MY MOTHER was a great cook. (How many of us having a passion for it say that? Most, I would bet!) Haze didn’t have much time for it after the first years of marriage because of the sudden death of my father at 40. She then became the head of a household of women. My grandmothers, my sister and I. My bother was sent away to school and we saw him very little after that.

Haze graduated from college in 1922 with a degree in home economics. I have a photo of her at graduation where they were wearing white dresses and about to wind a May Pole. Then she taught in a young women’s finishing school in Philadelphia, where each instructor lived in a small house with eight girls, there they were taught how to manage a household, sew, cook, and plan a pleasant atmosphere for their husbands. How different from today.

With my father gone and no insurance, (who had that in 1939?) the house had to be sold. And she needed a job. Her first one was in a munitions factory in New Jersey where she interviewed workers for the assembly line. She changed jobs throughout the years and worked almost till she passed away at 79.

We had a victory garden during and after the war. Jersey has great tomatoes, and the soil is as good as my dear side garden in Vermont. I loved picking the beans and gathering just a few radishes for dinner. We sometimes had “spare” dinners, but they were always served in the dining room with candles, where I was required to arrive duly scrubbed after riding my bike or climbing trees or making mud pies.

After I was married, our letters were exchanged with news and recipes that we both had collected. I still have some in her own hand.

Asparagus

Yesterday I found some great asparagus in Shaw’s. The stalks were large, fat, and without shrinkage and the tips were firm.

Many cooks today lean toward the thin, young stalks, the thought being that they are more tender, or perhaps concentrated in flavor. Besides being simmered, they can be sprinkled with olive oil and seasoning, and baked, perhaps combined with other vegetables as a side dish.

From Haze:

I fought it for years, because I’m impatient, but with large stalks, they cook evenly if you trim them within about 3 inches from the top of the stalk with a potato peeler. Brace the reverse side of the stalk from where you are trimming with a finger. You must do this gently, so that they don’t break. They will then cook evenly so that the tops are done at the same time as the stalks. Simmer, uncovered in salted water, test with a sharp fork. Nap with a pad of butter, and sprinkle with lemon pepper and salt or lemon juice.

And, as Haze might say, “If you wish to ‘Gild the Lilly’ top with below: It is one of the most delicious dishes in world cuisine!” I think so too! pgg.

Hollandaise Sauce 3 egg yolks 1/2 cup butter, cold, sliced 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon lemon Juice

In double boiler, or in metal pan over water, heat water till just boiling, then turn down. Put egg yolks, cut up cold butter and salt in top pan. Stir gently till butter is melted. Do not let the water boil. Add lemon juice, drop by drop, stir until thick, take off heat immediately. It may be served at room temperature.

From Hollandaise to Béarnaise Sauce: from James Beard

3 shallots or scallions finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried tarragon 1/4 cup wine vinegar

1/4 cup white wine

1 teaspoon dried chopped parsley

Boil down to almost glaze, add to Hollandaise above, serve with roast beef.