CONEYS: Authentic recipe? It's history

I'm sure you will enjoy the coneys made from the recipes kindly provided. However, they will not be "quite right."

I'm Hap Murphy's daughter and my cousin, Beverly Sullivan, called to tell me about this exchange as I live in Spokane. Sadly we will never experience the real thing again. Dad made the coney sauce during the time in question. He passed away in 2004 just short of his 93rd birthday.

It's true that the Anthonys sold the recipe to dad along with The Boat Drive Inn. Over the years he tweaked it until it was his. I asked for the recipe once and he took a long time writing it out. Then he said, "This is close." He started with a basic recipe and then tasted and tweaked each batch until it was right. He said it depended on the brand of spices, the amount of fat in the meat, and the time of year for the onions.

No one knows what his definition of "just right" is. We both made batches once. Mine was good, but his was, well, just right.

I have the only hand written copy there ever was among my cherished mementos; but I know when I make a batch for my family, it's not going to be quite dad's. We love it anyway and like to think he's watching as we drink a toast to him. I'm sure his upper lip is twitching as it always did when he thought he'd pulled a fast one on us.

KATHLEEN

MURPHY POITEVIN

Spokane