July 27
Roberta Lee Streeter's Birthday
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When the film Ruby Gentry (1952)
was released, Roberta Lee Streeter fell in love with the Jennifer Jones
title character and decided to take the Gentry name as her stage surname,
and Roberta Lee Streeter became Bobbie Gentry. Little Roberta had displayed
musical talent as a child who lived in near poverty on her grandparents in
Mississippi. But to encourage Roberta's love of music, her gransmother
traded one of her cows for a piano, and within a few months, the talented
tyke was composing songs. When she was 14, she moved to California to live
with her mother and began performing in local country clubs . After
graduating from high school, she attended the Los Angeles
Conservatory of Music.
She continued performing in clubs for several years while trying to
break into the recoding business. Eventually, Capitol records signed her and
issue debut single, "Mississippi Delta." However, disc jockeys began playing
the B-side, "Ode to Billie Joe" -- detailing the suicide of Billie Joe
McAllister, who flings himself off the Tallahatchie Bridge. The gothic tale
of Billie Joe's suicide topping the pop charts for four weeks and sold.
three million copies. and she won three Grammy awards, including Best New
Artist and Best Female Vocal. She was also named the Academy of Country
Music's Best New Female Vocalis, The Academy of Country Music named Gentry
the Top New Female Vocalist of 1967. "Ode to Billie Joe" has been covered by
such artists as Sinéad O'Connor, Tammy Wynette, and Patti Smith.
Bobbie continued performing in the US and Europe and then worked as
co-writer for a 1976 film adaptation of
Ode to Billy Joe (with the
change in spelling). Made
for $1.1 million, it grossed $27 million at the box office. Bobbie
told her co writer Herman Raucher that while the song was based on an actual
event, she had no idea why the real person who inspired the character of
Billie Joe had killed himself . So they made up the background story of the
suicide.
For film trivia buffs, the film was directed and produced by Max
Baer, Jr. who plated Jethro Bodine on TV's The Beverly Hillbillies.Bobbiereleased several albums, in the 70s
including the popular Patchwork, and married singer and comedian Jim
Stafford in 1975, but they divorced a few years later after the birth of
their son Tyler. Bobbie then decided to quit the music business and went on
to run her own TV production company in Los Angeles.
So to celebrate Bobbie's birthday and remarkable talent, we suggest renting
a copy of the film Ode to Billy Joe,
and make a batch of
Mocha Orange Patchwork Cookies to munch on when Billy Joe McAllister
jumps off the Tallahatchie Bridge. |
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Mocha Orange Patchwork Cookies
Patchwork Cookies
from
A Bakers Field Guide to Christmas Cookies by Dede Wilson.
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Orange Dough Ingredients
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Mocha Dough Ingredients
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3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp orange zest, finely grated
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
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2&1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp instant espresso or 1 tsp coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
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Instructions
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- For orange dough, whisk flour, baking soda
and salt in small bowl.
- In large bowl, beat butter with electric
mixer on medium high until creamy, 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually. Beat
until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in orange zest and vanilla. Beat in egg,
scraping bowl .
- Mix in one-third of flour mixture, on low
speed. Gradually add, and blend, remaining flour.
- For mocha dough, whisk flour, cocoa, baking
soda and salt in small bowl.
- In large bowl, beat butter on medium high
until creamy, 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually. Beat until fluffy, 3 minutes.
Dissolve coffee in vanilla. Beat into dough. Beat in egg.
- Mix in one-third of flour mixture on low
speed. Add remaining flour gradually, until blended.
- Doughs will be slightly damp but crumbly.
Scrape onto large pieces of plastic wrap, shape into flat discs, and wrap.
Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours to overnight.
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- For patchwork cookies, choose small cookie
cutter that fits inside larger one, and allows a border.
- Roll doughs to 1/4-inch thickness on floured
surface. Cut out large orange shape; place on cookie sheet. Cut out large
mocha shape; place 2 inches apart. Cut out small shapes from centre of each.
Place small mocha shape inside large orange shape, and vice versa. When pans
are full, place in freezer for 15 minutes or refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- For marbled cookies, knead scraps together.
Roll out dough; cut.
- Bake in 350º F oven until edges begin to
color, about 12 minutes for 2-inch cookies. You can use top and middle oven
racks, switching trays halfway through baking time – quickly, to maintain
temperature.
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