BY ANN CIPPERLY
OPINION —
In a country setting in Waverly with quiet streets and houses shaded by towering ancient trees, Meredith Frye is a busy mom preparing homemade meals and being co-owner of the Fig and Wasp antique shop with her mother. Meredith and her husband, Justin, are also renovating their home and upgrading the kitchen. Justin is busy as well as a pilot for international flights at United Airlines, based out of New York City.
While Meredith is enjoying life in the country, she has spent four decades living in four different places. The first decade was Marietta, Georgia; Decatur, Alabama, for the second; and third in Lexington, Kentucky, where she worked in politics. Since then she has been in Waverly. Between her second and third decade, Meredith graduated from Auburn University in political science.
When Meredith was growing up in Marietta, her mother, Tammy “Scout” Nance, and both her grandmothers were excellent cooks. Her mother has a love of cooking, and prepared meals from scratch, including homemade bread and mayonnaise for sandwiches.
“We joked that nobody wanted to trade sandwiches with me at school because our lunches were weird being so homemade,” Meredith recalled. “We felt different with everything made from scratch, while everyone’s else lunches were not. One day I said to my mom, ‘why can’t we be normal and eat out of a box like other people.’”
Meredith began cooking in high school making cookies and other desserts. Her interest in cooking was sparked in her teens when she saw gourmet recipes popping up in magazines.
“On the front of a magazine was a picture of watermelon and feta salad,” she said. “I thought, ‘I want to start combining flavors.’ I made a weird gourmet dinner and became interested in cooking then.”
She followed in her mother’s footsteps by making nearly everything from scratch. When she attended Auburn University, her friends would plead for her to prepare dinner and make her famous cheesecake.
“One time on my birthday,” she said, “I had to make them cheesecake.”
While attending Auburn University, she met Justin. He served as a pilot in the Army Guard and has been a pilot for United Airlines for over ten years.
When the couple lived in Lexington, Meredith worked in politics, including being on staff for a national presidential campaign. She worked in fundraising, met sitting presidents and rode in a presidential motorcade.
“I had a very interesting career for a decade, but I truly believe the best job I have ever had is that of a wife and mother,” she said.
The Fryes moved to Waverly 11 years ago. They purchased a 3-year-old house with an older, classic appearance that was built with heart pine. They expanded the space and are currently renovating and updating the kitchen.
A stone fireplace provides a cozy feeling in the dining area with French antiques flanking the rustic table. The antiques came to the shop from a house in France, and Meredith de-cided they were an ideal fit for her home.
Meredith and Justin have three children, Townes, 14; Wheeler, 13; and South, 11.
When she began having children, Meredith decided to leave the political world. While she had always wanted to be a stay at home mom like her mother, she wanted to do something since she enjoys being creative. She paints and has taught art classes. She also has an interest in antiques like her mother.
Once the children were in school, Meredith and her mother began a small business collecting and curating European antiques with sales in their homes. Then they began placing antiques in various booths and rented a room at a high end furniture store. Since Meredith and her family live in Waverly, they began thinking about having a brick and mortar business in town with it open on weekends.
One day while in town, Meredith and the boys saw a fig tree with wasps around it. She wondered why there are so many wasps and did a search on the computer, learning that the fig tree and wasp needed each other. When she mentioned to her mom that fig and wasp would a great business name, she said, “Yes, it is our business name. Let’s do the antique shop.”
Fig and Wasp was perfect since they are partners in the business. They opened the shop five years ago and have expanded the days. Now they are open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
“We have enjoyed the journey with the store and excited to be open five years,” Meredith said.
Every year, the Frye family spends the summer in Maine. They have a love of seafood, and Meredith will prepare mussels in a white wine and garlic sauce. She also cooks seafood chowders with corn and heavy cream enhancing the flavors.
While they mainly enjoy lobster at restaurants, when another family visits them in Maine, Meredith will purchase a big bag of lobster chunks at a local market. She will create a hearty lobster pasta dish to serve both families. It is everyone’s favorite.
Meredith enjoys entertaining and also sharing meals with friends when they are going through a rough time. She plans weekly menus and grocery shops on Sundays. She will pick up sourdough bread at the Wild Flour Bakery that is located next to Fig and Wasp.
She gathers fresh produce from farmers markets for a Mediterranean night once in a while with fresh salads. She also enjoys cooking Indian and Asian recipes.
“I love different foods and certain food combinations that I make for the kids,” she said.
“I enjoy baking like my mother and grandmother, who still makes biscuits from scratch without measuring ingredients,” Meredith said.
She is sharing recipes for biscuits, pancakes, cookies and two cakes.
Many of her recipes are ones she adapted from two favorite cookbooks. One is an old French cookbook, Charles Virion’s French Country Cookbook, which is probably out of print. She adapted the French Hamburger Steak that is a family favorite.
She and her mother both used the “Fanny Farmer Cookbook” over the years. She adapted the Chicken Croquettes recipe from the cookbook that is one of the childrens’ favorites.
“I love food and a vacation for me is not complete unless I have been fed well,” Meredith said. “We take the kids with us on trips. We went to Germany last November and France in the spring. Our kids love traveling and good food just as much as we do. They are not picky eaters because we made them eat what we are eating from day one.
“I feel very blessed living in Waverly,” Meredith added. “A lot of days I just have to think about all the wonderful things we have been given, and to enjoy it now because we don’t know when that could change.”
If you are looking for something new to prepare for your family, look over Meredith’s recipes and add a few to menus this coming week. They will no doubt become favorites at your home.
Chicken Croquettes
Adapted from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
1 tsp. salt
1 rib celery, minced
Pinch cayenne
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 onion, minced
1 heaping Tbsp. minced parsley
1 cup thick cream sauce (recipe follows)
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
Oil or butter for frying
Thick Cream Sauce:
3 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
Salt to taste
Pepper
To make cream sauce, melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly until the paste bubbles, but don’t let the mixture turn brown. Add milk, continuing to stir, little at first then all at once. Simmer to thicken. Add salt and pepper, remove from heat.
To make croquettes, mix all ingredients through cream sauce until thoroughly combined. Chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
When ready, patty them into small discs, dip them in the beaten eggs and then into breadcrumbs. Fry in medium oil until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Enjoy!
French Hamburger Steak
Adapted from Charles Virion’s French Country Cookbook
1 onion, minced
3 Tbsp. salted butter
2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ham (from deli), chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1½ tsp. salt
Fresh pepper
1/4 tsp. thyme
Flour
1 Tbsp. oil or butter for frying
Sauce:
1/4 cup beef bone broth
1/4 cup dry white vermouth
3 Tbsp. salted butter
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Sauté onions until translucent. Mix onions, 3 Tbsp. butter, beef, ham, eggs, salt, pepper and thyme together, gently without over working. Form into patties and refrigerate if needed.
When ready to cook, dip lightly in flour and shake off excess before adding to a pan with 1 Tbsp. oil or butter on medium heat. Fry until golden. Approximately five minutes on each side. Leave warm on a platter.
Add beef broth and vermouth to hot pan and reduce to simmering until it is syrupy. Take the skillet off the burner and swirl in 3 Tbsp. butter. Pour over hamburger steaks and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
Ricotta Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
15 oz. container whole milk ricotta cheese
3 egg yolks
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tsp. fine sea salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 stick salted butter
Fresh sage, chopped
Bring a pot of water to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until a nice dough forms, careful not to overwork. Create a disk of dough and use a bench scraper to divide into pie shapes. Roll each shape into a 1 to 2-inch log, then cut each “pillow.”
Carefully lower gnocchi “pillows” into simmering water in batches, so they aren’t crowded. They’re ready when they float. Use a slotted spoon to scoop them out and let them rest on a plate. Repeat until all are done.
Meanwhile, brown some butter on low-medium heat. Once brown, add sage and let it fry before adding gnocchi and toss until coated. Serve.
“Scrubble Muffins” (Wheeler’s Blueberry)
Muffins:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 stick salted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Scant 1 cup milk plus 1 Tbsp. sour cream
1 ½ cups blueberries
Streusel Topping:
3 Tbsp. cold butter
2 Tbsp. oats
1 tsp. flour
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add liners to (or grease) muffin tin. Mix dry ingredients for muffins. Mix wet ingredients and add to dry ingredients. Fold in blueberries.
Pour into prepared muffin tin. Combine streusel ingredients and sprinkle on top of each muffin. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower to 375 degrees and bake 15 minutes more.
Salty Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup coarse sugar in the raw
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
10 oz. pkg dark chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a mixture, cream butter and sugars together for five minutes, until color is lighter. Add eggs and vanilla and mix two more minutes. Combine dry ingredients and add little by little. Fold in chocolate chips. Roll dough into 1½-inch balls. Bake on cookie sheet 12 to 14 minutes. Cookies should be cracked and just on the edge of done.
Chicken and Dumplings
Soup:
3-4 chicken breasts
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1½ tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 stick cold salted butter
1 tsp. salt
Dried parsley
3/4 cup heavy cream
Cover chicken with water and add carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to boil and simmer until chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken from broth and set aside.
Meanwhile make dumplings by cutting butter into the dry ingredients. Add cream just get dough to hold together and don’t over mix. Flatten dough onto a floured surface and cut small squares with a bench scraper or knife.
Add squares of dough to the pot of broth and cover. Let steam for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add cream at the very end and serve.
Meredith’s Famous Chocolate Cake
Butter and cocoa for coating pans
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
1½ cups cocoa
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 eggs
1½ cups buttermilk
1 ½ cups warm water or coffee
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
Frosting:
1½ cups salted butter, room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 ½ cups cocoa
3 tsp. vanilla
3-4 cups powdered sugar
Milk, if needed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and cocoa two 9-inch round pans.
Mix all cake ingredients together, adding butter last. Careful not to over mix. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a rack. Get ready to split and frost.
To make frosting, mix butter and cream cheese in a mixer. Add cocoa, sugar and vanilla. Use a splash of milk if it’s too thick. Spread onto layers, top and side of cake. Enjoy!
Orange Butter Cake
1 ⅓ cups melted butter
3 large eggs
1¼ cups whole milk
1½ Tbsp. grated orange zest
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ cup Italicus (or orange liqueur)
1¾ cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. kosher salt, or to taste
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a bundt pan. To a large bowl, add melted butter and eggs; whisk well to incorporate. Add milk, orange zest, orange juice and Italicus; whisk to incorporate.
Add sugar, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; whisk until just incorporated, but don’t overmix. Pour into buttered bundt pan.
Bake for about 70 to 75 minutes. Start checking after 60 minutes since ovens vary. Cake will be golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Allow cake to cool on a rack. Dust cake with powdered sugar.
Buttermilk Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 stick salted butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix dry ingredients with cold butter by using a pastry cutter or metal whisk. Continue to pulverize the butter into the flour mix until it resembles pea gravel.
Add buttermilk to center and slowly cut the liquid through the dry parts with a knife. Flour hands and mix lightly, careful not to over mix. Place the dough on a floured surface and fold it over itself several times creating layers.
Press to a ¾-inch disk after several folds and use a biscuit cutter to make rounds. Crowd them into a metal pan and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.
Buttermilk Pancakes
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbsp. melted salted butter
Butter for griddle
Maple syrup for serving
Mix wet ingredients and then add in the dry ingredients. Stirring gently, allow time for the mixture to bubble up before pouring into hot griddle.
Meanwhile get your griddle ready and butter it. When ready, scoop the mixture from the top layer where you see bubbles. Allow time enough in griddle that the bottom is golden and little air bubbles have formed around the edge. Then flip and repeat until all are done. Serve with maple syrup.
