Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 43

The Beaumont Inn
In 1936, Duncan Hines published the first edition
of his restaurant guidebook, "Adventures in Good
Eating." It was the first book of its kind. As America
was beginning to claw its way out of the Great
Depression, Hines figured motorists needed a
handy dining reference to guide their travels. Hines
had no formal culinary training. He just had a reputation for finding real food as he traversed the country for a Chicago printing company.
Several of the restaurants Hines selected still
exist. One is The Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg,
Ky. - a place that stretches this article a bit far to the
west but one that merits coverage for its allegiance
to the age-old cuisine of the Bluegrass State.
Once a school for young ladies, the white-columned Beaumont now serves dry-cured country
ham and custard-bound corn pudding, both
Kentucky mainstays.
Built in 1845, the inn has been in the capable
hands of the Dedman family for five generations.
In landlocked Kentucky horse country, the late Bud
Dedman was known for his scalloped oysters, served
at every Thanksgiving repast. He oversaw the blending of bivalves, saltines and cream with the meticulous patience of a Kentucky bourbon distiller.
Another Beaumont specialty is citrus-laced
General Robert E. Lee Cake.
THE BEAUMONT INN'S GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE
ORANGE-LEMON CAKE

2 cups sifted cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
9 eggs, separated
2 cups sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
Grated rind and juice of one lemon
Pinch of salt
Orange-lemon frosting
Orange slices
Fresh mint leaves
Combine first three ingredients and sift six times; set aside.
Combine egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat at
high speed with an electric mixer until thick and lemon-colored.
Reduce speed to medium and gradually add vegetable oil. Add
flour mixture; mix until well blended. Stir in lemon rind and juice.
Beat egg whites (at room temperature) and salt until stiff peaks
form. Fold whites into batter. Pour batter into four wax-paperlined and greased eight-inch round cakepans.
Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until cake springs
back when lightly touched. Cool in pans 10 minutes; loosen
cake from sides of pans, using a small metal spatula. Remove
cake from pans and peel off wax paper. Cool layers completely on wire racks.

Spread orange-lemon frosting between layers and on top and
sides of cake. Store in refrigerator. Garnish with orange slices
and fresh mint leaves.

Orange-Lemon Frosting:
½ cup butter, softened
3 egg yolks
2 (16-ounce) packages powdered sugar, sifted
Grated rind of four oranges
Grated rind of two lemons
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 to 5 tablespoons orange juice
Cream butter; add egg yolks and beat well. Add powdered
sugar, beating well. Add next three ingredients, beating well.
Gradually add orange juice until mixture reaches spreading
consistency.

The Beaumont Inn
638 Beaumont Inn Drive
Harrodsburg, Kentucky
1-800-352-3992
beaumontinn.com

Old Pilot Hill General Store
At the Old Pilot Hill General Store, you don't call
in to reserve a table. You call in to reserve ribs.
Never a weekend passes without a rib sellout at this
rejuvenated country store in the Philadelphia community of Washington County, Tenn.
Not only was it once a center of commerce for
the community, the store also served as a post
office, and once a month, a traveling magistrate
would come by and convert the upstairs into a
courtroom. Over the decades, as transportation
improved and competition increased, the store fell
into disrepair. Abandoned and slowly crumbling
away, it was in need of a savior.
Donnie Hall and his wife Denise had grown
tired of living in his native Florida. For four years,
they had traveled around the country looking to
buy a country store. On a visit to East Tennessee
to see an old high school friend of Donnie's, Denise
picked up a real estate book. In one of those
"meant-to-be" moments, the book fell open to a
photograph and a listing for a country store called
Old Pilot Hill.
They decided to call the realtor, even though,
as Donnie says, it was "a sad-looking little picture."
The Halls closed the deal that very day.
"The slower the better," Donnie says, speaking
not only about life in the Philadelphia community
but also about barbecue. "We use bone-in Boston
butts for our pulled pork plates and sandwiches.
Our ribs are baby back pork loin and very meaty.
Our dry rub is Memphis-style, and our sauce has
Memphis connections, too - sweet and tomatobased, with no vinegar."
Old Pilot Hill's ribs are so good they've even
caused confrontations, when neophyte customers
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 | 43

http://www.beaumontinn.com

Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014

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