Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2007 i Taste of the South

For those fortunate enough to live among the verdant hills and lush lakes of Trigg County, Kentucky, the name “Broadbent” is inextricably linked with country ham. It’s not a coincidence that the tagline for Broadbent’s B&B Food Products is “The Pride of Trigg County, Kentucky,” nor is it a coincidence that the World’s Largest Ham and Biscuit is always the centerpiece of the county’s annual Country Ham Festival (during which the population of tiny Cadiz, Kentucky, swells from 4,000 to nearly 80,000). It’s a fact: People in Trigg County love their country ham. And here, country ham almost always means Broadbent’s. Which is why, in March of 1999, when Ronny and Beth Drennan bought the ham-production side of the business from the Broadbent family (who still own the gift shop…

winter Winter is hard in Pickens, West Virginia. Nestled deep in the mountainous hardwood forests in the center of the state, the town is known as the snow capital of West Virginia—winter temperatures often dip into the teens and lower. “It starts snowing in mid-October,” explains Kim Dulaney, whose greatgrandfather helped found the town more than 100 years ago, “and sometimes we don’t see the ground until May.” With these extreme weather conditions, the first signs of spring are doubly appreciated. So in late February, when the ice begins to thaw and the snow begins to melt, there’s a sense of anticipation in the air. As the days warm and the sap begins to rise in the maple trees, everyone looks forward to the third weekend in March. That’s when…

Remember the taste of cupcakes? Chocolate Cupcakes Yield: 12 cupcakes Preparation: 15 minutes Bake: 25 minutes Cool: 30 minutes ¼ cup vegetable oil ¾ cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour ⅓ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ⅛ teaspoon salt ⅔ cup buttermilk 1 recipe Marshmallow-Creme Icing (Recipe follows.) Garnish: coarse sugar • Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. • In a mixing bowl, beat oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. • In another bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. • Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk to oil mixture. Beat at lowest speed with an electric mixer, being careful not to…

Making authentic, down-home chicken and dumplings is a lost art. At least that’s the way it seemed to Pettus Read, director of communications for the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, after a disappointing dumpling experience at a local restaurant in the fall of 2005. “If ever there was a food that should never be jazzed up, reformed, reconstituted, citified, low-carbed, less-fatted, de-juiced or canned,” the self-proclaimed dumpling connoisseur wrote in his column for Tennessee Home and Farm magazine, “it is the chicken dumpling.” Dumpling amateurs, Pettus asserted, should stop trying to take shortcuts. His words struck a chord with Home and Farm’s readers. Deluged with letters, e-mails, and phone calls, the Tennessee Farm Bureau organized a search for the best chicken-and-dumplings recipe. On June 9, 2006, five finalists—Mary Ellen Acuff, Reba…

When you meet Ann Wilder, the founder of Vanns Spices, Ltd., based in Baltimore, Maryland, two things are immediately evident. The first is that she has lived a life full of flavor. Few people can look back on their lives with more satisfaction than this gracious lady. In her 75 years, she has been a wife, a mother, a teacher, and a culinary entrepreneur. She traveled the world, following her husband, Richard Wilder, wherever his career took them. And as the founder of her own spice company, she has traveled in search of the world’s best herbs and spices. She has hobnobbed with the elite of the food world—from television chefs such as Julia Child to Executive Chef Peter Timmons of The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. The second is…

Winter’s finally here—and I have to admit, it’s about time. I just love cozying up next to the fire in my flannel pajamas and enjoying a nice cup of hot cocoa. You just can’t do that in the summer! I’m hoping I can slow down and enjoy the winter after Christmas. Lately I’ve been out promoting my book, Paula Deen Celebrates. It’s been such a blessing to meet all of you who come out when I visit your towns. It’s good to know so many people out there like good food! Some dishes are just better when it’s cold outside, and I’ve been waiting all summer to cook up this steaming pot of beef-vegetable soup. It’s a favorite of customers at The Lady & Sons, and one dish I love…

Citrus Apple Slaw Yield: 4 to 6 servings Preparation: 10 minutes Chill: 30 minutes 1 cup mayonnaise ¼ cup apple-cider vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon minced onion ½ teaspoon lemon zest ⅛ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 (16-ounce) package sliced mixed cabbage 1 apple, cored and diced • In a mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, onion, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. • In a larger mixing bowl, combine cabbage and apple. Pour dressing mixture over cabbage mixture. Toss well to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until serving time. Honey-Dijon Orange Duck Breast Yield: 4 servings Preparation: 5 minutes Cook: 8 minutes Bake: 20 minutes 4 duck breast halves, boneless and skin on 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons kosher salt,…

Most of us might think that chicken and dumplings could be a meal unto itself, but not Bea Farmer, winner of the first-ever World’s Greatest Down-Home Dumplin’ Cook-Off. This dumpling diva shares the delicious menu she whips up for family and friends to accompany her prize-winning dish. For Bea’s chicken and dumplings recipe, see page 56. Bea’s Cornbread Yield: 8 to 10 servings Preparation: 10 minutes Bake: 25 minutes 4 cups self-rising cornmeal mix* 1 egg 1½ cups milk Ground black pepper (optional) 2 tablespoons butter ¼ cup vegetable oil • Preheat oven to 450º. • In a bowl, combine cornmeal mix with egg and milk. Stir well. If desired, add black pepper to taste. • In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat on stovetop. Add…

Williams-Sonoma® Batter Dispenser [1]Talk about making life easier! The Williams-Sonoma Batter Dispenser delivers uniform circles with every pull of the trigger. This great gadget releases pancake, waffle, and muffin batter evenly and neatly—even recipes with chocolate chips and small berries. Featuring a sleek stainless steel body and polycarbonate tube, this versatile and durable tool has a 2½-cup capacity, three size settings, and is dishwasher safe. Whether you whip up a pancake breakfast or birthday cupcakes, this dispenser is indispensable! This product can be purchased in Williams-Sonoma stores, or by calling 877-812-6235. For a store locator or to order online, log onto www.williams-sonoma.com. (Suggested retail: $36.00) Progressive International Miracleware® Microwave Syrup Dispenser [2]What would our pancakes and waffles be without the heavenly drizzles of sweet, ooey-gooey syrup? And to solve the problem of…

As winter winds down and the weather ping-pongs between freezing nights and thawing days, a little magic is taking place deep in the woods. Farmers called sugarmakers are tapping into maple trees and hanging collection buckets in eager anticipation of the sweet sap that is beginning to flow. The process that takes sap from the tree to the table is fairly simple. Holes are drilled into the trunks of maple trees. (New holes must be drilled every year because the trees heal themselves in a process known as walling off.) Hollow tubes are then inserted. The sap drips into buckets or, in more modern operations, into a network of plastic tubing with a partial vacuum that facilitates flowing. Processing takes place in a building called a sugarhouse. It is very…

“I like to make things my own,” explains Faunsdale, Alabama, resident Pat Pino. This is especially true of her Hot Chicken-Salad Casserole—a dish that sounds as intriguing as it is good. With Pat’s addition of lemon juice, cream of chicken soup, pimientos, and a cracker topping, the dish is truly a meal in itself. “I make it a lot for groups—ladies luncheons and church dinners,” says Pat. “The dish is so simple, and it’s just a good dish.” The basic idea for the recipe came from a friend in Uniontown, Alabama, several years ago. Pat added some things and changed some things in her friend’s recipe, putting her own stamp on the dish. Pat has learned a lot about cooking over the years from both family and friends. “My mom…

Crazy for Cupcakes Pages 10–15: Paper napkins from Swoozies®. Three-tiered stand and antique plates from Mulberry Heights Antiques. Two-tiered stand from At Home Furnishings. Gold plates from HomeGoods. Location courtesy of Lynn and Cameron Terry. New Tastes for the New Year Pages 16–22: Dinner plates, place mats, napkins, drinking glasses, centerpieces, and decorative beads from Harmony Landing. Decorative balls, candlesticks, candles, and bread basket from World Market®. Platter and bowls from At Home Furnishings. Location courtesy of Joan Elder. Learning the Ropes at Broadbent Pages 46–53: Serving bowl from Macy’s. White plate and place mat from HomeGoods. Rectangular platter from Earthborn Studios. Coral plate, checked napkins, green plate, and mug from Macy’s. Green-striped place mats from HomeGoods. Taste of Tradition: Chicken & Dumplings Pages 54–59: White soup tureen from Home-…