Innholdsfortegnelse for July - August 2014 i Taste of the South

Sweet corn is one of the most glorious gifts of a Southern summer. While nothing beats eating it straight from the cob topped with a melting pat of butter, traditional recipes for creamed corn can be a bit heavy for hot July and August days. Our lightened version trades heavy cream for pureed fresh corn and reduced-fat buttermilk and gets a punch of flavor from creamy goat cheese, bacon, and summer’s favorite herb—fresh basil. CREAMED SKILLET CORN Yield: 4 to 6 servings 6 ears fresh corn, shucked and divided 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 cup reduced-fat buttermilk, divided 2 slices center-cut bacon, chopped 1 cup diced yellow onion 1 cup diced zucchini 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh basil 1⁄4 cup crumbled goat…

F or many of us, “putting up” is a thing of the past—the handiwork of our mothers and grandmothers. They filled their kitchens (and our memories) with the sounds of jostling jars, rattling pot lids, and the jack-inthe-box pops of perfect seals as they hurried to preserve summer’s bounty before winter transformed it into memory. But their hallowed craft is no lost art; it’s simply a skill waiting to be learned. We recently visited Preserving Place in Atlanta, Georgia, and spent an afternoon with owner Martha McMillin, who walked us step-by-step through putting up the rubies of the South—ripe summer tomatoes. Follow along, and reclaim this treasured pastime with us. “I’m no dour grandmother— I’m a happy canner!” — Martha McMillin, owner Preserving Place Tucked into Atlanta’s Westside Provisions District,…

Dixie Grimes attributes fate (and avoidance of an SEC football season) for bringing her and Alexe van Beuren together at the B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery Store in Water Valley, Mississippi. Intending to return to Oxford once the football crowd thinned, Dixie, an experienced chef, stopped in on a harried Alexe and couldn’t even get her name out before being put to work at the deli’s meat slicer. The pair became fast friends, and the B.T.C. began to thrive. At just under 20 miles from Oxford, Water Valley, Mississippi, is a hop, skip, and a world away. Boasting a population of fewer than 3,500, Water Valley has a slower pace, and the community likes it that way. When they were approached to write a cookbook, Alexe and Dixie were eager to showcase…

T his Georgia girl has cooked around the world, but the South has never been far from her plate. Virginia is the author of Bon Appétit, Y’all and Basic to Brilliant, Y’all. Her newest book, Lighten Up, Y’all, will debut next spring. Follow Virginia’s Southern food adventures at virginiawillis.com. What is your first food memory? I made biscuits with my grandmother from the time I was old enough to stand on a chair and reach the counter. Blueberries or blackberries? I grew up eating wild blackberries and love blackberry cobbler, but blueberries have become my go-to snack. Favorite way to eat a tomato? I love an old-fashioned tomato sandwich on white bread with mayonnaise. No basil, artisan sourdough bread, extra-virgin olive oil, aïoli, sea salt, lemon zest, or crispy applewood-smoked…

Q: How do you keep burgers from “puffing up” on the grill? A: After you’ve shaped your patties, make an indentation in the center of each patty using your thumb. This gives the burgers room to expand during grilling. And be sure to not press burgers flat with a spatula. Doing so squeezes out all of the delicious juices, yielding a dense, dry patty. Q: What’s the best way to put up summer peas and beans for the winter? A: Freezing peas and butterbeans is quick and easy. Bring a large saucepan filled three-fourths full with salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the peas or beans in boiling water 2 minutes. Drain, and place in a bowl of ice water until cool. Drain, and place in an…

For many home cooks, the notion of preserving is daunting. The mere mention of handling hot jars and achieving proper seals can cause folks to raise their hands in surrender and settle for store-bought staples. But there’s a compromise between the art of canning and grocery-store convenience—the quick refrigerator pickle. Unlike proper “putting up,” which requires careful attention to temperature and acidity levels to ensure food safety, making quick pickles is blissfully simple. Just pick your produce, heat your pickling mixture, combine everything, and let it cool. The refrigerator shoulders the responsibility of keeping your creations safe to eat (about a month for most recipes), freeing you up to relax and play with flavor combinations. Think beyond dill pickle spears—you can quick-pickle just about any non-leafy vegetable; simply add your…

BACON-BARBECUE BURGERS Recipe courtesy Leigh Breedlove Kimberling, St. Louis, Missouri Yield: approximately 8 burgers 3 pounds ground chuck 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 1⁄2 cup barbecue sauce 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 cup prepared pimiento cheese 8 Homemade Hamburger Buns (see recipe page 89) Toppings: cooked bacon, sliced tomatoes, barbecue sauce, grilled Vidalia onions 1. In a large bowl, gently combine beef, crumbled bacon, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Shape mixture into 8 (1-inch-thick) patties. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. 2. Spray grill rack with nonstick nonflammable grill spray. Preheat grill to medium-high heat (350° to 400°). 3. Grill patties, uncovered, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip patties; cook 2 minutes more. Top each patty with 2 tablespoons…

Acre Auburn, Alabama These days, there’s a lot of talk about farm-to-table cuisine. But Chef David Bancroft has taken it one step further by bringing the farm to his restaurant. Literally. Nestled in the heart of downtown Auburn, Alabama, Acre sits in the middle of a 43,000-square-foot (1-acre) urban farm planted with everything from apples to zipper peas. As you might expect, the menu at Acre is a celebration of all things local. What he can’t grow in the restaurant’s garden, Bancroft sources from nearby farmers, including beef, cornmeal, cheese, and even honey from an Auburn University professor who moonlights as a beekeeper. Everything is fresh and seasonal, and nothing goes to waste. “I had no idea I was so good at growing watermelons,” Bancroft says. “I planted four seeds…

Fried green tomatoes are as Southern as, well, fried green tomatoes. While tomatoes, and therefore green tomatoes, certainly grow outside the South, fried green tomatoes are only served around these parts or by folks who hail from here. And while that may be true today, fried green tomatoes originated in the Midwest. The first recipes for them were found in Jewish and Midwestern cookbooks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But it’s here in the South where they’ve been embraced as part of our culture. So what makes a good fried green tomato? The tomato’s crust must be flavorful enough to complement its succulent tang. And yes, that tomato has to be green. Even a touch of yellow will yield a mushy mouthful. But what should that crust…

PRESERVING THE PAST PAGES 61-68 SOUTHERN PLATE® SUPPERS Pages 21-26 Green pottery from Crate & Barrel, 800-967-6696, crateandbarrel.com. FRESH & FAST SUMMER FLAVORS Pages 45-52 Blue octopus salad plate and wooden servers from Anthropologie, 800-309-2500, anthropolgie.com; mint striped straws available at Terrain, 877-583-7724, shopterrain.com. MAKE-AHEAD ICEBOX DELIGHTS Pages 53-60 Blue floral dessert plate and teal dessert plate available at Anthropologie, 800-309-2500, anthropologie.com. PRESERVING THE PAST Pages 61-68 Canning supplies and Lowcountry sweetgrass basket from Preserving Place, 404-815-5267, preservingplace.com; blue stitched linen from Anthropologie, 800-309-2500, anthropologie.com.…