Last week, we talked about the influence of low country cuisine in our culture. Here are some tasty, easy recipes to try. We will start off with corn cakes with some honey butter over some mixed greens, followed by a tomato, hominy and crab chowder, shrimp and grits and an apple torte (tarte tatin). I used yellow grits because I didn’t want the sweet flavor of the white corn in this dish.
Ingredients provided by Messineo’s Gourmet Market.
Ingredients (corn cakes)
1 cup self-rising cornmeal
1 cup of all purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
pinch of salt
1 cup of milk
1/4 cup water, plus 2 TB
1/4 cup of rendered bacon fat
butter for cooking
1 stick of butter, softened
1/3 cup tupelo honey
1 package of mixed greens
splash of olive oil
sea salt
Method (corn cakes)
Combine cornmeal, flour, eggs, salt, milk, bacon fat, and water in a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Ladle (like 4″ pancakes) into a cast iron pan, seasoned with butter over medium heat. In a bowl, combine softened butter with honey to make a honey butter. Serve the corn cakes over mixed greens that were tossed in a little olive oil and salt.
Ingredients (tomato, hominy and corn chowder)
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups of good quality, jarred tomato sauce
1 can of hominy, drained
8 oz of lump crab
Method (chowder)
Combine all ingredients, except the crab in a medium pot. Heat over medium-high heat until it comes up to a simmer. Lower the heat to low. Right before serving add the crab for two minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Shrimp and grits with gravy
Ingredients (tomato, hominy and corn chowder)
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups of good quality, jarred tomato sauce
1 can of hominy, drained
8 oz of lump crab
Method (chowder)
Combine all ingredients, except the crab in a medium pot. Heat over medium-high heat until it comes up to a simmer. Lower the heat to low. Right before serving add the crab for two minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Ingredients (shrimp and grits)
4 strips of bacon
4 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp sea salt plus a dash
Exotic Peppercorn Blend
1 cup grits (quick cooking or long cooking, not instant)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
splash of half and half
1 lb of shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 TB flour
2 cups of beef stock
In a large frying pan, cook the bacon until it is crispy over medium to medium-low heat. While doing that, in medium pot add the water and the salt. When it boils, stir in the grits. Continue stirring occasionally until the grits are cooked through. Remove bacon to paper towels and let cool. Remove grits from the heat and add the cheese and half and half. In the same pan you cooked the bacon in, heat to medium-high and add the shrimp, a dash of salt and a little Exotic Peppercorn Blend. Cook two minutes on each side and remove to a plate. Add 2 TB flour to the bacon fat in the pan and whisk to combine. Add stock until you have a smooth sauce consistency (not too thick, not too thin). Serve grits on a plate with some shrimp and crumble some bacon over the top.
Ingredients (apple tarte)
4 -5 Granny Smith apples
1 stick of butter (very cold) plus 1/2 stick of butter
1 cup flour
pinch of sea salt
pinch of white sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
a splash of Calvados (optional)
Peel, core and cut each apple into 5-6 long pieces. In a food processor combine the 1 stick of butter (diced) with the flour, salt and white sugar and pulse until it resembles the size of peas. Add 1/4 cup water and pulse until it comes together. Form into a disc and wrap with plastic, then refrigerate. Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a large cast iron pan over medium heat and add the brown sugar. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Add the apples and saute for 5 minutes. Add a splash of Calvados and flambe. When the apples are soft and the sauce has caramelized, remove from the heat. Roll out the pastry to fit the top of the cast iron pan. Place the pastry on top and put the pan in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes, then invert the pan onto a plate. Serve with ice cream, if desired.
