though, so if the grits are too gritty, I may not eat many. How do you quantify grits, anyway? Do you count them individually or by weight or what?
Speaking of green tomatoes: After being reminded of the Green Tomato Pie story, Mother Media told me that my recollection of the event was pretty clear. When she called her own mom, Grandmother Media, to complain about the recipe's poor showing, Granny asked if she had remembered to soak the green tomatoes in salt water to get the bitter out. Well no, she hadn't; that little detail wasn't mentioned in the recipe. Oops! Despite learning this, Mother said she never wasted any more green tomatoes to see if that was the only flaw in her instructions. Of the original, she says, "I think the pie became mulch on day 2 when it was either bury it or watch it become fuzzy."
And speaking of things that allegedly taste like apple pie: Does anyone besides Sister-san and me remember anything about a pie recipe that was supposed to taste like apple but somehow got its flavor from Ritz Crackers, not actual fruit? I seem to recall that it was a Depression-era recipe meant to make the most of what the cook had, even if that was just cracker crumbs. Did we make this up, or is that a real recipe?
I think "tastes like apple pie" must be the dessert-world version of "tastes like chicken."