Southern | Saveur

Peach Cobbler

Barry Sorkin — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Photography by Linda Pugliese; Food Styling by Christine Albano; Prop Styling by Carla Gonzalez-Hart

If you want to eat peach cobbler any time of the day, Barry Sorkin from Smoque BBQ in Chicago may have the recipe you’re looking for. “It’s kind of like a fruit cup,” Sorkin says. “You could almost argue it’s breakfast food.” Roasted almond streusel adds a complex nuttiness to his version, which has a crunchy finish more akin to crisp than classic cobbler.

Featured in “4 Barbecue Side Dishes to Bring Home, No Smoker Required.”

Yield: 6

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the peach filling:

3 lb. fresh or thawed frozen peaches, chopped into 1-in. pieces (about 6 heaping cups)
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. almond extract
½ tsp. ground cinnamon

For the topping:

1 cup light brown sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
12 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cubed
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. kosher salt
¾ cup sliced almonds

Instructions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Make the filling: To a large bowl, add the peaches, sugar, lemon juice, almond extract, and cinnamon, and stir to coat. Set aside.
Make the topping: To a large bowl, add the brown sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, quickly work the butter into the dry ingredients until only small pea-sized crumbs remain. Add the almonds and toss once more to distribute. Refrigerate the topping until ready to bake.
Divide the filling among six 4-ounce ramekins, mounding the fruit over the rim of the ramekin (the filling will shrink significantly in the oven). Top with a generous handful of the crisp topping, then transfer the ramekins to the lined baking sheet and bake until the peaches are juicy and the topping is golden and crisp, 30–35 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Blueberry Barbecue Chicken

Vivian Howard — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:45:56 +0000

Tim Robison. Tim Robison

Similar to a shrub—a fruit syrup punctuated by vinegar—this blueberry sauce, or what celebrated Southern chef Vivian Howard calls Blue Q sauce, makes a bracing drink when mixed with club soda or booze. It’s also the first step in a fruity vinaigrette and is a perfect glaze on roasted or grilled chicken. Keep in mind this is not a marinade. Brush it on toward the end of cooking and let the chicken soak up more of the sauce before serving. The final soak is key. Follow our simple instructions for how to spatchcock a chicken, or ask your butcher to butterfly or spatchcock the bird by cutting out the backbone and sternum and flattening the bird.

Featured in “The First Lady of Carolina Cooking.”

Yield: 3–4 with extra sauce

Time: 12 hours

Ingredients

For the sauce:

3 cups blueberries
2 cups apple cider vinegar, divided
2 cups sugar
¼ tsp. crushed red chile flakes
1 bay leaf
One 3-in. cinnamon stick

For the chicken:

One 3-lb. whole chicken, spatchcocked (see headnote)
2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Make the sauce: To a food processor, add the blueberries and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar. Pulse to break up the berries and get some juices flowing.
Transfer the pulverized berries to a medium pot and add the sugar, chile flakes, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and remaining vinegar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Carefully transfer the hot sauce to a blender. Remove the knob from the top of the blender lid and cover with a dish towel to prevent an explosion. Blend the sauce until it’s as smooth as possible, then strain through a fine mesh sieve directly back into the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced by about one-third of its original volume, 25–30 minutes. It should coat the back of a spoon and have the viscosity of maple syrup. Set the sauce aside to rest for 8–24 hours. It will keep for months, covered, in the refrigerator.
Make the chicken: Heat a gas or charcoal grill to to 350°F. Bring the chicken to room temperature 30 minutes before you plan to grill, then season with salt and black pepper.
Place the chicken, skin side up, on the grill and close the lid. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Baste with the blueberry sauce every 5 minutes for an additional 20 minutes, keeping the lid closed between basting. Using tongs, flip the chicken and continue cooking, basting with the blueberry sauce every 5 minutes and keeping the lid closed between basting, until the skin is caramelized and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads 165°F, about 10 minutes more.
Remove the chicken from the grill, toss in ½ cup of the blueberry sauce, and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Carve the chicken into six or eight pieces and toss once more in another ½ cup of the blueberry sauce. Serve the chicken warm or at room temperature.

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Butter-Basted Eggs

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:45:01 +0000

Photo: Matt Taylor-Gross • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Matt Taylor-Gross • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Basting eggs with hot melted butter promises a perfect sunny-side-up presentation. Once the whites are set and the yolks are still perfectly runny, brown the butter left in the pan until it’s deliciously nutty, then add a touch of lemon juice and drizzle the resulting sauce over the eggs. Serve these with toast or cheesy grits. This recipe was adapted from Janice Cole’s Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes.

Yield: 1

Time: 10 minutes

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely chopped chives, for serving

Instructions

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt the butter until foamy. Crack the eggs into the skillet, turn the heat to medium-low, and cook, spooning the melted butter over the top of the eggs, until the whites are just set, about 3 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the eggs to a plate.
Continue cooking the butter in the skillet until it’s just beginning to brown, about 2 more minutes. Add the lemon juice, swirling to combine, then drizzle the lemon-butter mixture over the eggs. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, top with chives, and serve immediately.

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Brandy Crusta

Neal Bodenheimer — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:41:42 +0000

Denny Culbert. Denny Culbert

The Brandy Crusta is a local New Orleans cocktail invented by bartender Joseph Santini, who worked at the St. Louis Hotel in the 1840s. The drink became a cult favorite after Jerry Thomas, the first bartender to publish a cocktail book, put it in his seminal 1862 guide. “What is notable about this drink is the introduction of lemon juice,” writes Neal Bodenheimer, founder of New Orleans bar Cure and author of a book by the same name, Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em. “This was not common practice at the time, and it set the stage for other delicious, important drinks like the sidecar and the daisy (an inspiration for the margarita).”

For a horse’s neck lemon twist (named for its resemblance to the curves of a horse’s neck), Bodenheimer recommends using a Y peeler to cut away the entire peel of the citrus in one long spiral. Then, coil it along the interior of your serving glass, drape the top over the rim if desired, and voilà—a perfectly elegant garnish for your cocktail.

Featured in: “10 Essential New Orleans Cocktail Recipes.”

Yield: Makes 1 cocktail

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

For the sugar rim:

Sugar
Lemon wedge

For the cocktail:

1½ oz. brandy, preferably Ricou Spirits Brandy Sainte Louise
¼ oz. Cointreau
½ oz. simple syrup
¾ oz. fresh lemon juice
1 barspoon maraschino liqueur, preferably Luxardo
7 drops Angostura bitters
Horse’s neck lemon twist (see headnote), for garnish

Instructions

Prepare the sugar rim: On a small plate, spread the sugar. Carefully run the lemon wedge around the outside rim of a wine or coupe glass. Dip the rim in sugar to coat.
Make the cocktail: To a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, add the brandy, Cointreau, simple syrup, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and bitters, and shake until chilled. Strain into the prepared glass and garnish with the lemon twist.

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Black-Eyed Pea Cornbread

Becky Miller Tollison — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:48:25 +0000

Maura McEvoy. Maura McEvoy

For the October 2004 issue, SAVEUR sent writer Carolynn Carreño to cover the extravagant tailgating scene at a University of Mississippi football game. She made her way through sausage biscuits, caramel cake, cream-cheese crab dip, and a pork loin with horseradish-pineapple sauce—all before noon. Yet it was this cornbread that Carreño still considers the standout. As she explains, “You can put ‘cornbread’ in quotes, because this is more pudding-like, and stuffed with black-eyed peas, sausage, and cheddar.” The genius behind it? A retired home-ec teacher named Becky Miller Tollison, whose late husband, Edward “Bubba” Tollison, played football at Ole Miss in the 1970s.

Featured in: “Tailgating at Ole Miss” by Carolynn Carreño.

Yield: 9–10

Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Unsalted butter, for greasing
1 lb. spicy pork sausage meat
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup white cornmeal
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1⁄2 tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
One 15-oz. can black-eyed peas, drained
3⁄4 cup canned cream-style corn
One 4-oz. can diced green chiles
1⁄2 cup drained, sliced pickled jalapeños, chopped

Instructions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with the butter and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the sausage and onions, and cook, breaking up the meat frequently, until it’s cooked through and the onions have softened, 10–11 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Pour the egg mixture into the cornmeal mixture, and use a silicone spatula to fold together until just combined (the batter will still be lumpy). Fold in the reserved sausage mixture, cheese, black-eyed peas, corn, green chiles, and jalapeños. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, and smooth the surface with the spatula. Bake until golden brown, 50–60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey Wings

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:48:40 +0000

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MURRAY HALL; FOOD STYLING BY JESSIE YUCHEN

These collard greens with smoked turkey wings are a Southern staple and a testament to the influence of African cooking on American cuisine. The bitter leafy vegetable was one of the few crops that enslaved Africans were permitted to grow and cook for themselves. This rib-sticking recipe is best served with cornbread to sop up the flavorful potlikker. It was adapted from Sylvia’s Family Soul Food Cookbook.

Yield: 8–10

Time: 3 hours 55 minutes

2 smoked turkey wings (2½ lb.)
3 lb. collard greens (3 bunches), stems discarded, leaves cut into 1-in. pieces
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. crushed red chile flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
White vinegar and Tabasco

Instructions

In a large pot, bring the turkey wings and 6 cups of water to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the meat is beginning to fall off the bone, about 1 hour. Add the collard greens, oil, sugar, chile flakes, and salt and black pepper to taste and return to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the greens are tender, about 2½ hours.
Using tongs, transfer the turkey wings to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat and skin from the bones (discard the bones), then chop into bite-size pieces and add it back to the pot. Season to taste with vinegar and Tabasco and serve.

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Commander’s Palace Sazerac

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:50:13 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Making Louisiana’s official state cocktail like a seasoned New Orleans bartender is easier than you think. This recipe from Commander’s Palace calls for absinthe, but if you can’t find it, substitute another anisette such as Herbsaint or pastis.

Yield: Makes 1 cocktail

Time: 5 minutes

½ oz. absinthe, preferably Lucid
2 oz. rye whiskey
¼ oz. simple syrup
3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 lemon zest strip

Instructions

In an old-fashioned glass, swirl the absinthe to coat with a film, pouring out any excess. Fill the glass with ice.
In a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, gently stir the rye, simple syrup, Peychaud’s bitters, and Angostura bitters until ice-cold, 20–30 seconds.
Discard the ice in the glass. Strain the cocktail into the glass, then rub the rim with the lemon strip and drop it into the sazerac.

Where to Drink in New Orleans Right Now

Fives; Photography by @coryjames_fontenot

Brandy Crusta

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MURRAY HALL; FOOD STYLING BY JESSIE YUCHEN

Hotel Monteleone’s Vieux Carré

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

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North Carolina Hush Puppies

SAVEUR Editors — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:51:34 +0000

Photography by Murray Hall; Food Styling by Jessie YuChen

Hush puppies are ubiquitous throughout North Carolina, but they’re not the little round ones you might be familiar with. Here, the cornmeal fritters come in thick, short strips that are closer to the size and shape of your index finger. A menu staple at barbecue restaurants, they make an excellent side dish, appetizer, or snack. Be sure to chop the onion very finely so that it cooks all the way through.

Featured in “East Vs. West: North Carolina Pulled Pork,” by Dana Bowen.

Yield: 8–10

Time: 30 minutes

2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more for serving
1 cup buttermilk
4 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
¼ tsp. hot sauce
1 medium yellow onion, very finely chopped
Vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, hot sauce, onion, and ¼ cup of water. Using a spoon, stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes, then use a silicone spatula to transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a ¾-inch round tip.
Into a large heavy pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, pour the oil to a depth of 2 inches and turn the heat to medium-high. When the temperature reads 375°F, working in batches, pipe 3-inch logs of batter into the oil. Fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 2–3 minutes total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Season the hush puppies to taste with more salt, and serve immediately.

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Hot Onion ‘Soufflé’ Dip

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:22:35 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

This hot onion soufflé dip, from Heart and Soul, the 1992 Memphis Junior League cookbook, is prone to disappearing quickly at parties. Tortilla chips, Fritos, or crackers make good accompaniments.

Yield: 6–8 as an appetizer

Time: 30 minutes

One 14-oz. package frozen chopped onions, thawed
24 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups finely grated parmesan cheese
½ cup mayonnaise

Instructions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F. Drain the chopped onions, then use your hands to squeeze out any excess liquid. Transfer to a bowl. Add the cream cheese, parmesan, and mayonnaise and stir until combined. Scrape into an ungreased 1-quart soufflé dish and smooth the top. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

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Peach and Fennel Salad with Sweet Tea Granita

Joey Edwards — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 22:06:43 +0000

Photography by Jess Hothersall

Located in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains, the dining program at Blackberry Mountain celebrates the flavors of the surrounding region alongside global ingredients and techniques—as seen in this simple yet elegant late-summer salad from executive chef Joey Edwards at the property’s Three Sisters restaurant. In the American South, peaches and sweet tea are iconic refreshments; this recipe features both, in an elevated and unexpected presentation that’s doable for any home cook entertaining on a hot summer night. Increase the recipe based on your farmers market haul and your guest list; the ideal ratio is about 50 percent peaches to 30 percent fennel and 20 percent frisée. Edwards advises using a light hand when dressing this peach and fennel salad; most of the dish’s seasoning comes from the granita’s sweet-sour-salty flavors, as well as the peppery richness of good-quality—preferably Sicilian—extra-virgin olive oil.

Yield: 4

Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the granita:

1 single-serving bag black tea (English breakfast tea works great)
3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. kosher salt
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

For the salad:

2 ripe yellow peaches (8 oz.), sliced into wedges
1 small fennel bulb (6 oz.), cored and thinly sliced, fronds reserved
1 small head frisée cut into bite size pieces (about 1½ cups)
Pinch fennel pollen
Pinch piment d'Espelette
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon
Fine salt
Edible fresh flowers, such as basil or mint blossoms, lavender, or sunflower petals, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Make the granita: To a small, nonreactive bowl, add ⅔ cup boiling water and the teabag; set aside to steep until the tea is strong and deep amber in color, about 3 minutes. Remove and discard the teabag, then stir in the honey and salt. Set aside to cool to room temperature, then stir in the lemon juice. Transfer to the freezer until solid, 2–4 hours.
When the granita is fully frozen, assemble the salad: To a large bowl, add the peaches, fennel, and frisée. Just before serving, dress with the lemon juice and olive oil, season lightly with salt, and transfer to a wide salad bowl. Using a fork, scrape the surface of the frozen granita gradually to make a fluffy snow. Dollop the granita over the peach and fennel salad in little clusters, then sprinkle with fennel pollen and piment d’Espelette, garnish with edible flowers, if desired, and serve immediately.

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How to Make Creamy Grits

SAVEUR Editors — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 18:46:23 +0000

Photography by Julia Gartland; Food Styling by Jessie YuChen

“People should really leave grits alone,” wrote the late chef Edna Lewis in her book, The Gift of Southern Cooking (co-authored with Scott Peacock). Lewis, who took a dim view of adding fancy ingredients to the beloved Southern staple, instead advised readers to keep it simple with her five-ingredient creamy grits recipe.

Another thing to keep in mind: No self-respecting Southerner uses instant grits. Homemade grits are easy to prepare, and well worth a tiny bit of extra care. Stone ground grits will yield the best texture but they do take longer to cook; remove their chewy outer chaff for the creamiest results.

We like these grits best served hot from the stove, with over-easy fried eggs or shrimp.

Order the SAVEUR Selects Voyage Series 2-Quart Chef’s Pan here.

Yield: 4–6

Time: 30 minutes

2 cups whole milk, or more
1 cup stone-ground or regular grits
Kosher salt
¹⁄₄ cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Instructions

In a medium pot over medium heat, bring the milk and 2 cups water to a simmer.
Meanwhile, to a large mixing bowl, add the stone-ground grits and enough cool water to cover. Stir the grits vigorously so that the chaff floats to the top. Skim the surface carefully to remove and discard the chaff, then drain the grits through a fine mesh strainer. (If you are using regular grits, you may skip this step.)
Stir the grits into the simmering milk-water mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until the grains are tender to the bite and have thickened to the consistency of thick oatmeal. As the mixture thicken, stir frequently to prevent sticking and scorching. (Regular grits will be done in about 20 minutes, while stone-ground grits require an hour or a little more to cook, and you may have to add additional water as needed.)
Stir in the cream and butter, then season the grits to taste with salt. Remove from the heat and serve (cover and keep warm if not serving immediately). Serve hot.

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