Innholdsfortegnelse for April - May 2008 i Taste of the South

AND WE’VE DISCOVERED THAT VICTOR’S CAFETERIA, a meat-and-three restaurant in the tiny town of New Iberia, Louisiana, has what just might be the best one I’ve ever tasted. The owners of this establishment shared their prized recipe for this creamy concoction. To me, cream pies, especially coconut ones, are a rite of spring. Shortcake, strawberry shortcake to be precise, is another great springtime dessert. The strawberry shortcakes I grew up eating consisted of pound cake piled high with sugared strawberries and whipped cream. However, in other parts of the South, the pound cake is replaced by a slightly sweet biscuit. Either way, the results are absolutely scrumptious. Martha Stamps of Martha’s at the Plantation restaurant in Nashville and author of The New New Southern Basics cookbook shares her recollections of…

FOR MOST OF HER 15-YEAR CULINARY CAREER, VIRGINIA Willis has focused on making other people’s food look good. She has worked as kitchen director for Martha Stewart Living Television, produced Turner South’s Home Plate with Marvin Woods, and served as executive producer for Epicurious on The Discovery Channel, seeking stories about exotic foods the world over. Now, with her latest cookbook, Bon Appetit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking, Virginia has finally turned the spotlight on herself and her own cooking style. It’s what she likes to call refined Southern cuisine. “My philosophy with most recipes is that simple is best,” says the Georgia-born cook. “My own style of cooking combines my Southern heritage with classical French training.” She learned her French cooking techniques at L’Academie…

I have just received my magazine and just love it. Enjoy the articles and recipes. I love to cook and read. So you have successfully combined both. It is so interesting to read about other Southern cooks. Looking forward to the next issue and I am asking for back issues as my Valentine’s gift. — Rebecca Brown, West Monroe, Louisiana Compliments to the Chef I just happened to see the Winter issue of Taste of the South magazine at Sam’s Club. Thought I would give it a try— love it. That Honeybell Cake [Winter 2008, page 86] is out of this world. It’s a keeper! The Fuzzy Navel Pie is next. Looking forward to the next issue. — Nancy Berens By e-mail My friend Mary and I tried your Texas…

NORTH CAROLINIANS CONSIDER THEMSELVES PRIVY TO plenty of treasures—the Outer Banks, the Wright brothers, and even Krispy Kreme. But perhaps one of the state’s sweetest secrets is the crisp, bubbling refreshment of hometown soda Cheerwine. For decades, this Salisbury-born beverage has offered the pop-top promise of a surprisingly carbonated cherry concoction—a promise that has won the company both a loyal local following and a noticeable national future. Cheerwine was invented by Lewis D. Peeler in 1917. “In the early 1900s, my great-grandfather worked in the wholesalegoods business. He made deliveries to local stores and decided that he should add soft drinks,” explains Peeler’s great-grandson Cliff Ritchie, president and chief executive officer of Carolina Beverage Corporation, the maker of Cheerwine. “So, in 1913, he began selling Mint Cola.” After the start…

EVERY TOWN OUGHT TO HAVE A place like Victor’s Cafeteria—a place where friends and neighbors call greetings to you as you walk through the door, where local men gather to solve the problems of the world over breakfast, and where you can still get a traditional plate lunch at a reasonable price. Yes, every town should have a Victor’s, but this special place belongs to the town of New Iberia, along Bayou Teche in southern Louisiana. Victor’s Cafeteria has graced that quiet little corner of the world for the past 38 years. Think Mayberry with a Cajun accent. Vernon Huckaby opened the restaurant in November 1969 in an 1800s storefront that had housed a jewelry store. Before that, he owned a variety store in New Iberia that included a lunch…

SCRAMBLED, POACHED, OR SUNNY-SIDE UP, FARM-FRESH eggs are a mainstay of a healthy diet. Easily incorporated into a variety of dishes, eggs are a nutrient-dense food with such high quality protein that dieticians use them as the standard when assessing the protein quality of other foods. Science aside, we love eggs because they taste so good! There are two main breeding lines of chickens in the United States, European and Asian. The European breeds, like the White Leghorns that are predominant in the egg industry, are a bit skittish in temperament, are lighter framed, and lay white-shelled eggs. The Asian breeds have milder dispositions, are typically heavier in weight, and produce brown-shelled eggs. Brown eggs may be slightly higher priced in markets since maintaining the larger breeds requires more feed.…

CHEF GIL LOGAN OF LEVY RESTAURANTS AT CHURCHILL Downs and his family enjoy visiting the many farms in Kentucky looking for foods to include in the racetrack’s menu or in their own meals at home. One of their favorite stops is the chicken farm to purchase free-range eggs. Gil’s sons, Jack (age 5) and Josh (age 3) are fascinated by the many colors of the eggs, especially the ones with green shells. “The first time I scrambled these eggs at home, the yolks were bright orange,” says Gil. “Jack then called them ‘electric,’ and from that point, we’ve called them ‘Jack’s electric eggs.’” For more with Chef Gil Logan, check out www.tasteofthesouth magazine.com/inthekitchenwith. Who does the cooking at home? I do all the cooking at home. My wife, Jen, isn’t…

turketti Yield: 6 to 8 servings Preparation: 20 minutes Cook: 10 minutes Bake: 40 minutes 1 (12-ounce) package uncooked spaghetti noodles 2 cups chopped cooked turkey 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided 1 cup chicken broth 1 (103⁄4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup 1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained 1⁄2 cup chopped onion 1⁄3 cup chopped green bell pepper 3⁄4 teaspoon salt 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper PREHEAT oven to 350°. BREAK spaghetti noodles into 2-inch pieces. Cook according to package directions. IN A LARGE BOWL, combine cooked noodles, turkey, 11⁄2 cups cheese, broth, soup, pimentos, onion, bell pepper, salt, and pepper. Spoon noodle mixture into a 21⁄2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1⁄2 cup cheese on top. BAKE for 30 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly. “MY NANA WAS…

MENU asparagus soup creamy trout almondine wild rice pilaf stuffed zucchini parmesan-peppercorn biscuits lemon-stuffed angel food cake asparagus soup Yield: 8 to 10 servings Preparation: 20 minutes Cook: 40 minutes 1⁄4 cup butter 1⁄2 cup chopped onion 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 4 cups chicken broth 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 11⁄2 cups half-and-half 1 cup sour cream Garnish: asparagus tips IN A LARGE DUTCH OVEN, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add flour, tarragon, and salt; cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and asparagus; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. IN THE CONTAINER OF AN ELECTRIC BLENDER, process asparagus…

AS A CHILD, I HAD STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE ONLY during my favorite time of year—early summer—when school’s just out, shoes are kicked off, days are growing long, and Tennessee strawberries are at their peak. Southern berries may not be as big as California berries, and they’re certainly not available as long. But homegrown berries from anywhere in the South have a natural sweetness that comes from being picked at their peak and then being placed on market shelves within hours of harvesting. Until recently, I didn’t realize that lots of West Coast produce is picked green, before the sugars in the fruit can develop. I just knew that homegrown berries tasted better and that the season was short, so you had to gobble them up fast, while you could. The anticipation…

Celebrate Mom Pages 18–22: White dinnerware and drinking glasses from a private collection; napkins from Pier 1 Imports, 800-245-4595, www.pier1.com; place mats and napkin rings from Bed Bath & Beyond, 800-462-3966, www.bedbathandbeyond.com; blue platters by Casafina (available at Summerhill, Ltd., 2901 18th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35209, 205-871-2902); floral designs by Flower Stems, 205-731-4360, www.flowerstems.biz. Location courtesy of Beth and Edmund Seibles. Happy Happy Birthday Pages 24–32: Dessert plate with cake from Anthropologie, 800-309-2500, www.anthropologie.com; brown plates with gold rim from Pottery Barn, 888-779-5176, www.potterybarn.com; ruffleedged white plate and faux-bois serving bowl from At Home Furnishings, 205-879-3510, www.athome-furnishings.com; chip and dip bowl from HomeGoods, www.homegoods.com; white dessert plates and two-tiered serving tray by Martha Stewart Collection at Macy’s, 800-289-6229, www.macys.com; green casserole dish by Le Creuset, 877-273-8738, www.lecreuset.com; yellow and…