Oysters And Macaroni Au Gratin, Mrs. Robert Valliant
In 1948, three recipes of the wife of one Robert Valliant appeared in the now-legendary community cookbook, one that has seen many reprints over the years: “A Cook’s Tour of the Eastern Shore.” The Valliant family lineage is so enmeshed into Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore that it was hard to determine which Robert Valliant I might be looking into.
Mrs. Valliant’s contributions to the book were for Oyster Bisque, Fried Oysters, and for Oysters and Macaroni Au Gratin.
These choices, along with the timing of the publication of the cookbook, lead me to believe the contributor was Grace Marie Moore Valliant, wife of Robert T. Valliant, who ran the oyster packing company named after his uncle, W.H. Valliant.
The Valliant family was and is involved in many prominent positions spreading out from the Oxford-Bellevue area, from postmaster to chamber of commerce to mayor.
Marie Grace Moore was born in Woodside Delaware in 1915. In 1938, she married Robert T. Valliant, Sr., the son of Jeramiah Valliant, who was involved in farming and who was the “Bro.” of “W.H. Valliant & Bro. Packing Co.”
Mrs. Valliant, who went by the name Marie, worked as a nurse. I’m guessing she worked at Memorial Hospital at Easton, the beneficiary of “A Cook’s Tour of the Eastern Shore.” She was also involved in the St. Ann’s Guild of Christ Church, and the Oxford Day Committee.
I found the Oxford Day work to be the most interesting. Held in April starting some time in the 1950s or early 1960s, Oxford Day was a showcase of local homes, gardens, and antiques in the historic town. A horse-drawn carriage provided tours of the town, and rocking chairs along the main drag provided rest to touring visitors. One year there was a daffodil show. As far as I can tell, the festival ended some time in the 1970s. Mrs. Robert T Valliant died in 1976.
In 1995, one year after Mr. Robert T. Valliant himself died, Oxford Day resurfaced with a parade and clowns, and a focus on dogs with a pet walk and dog show. Having been through Oxford many times, occasionally allowing my dog to step into the mellow waters of the Tred Avon River, this makes sense to me. It’s a dog-friendly town. I once watched a summer vacationer relax on the beach. Her yellow lab beside her reached over and rested his paw on her chair. Together they watched the tide.
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has a wealth of information on the Valliant family, including oral histories, account books, and of course oyster cans. I currently have recipes from other Valliants in “Queen Anne Goes to the Kitchen,” and no doubt some more are hiding within my unindexed cookbooks from the Eastern Shore.
Macaroni and Oysters have been a fairly popular combination since at least the 1890s. Although it doesn’t photograph too well, if an unobtrusive cheese is used, the dish makes a good use of oyster flavor. That said, I don’t think it’ll be a go-to for me anytime soon, unless I find myself part of an oyster-packing business dynasty.
Recipe:
- 1 Pint oysters
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 1.5 Cups milk
- 1 Cups cooked macaroni
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- .125 Teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Cup grated cheese
Drain oysters. Melt butter over a double boiler. Blend flour into melted butter, add milk, and stir constantly until thick. Place a layer of macaroni in a buttered casserole dish. Cover with half the oysters. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and half of the grated cheese. Repeat another layer. Pour the sauce over the contents of the casserole and top with the remaining grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until brown.
Recipe adapted from A Cook’s Tour of the Eastern Shore, 1948, Memorial Hospital at Easton, Md. Junior Auxiliary.
