Moore Groceries—Recipes from Vicksburg’s Past and Present
Priceless old photographs in a carefully-archived collection paired with the most delectable recipes from Vicksburg’s best cooks, adds up to a winning fundraiser for the Old Court House Museum.

When George “Bubba” Bolm, the new curator of Vicksburg’s antebellum Old Court House Museum, was musing about a way to raise support for the building and its valuable historical collection, he went to the members of the Vicksburg and Warren County Historical Society. Together they came up with the idea to do a cookbook, illustrated with prints of Moore’s best images of life in the river town.

Bolm asked one of Vicksburg’s most talented foodies, Denise Broussard Sassone, to serve as chairman. A few years before she had worked on the Junior Auxiliary’s Ambrosia, which won a Tabasco Award for best community publication, as well as a Montessori School cookbook.

She and Martha Whitaker, editor of Ambrosia, assembled a knowledgeable committee. Sassone, a New Orleans native, helped cull through the more than 400 initial submissions to choose a varied and unusual selection of the area’s specialties. Providing additional advice was longtime food editor of The Vicksburg Post, Laurin Fields Stamm.

Although the recipes were “blind-tested,” with names of contributors removed for objectivity, the final selections were printed with acknowledgments. “The inclusion of names reminds the reader that this really is a community cookbook—old friends and neighbors sharing their specialties with the rest of us,” notes Whitaker.

Matching recipe contributors to old photographs adds an element of interest. For example, the Tomato Place Pie submitted by Tommy Hughes, whose great-grandfather was John Alexander Klein, shares a page with an old shot of Klein’s grand wedding gift to his wife––Cedar Grove mansion.

Vicksburg, like many river towns and Delta communities, has always enjoyed the rich influence of other cultures. Italian, Lebanese and Jewish heritage are evident in many of the dishes. The Franco family alone is responsible for several enticing offerings like Chicken Spinach Lasagna and White Spaghetti. Kibbee Mini-Muffins, contributed by Lisa Purser Reid, is paired with a circa 1920 photo of several Sunday-dressed members of St. George Orthodox Church. A crowd scene of flapper-era dancers at the B’Nai B’rith Literary Club evokes memories of the days when the town had a large thriving Jewish population.

Steamboats (a particular passion of Moore’s), schoolchildren, grand houses, humble hog-killings, street scenes, long-defunct businesses, portraits—Moore’s affectionate and curious eye caught a spectrum of Vicksburg life and preserved it in sepia-tone splendor. Disdaining artificial light, he shot only when the sun was propitious, lends a poignant realism to his oeuvre.

The book holds its own as an art and history resource, and will be a delight to anyone who has an interest in life as it was “back when.” The recipes are a lagniappe, but anyone who has spent any time in the River City knows that good food is very, very important to its denizens; and cooks looking for delicious ideas will find a bounty of treasure here as well.

History is always in the making, and a charming aspect of this book is the inclusion of recipes from college students and young brides in the community, alongside those of the “veteran” cooks.

“We wanted all of the dishes to be those we really cook in Vicksburg today,” Sassone concludes. “Mostly, simple recipes with simple ingredients, whipped up to create something incredibly satisfying and memorable. To say they had to have a Southern flair goes without saying!”

One of the editors’ objectives was to avoid the “same old, same old” taking old favorites and giving them a twist. “We did not include anything that had already appeared in the two older Vicksburg cookbooks, Ambrosia and Vintage Vicksburg,” says Denise Sassone.

Macadamia Nut Chicken

1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1 cup salted macadamia nuts, finely chopped
1 cup flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove tendons from chicken tenders. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine breadcrumbs and macadamias. Dredge tenders in flour, dip in beaten egg, and coat with breadcrumb mixture. Place in single layer on baking pan. Drizzle with butter. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. (Denise Broussard Sassone)

Sausage Stars

16 ounces pork sausage
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup ranch dressing
1 (4-ounce) can chopped black olives
1 (4-ounce) can chopped mushrooms, optional
4 packages small frozen fillo shells

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown sausage in large skillet until crumbly; drain. Combine sausage, cheeses, dressing, olives and mushrooms. Fill fillo shells with sausage-cheese mixture. Bake until bubbly. Serve hot.(Tod Dorbeck)

Grove Dip

3 (11-ounce) cans corn and peppers, drained
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Jalapeno peppers, chopped, optional

Line bottom of bowl with paper towels and pour in corn. Let stand a few minutes for all excess moisture to be absorbed. Remove paper towels. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate overnight and serve with tortilla chips. (Holly Stafford Whitaker)

Lemon Berry Breezer

6 medium lemons
1 quart water
1 cup honey
1 4-inch ginger root, sliced
1 handful fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh blackberries
Approximately 2 cups ice

Slice 1 lemon for garnish. Reserve center slices, and place end slices, water, honey, basil leaves, and ginger in saucepan and bring to boil. Remove from heat and let steep 5 minutes. Juice remaining lemons. Crush blackberries. Add berries and juice to warm mixture and steep 5 minutes more. Strain into 2-quart pitcher. Garnish with lemon slices and fill with ice. Pour into glasses over ice to serve. Makes 12 6-ounce servings. (Leah Kieffer Norris)

White Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce

Mousse
40 chocolate wafers, finely chopped
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups heavy cream, divided
9 ounces white chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons crème de cacao liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 pint raspberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter 9-inch springform pan. Mix wafer crumbs with butter. Press in bottom and partially up sides of pan. Bake 6 minutes. Let cool on rack. Bring 1/2 cup cream to boil, reduce heat to low. Add chocolate and stir until completely melted. In large bowl, combine chocolate, crème de cacao, and vanilla. Cool completely. Bring sugar and water to boil and continue boiling until syrup reaches 238 degrees on candy thermometer, about 5 minutes. Beat 4 whites in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat boiling syrup into egg whites. Continue beating until stiff peaks form and meringue is cool. Fold whites into white chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Beat remaining 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream in large bowl to soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into white chocolate mixture. Pour mousse into prepared crust. Cover tightly and freeze until firm, at least 5 hours. Meanwhile, prepare Raspberry Sauce. Drizzle slices of cake with raspberry sauce, and garnish with fresh raspberries. Makes 12 servings.

Sauce
2 cups frozen raspberries
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon orange- flavored liqueur
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate

Process frozen raspberries, confectioners’ sugar, orange-flavored liqueur, and frozen orange juice concentrate until puréed. Press purée through strainer, and discard seeds. Chill. (Martha Maupin Whitaker)

Tomato Place Pie

2 1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs, divided
2 (8-ounce) packages sliced sharp cheddar cheese
6 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1 onion, sliced
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup bacon ranch dressing
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
2 tablespoons oregano
1 bell pepper, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9 x 12-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup breadcrumbs and layer 1/2 of chedder cheese on top. Next, layer 1/3 of tomatoes, onion rings to taste, and 1/3 of bacon crumbles. Combine dressing and mayonnaise and spread 1/2 mixture over dish. Season with salt and pepper and spread with cottage cheese.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup breadcrumbs around edge of dish to build up sides. For second layer, place 1/3 of tomatoes, onion rings, 1/3 bacon, and remaining dressing mix over cottage cheese. Sprinkle 1/4 cup breadcrumbs around edges, and 1 cup on top. For third layer, place remaining tomatoes, onions, cheddar cheese, and rest of bacon. Sprinkle with oregano and arrange bell peppers on top. Bake 45 minutes and let sit for 45 minutes prior to serving. (Tommy Hughes) DM