Sheila Brass (1937–2022)

[Amy] This cookbook was such a joy to read that I honestly failed to make much note of its value as a cookbook as such, though I'm sure when next I go through it I'll make a few notes of things I'd like to cook. I'm a firm believer in the value of one's culinary roots, and these ladies have tracked down rather a lot of them. As a member of a family with fairly deep culinary roots of its own, I have more than a few copies-of-copies-of copies of old family recipes stashed away in my recipe box, many of which would have fit right in with this collection.

My mother has some cards in her grandmother's handwriting, actually, and my grandmother obviously has quite a few familially significant cookbooks and handwritten recipes, too. I have a plan to spend some time scanning in all these sentimentally-valuable documents, one of these days.

But that's a very small-scale project compared to what the Brass Sisters undertook. I felt right at home reading the old recipes they collected, though, and felt a distinct since of familiarity at many of the anecdotes, too. I guess that demonstrates that whatever else my family may be, we're certainly Down Home American, which is none too surprising - we've been in Kansas (and Oklahoma) for generations, after all.

But, while I obviously can't be certain, I don't think you have to be a Down Home American to enjoy this cookbook. It's entirely possible you might even get more out of it if you're not, actually - if you don't have three or four generations' worth of family recipes on hand, you may find this book a treasure trove of heretofore unimagined delights. In any case, I recommend it for anyone interested in early-to-mid 20th century Americana, or in Down Home Cookery. I think I may buy a copy for my grandmother.
[http://weblog.siliconcerebrate.com/zenos-library/2009/03/heirloom_cooking_with_the_bras.html]… (mais)

Marilyn and Sheila Brass's "Heirloom Cooking with the Brass Sisters" is a beautiful book: the photographs are numerous and true to color and interesting in themselves. And the commentaries explaining the orgins of the recipes and how they were re-discovered are entertaining. They provide an electic selection of 'recipes you remember and love.' Just thinking about their Billionaire's Macaroni and Cheese or Icebox Pickles is enough to make my stomach growl with anticipation.
But, and here's the downside, for many of us, these are recipes to read and remember and talk about, but are no longer foods that fit into 2008 eating patterns. That remarkable mac and cheese dish has among other things, butter, milk, cheddar, eggs, whole milk ricotta, provolone, Parmesan. And it sounds like heaven.
So, if you're looking for an conversation provoking coffee table book, or a gift for someone who loves food from the past, this is it. It's beautiful and the recipes are authentic. But if you're looking for a recipe for anyone who's health conscious, this may not be the one.… (mais)