By Maylon Rice
As best I can recall, it was a hot, sweltering July evening, when I was invited into a busy farm kitchen for some of the most delicious cream pie I have ever tasted.
There are at least six families down in the Houston area this past week, who are now sampling some of the pie recipes from that same kitchen.
My No. 1 prediction is that the waist-lines in this high-toned Houston area neighborhood will soon be expanding after sampling these delicious pies from Pat Richard of Warren.
The Noel Richard household outside of Warren was just one of the many stops and kitchens that I was fortunate enough to be in growing up in Bradley County.
Pat and the late Noel Richard cared about all us kids. They had kids our age and they took an interest in us as well as Dorothy, their eldest of the bunch.
All during high school I had been in their house a few times. In the summer the Richards were a busy bunch, working in tomatoes and going to all kinds of events during the school year from band and choir concerts, football, basketball games and other activities.
Pat, visiting Dorothy Richard Cooper and her family in the tony Houston area suburb recently, at the insistence of many of Dorothy’s close friends, wanted an informal pie-making school.
Pat was glad to oblige.
The pie-cooking school was in Dorothy’s spacious kitchen and six different households, according to the FACEBOOK posts, attended.
A good time and a tasty time, was had by all.
My most memorable journey for a slice of that pie, takes me back to July 1974.
As a sophomore in college, I was working for the Advance Monticelloian, in neighboring Drew County. I drew a plum of an assignment for next week’s newspaper – interview Miss UAM as she was to be in the Miss Arkansas Pageant that next week in Hot Springs.
The Miss UAM was none other than my high school classmate, Homecoming Queen and Lumberjack Cheerleader (and former snare drummer) Dorothy Richard.
After calling and setting a time in the early evening, it was 6 or 7 p.m., after supper, I drove out to the Richard home. Dorothy and all the Richards were indeed having a late supper as the last of the tomato harvest was being done.
Hugs and pleasantries were exchanged with Miss UAM and her mom, Pat, who always has a pleasant smile and encouragement for me (even today).
I shot a black and white photo of Dorothy loading a suitcase in the back of the family car. That photo appeared in both the Eagle Democrat and the Advance that next week.
I jotted down noted about her to introduce her to the Monticello folk. She was already setting goals at UAM in her sorority, Alpha Sigma Tau. She was selected as a Theta Xi Sweetheart, and was the Alpha Sigma Tau pledge trainer for the coming fall.
She won the spring’s Miss UAM contest and was off to Hot Springs to compete against 37 other young women. Hot Springs’ own, Rhonda Pope, a 21, year old won that July and went on to Atlantic City, N.J.
I recounted how, after being named Homecoming Queen at WHS, she was cheering the week before the festivities at a road football game in Star City and very badly turned her ankle.
Expertly, her friend and my pal, Sietze Rotton, the manager and trainer for the Warren Lumberjack football team (and a Naval Academy graduate), taped her ankle in front of the Warren bleachers at the Lincoln County stadium. She limped her way through the Star City game, but walked just fine a week later at O.O. Axley Field to be crowned the Homecoming Queen.
About the Miss Arkansas Pageant that July evening back in 1974 she said: I am happy to be representing the university in the pageant. The other 37 girls and I hope to have a good time and what happens will just happen.”
She did fine in the pageant and was joined alongside Miss Pink Tomato, Patsy Waldrop, 18, who competed as Miss Warren.
But back to the pie.
After the photo shoot and the notebooks were put away, dripping with sweat from the humidity, Pat Richard invited me into the house for a slice of her cream pie – coconut cream pie – so light and fluffy that angels should eat so well.
It was the best slice of pie, I think I have ever eaten.
And now here is the cream pie recipe that has even folks in faraway Houston and heaven knows where else thinking of this fine family and Bradley County when the fork breaks the crust.
Enjoy this Pastime.
I sure did then. And still can taste that coconut cream delight 44 years later.
-
Grandma Pat’s Cream Pies
(Ingredients)
1 cup sugar
2 ½ Tbsp. corn starch
3 egg yokes
1 small Can Pet Milk (Carnation Evaporated is recommended)
2 cups milk
-
Cook over medium heat – stirring constantly until thickened (2-3 minutes)
-
Add 3 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp vanilla
A pinch of salt
-
For a Chocolate pie: Add 2 Tbsp. Hershey’s Chocolate in the beginning.
-
For a Banana pie: Add tsp banana flavoring.
-
For a Coconut pie: Add 1 cup coconut and 1 tsp coconut flavoring and add coconut on top of the meringue.
-
Add this mixture to college pie crust
-
The meringue: Beat egg whites until the whites’ peak then gradually add 2 Tbsp. sugar.
-
Cover pie and edges.
Cook under the broiler until Meringue is browned.
-
Eat and enjoy.
-
-
As best I can recall, it was a hot, sweltering July evening, when I was invited into a busy farm kitchen for some of the most delicious cream pie I have ever tasted.
There are at least six families down in the Houston area this past week, who are now sampling some of the pie recipes from that same kitchen.
My No. 1 prediction is that the waist-lines in this high-toned Houston area neighborhood will soon be expanding after sampling these delicious pies from Pat Richard of Warren.
The Noel Richard household outside of Warren was just one of the many stops and kitchens that I was fortunate enough to be in growing up in Bradley County.
Pat and the late Noel Richard cared about all us kids. They had kids our age and they took an interest in us as well as Dorothy, their eldest of the bunch.
All during high school I had been in their house a few times. In the summer the Richards were a busy bunch, working in tomatoes and going to all kinds of events during the school year from band and choir concerts, football, basketball games and other activities.
Pat, visiting Dorothy Richard Cooper and her family in the tony Houston area suburb recently, at the insistence of many of Dorothy’s close friends, wanted an informal pie-making school.
Pat was glad to oblige.
The pie-cooking school was in Dorothy’s spacious kitchen and six different households, according to the FACEBOOK posts, attended.
A good time and a tasty time, was had by all.
My most memorable journey for a slice of that pie, takes me back to July 1974.
As a sophomore in college, I was working for the Advance Monticelloian, in neighboring Drew County. I drew a plum of an assignment for next week’s newspaper – interview Miss UAM as she was to be in the Miss Arkansas Pageant that next week in Hot Springs.
The Miss UAM was none other than my high school classmate, Homecoming Queen and Lumberjack Cheerleader (and former snare drummer) Dorothy Richard.
After calling and setting a time in the early evening, it was 6 or 7 p.m., after supper, I drove out to the Richard home. Dorothy and all the Richards were indeed having a late supper as the last of the tomato harvest was being done.
Hugs and pleasantries were exchanged with Miss UAM and her mom, Pat, who always has a pleasant smile and encouragement for me (even today).
I shot a black and white photo of Dorothy loading a suitcase in the back of the family car. That photo appeared in both the Eagle Democrat and the Advance that next week.
I jotted down noted about her to introduce her to the Monticello folk. She was already setting goals at UAM in her sorority, Alpha Sigma Tau. She was selected as a Theta Xi Sweetheart, and was the Alpha Sigma Tau pledge trainer for the coming fall.
She won the spring’s Miss UAM contest and was off to Hot Springs to compete against 37 other young women. Hot Springs’ own, Rhonda Pope, a 21, year old won that July and went on to Atlantic City, N.J.
I recounted how, after being named Homecoming Queen at WHS, she was cheering the week before the festivities at a road football game in Star City and very badly turned her ankle.
Expertly, her friend and my pal, Sietze Rotton, the manager and trainer for the Warren Lumberjack football team (and a Naval Academy graduate), taped her ankle in front of the Warren bleachers at the Lincoln County stadium. She limped her way through the Star City game, but walked just fine a week later at O.O. Axley Field to be crowned the Homecoming Queen.
About the Miss Arkansas Pageant that July evening back in 1974 she said: I am happy to be representing the university in the pageant. The other 37 girls and I hope to have a good time and what happens will just happen.”
She did fine in the pageant and was joined alongside Miss Pink Tomato, Patsy Waldrop, 18, who competed as Miss Warren.
But back to the pie.
After the photo shoot and the notebooks were put away, dripping with sweat from the humidity, Pat Richard invited me into the house for a slice of her cream pie – coconut cream pie – so light and fluffy that angels should eat so well.
It was the best slice of pie, I think I have ever eaten.
And now here is the cream pie recipe that has even folks in faraway Houston and heaven knows where else thinking of this fine family and Bradley County when the fork breaks the crust.
Enjoy this Pastime.
I sure did then. And still can taste that coconut cream delight 44 years later.
-
Grandma Pat’s Cream Pies
(Ingredients)
1 cup sugar
2 ½ Tbsp. corn starch
3 egg yokes
1 small Can Pet Milk (Carnation Evaporated is recommended)
2 cups milk
-
Cook over medium heat – stirring constantly until thickened (2-3 minutes)
-
Add 3 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp vanilla
A pinch of salt
-
For a Chocolate pie: Add 2 Tbsp. Hershey’s Chocolate in the beginning.
-
For a Banana pie: Add tsp banana flavoring.
-
For a Coconut pie: Add 1 cup coconut and 1 tsp coconut flavoring and add coconut on top of the meringue.
-
Add this mixture to college pie crust
-
The meringue: Beat egg whites until the whites’ peak then gradually add 2 Tbsp. sugar.
-
Cover pie and edges.
Cook under the broiler until Meringue is browned.
-
Eat and enjoy.
-
-
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