Innholdsfortegnelse for February - March 2011 i Taste of the South

 EACH YEAR AROUND THIS TIME, I FIND MYSELF LONGING FOR the first tastes of spring yet still looking for comfort on cool days. This issue is full of comfort to get you through those in-between days Macaroni and cheese and chocolate might not go together, but both are equally soul soothing. In our ultimate mac-and-cheese guide (page 64), we’ve got recipes that range from traditional to healthy and from kid-friendly to adult-indulgent. And whether it’s Valentine’s Day or just another Monday, chocolate is one ingredient always worthy of a celebration. In “Chocolate=Love” (page 22), we’ve got an arsenal of chocolate recipes that will make you swoon, including warm truffle cakes, shortbread cookies, and a sinful devil’s food cake. I hope you’ll also find comfort, as I have, being in the…

chocolate-bourbon gelato Yield: 1 quart 2 cups whole milk 1 cup sugar, divided 1⁄2 cup heavy whipping cream 1⁄4 cup bourbon 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 6 large egg yolks 2 tablespoons freshly brewed espresso or coffee 2 teaspoons orange-flavored liqueur 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1⁄4 teaspoon salt Garnish: waffle cones (optional), heart sprinkles 1. In a medium saucepan, combine milk, 2⁄3 cup sugar, cream, and bourbon. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to simmer. Add cocoa and chocolate, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat. 2. In a large bowl, combine egg yolks and remaining 1⁄3 cup sugar. Beat at high speed with an electric mixer until pale and thickened, approximately 4 minutes. Slowly pour hot chocolate mixture into…

GENA KNOX GREW UP IN A TIME (NOT SO LONG AGO) AND PLACE (Reynolds, Georgia) where seasonal eating was a way of life. In her new cookbook, Southern My Way: Simple Recipes, Fresh Flavors, she shares her modern take on Southern cooking, with recipes that put a fresh spin on traditional flavors, and how she incorporates seasonal foods into everyday menus A lot of people have written cookbooks about Southern cooking recently. How is Southern My Way different? Cooking is something I love to do. I love teaching cooking classes and sharing recipes with friends. And I really love the South; I love the foods we eat. But it’s sometimes frustrating for me and for a lot of my friends; we still want to feed our children something healthy. I…

Ready to Cook Wow, am I in heaven! Strawberry blondies, the chili-rubbed salmon tostada, and the strawberry/cucumber salad [A Taste of Summer All Winter Long! Recipe Contest finalists at tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/webextras]. Now if I can be patient until we start getting Florida strawberries again. Thank you again and again. —Mary Helen Haskell Bloomington, Illinois Our Best Red Velvet Cake What is the best red velvet cake recipe that you have ever printed in your magazine? —Eloise Jamison via e-mail That’s an easy question to answer. For a classic version of this traditional Southern cake, we recommend the Red Velvet Cake from Atwood’s Bakery in Alexandria, Louisiana, which appeared in our third issue, Spring 2005. (If you missed that issue, just search for “Red Velvet Cake” on our Web site.) For a…

Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes Retail: $2.45 Why we love it: Kills 99.9% of germs botanically, but won’t harm hard, nonporous surfaces Where to buy: seventhgeneration store.com Twist Loofah Sponge Retail: $4.99 Why we love it: 100% biodegradable sponge with a scrubbing side and a wiping side Where to buy: Whole Foods, World Market, and other retailers Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser & Polish Retail: $1.99 Why we love it: Cleans a variety of surfaces from stainless steel to glass cooktops Where to buy: your local supermarket or barkeepersfriend.com Method Multi-Surface Natural All Purpose Cleaner Retail: $3.99 Why we love it: Cuts grime, but it’s free of dyes and perfumes so it’s gentle on every body Where to buy: methodhome.com J.R. Watkins Natural Hand Soap Retail: $3.99 Why we love it: Watkins practically invented natural…

gingersnaps with macerated strawberries and goat cheese Yield: 8 to 10 servings 1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered 1⁄4 cup raw cane sugar 1 (5.25-ounce) package ginger cookies, such as Anna’s Ginger Thins 1 (6-ounce) container Belle and The Bees Breakfast Cheese 1. In a large bowl, combine strawberries and cane sugar, tossing together to combine. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. 2. Top ginger cookies with desired amount of goat cheese and strawberries. Serve immediately. fast fix radishes with compound goat cheese butter Yield: 8 to 10 servings 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 2 tablespoons Belle Chèvre goat cheese 1⁄4 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1⁄4 teaspoon hot sauce 18 small radishes, with green tops 1. In a medium bowl, combine butter, goat cheese, lemon zest, and hot…

WHEN THIS CITY WAS NAMED FOR QUEEN CHARLOTTE Sophia of England in the late 1700s, its future growth and development were just a twinkle in the queen’s eye. In the 1970s, 200 years later, Charlotte was still a beautifully sweet but sleepy little Southern town. It had a couple of locally owned steakhouses and one French restaurant, but there were blue laws prohibiting the purchase of alcohol in dining establishments. And you couldn’t get a pizza delivered if you begged. Valet parking? Forget it. Restaurants were predominantly meat-and-threes featuring country-style, down-home cuisine. Diners had a choice of meats and well-seasoned but often overcooked ham- or pork-laden veggies. In addition to collards, green beans, vinegar-marinated onions and cucumbers, potatoes, and rice and gravy, banana pudding was listed as a vegetable on…

PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST COMFORTING SIGHTS on a cold winter’s day is the steamy droplets on windows caused by a simmering pot of soup on the stove top. The savory scent permeates the kitchen and wafts through the house, coaxing rumbling grumbles from hungry bellies. Soup is simple, basic, perhaps even primal. The first thing a budding chef learns in cooking school is how to make soup. Soup is so much more than a bunch of stuff tossed into a pot and topped with water or stock, boiling away. Having said that, a perfect soup, when put on the right course, practically cooks itself. Soup is one of my favorite dishes to prepare. Following proper techniques and using good ingredients pretty much ensures a satisfying bowl of soup. With…

SAY ”I LOVE YOU” WITH DOUGHNUTS For Valentine’s Day, Krispy Kreme stores nationwide will be selling heart-shaped doughnuts and their Dark Chocolate Kreme. Their classic yeast doughnuts are topped with white icing and decorated with pink, red, and white sprinkles (available at participating stores from January 19 through February 14). The Dark Chocolate Kreme is hand-filled with fluffy dark chocolate, dipped in bittersweet chocolate icing, and drizzled with milk chocolate (available at participating stores from January 3 through February 14). Both are $0.99 each or $6.99 per dozen; krispykreme.com.…

Palette to Palate Pages 14–16 Aqua napkins with gold beading available at Pier 1, 800-245-4595, pier1.com; pilsner and stemless wineglasses, natural place mats with painted border, dinnerware in shades of aqua, and floral engraved glassware available at At Home Furnishings, 205-879-3510, athome-furnishings.com; crocheted place mats and pink napkins available at Stein Mart, 888-783-4662, steinmart.com; Zinnia Thicket handpainted dinner plates available at Anthropologie, 800-309-2500, anthropologie.com; Optima flatware available at Target, 800-591-3869, target.com. Organize It Pages 18–21 Oval bowl by Earthborn Pottery, 205-702-7055, earthbornpottery.net; spices by Whole Foods Market, wholefoodsmarket.com; white ceramic canisters available at World Market, 877-967-5362, worldmarket.com; baskets available at Michaels, 800-642-4235, michaels.com. Chocolate=Love Pages 22–31 Pink and blue candy melts by Wilton, 800-794-5866, wilton.com; pink flower baking cups available at Bake It Pretty, 828-275-2983, bakeitpretty.com. Mac ’n’ Cheese Pages…

foodfact: These easy-to-grow vegetables mature in just 3 to 6 weeks. try this! The taproot, or bulb, of the radish is very crisp and slightly spicy when eaten raw. Try them the French way, thinly sliced and served on baguette slices with a generous layer of good butter and a pinch of coarse salt. Or for a more mellow flavor, roast them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. You’ll also love the Radishes with Compound Goat Cheese Butter on page 35.…

Here are some quick and easy ways to shape up your kitchen and make your time there more productive. 1. Most-Used Ingredients When you’re at the stove top, have the ingredients you use most right at your fingertips. There’s no need to step away from that sauté pan to dig through your cabinet for olive oil, salt, and cracked pepper. 2. Dry Pantry For a well-organized pantry, store dry items such as rice, beans, pastas, and baking ingredients in similar-looking canisters or Mason jars. We like these white canisters that can be written on with dry erase markers. You can also add the date they were purchased so you know when that baking powder needs to be replaced. 3. Spice Cabinet Use a riser or a lazy Susan to get…

WHEN TAMELA JAMES OF GROVE City, Ohio, was a little girl, she loved her mother’s Double Peanut Butter Cookies. So naturally, after she grew up and married, she wanted the recipe. “I said, ‘Mom, I need that recipe.’ Tammy recalls. ‘It’s my favorite peanut butter cookie.’ The cookie in question is two layers of flaky peanut-butter cookie dough with a scant ½ teaspoon of peanut butter sandwiched between them. Tammy describes it as an everyday cookie, great for welcoming kids home from school or sending to work with her husband, Steve, for office meetings. (At one time, his co-workers wanted to make it Steve’s turn to bring snacks for every office meeting because they knew Tammy would bake something wonderful to send.) It made quite an impression on the Taste…