Fried lily buds — a treat from Old Nauvoo

Last week my column mentioned a restaurant in Kirtland, Ohio. Now, I don't want to start sounding like a tour guide for LDS Church history sites, but Barbara Renouf called to tell me about places to eat in Nauvoo, Ill.

She also sent me lists of shops, restaurants, recipes and even a small cookbook titled "Good Things to Eat From Old Nauvoo," by Theo E. Boyd.

I found the information worth sharing, since so many Utahns visit Nauvoo. Also, I suspect that Renouf knows good food — her daughter, Erin Renouf Mylroie of St. George, has been in several national cooking contests.

"We are finding that tourism numbers are up 30 percent from last year," said Renouf, one of the organizers of the LDS Church's Nauvoo Pageant. The show, which pays tribute to founders and citizens of Nauvoo between 1839-46, begins Friday and runs through Aug. 4 (www.historicnauvoo.net).

Apparently a lot of places have sprung up with tourists in mind, such as the Hotel Nauvoo, the Nauvoo Fudge Factory, the Ivy Bake Shoppe and the May Fly Gift and Ice Cream Shop.

I found the older recipes the most interesting. For instance, "Good Things to Eat From Old Nauvoo" says day lilies and cattails were abundant along the swampy banks of the Mississippi River. There are recipes for Day Lilies, Fried Day Lilies, Day Lily Fritters, Cattail Sprouts, Cattail Shoots and Cattail Buds.

Frankly, I'm not planning to cook the unopened day lily buds growing in my front yard. I've nurtured them too long not to see them bloom, however briefly. It's hard to think they were so commonly found elsewhere.

Renouf also shared a recipe for Traditional English Tea Biscuits from Joan Robison, a descendant of Hyrum and Mary Fielding Smith. Robison is a missionary serving as a guide to some of the historic buildings in Nauvoo, and the recipe has been passed down in her family.

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH TEA BISCUITS

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons shortening

3/4 cup milk

Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Cut shortening into dry ingredients. Add milk. Roll and pat out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter and place on greased pan. Bake 10 minutes at 500 degrees. — Joan Robison

FRIED DAY LILIES

To prepare day lilies: Remove stems and wash unopened day lily buds in cold water. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with butter, salt and pepper or use in other recipes.

1 cup flour

2 cups cooked day lily buds

2 eggs

2 tablespoons water

Salt and pepper to taste

Hot oil for deep frying

Put flour into a plastic bag. Add lily buds and shake to cover. Beat eggs and water, add buds and stir to coat. Return the buds to the flour bag and shake to cover again. Drop a few at a time into hot oil (about 1 1/2-inch deep in a skillet heated to 375 degrees, or a deep fryer). Cook until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

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E-mail: vphillips@desnews.com