Innholdsfortegnelse for August - September 2009 i Taste of the South

MY DAD HAS EITHER TALKED ABOUT MUSCADINES or has been growing them as far back as I can remember. Even when he and my mom served as missionaries in South America, he yearned for a taste of muscadines and tried to grow a few vines. Since my parents returned to Alabama 15 years ago, Daddy has been growing many varieties of muscadines. In August and September, he gives me a bushel or two of these flavorful grapes. I save a few for my daughter, Emma, and me to snack on, but most of them end up in jelly, a highly prized treat—or so I’m told—I give co-workers and my children’s Sunday School teachers and choir leaders at Christmastime. My jelly recipe is on page 83—I promise it’s easy to make.…

parsley-lemon potatoes Recipe development by Betty Terry Yield: 6 servings Preparation: 10 minutes Cook: 25 minutes 24 small red new potatoes (approximately 3 pounds) 1 teaspoon salt, divided 4 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper PEEL a wide strip around center of potatoes. Place potatoes in a 3-quart saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Add 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, approximately 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, leaving in pot to keep warm. IN A LARGE SKILLET, melt butter over medium heat. Cook butter until foam subsides and butter is light brown in color, approximately 5 minutes. (Butter will…

WITH TRIDENT IN HAND, KING NEPTUNE HOLDS court over Morehead City’s waterfront. The concrete monarch appears to command his subjects to feast on the sea’s bounty. Thousands of people happily oblige, enticed by the delicious aromas emanating from myriad cooking pots during the North Carolina Seafood Festival. The delightful buffet, served annually during the first weekend of October, seems sent from Neptune’s own banquet hall. Vendors lining dockside streets dish up shrimp burgers, fish tacos, oyster po’boys, and seafood-stuffed potatoes. One saleswoman chants, “Crab cakes, clam strips, chowder!” as the crowd moves to its own chorus of “mmmmm” and “yum.” With its bands and boat shows, fireworks, craft merchants, carnival rides, and maritime history displays, there’s plenty to do, but festival regular Sharon Lewis of Raleigh, North Carolina, sums up…

ALAN LAZARUS, CHEF/CO-OWNER of Austin restaurants Enoteca and Vespaio, grew up in New York City, but Texas became his home when he was a senior in high school. He says Austin is the best town in the country because it has a great sense of community and so many interesting things going on. This successful restaurateur gave us a sneak peek into his home kitchen and shares a favorite summertime recip panzanella salad Yield: 6 servings Preparation: 40 minutes Cook: 20 minutes Bake: 15 minutes 1⁄4 cup butter 4 cups country-style bread, cut into 1-inch cubes 1⁄4 teaspoon plus 1 pinch sea salt, divided 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced 2 tablespoons capers 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar Freshly ground black…

WHEN FLORENTINE NAVIGATOR Verrazzano explored North Carolina’s Cape Fear River Valley in the early 16th century, he reported an abundance of large, light-colored grapes growing wild. This big white grape was the scuppernong variety of the muscadine, a plump, thick-skinned grape native to the Southern region of the United States. Early European settlers to the area named this fruit after the muscat grapes of their homeland. It is thought that all muscadines that grow from Kentucky to Florida to Texas are descended from one mother plant—one offspring in Georgia is rumored to be 400 years old and still producing fruit. There are more than 300 muscadine cultivars, ranging in color from bronze to purple to black, and a rare white variety. All are harvested in late summer. With diameters up…

www.tasteofthesouthmagazine.com Time to Tailgate! Make the most of your tailgate with some tips from Kentucky TALEgating, and enjoy a few recipes that you can take along. Delicious Deviled Eggs Try some of our unique variations on this Southern classic. Baking the Perfect Pie Take a look at step-by-step instructions on the best way to create single- and doublecrust pies. A Taste of Austin Learn more about Austin chefs Jeff Blank and Alan Lazarus, and sample a couple of Chef Blank’s signature recipes.…

lemon thyme chicken Yield: 6 servings Preparation: 10 minutes Bake: 1 hour 3⁄4 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme 11⁄2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest 3⁄4 teaspoon salt 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1⁄2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Garnish: fresh thyme sprigs PREHEAT oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. IN A SMALL BOWL, combine mayonnaise, thyme, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Liberally brush mayonnaise mixture on both sides of chicken. Place chicken on prepared pan. BAKE for 50 minutes. SPRINKLE tops of chicken breasts with Parmesan cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 5 to 10 minutes. GARNISH with thyme sprigs, if desired. SERVE over Angel Hair Pasta with Tomatoes, if desired.…

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO FOR A REALLY GOOD PIECE of pie? One with a flavorful filling and a golden, flaky piecrust that seems to melt in your mouth? If that’s your idea of a little slice of pie heaven, Jim Romero is your man. People have been known to travel great distances for a taste of his pies. They’ve come from Baton Rouge and New Orleans, from Dallas, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, and as far away as Orlando, Florida. They’ve traveled by car, plane, and even bicycle to search the back roads of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, for Jim’s Kountry Pies, his shop about 15 miles south of Lafayette. Iberia Parish is Cajun country, and Jim Romero’s roots run deep in Acadiana as surely as the snakelike Bayou Teche twists…

Here are two very different but distinctly Austin places to lay your head. THE DRISKILL HOTEL 604 Brazos Street 800-252-9367 www.driskillhotel.com The Driskill Hotel is a fabulous 1886 hotel in the heart of downtown that says “Texas” in leather and longhorns, but in a luxurious way. Located just a few blocks from the state capitol and many of the city’s live music scenes and restaurants, it has long been a cherished hub for visitors. Inside its stunning lobby are two eateries: an elegant fine dining room with New American cuisine known as the Driskill Grill and the more casual 1886 Café & Bakery that offers contemporary food and pastries. HOTEL SAN JOSÉ 1316 S. Congress Avenue 800-574-8897 www.sanjosehotel.com Hotel San José is a 1939 motor court renovated in a hip,…

IT’S HARD TO KEEP A SOUTHERN TAILGATER down. Though he may arrive in a station wagon or minivan, roll into the parking lot in a fully equipped RV, or drive a flatbed Ford, one thing is certain—if you build it, he will come. A football stadium, that is. Because in the shadow of the stadium, on a playing field of asphalt, every man with a grill and a spatula is king. And to the victors go the spoils—not just bragging rights for the next 364 days if his team wins, but also a feast he is more than willing to share with almost anyone who walks by. In the South especially, tailgating is as timehonored an art form as the kindness of strangers and Sunday fish fries. The revered game-day…

Summer’s Bounty Pages 16–20: Lantern and place mats from Pottery Barn, 888-779-5176, www.potterybarn.com; plates from Macy’s, 800-289-6229, www.macys.com. Location courtesy of Kathy and Bruce Bizzoco. The Family Table Pages 22–26: Location courtesy of Kay and Mark Brashier. Savoring Nature’s Splendor Pages 28–33: Cake stand by Anchor Hocking, available at World Market, 877-967-5362, www.worldmarket.com. Pie Heaven Pages 44–49: Green pie dish by Martha Stewart for Kmart, 866-562-7848, www.kmart.com. Tales of the Stadium Pages 66–70: Bamboo plates available at World Market, 877-967-5362, www.worldmarket.com. Taste of Tradition: Caramel Cakes Pages 72–76: White cake stand by Martha Stewart for Macy’s, 800-289-6229, www.macys.com.…

“I LOVE TO COOK FOR OTHER PEOPLE,” SAYS PAM BRANDON. “I THINK THE greatest joy of cooking is to share the food.” Many have benefited from this Winter Park, Florida, writer/editor’s generous nature, but perhaps none as much as the teaching staff at Hillcrest Elementary, which Pam’s son attended. To show appreciation for the staff’s dedication to their charges, Pam and friend Anne-Marie Hodges assumed fun new personas—the PTA Divas—and began cooking gourmet meals and throwing themed parties for the hardworking teachers. Everyone loved the dishes, as well as the 1960s getups the divas donned, and the pair parlayed their success into the hit book Culinary Confessions of the PTA Divas. A friend in publishing gave the book a little press coverage, and the next thing they knew, they were…

A Wonderful Discovery As a recent transplant from the northeast to Texas, I discovered the most wonderful magazine, Taste of the South. I subscribed pronto. The December/January issue included a fantastic recipe for a vanilla cookie stuffed with a lemon-curd filling [Lemon Snowdrop Cookies, page 80]. It received raves at my medical society meeting. Many, many thanks for your wonderful magazine. —Dee Wahlen via e-mail EDITOR’S NOTE: If you enjoy Taste of the South, don’t miss our Southern Favorites special issue, which went on sale June 30 and is available at www.tasteofthesouthmagazine.com. Something Extra In the April/May 2009 issue, it says to go to your Web site to get Robert St.John’s recipe for Comeback Sauce. I can’t seem to locate it. —Barbara Mann Ooltewah, Tennessee On page 29 of the…

AS AUSTIN, TEXAS, HAS MORPHED FROM A LAID-BACK university, government, and music town into a hip, high-tech, entrepreneurial spot, so has its food. In the past 10 years, several Austin chefs have garnered national culinary recognition. During the same period, Austin-born Whole Foods Market has become the world’s largest natural-foods retailer. Central Market, a private upscale grocer, has expanded to eight stores in the state. Two local farmers’ markets have made the country’s top ten lists. Several of the area’s specialty-foods manufacturers have won national awards. In short, while this city may groove to the Live Music Capital of the World label, it is fueled with good food.…

MY MOM, LINDA ABLES, IS FAMOUS FOR HER MADE-FROMscratch caramel cake. She has made it so often, she no longer has to look at her recipe. Like many Southern cooks, she found the road to successfully making caramel icing a challenging one, but she was determined to learn because it was, and still is, my dad’s favorite. Shortly after my parents were married, Mom asked some of my dad’s sisters for the family recipe for caramel icing. They provided a list of ingredients but gave only a vague explanation of how to make the sweet spread. After many failed attempts and much trial and error, Mom figured out the technique. Consequently, my childhood is filled with many memories of her delicious caramel cakes. I vividly recall a meal that was…