Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2007 i Taste of the South

In parts of the South, the name Adams is synonymous with vanilla. And it has been that way since John Anderson Adams moved his family and his product to Texas in 1905. The story, however, actually began several years earlier. By 1888, John Adams’ wife was becoming increasingly frustrated that the expensive vanilla extract she used to make his favorite dessert always lost its flavor during baking. Relying on his training as a pharmacist, John set out to create a flavoring that could withstand the rigors of baking and freezing without losing its essence. The formula he developed was a doublestrength vanilla blend of natural and artificial flavors. “‘The result,’ his wife proclaimed, ‘was Adams Best,’” relates Sterling Crim, vice president and chief marketing officer for Adams Extract & Spice…

SSOUTHERNERS KNOW THAT A WELL-STOCKED PANTRY INCLUDES a variety of syrups. While we may like maple for our pancakes, we often prefer other syrups for baking, cooking, and especially for sopping with hot biscuits. Because most syrups can be used interchangeably, the choice pretty much boils down to personal taste. Here are some sweet examples that will certainly get your taste buds going. Sorghum syrup is often confused with cane syrup, even among Southerners. Sorghum syrup is made by cooking down the juice of sweet sorghum cane; cane syrup is made in much the same manner but from sugar cane. Sorghum syrup tends to have a slightly sour taste compared with that of pure cane syrup. Although syrup production was widespread a century ago, sorghum syrup is now limited to…

THESE FLESHY FUNGI, WHICH IN THEIR RAW FORM appear rather unappetizing, were actually considered by ancient Egyptians to be so delicious that only royalty was allowed to consume them. The French pioneered the cultivation of mushrooms, followed by the British, who recognized that the crop required very little labor, space, or monetary investment. Not until the late-nineteenth century did mushroom growing catch on in America, with spawn—the equivalent of seed to mushroom farmers—imported from England. Since mushrooms do not have chlorophyll as do other plants, they do not require sunlight for growth and are often grown indoors in what are known as mushroom houses. The plants must get all their nutrients from a growing medium, or compost, which consists of materials such as straw, gypsum, corncobs, cottonseed, and chemical supplements…

citrus-glazed turkey breast with roasted red potatoes stuffed squash succotash mixed greens herb dinner rolls maple-pumpkin pie ALL ACROSS THE SOUTH, FAMILIES come together every fall to celebrate the bounty of the season and to count their many blessings. Generations young and old gather around the table to enjoy the companionship of kin, the thankfulness of the occasion, and the inviting meal that brings them all together. For a celebration this special, we offer our very best dishes, beginning with a turkey breast featuring a triple-citrus glaze and roasted with red potatoes. To that, add savory stuffed squash, simplebut- succulent succotash, and the dish that is virtually required at the Southern table, mixed greens flavored with bits of bacon. No meal is complete without truly tasty bread—dinner rolls infused with…

easy breadsticks Yield: 16 breadsticks Preparation: 15 minutes Bake: 40 to 45 minutes 3⁄4 cup butter 21⁄4 cups self-rising flour 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 1⁄2 teaspoon dried basil 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano 1⁄4 teaspoon dried rosemary 1 cup milk PREHEAT oven to 350°. IN A 9-X-13-INCH BAKING PAN, melt butter in oven. Remove pan from oven. IN A LARGE MIXING BOWL, combine flour, cheese, sugar, salt, basil, oregano, and rosemary. Slowly add milk, stirring until dough forms. TURN dough onto a floured surface, and knead 8 to 10 times. Pat out dough to form an 8-x-12-inch rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 16 (3⁄4-x-8-inch) strips. ADD strips to melted butter in pan. Spoon melted butter over strips, basting well. BAKE for…

For more information or to find a Viking Cooking School near you, go online to www.vikingcookingschool.com. YOU WOULDN’T DREAM OF BUYING A NEW CAR WITHOUT test-driving it first, would you? So why not test-drive the new range for your kitchen? That’s the idea behind the Viking Cooking School, located in Greenwood, Mississippi, and ten other cities from New York to California. At the Greenwood location, the courses have a strong Southern influence. Executive chef Martha Foose, herself a native of the Mississippi Delta, calls them “Delta-centric.” The school’s signature classes, such as Cooking to the Blues, Big Easy Hors d’Oeuvres, and Cajun and Creole Cooking, are a tribute to the culinary traditions of the South. They employ indigenous ingredients, traditional cooking techniques, and homegrown music. “Wherever you find food, you’ll…

“Enjoy every bite— I had to marry Wayne to get the recipe!” —PHYLLIS HOFFMAN MRS. STEWART HAD A PRIZED RECIPE FOR PECAN pie that only she knew. And this was no ordinary pecan pie. When my husband and I were dating, he took me to Mississippi to meet this charming Southern lady who had befriended him when he was stationed in Gulfport during his Air Force days. Mrs. Stewart had beautiful white hair. She greeted him with a gentle hug and whispered in his ear, “I have some pie for you.” At that moment, the look on his face said it all. He had told me about her pie, trying to convince me that pecan pie had a meringue on it. I had great difficulty believing this since the pecan…

WHEN THE PEOPLE OF MADISONVILLE, TEXAS, WERE looking for a way to promote tourism, create a sense of community pride, and improve the quality of life in their town, they didn’t have to look far for a source of inspiration. Each October they host a citywide celebration inspired by a lowly fungus—Agaricus bisporus, the small, white button mushroom that is the most widely cultivated variety in the United States. Madisonville is the home of the Texas Mushroom Festival, a celebration of mushrooms, wine, and art. Starting such a festival was a natural choice for this east Texas town. For the past 32 years, Madisonville has been the home of a Monterey Mushrooms plant, one of eleven the California-based company owns around the United States. Monterey Mushrooms is the largest grower…

HEY, Y’ALL! I’VE HAD SO MUCH FUN THIS year traveling around with my “Paula Deen Live” tour. I just want to thank y’all for coming out to see me. I’m really looking forward to the last two stops on this year’s tour: Louisville, Kentucky, and Chicago, Illinois. We always have a great time at these events cooking up some of my favorite dishes. Now that the 2007 tour is almost over, I’ll get to spend a little more time in my own kitchen—and y’all know how much I look forward to that, especially as the holidays get closer. This time of year, I am reminded of all the wonderful food traditions I grew up with. My mama was a wonderful cook, and I learned so much from her. She made…

I“I COOK THREE MEALS A DAY,” SAYS ANGELA LIVELY, a stay-at-home wife and mother of three young children. Although Angela grew up in Oregon, she and her family now live in Baxter, Tennessee. The man she married was born and raised in South Carolina, so she has had to learn Southern foodways—quickly. “I had never seen or heard of okra, much less cooked it. Now I know how to fry it and really like it.” She has also mastered the preparation of many other Southern favorites, including chicken and dumplings and fried chicken. Angela’s late Grandmother Pike taught her a lot about cooking and gave her the recipe for Beef Tips and Rice. “I fix this dish about once a month, but my grandma used to make it all the…

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR DOCTORS told you that you had an incurable disease? That you had a 50 percent chance of dying within the next ten years? When Robert Steinberg, a San Francisco, California, physician, was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in May of 1989, he resolved that he would not let his illness monopolize his life. “The apparent nearness of death gave me permission to try just about anything,” he says. Forced to give up his medical practice because of his weakened immune system, Robert tried his hand at many things. He took piano lessons and drawing lessons and worked on improving his Spanish and French. But when friend and restaurateur Bob Voorhees asked for his help with a business he was thinking of starting, Robert Steinberg…

Thanksgiving Dinner Pages 12–17: “The Friendly Village” china dinner plates, vegetable bowl, and platter by Spode®; red pottery platter for squash from Earthborn Studios Inc.; green and gold serving dish by Appolia (available at HomeGoods); bread basket and green place mats from private collection; blue pottery mug by Earthborn Studios Inc. Magnificent Obsession Pages 18–25: Plates, napkin, and cake stand from World Market®. Location courtesy of Anna Barksdale. A Legacy of Flavor Pages 26–32: Measuring spoons by CuisiPro®; 12-inch Signature Series cast-iron skillet by Lodge Manufacturing Company; blue “Muirfield” soup bowls by Wabi-Sabi Collection (available at TJ Maxx); green square plates from Kohl’s; white plate and orange place mat from World Market®, green plate by Ruffle™ Ambiance Collections (available at TJ Maxx). Soups & Breads Pages 34–39: Red hemstitched napkin…