I have given myself a challenge. Something I am sure will result in my culinary growth as well as allow me to gain even more insight into my family history. This recipe is the start!
My grandma and grandpa ran an Inn in Charlottesville, VA for many years. When they passed we found a metal box which held a lot of my grandma’s recipes. A lot of time passed and those recipes just sat there waiting to be explored. I felt that this was the time to sort through them and even try to recreate some of the dishes she would serve at the inn.
Before I get to the recipe I wanted to share a little more about the inn. My dad helped provide some of the details…
Hollymead Inn was owned and operated by Peggy and Joe Bute for more than twelve years. The Inn was the idea of Peggy Bute who was offered an opportunity to convert a large, over 200-year-old residence north of Charlottesville VA into an inn. It was the home of the owners of Hollymead Farm. The house had fallen into disrepair after serving as a student residence. Hollymead was initially constructed in the late 1700’s. The original structure was a log house constructed by hessian prisoners of war who were stationed in Charlottesville. These Hessian soldiers were part of the group captured by General George Washington in the Battle of Trenton following his Christmas crossing of the Delaware River. The original logs are still visible in the dining room which has been called the “Hessian Room” in honor of the men who built it. In the ante-bellum period of the house, additions were made including a grand dining room and a second floor with bedrooms (the central section of the house) and in the 1920’s a third and final addition was made to the house by the owners. Some graduates of the University of Virginia may remember having to go out to the house to meet with the then UVa Dean of Students during the 1960’s (Dean Runk) who lived and often held disciplinary meetings at his home. When the farm was acquired for a new housing development, the developer was left trying to figure out what to do with the property. He was friends with my parents and offered the house to them so that they could turn it into an inn.
After about a year-long renovation and repair effort, the inn opened for business and quickly achieved a reputation in the region as a place of fine, casual dining. The inn was recognized in numerous food and travel publications during the Bute’s ownership.
Today the inn has been renamed Silver Thatch Inn but has maintained the high standards of great food and hospitality in the Virginian tradition.
So, there you have a little history. I have been told that this recipe was a favorite at the Inn and after making it I could certainly see why it was well received.
Southern Spoon Bread
These are my grandma’s original recipe cards.
I have seen some recipes that use yellow corn meal but grandma used white.
Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
Spoon Bread – want to know more?
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Boiling Water
- 1 Cup Self-Rising White Corn Meal
- 1 Tsp. Salt
- 1 Tbsp. Butter
- 1 Cup Milk
- 2 Eggs (yolks and whites separated)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Butter your baking pan or souffle pan and set aside. Add salt to the cornmeal in a medium bowl. Slowly add the boiling water and butter and mix together and set aside to cool. While your cornmeal mixture cools you can begin whipping your egg whites until they form stiff peaks. You will know they are done when you pull the whisk/beater out and the whites hold their shape. Before adding, beat your egg yolks. Mix the yolks and milk into your cornmeal mixture, make sure it has cooled down so that your eggs don't start to cook. Fold in your egg whites until they are incorporated. Make sure not to over mix the batter. Place the batter in your pan and cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. The bread with puff up while baking and once taken out of the oven will start to deflate. Serve with butter as a side dish or by itself. I like mine with honey!
Looks delicious! Will have to give this a try! Thanks for sharing this lovely story and recipe.
Thanks Linda! I hope you enjoy if you do try it.
This was such an iconic item on the Hollymead menu Sam. I swear some people came there just for the spoon bread. It is not seen much even in southern establishments but it really has all the character of a truly regional food. Thanks for taking on the challenge, your grandmother would be really proud!
Thanks, you know its one thing to make a dish that you have eaten all of your life and it is another to make a dish that is rooted in someone elses history. I feel like this journey of making Grandma’s recipes is a way of weaving our stories together.
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I love the internet, as it helped me find this recipe ten years after you posted it. I just spent a few hour collecting spoonbread recipes in an attempt to figure out my grandmother’s recipe. It wasn’t until I saw the Washington Self-Rising Corn Meal bag, that it jarred my memory. I vaguely recalled that she used white cornmeal. Somehow I kept thinking perhaps that she also substituted with a mix, and guessed it might be Jiffy Cornbread mix. But seeing the bag and your recipe made me think this is probably the closest I will get to her recipe! Thanks for sharing, especially the photo of the recipe card!