KATHARINE RAY (Nashville, Tennessee) says that her Granny, TOMMIE GLASSCOCK (Shelbyville, Tennessee), was the master of the quintessential Southern noontime “dinner.” Katharine says, “With great ease, working in an apron and a simple cotton house-dress she made herself, she turned out a daily small feast for whoever might be stopping by, including any family member or friend down on his luck who knew that Mama/ Tomcat/Aunt Tommy would be ready with the likes of ham or roast beef, green beans, macaroni and cheese, fresh fried corn, sliced home-grown tomatoes, lime Jell-O salad, cornbread and biscuits made each day from scratch, and fresh coconut cake. Her skill looked effortless to me. Following the midday meal, Granny moved what was left of the feast to the table in the kitchen and covered it with a checkered tablecloth. I learned to peek under that cloth to scan the leftovers there for the taking. The best prize, undoubtedly, was her from-scratch tea cakes with a hint of lemon. My older sister and I would grab fistfuls and scurry outside. Made with the simplest ingredients, they were perfection. Today, when I hear the words ‘tea cake,’ I’m taken right back to the magic I would find under that tablecloth and Granny’s nurturing love for her family.”
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons buttermilk sugar for sprinkling
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2 In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute, until light. Add the sugar and the lemon extract and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and lemon zest and beat well. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition.
3 Drop the cookies by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with white sugar.
4 Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
MAKES 4 DOZEN COOKIES.