Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2004 i Taste of the South

Based in Montgomery, Alabama, Whitfield Foods (originally known as the Alabama-Georgia Syrup Company) was founded by Louis Broughton Whitfield, Sr. It was his wife, however, who came up with the “Alaga” name by combining the abbreviations of their home states of Alabama (ALA) and Georgia (GA). Mrs. Whitfield also was instrumental in the design of the company’s logo: two clasped hands in front of a sheaf of wheat and a blue ribbon. It is that blue-ribbon quality over almost one hundred years that has made The Original Alaga® Syrup a favorite for many generations. “If you want to put a little love in your food, reach for Alaga Syrup,” says Virginia Whitfield, the company’s director of public relations, who maintains that the syrup is not just for biscuits at breakfast.…

There is no subject that sparks more impassioned debate among Southerners—other than college football, of course—than what qualities make for the perfect barbecue. A declaration that Memphis has the world’s best barbecue might come across as fighting words to someone from South Carolina, a state that just happens to have a proud and unique barbecue tradition of its own, thank you very much. Truth be told, though, most of us labor under the misconception that a particular type of sauce is the distinguishing feature of barbecue. It’s not. Sauce is merely the “icing on the cake,” a finishing detail. Any experienced pit master worth his salt will tell you the best sauce in the world won’t compensate for dry, overcooked meat. There’s a secret ingredient that you’ll find in the…

Consider the fearless cheesecake. Though a seemingly odd hybrid of cake and pie, the cheesecake is a star that deserves top billing, and there seems to be no role this celebrity sweet won’t play. Fillings? Bring ’em on. Chocolate, caramel, coffee, pumpkin, or praline? No problem. A cheesecake will also gladly accept any challenge from any fruit, anytime, even a banana. Shake it up with your choice of toppings, too—from sour cream and beyond—as well as your choice of crusts. Like a true artiste, however, the cheesecake can be somewhat fussy and needs a little more nurturing than say, a plain old cake. With careful cultivation, however, the cheesecake will turn in a nearly perfect performance every time. To ensure that your cake is creamy and not lumpy, make sure…

Let’s agree to disagree. Cornbread is a gift from the Native Americans, who taught the first European settlers how to grind corn into meal, then mix it with water and salt, and bake it by a fire to make corn cakes. Modern Southern cornbread bears little resemblance to the hoecake our ancestors baked on the back of a shovel, however. With the development of baking powder in the late 1800s and the addition of eggs for leavening, cornbread became lighter and fluffier. Today the perfect pan of Southern cornbread is poetry in a cast-iron skillet—flavored with tart buttermilk, crunchy and golden brown on the outside, tender and moist on the inside. Ask any group of Southern cooks how to make cornbread, and you’ll receive a lot of opinions—and very few…

Any task worth doing is worth doing right. That seems to be the motto of the Lodge family of South Pittsburg, Tennessee. That’s where Joseph Lodge built his cast-iron foundry in 1896 and where his great-grandsons continue to make some of the world’s best cast-iron cookware today. The last cast-iron cookware foundry in America—and the oldest family-owned cookware manufacturer in the United States—Lodge Manufacturing has catered to the needs of Southern cooks for more than four generations. What makes cast-iron cookware so perfect for Southern cooking? When cast iron is heated, it heats slowly, but evenly. And it retains heat, as anyone who has ever grabbed the handle of a skillet some time after it has been removed from the oven can attest. That means the cookware doesn’t cool off…

When apples are so abundant, how can they be stored to ensure maximum freshness? Jim Graves of Graves’ Mountain Lodge in Syria, Virginia, whose family has been growing apples since the 1850s, provides advice: “Keep apples in plastic bags in the refrigerator at a temperature of 34°. The plastic bag will keep out oxygen, which speeds up deterioration. Apples will last about 30 days when stored like this in the refrigerator.” Keep in mind that the end use is very important when selecting apples. Variations in coloration of the skin do not affect quality. Simply choose firm apples that are not bruised to enjoy raw, tucked in a flaky crust, or in one of the many recipes on the following pages. VARIETY American Cameo Braeburn Crispen/Mutsu Empire Fuji Gala Ginger…

Estelle Keith of Mooreville, Mississippi, begins most fall days with a trip to the garden where she gathers squash, tomatoes, turnips, and more during the cool morning hours. Then, its off to the kitchen to “put up” her harvest to be enjoyed during the winter months. Mrs. Keith’s husband, children, and grandchildren all claim that she is able to “put on a spread” quite easily. She especially enjoys preparing a variety of fresh vegetables from her garden when her grandchildren come for a visit because she is concerned that, with their busy schedules, they don’t take time to cook vegetables for themselves. Her family often requests turkey breast to accompany the veggies or to use for sandwiches. “I put it on to cook before I go to bed, and then…

Southern cornbread is a tradition worth celebrating—that’s the idea behind the National Cornbread Festival, held each April in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, a town of 3,300 just 19 miles west of Chattanooga. Sponsored by Lodge Manufacturing, the Five-Star Division of Brown Stove Company, and Martha White cornmeal, the festival is part cook-off, part county fair, and part Southern revival meeting. People travel from far and wide to experience these two days at the end of April when the streets of South Pittsburg are closed to traffic and the smell of freshly baked cornbread fills the air. The town’s population swells to more than 50,000 as the street fair takes over the entire downtown historic district. People come for the midway rides, they come for the artisans practicing traditional Southern crafts, and…

Ask Jim Graves about his family, and he beams. He enjoys the opportunity to talk about their 150- year history of apple-growing in Syria, Virginia. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains just ten miles from Skyline Drive near the beautiful Shenandoah National Park, Graves’ Mountain Lodge encompasses 2,200 acres. “Three-fourths of our property is mountains, about 150 acres are planted in apple trees, and 20 to 30 acres have peaches,” Jim states. The remaining land boasts other crops as well as cabins and lodges and a farmhouse that was built in the 1790s. But apples are for what this orchard and the state of Virginia are best known. What is it about Virginia, which ranks sixth nationally in apple production and first among Southern states, that makes…

Tex-Mex Chicken Wraps Yield: 6 servings Preparation: 30 minutes Black-Bean Salsa: 1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed ¾ cup canned whole-kernel corn, drained ⅓ cup diced green bell pepper ⅓ cup diced red bell pepper ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro 3 tablespoons salsa 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper Wraps: 6 (10-inch) flour tortillas 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream 6 leaves lettuce 2½ cups chopped rotisserie chicken* 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded *Grilled chicken or smoked chicken may be used instead of rotisserie chicken. • Combine black beans, corn, bell peppers, cilantro, salsa, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl; stir. Set aside. • Spread sour cream evenly over 6 tortillas. Top evenly with lettuce,…

What is it about s’mores that make this simple campfire concoction one of the most exquisitely delicious foods ever invented? Sure, there’s the flavor extravaganza: warm, gooey, marshmallow balanced delicately between layers of cool, creamy chocolate bars and crisp, crunchy graham crackers. S’mores, however, are about more than just the taste sensation. They’re about creativity, self-expression, and imagination. Do you prefer your marshmallow purposefully charred or painstakingly browned? Double layer of chocolate, or no chocolate and extra marshmallow? Undoubtedly, s’mores are an experience. And they bring forth generosity and sharing. (Can’t you remember a kind volunteer who custom-roasted a s’more for the pour soul whose marshmallow overheated and plopped into the campfire before it could reach its awaiting chocolate-cracker home?) We thought long and hard and came up with four…