Church Bazaars can be treasure troves of memorabilia you’d never expect. The very righteous bazaar at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Franklin, TN., delivered this little gem: Jim Beard’s New Barbecue Cookbook. That would be the same “Jim” that became James Beard, iconic food expert and namesake of the James Beard Awards. But apparently back in 1958 when the book was published he was just plain old Jim.
The famous Mr. Beard holds forth on the lowly hot dog (referred to as a frankfurter) advice true to this day: “Most Americans think they know all there is to know about cooking frankfurters. they simply grill them in a pan or folding grill (or, heaven forbid, boil them), slap them on a tasteless frankfurter roll, pass the mustard and piccalilli, and that’s it. ” Beard suggests substituting “tender little finger rolls from your local bakery” or small French rolls.
His variations on a frankfurter include old standbys: cheese-filled, wrapped in bacon and grilled; with chili; and topped with relish. But then there’s this novel approach: Slice frankfurters down the middle and stuff with a mixture of liverwurst, grated onion, sour cream and Tabasco. Brush with mustard (he does not specify what kind), and roll in foil. Grill for 12-15 minutes, turning them twice.
Hmm, hot dogs and liverwurst.
I’m going to try some of his recipes to see if they stand up after half a century. I’ll let you know the results.
1 response so far ↓
fluffernutter // August 21, 2008 at 9:21 pm |
Okay, but grated onion, sour cream and tabasco does sound darn good, especially if you used the new chipotle tabasco.