Innholdsfortegnelse for February - March 2010 i Taste of the South

SPRINGTIME IS A GREAT TIME FOR A ROAD TRIP. THE weather is usually nice, and the scenery is beautiful as the trees and plants put on new growth. But my favorite part of any trip is the food. Anyone who has ever traveled with me can tell you that I am fanatical about where and what to eat. Fast food is seldom on my radar unless there’s no other choice or something special about it. I opt, instead, for restaurants that are locally owned and operated and have a reputation for fresh, made-from-scratch food. And I certainly don’t mind driving a bit out of my way to enjoy a good meal. But good food isn’t found only in restaurants. Food festivals around the South are havens for tasty morsels prepared…

From a perfectly crisp sun-dried-tomato cheese puff to hearty Southern classics like Country Captain and a twist on shrimp and grits, we’ve selected winning dishes that you’ll want to make time and again. After poring over nearly 1,000 entries and tasting countless delicious creations, we picked nine finalists, three each in the categories of appetizer, main dish, and dessert, that incorporated at least one of the sponsor products (Domino Sugar, King Arthur Flour, and Vidalia Onions). tomato-basil cheese puffs Recipe development by Nadine Mesch, Mount Healthy, Ohio Yield: 2 to 3 dozen Preparation: 20 minutes Bake: 20 minutes ½ cup butter, softened 1 cup loosely packed, shredded mozzarella cheese 1 cup loosely packed, shredded provolone cheese 1 cup King Arthur All-Purpose Flour 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil ¼ teaspoon…

A CENTURY AGO, A DAIRYMAN WITH A FEW DOZEN cows began selling milk door-to-door around McMinn County, Tennessee. Then, a little more than a decade later, T.B. Mayfield Jr. was motivated by hot weather and holiday crowds to add a new division. On July 4, 1923, T.B. made ice cream in a 10-gallon freezer and sold cones to the townspeople of Athens, Tennessee. These were the beginnings of what would become one of the South’s most identifiable brands of milk and ice cream—Mayfield Dairy Farms, known for its creamy consistency and bright yellow packaging. “He instantly filled a niche,” company president C. Scott “Scottie” Mayfield says of his grandfather. “He came home with tons of nickels and dimes in his pockets.” T.B. believed ice cream could continue to turn a…

Cover Plate privately owned. My Sweet Valentine Pages 12-18: Fabric available at Jo-Ann Fabrics, 888-739-4120, joann.com; photo frames and ribbons, treat boxes by Wilton, and gift tags by Martha Stewart, available at Michaels, 800-642-4235, michaels.com; glass dome available at Attic Antiques, 5620 Cahaba Valley Rd., Birmingham, AL, 205-991-6887; cocoa mugs and pink bowl available at Anthropologie, 800-309-2500, anthropologie.com. 5 Ways with Chicken Pages 19-25: Chili bowls by McClelland Pottery, available at The Cook Store, 2841 Cahaba Rd., Birmingham, AL, 205-879-5277. Carnival Celebration Pages 30-36: Dinnerware in Lace Gold by Vera Wang for Wedgwood, available at Macys, 800-289-6229, macys.com; chargers available at Pier 1 Imports, 800-245-4595, pier1.com; flatware and stemware available at Target, 800-591-3869, target.com; chocolate coins available at World Market, 877-967-5362, worldmarket.com; craft boxes and paint available at Michaels, 800-642-4235,…

www.tasteofthesouthmagazine.com Whisper sweet nothings . . . . . like “cookies” and “chocolate” to your Valentine. (See page 12.) Then go to tasteofthe southmagazine.com/webextras for more Valentine treats. Nothing could be finer . . . . . . than to be in Carolina with the Lee Brothers, Matt and Ted, for this issue’s Tastemakers. (See page 52.) Come along as they share their favorite restaurants in their hometown, Charleston, South Carolina. Ready for a road trip? Let Mindy Henderson, author of The Great Southern Food Festival Cookbook, be your guide. (See page 66.) And go to tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/webextras for more delicious recipes from her book.…

one spicy chicken chili Yield: 6 servings Preparation: 35 minutes Cook: 40 minutes 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bitesize pieces 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3½ cups chopped onion 1 tablespoon minced garlic ⅓ cup tomato paste 1½ tablespoons chili powder 1½ teaspoons ground cumin 2 (32-ounce) containers lesssodium chicken broth 2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained 2 (14.5-ounce) cans fire-roasted tomatoes 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen blackeyed peas, thawed 1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained Garnish: chopped green onion and sour cream SEASON chicken with salt and pepper; set aside. IN A LARGE DUTCH OVEN, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until golden brown, approximately 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside.…

= Dishwasher Safe Anolon Bronze Collection 17-x-11-inch cookie pan Retail price: $16.99 Why we love it: Durable bronze-colored nonstick surface makes it easy to clean. Wide rim gives you plenty to hold on to. Where to buy: anolon.com Paula Deen Signature 18-x-13-inch half sheet pan Retail price: $24.99 Why we love it: Heavy-duty restaurant-style cookie sheet with so many uses. Comes with a silicone baking mat that keeps food from sticking. Where to buy: potsandpans.com Williams-Sonoma 16-x-14-inch cookie sheet Retail price: $30 (set of two) Why we love it: Made of rustproof, aluminumcoated steel that resists warping, so cookies bake evenly. Where to buy: williams-sonoma.com Nordicware Traditional 14-x-13-inch cookie sheet Retail price: $13.50 Why we love it: Bakes gorgeous golden cookies that slide right off the flat edge. Where to buy: nordicware.com Wilton Indulgence…

“Every recipe I tried [in the October/ November issue] came out great the first time. I wish I could hug all of you!” —Kaethe Stickley Titusville, Florida Sweet Success My, oh my, y’all outdid yourselves with the Taste of the South Christmas Cooking Southern Style. I have not been able to do anything but plan and cook for the holidays. There is not one thing in this magazine that I don’t want to try. Keep up the great work. You have your work cut out to top this issue. —Beverly Hodges Weaver, Alabama After cooking a meal from Christmas Cooking Southern Style 2009, I had to let you know how incredible it was. I used most of the recipes from your Traditional Dinner section [pages 40 to 49] for my…

molasses-glazed shrimp salad Yield: 6 servings Preparation: 10 minutes Cook: 10 minutes 6 slices bacon, cut into thirds 18 large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on) ¼ cup unsulfured molasses 1½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 6 cups mixed lettuces 1 cup crumbled blue cheese ½ cup pecan halves PREHEAT oven to 425°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place an ovenproof cooling rack inside prepared baking sheet; set aside. WRAP each shrimp in 1 piece bacon, securing with a toothpick. Place on prepared rack. BAKE until bacon is cooked through, approximately 10 minutes. Brush cooked shrimp evenly with molasses. Sprinkle evenly with Cajun seasoning; set aside. IN A SMALL…

ALMOST EVERYONE’S MOTHER HAS THAT ONE DISH THAT SHE cooks better than anyone else. The same is true of many communities around the region. They have a dish, an ingredient, or even a cooking method that they’re proud of, and rightly so. Each year, these communities celebrate with food festivals. Motherhood brought Mindy Henderson, author of The Great Southern Food Festival Cookbook, to her love of food festivals. “When my children were young, I was always looking for things to do with them,” she says. But as her children grew older, Mindy found less time for food festivals. She began keeping a list of the ones she wanted to attend—a list that grew until it became a book devoted to Southern food festivals. First, of course, there is the food.…

FROM TWELFTH NIGHT TO MARDI GRAS, the king cake, shaped like a crown and frosted or sprinkled with colored sugar, is the traditional confection of Carnival. It is believed that king cake came to New Orleans from France in the 1870s and evolved from a traditional pastry made to celebrate Epiphany, or Twelfth Night, the twelfth day after Christmas. The crown shape honored the Three Wise Men, and the colors came from a Mardi Gras flag designed for Russia’s Grand Duke Alexis, who arrived in New Orleans just in time to celebrate Carnival in 1872. Throughout the Gulf States, king cake makes its yearly appearance as a tasty harbinger of Mardi Gras, and some bakeries will ship the cakes directly to your door. My personal king cake epiphany happened years…

SOMETIMES THE INSPIRATION FOR A NEW RECIPE CAN COME FROM an unlikely place. Take, for example, Louanne Coleman’s recipe for Shrimp and Andouille Sausage in Tomato Cream Sauce, what she calls Mardi Gras Madness. Louanne was watching television with a friend when a commercial for a seafood restaurant chain’s shrimp extravaganza came on. “You know,” Louanne said to her friend, “I could make something like that with no problem.” She began experimenting, and before long, she had come up with this flavorful combination of shrimp, red and yellow peppers, and andouille sausage. Of course, since Louanne grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, her creation has a decidedly Cajun flavor. “People think Cajun food is spicy, but it’s not,” Louanne explains. “We like flavor.” Although she has lived in Jupiter, Florida,…