Entertaining with THE CHARLESTON SILVER LADY

There is something special about having a gathering outside in lovely weather. After being forced indoors by the heat this summer, what a treat to relax on the porch with a cool fall breeze or light rain beating cadence on the roof.

We often had people over “on the porch” as I was growing up in Charleston. The sound of the ocean and the smell of salt in the air seemed to whet everyone’s appetite for good food and drink.

We set the wicker porch tables with white linen cloths, and used the “good” silver and porcelain along with silver napkin rings. There were always a few blossoms hanging on in our heat weary garden and we would add those to the center of the tables, usually in Mason jars.

The most memorable component of those meals, for me, were the mats made from sea grass that our friend Albertha made. I am sure I have one of the only collections of mats like this.

My great-grandmother often made an old-fashioned dish known as Potted Salmon. It was the star of the table, served with Carr’s crackers and a small plate of chopped, fresh dill. It was beautiful as she removed it from the salmon-shaped mold and bordered it with preserved chunks of lemon She also served cheese cookies, citrus water, and caviar stuffed eggs.

These were not fancy foods, just regular things with a few special bits thrown in, such as Beluga atop the deviled eggs.

Potted Salmon

2 pounds of cooked salmon, bones and skin

removed 1 stick salted butter 2 Tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped Pinch nutmeg

juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Melt a stick of salted butter in a sauce pan and add a pinch of nutmeg. Allow to heat through so flavors blend, Add dill to mixture. then add lemon zest and juice. Mix well. Add mixture to salmon in a large mixing bowl combine well. Spray a mold with cooking spray and press salmon into mold.

Refrigerate for a few hours. When you are ready to unmold, let it sit out for about 15 minutes so it comes out much easier. Place preservedor thinly sliced fresh lemons around the border. Garnish with fresh dill.

Citrus Water

As we had many citrus trees in pots, this recipe was economical and incredibly fresh.

My favorite was a combination of 4 mandarin oranges, 12-20 kumquats, 2 limes and 2 or 3 lemons. All were rolled on the counter top using a little pressure to release their juice, then the lemons and limes were zested, all the citrus was cut in half lengthwise and sprinkled with sugar. After about an hour, they were all squeezed, even the kumquats, into a large pitcher. The zest was then added and a full cup of sugar. Add enough water to make 1 gallon.. Add a stalk of basil or rosemary, if desired, to add a delicate herbal scent and taste.