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Jimmy, Amy and Roslynn Carter.
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Powell: Peanuts, eggplant deserve place in culinary tribute to Jimmy Carter

Powell: Peanuts, eggplant deserve place in culinary tribute to Jimmy Carter

Since hearing the news that President Jimmy Carter is in hospice care at his home, I have wanted to pay this tribute that is far outside the political arena.

There is something about knowing a person’s food preferences and eating habits that takes them to a quieter place of reality.

The Carter Family Favorites Cookbook does just that as it traces the lifestyles of Jimmy and other Carters and, through recipes, tells us they were down-home folks. Plains, Ga., where Jimmy Carter was born and continues to live nearly a century later, is definitely his comfort zone. It was the setting for the Carter cookbook that says it all in prose and pictures about the Carters and their passion for good food.

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The book is a source for this tribute to the peanut farmer who went to Washington.

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Jimmy and Rosalynn and their young daughter Amy were already living in the White House when the book was published in 1977. But author Ceil Dyer did a masterful job introducing the family members and stories of their passion for food for their health as well as for their pleasure.

The first question, of course, is what were Jimmy’s favorite foods? His mother, known as Miss Lillian, Rosalynn, and even Jimmy himself gave the same answer so it has to be true. 

Jimmy Carter liked fresh vegetables, and his favorite was eggplant. Miss Lillian and Rosalynn both said he liked eggplant fixed almost any way. Next on his favorite fresh vegetable list was acorn squash, followed closely by butter beans. One eggplant recipe in the cookbook calls for four eggs separated, which must make a light-as-a-feather dish.

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Peanuts? It wouldn’t be a Carter family cookbook without a chapter on peanuts. The chapter is mostly on baked goods, but leafing through the book there are other recipes that make use of the product, including an apple salad that seems like a good idea to try.

Occasionally, the Carters break from tradition in their food habits. One example is the Thanksgiving menu with turkey and all the trimmings. But, instead of pumpkin pie, Japanese fruitcake is dessert. You have to wonder why.

We don’t see a lot of boiled peanuts to snack on until we go South, where they are an acquired taste. Miss Lillian said that her boiled peanuts are her specialty and her claim to fame around Plains. Her recipe is simply to cook shelled peanuts in peanut oil and sprinkle generously with salt. In addition to the peanut chapter that largely featured baked goods, the use of peanuts appears in other recipes from soup to nuts.

Peanut butter is used in many family favorites including French toast, pancakes, baked chicken, and stuffed sweet potatoes. 

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Peanut brittle also entered the international scene. When the Carters entertained the German ambassador at a diplomatic dinner, chiffon peanut brittle pie was featured.

There is little doubt that many of the Carter homespun recipes in the book could be credited to Annie Mae Jones, who was Miss Lillian’s housekeeper. Annie Mae began working for the family when she was 12 and spent 22 years catering to the Carters.

Rosalynn always liked to cook and try new recipes, but she admitted that after Jimmy entered politics she had less time to cook.

The move to the White House for Jimmy’s four-year term gave her access to a full kitchen staff of chefs. I doubt that the first lady ever asked any of the chefs to prepare boiled peanuts.

Boiled, fried, or just in the shell, peanuts were not on the menu the day I was privileged to have tea with Rosalynn in the State Dining Room.

As one of the selected food writers from across the country I was in awe of the whole experience, especially of the lavish foods prepared by Chef Henry Haller and his staff of pastry chefs and chocolatiers. The tables of food ranging from sculptured fruits and scrumptious pastries to hand-crafted chocolates were almost too pretty to eat. But we managed to taste everything once our hostess arrived.

Escorted by the Secret Service, we were on time for the 5:30 p.m. gathering and anxious to meet Rosalynn.

But, she wasn’t there. Nearly an hour later she arrived with apologies and an excuse that prompted applause from her guests. 

She explained she and Jimmy had spent the weekend at Camp David, and that afternoon he decided to go fishing and she went with him. Hence, the tardiness that didn’t damage her warm smile or the food one bit. 

Had the experience not been years before cellular telephones I am sure we would have taken photos of Rosalynn and the glorious food tables.

Not to worry, in true White House style, a photographer was on duty, and lucky for me it was Mary Anne Fackelman. Mary Anne was on The Blade photo staff before getting the job at the White House. One of her favorite stories is an invitation from President Carter to travel with him on Air Force One to a Toledo meeting because Toledo was her hometown. Mary Anne now lives in Hawaii.

As first lady, planning menus with Chef Haller and his staff was one of Rosalynn’s responsibilities. In the cookbook she shares menus for diplomatic dinners that are a far cry from a family dinner gathering in Plains. The menu for a diplomatic dinner lists Lobster Parisienne, Spinach and Mushroom Salad, Saddle of Veal with Truffle Sauce, Parslied New Potatoes, Soufflé Grand Marnier, and Demitasse.

Peanut Butter Praline Cupcakes

These cakes go into the oven a second time topped with praline. 

Yields: 2 dozen cupcakes

1 box yellow cake mix

1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Eggs and water as specified on cake mix package

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

½ cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat two 12-cup muffin tins with peanut oil.

Cut peanut butter into cake mix to form fine granules. Add eggs and water in amounts on package, and nutmeg. Beat to blend well. 

Fill cupcake pans half-full. Bake 25 minutes.

Blend melted butter, brown sugar, and chopped nuts to make praline. Spread praline topping over each hot cake when it is removed from the oven. Immediately return to oven and bake another 15 minutes.

Source: The Carter Family Favorites Cookbook

Mary Alice Powell is a retired Blade food editor. Contact her at poseypowell@aol.com.

First Published March 5, 2023, 11:30 a.m.

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