Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2007 i Taste of the South

According to the Food Network’s Robin Miller, “We all lead frantic lives, but none of us wants to forgo healthy, home-cooked meals.” This professional cook and mother of two has a solution—Quick Fix Meals. With a little weekend preparation, anyone can have a home-cooked meal ready in the time it would take to pick up a to-go order or wait for the pizza deliveryman to arrive. Most meals can be finished in under 30 minutes, while the ones that require a little longer have what Robin calls, “walk away times”—time when the food doesn’t need supervising so you can help with homework, catch up on the laundry, or watch your favorite television show. You’ll save money, too. “With my strategies for meal planning and prepping ahead,” Robin says, “[you] can…

Fresh baked bread . . . The words conjure a feeling that takes you back to the first time you experienced the aroma and taste of a still-warm loaf. Homemade yeast rolls on Sunday afternoon, Nana’s coffeecake, Mom’s cinnamon rolls . . . you can’t buy that goodness in the grocery store. Bread is always present at the Southern table, along with our family and friends. Breaking bread is all about getting together and sharing a meal, and the word “companion” (from the Latin, com panis, literally meaning “with bread”) originally meant someone you trusted enough to share bread with. You’ll want to share these recipes. While not as convenient as the sliced white stuff, the loaves and rolls that follow provide tastes that are beyond compare. If you’ve never…

spring salad with orange-chive vinaigrette risotto with spring peas and asparagus honey-glazed baby carrots baked chicken cordon bleu strawberry-shortcake trifle with honey cream Spring Salad Yield: 4 to 6 servings Preparation: 10 minutes 1 (5-ounce) package mixed baby lettuces, washed and patted dry 2 oranges, peeled and sectioned 2 radishes, thinly sliced 1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned 1 (8-ounce) package fresh sugar snap peas (approximately 2 cups) 1 (7-ounce) package sugar-glazed walnuts 1 recipe Orange-Chive Vinaigrette (Recipe follows.) Garnish: shaved Asiago cheese • In a large bowl, combine lettuces, oranges, radishes, grapefruit, snap peas, and walnuts. Drizzle with half of the Orange-Chive Vinaigrette, tossing to coat. Garnish with Asiago cheese, if desired. Serve remaining dressing on the side. Orange-Chive Vinaigrette Yield: approximately 3⁄4 cup Preparation: 5 minutes 1⁄4 cup orange…

Fried Green-Tomato BLT Recipe development by Loren Wood Yield: 4 sandwiches Preparation: 15 minutes Cook: 8 minutes per batch 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour, divided 1⁄4 cup yellow cornmeal 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, divided 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided 1 egg 1⁄4 cup buttermilk 1⁄2 cup olive oil 1 green tomato, sliced into 4 (1⁄2-inch thick) slices 8 slices sourdough bread, toasted 1 recipe Chipotle Mayonnaise (Recipe follows.) 4 leaves Boston lettuce 12 slices bacon, cooked • Spoon 1⁄4 cup flour into a shallow dish; set aside. • Combine remaining 1⁄4 cup flour, cornmeal, 1⁄8 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper in another shallow dish. • In a third shallow dish, whisk egg with buttermilk. • In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat on stovetop. • Evenly…

Light and airy rolls, flaky croissants, and chewy loaves of bread—none of these would be possible without baker’s yeast. Yeast is actually a tiny microorganism that exists all around us—in the soil, on plants, and even in the air. No one knows how or when people began baking with yeast. Perhaps a housewife in ancient times left a mixture of flour and water uncovered on a warm day, and wild yeast spores floated onto it. The mixture began to ferment; and when she baked her bread, it turned out lighter and bettertasting than the usual flat bread. Archaeologists have found evidence that the ancient Egyptians were baking with yeast more than 5,000 years ago. Today, the strain of yeast most commonly used in making bread is known as saccharomyces cerevisiae.…

It’s often said that good things come in small packages; and in the case of the blueberry, it’s the truth. Who would believe something so tiny could pack such a wallop? Well, believe it! These sweet purplish tidbits that we love to sprinkle on our cereal and bake into scrumptious muffins are one of nature’s best, and tastiest, gifts. Blueberries are members of the same botanical family that includes cranberries, as well as two favorite Southern plants, azaleas and rhododendrons. Native to North America and eastern Asia, blueberries have both cultivated and wild varieties. Though the wild berries are smaller, they are prized for their intense color and flavor. During the Great Depression, farmers were offered as much as twenty dollars for the best blueberry bushes—quite a sum in those…

“Cooking is a big part of my life,” says Montgomery, Alabama, resident Nolan Gilbert. Originally from Marianna, Florida, he credits his mother, Opal Gilbert, for instilling in him a love of cooking. “She was always a stay-at-home mom,” he says, “and she was always cooking for us. She’s a perfect Southern cook and prepares dishes for any occasion. She also makes the best biscuits in the world. “When I visit my mom, I cook with her as much as possible.” That time together in the kitchen is something that Nolan enjoys and treasures. This ham recipe is one his mom has been making for as long as Nolan can remember. It is also a family favorite. “It’s a great holiday dish when a lot of people are in the kitchen…

Strolling up and down Main Street in Fredericksburg, Texas, it might be easy to miss Rather Sweet Bakery & Café. However, it’s hard to miss the steady stream of locals traipsing through the courtyard to enjoy an audience with the Pastry Queen herself (a.k.a. Rebecca Rather), or more importantly, her pastries. That’s a dead giveaway that something wonderful lies behind the building’s simple exterior. And although Rebecca doesn’t sport a crown, a nibble of any of her tasty treats is proof positive that her royal title is well deserved. Rebecca Rather hasn’t always held court in Fredericksburg. As a matter of fact, she only moved to this Hill Country town in 2001 because she was tired of big-city life and wanted to spend more time with her daughter, who was…

One of the most vivid memories of my childhood is my first taste of Aunt Belle’s duck, sausage, and oyster gumbo. I was just eight years old, but even at that tender age, I loved gumbo. Gumbo of any flavor—chicken and sausage, shrimp and okra— suited me just fine. Aunt Belle (or “Nannan,” as we lovingly called her) lived next door to our house, and she often cooked for us on Sunday evenings. This particular Sunday, it was cold and rainy, heralding the arrival of a cold front blowing in from the west. Earlier in the day, Papa had brought Nannan four mallards from his hunt the previous day. I remember her and Papa discussing the type of sausage— smoked tasso or fresh pork—to add to the gumbo. Mama suggested…

Well, I’ve got the perfect recipe for your gravy cravin’. Country-fried steak is one of my favorite dishes, and the way it’s cooked brings out all the flavor in what would seem like an otherwise tough piece of meat. Country-fried steak is cubed steak that’s been floured and fried. It’s easy to make brown gravy from the pan drippings. This is a perfect meal any day of the week. Now, a lot of people wonder what the difference is between country-fried steak and chicken-fried steak. Country-fried steak has a brown gravy made with beef broth while chicken-fried steak has a white, milk gravy. Other than that, they’re the same! But don’t use all that gravy on your meat! Nothing goes better with this country-fried steak than a heaping helping of…

Cover Dessert plate, coffee pot, cup, and saucer by Pickard China (available at Bromberg’s). Spring Meal Pages 10–14: “Rothschild Bird Green Border” dinner plates, salad plates, cups, and saucers by Herend® available at Bromberg’s. “Traditions” fine bone china white bowl and platter from Wedgwood® (available at Bromberg’s). A Rather Sweet Secret Pages 16–25: White tea cloth with green floral appliqué from Lauren Bade. Antique cake stand from private collection. Southern Pride Catfish Pages 26–34: Red plate and basket from World Market®; table from Seibels. Red platter by Good Earth Pottery (available at Table Matters). Brown-rimmed plate, platter, place mat, salt and pepper shakers, and napkin from Lamb’s Ears Ltd. Glass dinner plate from Pier 1 Imports®. Red bowl from World Market®. Great American Sandwiches Pages 36–42: Red paper-plate liner from…