Worcestershire sauce, imported mustard, and cognac are not exactly the first three ingredients that one would instinctively associate with Cherokee cuisine. However, they all feature in Elizabeth Warren’s recipe for “Crab with Tomato Mayonnaise Dressing” from Pow Wow Chow, a 1984 cookbook edited by her cousin and published by the Five Civilized Tribes Museum.
Recent media revelations explain the not-quite-native ingredients: a not-quite-native recipe that originated in Le Pavillon, a French restaurant in New York City.
While the dish was not developed by some Cherokee grandmother and passed down through the generations, it was enjoyed by the likes of Cole Porter and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. And that certainly counts for something — regarding the quality of the recipe if not Warren’s claims about her heritage.
So here is the recipe, as published in The Virgin Islands Daily News on August 22, 1979, first published by Breitbart.com.
Make sure you prepare omelets in advance, chill, stuff, garnish, and serve two to a guest. If desired, a tossed salad (as per the chef’s suggestion) and a touch of light-hearted cynicism would make an excellent side dish.
Recommended for summer entertaining, particularly brunches with the mid-century New York elite, politicos and the media, who seem to find “Cold Omelets With Crab Meat” simply irresistible.
