According to a postcard available at Stone's Cafeteria, this small eatery on the outside of Christiansburg is "One of America's Top 100 Independent Regional Restaurants." The card doesn't say who declared this fact, nor does it list the criteria; but if you eat here, and if you like real country cooking, you won't disagree.
As Southern cafeterias go, Stone's is among the small and cozy ones - much smaller than the Morrison's and Picadilly cafeterias that occupy shopping centers throughout the Southland. It is a very personal kind of business in a building that once, no doubt, was modern, with its orange Naugahyde booths and low-slung architecture. Now, compared to the franchises that line the strips outside of most small cities and towns, it seems quaint and old-fashioned. There is a family feeling to it, encouraged by the teams of chatty Southern ladies who dish out the food behind the line.The offerings regularly include catfish (fried), cod, tenderloin tips, and the dish we most highly recommend, fried chicken. This is fried chicken of the thin-crusted kind: really elegant pieces of bird with an acute crunch to their skin but no lumpy batter between that crunch and the moist, flavorful white meat or even moister and more succulent dark meat below.
To go with that chicken, you will want a big pile of mashed potatoes and gravy and a selection or two from the wide array of vegetables for which Stone's is known. There is a memorable casserole of squash and bacon textured with bread crumbs and swimming in luscious juices; there are yams and greens and beans and salads, too; but don't fill up your tray without leaving room for dessert.
Pies are a specialty. They make a grandiose strawberry pie piled high with layer upon layer of berry; and our personal favorite, coconut cream pie - rich and summery in a fragile lard crust. The crust, we realized as we plowed into this grand classic of Southern cafes and cafeterias, is a crucial element of coconut cream pie greatness. You need that brittle texture to balance the luxury of the coconut cream on top. Today's recipe shows how we suggest making such a pie at home.
Now available! Nearly 200 of the most-requested recipes from this column, all in one book, "A Taste of America." It includes Jane and Michael Stern's favorite restaurants, as well as photos from their coast-to-coast eating adventures. Available in paperback, it can be ordered by sending $9.95 plus $1 for postage and handling to Taste of America, in care of the Deseret News, P.O. Box 419150, Kansas City, MO 64141.
Coconut Cream Pie
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons lard or solid vegetable shortening at room temperature
3 tablespoons ice water (approx.)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Pinch salt
3 cups milk
4 eggs, separated 1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups shredded coconut, lightly toasted (see note below)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix flour and salt. Cut in lard or vegetable shortening until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle on water, tablespoon by tablespoon, stirring after each addition, until dough is just barely workable into a rugged ball that holds together.
Roll dough out on a lightly floured board. Place in 9-inch pie pan. Flute edges with finger or fork, and press aluminum foil neatly onto the crust. Bake 5 minutes, remove foil, and bake about 10 minutes more, or until crust is light brown and crisp. Remove from oven and cool in pan.
In a heavy saucepan, beat 3/4 cup of sugar with cornstarch and salt. Very gradually whisk in milk, then egg yolks, one at a time. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to full boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook and stir 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and 1 1/2 cups of shredded coconut. Cover and let cool 20 to 25 minutes. Pour into pie shell.
Beat egg whites to soft peaks; sprinkle on remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff; spread over top of pie and sprinkle with remaining coconut. Brown about 5 minutes in hot oven. (Watch carefully to make sure meringue doesn't burn.) Cool completely before serving.
-NOTE: To toast the coconut, spread on baking sheet, place in 350-degree oven for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring once until light brown.