First experience at Davey's like no other I've ever experienced

Cheryl McLain/News Editor
The Newton Record

NEWTON March 21, 2007 02:42 pm

— I had my first experience at Davey’s Restaurant last Thursday. My boss asked me if I would like to go and taste some really good food, of course I was all for that. When we arrived I discovered many cars were already parked outside a building that you wouldn’t have given a second glance to if you hadn’t known it was there.
It looked like an old abandoned building from the outside but once you got near the door you know it is filled with people and the aroma of good ole country cooking. As we entered we were greeted by the owner Earline Broomfield. She told us to help ourselves and we didn’t hesitate. We had fried chicken, pork chops, potato salad, yams, cabbage, cornbread, and of course she insisted we choose one of her desserts of the day, which included key lime pie, strawberry pie, lemon ice box pie and Elvis Presley cake.
“I have been cooking since I was nine years old, “Miss Earline said. “I had to cook while my mama and daddy was in the fields, I cooked cornbread, peas, and fixed some Kool-Aid. She told me the food had to be good, so I couldn’t cook and play at the same time.”
Miss Earline has been in business for 17 years and named the restaurant after her son Davey. She has been visited by some well known people, among them were famous blues singer Percy Sledge, Congressman Chip Pickering, former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and “Mississippi Outdoors” celebrity Melvin Tingle. She even received a letter from First Lady Mrs. Laura Bush after receiving one of her recipe books.
“I have my regular customers that come quite often Attorney Robert Logan and Chief Curry from Newton,” Miss Earline said. “I also had some people from Hollywood visit me a couple of weeks ago.”
These people were in New Orleans and knew about me and wanted some southern soul food she said. They were producers and actors from the movies Seabiscuit, Eight Below and Pleasantville.
“I served them pork chops, lima beans and okra, fried turnip roots and fried broccoli,” Miss Earline said. “They told me they would be back and bring some more friends next time.”
About 86 people come to eat at the restaurant every day and on Thanksgiving 600 or more pass through the small building.
When I left that day I promised her I would bring my fiance’ back on Friday night to try her delicious steaks. We came and brought our friends Larry and Janice Erickson. Again we weren’t disappointed. She had steaks, country fried potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn salad, potato salad, fruit salad, fried jalapeno peppers, zucchini hushpuppies, fried pork rinds and watermelon all layed out on a table fit for a king. We had banana pudding for dessert and left very satisfied knowing we would be back very soon.
If you haven’t traveled the road to Davey’s you most definately need to. It is an experience you will always remember and that is why Miss Earline is our “cook of the week” and in my book cook of the year. And as an added treat, on your way back to Newton watch for the silo’s on the left side of the road, they are tricky.

Earline’s Chocolate Pie
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup flour
4 tablespoons Hershey’s Cocoa
2 cups milk
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 stick margarine
6 egg yolks (save egg white for topping)
Mix first three ingredients well. Add milk, margarine and egg yolk. Mix with wire whisk. In copper bottom or stainless pot, cook over direct heat until thick and creamy. Stir constantly. This will thicken quickly. Pour into two baked pie shells.
Topping
Beat egg whites until stiff. Add 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring. Mix with spoon. Pour on top of pie. Brown in 400 degree oven about 15 minutes or until brown.

Earline’s Fried Chicken
Wash chicken. Place in container and cover chicken in buttermilk. Refrigerate over night. Deep fry chicken in seasoned self rising flour of black pepper and garlic salt. Roll chicken in flour mixture. Cook until golden about 14 minutes and chicken comes to top of oil. This chicken may be cooked in your regular skillet. Juicy every time.

Fried White Potatoes
Wash and slice vegetables about 1/4 inch thick. Pour 1 cup milk and 1 egg over vegetable. Coat well. Remove vegetables. Roll in self-rising flour.. Season with salt and pepper. Deep fry or brown both sides in skillet.

Earline’s Vanilla
Homemade Ice Cream
10 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 quart sweet milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
In a large mixing bowl beat 10 egg yolks. Save egg whites in another bowl. Add sugar and beat. Heat sweet milk until hot. Do not boil. Add condensed milk to heated milk. Add evaporated milk and vanilla flavoring. Beat egg whites until stiff. Stir egg whites into ice cream mixture. Pour into electric freezer or hand frozen. Turn until freezer stops turning.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.