Is this really America's Food Heritage?

Trawling my bookshelves, I came across a book which immediately made me think of my father.   It is one which he brought back from Virginia, way back in 2001 when he was doing a research trip over there.

The book is entitled 'Best of the Best from Virginia Cookbook  -  Selected Recipes from Virginia's Favorite Cookbooks'.

What I find so shocking is the way many cake and pudding recipes call for ...cake mix, cans of frosting, instant vanilla pudding, etc.   Surely this can't really be the best of the best of Virginian cooking, America's food heritage?  Serious question, by the way.

To be quite fair there were plenty of other recipes which do cook from scratch, I was simply shocked at the rest.

I set to and made a couple of recipes from the book, both have turned out well although I wouldn't necessarily make them again.

This one is Geba's Iron Skillet Chocolate Pie

2 cups sugar (you can cut by 1/3 - 1/2, so I did and it was perfectly fine for our taste)
4 rounded tablespoons flour
4 rounded tablespoons dry cocoa
1/2 cup butter/margarine
5 egg, separated
2 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 9" pie shell (I made a digestive biscuit crust instead)

Mix all dry ingredients.  Melt butter in a 10" skillet.  Add dry mixture, mix lightly.   Combine beaten egg yolks with milk, add to mixture, stirring constantly.   Cook slowly until really thick.   Remove from hat, add vanilla, blend well and pour into baked pie shell.

Cool and serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Now, it says that it serves 6 chocoholics or 8 smaller servings.   I think it will go much further without anyone feeling short-changed.   I would say 8 generous portions or 10 slightly smaller.

  

I'll share the other recipe another time.