In a message dated 1/10/01 12:34:59 AM,
buff@pobox.com writes:
<< I usually make fun of mysteries that include
recipes--I'm sure many of us do--but MIAMI BLUES ends with
Susan Waggoner's prize-winning recipe for vinegar pie.
<snip> Betsy, was this a favourite pie around the
Willeford house? >>
It's a Depression recipe, sometimes called Mock Apple pie.
Crackers, cider vinegar and a thickener. First I heard of it
was when he was writing the book; my guess is he figured a
girl like Susie from a town like Okeechobee would know it.
And he was making fun of books with recipes, punning on pie,
and also using the recipe as a way for Susie to test Junior's
sincerity. I tried baking one. Tasted like Ritz crackers,
cider vinegar and cornstarch. The movie people hired a pastry
chef to teach Jennifer Jason-Leigh how to cook one. She spent
a weekend baking them, and the crew & cast had to eat
them (one reason why movie people get paid so much).
Speaking of books-into-movies, Miami Blues was optioned a
year or so before Charles died. We were watching "Something
Wild" one night and Charles said he thought Ray Liotta would
be right as Junior. That suggests he had in mind an edgier,
less commercial movie than "Miami Blues" turned out to be.
Betsy
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 10 Jan 2001 EST