You might recognize Martha Hall Foose from her award-winning, best-selling cookbooks, Screen Doors and Sweet Tea and her latest, A Southerly Course, a copy of which we’re giving away to one lucky At Home reader!

Fans love Foose for her down-home dishes, and we’ve even spotted her in the kitchen with Paula Deen, queen of Southern soul food! Read on for two of Foose’s favorite recipes from her new cookbook, and leave a comment for a chance to win your very own copy of A Southerly Course, with plenty more delectable recipes for the holidays and year-round. Winner will be announced January 6. Good luck!

Creamed Onions

Egyptian Walking Onions

Egyptian walking onions do just that; they walk their way across a garden. These unusual plants produce clusters of onion sets at the top of their stalks. As the sets at the top mature and become too heavy for the stalks to hold them upright, they lean over to the ground and replant themselves, traveling across the yard. When the new sets are buried, a petite onion will form. Once these are established they will travel, producing onions along the way, for years. The onions harvested from walking onions are very similar to pearl onions and, like their cousins, are delicious creamed.

Serves 2

¾ pound Egyptian walking onions or pearl onions, peeled (see Notes)

²⁄³ cup heavy cream

1 garlic clove, minced

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Dash of hot pepper sauce

Grate of fresh nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the onions, cream, garlic, and salt in a small baking dish. Dot the top with the butter and add a little hot sauce, nutmeg, and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes or until the onions are beginning to brown and are very tender.

Notes

To peel pearl onions, cut off a small bit of root end from each onion and drop the onions in boiling water. Let boil for 3 minutes, then submerge in cold water. The peels will slip off easily.

If you like, add ½ cup blanched almonds to the onions as Helen Corbitt did.

One of my favorite Southern authors is Clyde Edgerton, who wrote a novel called Walking Across Egypt. The title comes from one of the lead character’s favorite hymns, which was written by Mr. Edgerton himself!

Plum Cheesecake Bars

Interstate Fruit

There is a plum tree on Interstate Highway 35 in Austin, Texas. My uncle Jon keeps an eye on this poor little tree growing in the median. After its showy blooms fade he watches for the red plums. When they look ripe he pulls over with his hazards blinking and picks every last plum and brings them home to make jelly.

Makes 16 bars

1¾ cups vanilla wafer crumbs

¾ cup (packed) dark brown sugar

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

²⁄³ cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

½ cup plum jelly

½ cup sliced almonds

Heat the oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, combine the vanilla wafer crumbs, brown sugar, and butter. Set aside   cup of the crumb mixture and put the remaining crumbs into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Press firmly onto the bottom of the dish.

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and eggs on medium speed for
2 minutes or until well blended. Pour the mixture over the crust. Carefully spoon the jelly over the top of the cream cheese mixture. Stir the almonds into the remaining crumb mixture and sprinkle evenly over the jelly.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the center is set and the top is golden brown. Let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for several hours or until chilled. Cut into bars and serve.