Last month when Rachael and Alex were visiting he picked up a pork shoulder and tried his hand at Michael Ruhlman’s Mexican chorizo recipe. It was fantastic. I mean, everyone loves chorizo (how could you not) but this was all the more wonderful and delicious because we’d made it. Or, Dan and Alex made it and Rachael and I ate queso and encouraged them. We’re very supportive.

Have y’all dabbled in charcuterie? I was so inspired by Mrs. Wheelbarrow during Charcutepalooza but we were too limited with our space to participate. Now that we have a big kitchen and a mudroom for curing and fermenting, we’re diving in feet first. Duck confit here we come!

Chorizo
Michael Rulhman’s Charcuterie

5 lbs boneless pork shoulder

3 tbsp kosher salt

2 tbsp ancho chili powder

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 tbsp fresh oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

3 tbsp tequila, chilled

3 tbsp red wine vinegar, chilled

Cube your pork. Toss in spice mix. Chill until ready to grind. Run through meat grinder (we used the sausage making attachment for our Kitchen Aid) using the small die. Set on ice to chill. Add tequila and vinegar and mix until well incorporated with the paddle attachment.

Traditionally chorizo is served loose but because we were eager to use our stuffer we went a bit further and put it into casings. Using the sausage stuffer attachments and casings we picked up from the butcher Dan stuffed and portioned the chorizo into a four (ish) foot length. We then threw it on the grill in its entirety and served it up with hot sauce on fresh baguettes. It was heaven.

Pancakes are, you could say, my culinary Achilles heel. They always turn out awful. Too undercooked, burnt, too gooey, too chewy, not fluffy enough, whatever. I hate making pancakes. I’ve yet to find a recipe that gave me the perfect results I want so usually when I crave pancakes it means we’re going out. Why eat mediocre pancakes at home when the world is full of diners?

However, thanks to the power of suggestion and certain websites, I learned about skillet pancakes, also known as “Dutch babies” or “German pancakes.” Essentially these are pancakes that you cook in a skillet and slice like pizza. No muss pancakes AND another recipe to add to my ode to skillet collection, PLUS a good way to use up the rest of my buttermilk? Sold! I searched around a bit and finally settled on this recipe and I have to say, these were fantastic. Not only were they delicious (topped with strawberries and honey hallelujah Spring is here), they heated up in the toaster oven for days to come, making breakfast (my least favorite weekday meal to worry about) a piece of (pan)cake.

We’re off today for New Orleans for Lauren’s wedding. We’ll be gone for 8 days (ah!) and I’m a mess of frantic, excited, anxious, and thrilled. Happy almost wedding, Lauren & Bradley!

Buttermilk Skillet Pancakes
adapted from Williamette Food Adventures

4 tbsp butter

3 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp sugar

Pinch of salt

Dash of powdered ginger

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used rye)

Preheat oven to 425.

Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, sugar, salt, and ginger. Stir in flour. Melt butter in a skillet on the stovetop. Pour batter into the hot skillet and transfer to the oven. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Strictly speaking, siblings are one of life’s greatest joys. Fifteen years ago I was spinning a completely different tale, but these days I have nothing but appreciation and gratitude for my brothers and sisters. A few weeks ago when I went up to Chapel Hill for the Our State Magazine launch I had some free time and had the opportunity to enjoy an hours-long coffee date with Reid, just the two of us. For years my time with my family has been centered around big trips South or events- graduations, reunions, weddings, holidays. I’ve rarely had the opportunity to pop in for dinner or grab a bite to eat with any of my siblings which also meant that that we spent moments together catching up on the big stuff. This coffee date we were able to talk about everything else. Work and life and goals and dreams and love and family and everything in between. Over a slice of buttermilk pie and a cardamom latte I got to listen to Reid talk candidly about his life and I couldn’t help but to feel so proud of him. He’s accomplished so much and it’s such good work. I am full of admiration for what he’s been able to do by staying focused and committed to his passions and his beliefs. He’s a great man, that Reid Rosemond.

I’ve spent the past month craving buttermilk pie (Scratch makes a mean buttermilk pie), so yesterday I picked up a bottle of local buttermilk and in the small space of time in the late afternoon I whipped up this pie for a friend’s party. Making and photographing this pie, with the glorious light in the kitchen and an oven that cooks evenly and buttermilk so thick and glorious it should be sipped from a glass on a mountaintop in the Alps made me so glad to be in this new space, in this town, in this state, back home. And somehow this simple post about a delicious pie has become a reflection on gratitude, which is fine. I’m incredibly grateful for my family, for old friends that are now so close, and for the new friends that are welcoming us into the fold and seem to like us and laugh at our stories and share their stories and make us feel home here.

Next week we’re heading to New Orleans for Lauren’s wedding. First we’ll pick up the minivan then we’ll get Reid in Durham and then Ryan and his girlfriend Erin in Charlotte and then an 11 hour car ride later we’ll be there waiting for Genevieve and Naoise and our parents and cousins and aunts and uncles and, of course, Lauren and Bradley. And while the week of celebrating and the wedding is going to be amazing and wonderful and so much fun I think one of the things I’m most looking forward to is that drive, that chunk of hours spent in a rental car with my family, catching up and talking about the small things. The important things.

Buttermilk Pie

crust:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

Pinch of ginger

Pinch of cinnamon

1/4 cup shortening

1 stick butter

1/2 cup cold water

filling:

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cups butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 tbsp flour

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

Stir together dry ingredients for flour. Work in shortening. Cube butter and work it in with your hands until the texture of the dough is like coarse cornmeal. Stir in water, a little at a time, until a ball forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Melt butter. Mix together butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add flour and salt. Slowly mix in buttermilk.

Roll the dough out and press into a pie dish. Heat the oven to 400 and pour the filling into the crust. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes and then drop to 350 for an additional 50 minutes. Pie should be golden brown. Let rest for 2 hours or until center has firmed.

For the first time in my adult life I have garden that achieves the holy trinity of personal gardens- it’s well located (our front yard), it has great soil, and it’s big enough for everything I want to grow. In years past we’ve struggled with our own gardens. In Baltimore our backyard garden was small, had terrible soil (lots of runoff problems), and was plagued by hungry guests. Our community garden plot was far enough away that it became a chore and an inconvenience, something that lead to neglect and ended with giant prehistoric okra plants that took over everything.

When we first moved into this house we were so taken with the big back yard. Perfect for cookouts, sitting around the fire pit, and running around with the dog. Unfortunately it is NOT perfect for gardening- it is shaded by two big and beautiful live oak trees that will mean wonderful respite from the summer sun but no place for tomatoes. Thankfully our landlord is open to basically any home improvements that we’re interested in doing and signed off on us turning our small front yard into a big garden bed.

A few trips to the hardware store and the farm supply store later and we had our garden. We built it to fit the sort of crooked space, so it’s 10x6x6x8, with a nice little sliver between the bed and the walkway for sedum and flowers. Thanks to our handy saw, cordless drill, and a car that is just barely big enough to haul weathered 2x6x10s we were able to build the bed and only spend approximately $20 on wood.

We turned over the existing soil (which was gorgeous) and added six bags of top soil ($5/pop), which left us with a nice layer of good soil and plenty of room for our plants to put down roots. The yard had been overgrown with weeds (I mentioned I’m a bit lazy, right?) so our composter got a nice thick layer of greens and Kaylee got a temporary bed in the yard.

Understanding the risks of an open, front yard garden (people helping themselves) we planted difficult-to-pick items against the sidewalk. Potatoes, okra, and pumpkins line the back gate, followed by tomatoes (four varieties), pimentos, jalapeños, bell peppers, lettuce, chives, green onions, and basil in the middle. A small pathway divides the arugula and the climbing plants- beans and cucumbers. A row of marigolds along the side will hopefully protect our growing ‘maters from hungry aphids.

Thanks to the overgrown bamboo patch in our backyard I was very easily able to build an arch to support the tomatoes and a trellis for the beans and cucumbers to climb. I even got a compliment from Dan on my lashing, which, coming from an Eagle Scout, meant a lot.

In the yard outside of the bed we planted our rosemary which had become root bound and choked in its pot, a lavender, and a flower mix that aims to attract hummingbirds, something that I’m hoping will edge out some of the more aggressive weeds and make our front yard into a more beautiful place. Finally, on the porch, we have a collection of pots that house our dwarf pomegranate, a few varieties of mint, thyme, horseradish, dill, and oregano.

All in all the garden feels very settled, a small place full of hope and opportunity. I know that by mid-July it’ll be bursting at the seams and that I’ll be tired of fighting the battle against the weeds (does that ever end?), but I’m hoping that its perfect location keeps it a place that I’m happy to escape to every afternoon.

I’ve mentioned it before but one of the things that we love most about Brit and Aaron are that they love to cook and eat as much as we love to cook and eat, which means that when we get together it is beautiful. This party was no exception. Aaron joked that he mostly wanted to throw it as an excuse to make paella, and I think that was only kind of a joke. The paella that Aaron and his friend Tom made was incredible, as was the grilled chicken, the hamburgers (seriously, they were unreal), the cake and everything else. I brought along a bread pudding and even though by the time we ate it we were all a few sheets to the wind, it felt like the perfect continuation of the meal of a lifetime.

I’ve known Brit for a lot of years and I count her as one of my closest friends (her and Aaron both, really), which made it even more special to see this outpouring of love for her. I felt the same way at their wedding- that only two completely fabulous people could attract such a loving and wonderful group of friends. Happy Birthday Britty! We’re so glad we got to be a part of it.

In other news, the results of the Saveur Best of Food Blogs competition came in today and while I’m disappointed that we didn’t win I am so incredibly overwhelmed by the amazing response to Biscuits and Such making it to the final round. It was extraordinary how many people reached out, new followers and old, to say how much they love this food blog and that means the world to me. Thank you.

Chocolate Strawberry Bread Pudding

1 loaf of bread (we used challah)

1 pint of strawberries

1 cup chocolate chips

2 cups milk

3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cube bread and halve strawberries. Toss together with chocolate chips and spread in a baking pan. Mix together milk, sugar, eggs, and extract and pour over bread. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.

A few weeks ago I was invited to Chapel Hill for the launch of the Our State Magazine April issue, an issue that focuses on food in the great state of North Carolina. The party was at Crook’s Corner, the famous Chapel Hill restaurant that is home of one of the best adaptations of Shrimp & Grits around (the recipe that taught me everything I know about loaded grits), and the flagship of Chef Bill Smith’s culinary empire.

The menu was simple and reflected the food showcased in the issue- benne, deviled eggs, house-cured ham on fresh biscuits, and a cocktail that I thoroughly enjoyed- a gin martini made with Cardinal Gin. Cardinal Gin is distilled in Kings Mountain in small batches and has all the intricate and delicate flavors you hope for with a bottle of nice gin. This is not the gin you blend with a heavily flavored mixer- this is a gin that you sip and let speak for itself.

I’m pretty terrible at cocktail parties, I get anxious and awkward and have to resist the urge to hide in a corner and just watch. This cocktail party was no exception, especially because everyone seemed to know each other and I felt like the odd duck out. But I didn’t drive two hours to sit in a corner so I got out there and mingled, and I’m so glad that I did. I met a ton of great people, made some good connections, and got to talk about one of my favorite things- Southern food- with other enthusiasts.

This issue is really fantastic. I always love Our State and the stories that it culls from across the state, but this one spoke especially close to home with stories about Morehead City and small community potlucks. It also gave me some ideas for new places to visit (like Yadkin Valley) and recipes to try (benne!).

The party was also a huge success in that I got to talk to some of the magazine staff about Tasting North Carolina, an opportunity I’d been hoping to have since I dreamed the project up. It just so happens that they loved the idea of the project and wanted to partner, so for the past few weeks we’ve been going back and forth with different ideas. Without further ado I’m excited to say that starting in May Our State will be publishing the entire series on their newly formed blog. The recipes will be posted on both Our State and B&S which means, hopefully, more people reading, more people loving, and more people sending me recipes. Next up in the series? A trip to the North Carolina Pickle Festival in Wayne County.

Southern Gin Cocktail
Adapted from Crook’s Corner

3 jiggers of gin
1 jigger of triple sec
Splash of bitters
Orange peel for garnish

Combine all three liquors in a tumbler with ice. Shake and strain into a glass, garnishing with orange peel.

Saveur looked at all the blogs nominated (and thanks to whomever nominated me, that was an exciting surprise!) and chose finalists based on their entire 2012 archive. What I’m saying is that I can only assume I made it this far because of that pan we lit on fire. A vote for me is a vote for cast iron. Voting goes until next Friday, April 19th, and can be done on Saveur’s website, saveur.com. You have to register to vote in order to prevent fraud (like that time I was in a recipe contest many years ago and my mom created a bunch of fake email addresses to vote for me), and can vote once in each category. It’s a huge honor to be a finalist and winning would be, well, unbelievable.

]]> http://biscuitsandsuch.com/2013/04/13/saveur-magazine-best-food-blog-award-finalists/feed/ 7 http://biscuitsandsuch.com/2013/04/13/saveur-magazine-best-food-blog-award-finalists/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BiscuitsAndSuch/~3/3PHfxPcBeoE/ http://biscuitsandsuch.com/2013/04/05/3100-polk-county-lemon-chardonnay-sauce/#comments Sat, 06 Apr 2013 03:01:23 +0000 elena http://biscuitsandsuch.com/?p=7185 One of the many things that makes North Carolina an amazing state is it’s ever-changing terrain. From the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains in the Western corners of the state to the rolling piedmont to the barrier islands that hold the tales of pirates and colonists, this state has so much to offer. One of the reasons that a project like Tasting North Carolina appealed to me was because of the opportunity to explore (whether physically or virtually) the state that I call mine. What I know about North Carolina is so incredibly limited when compared to what there is available to learn, and I’m loving every part of diving in head first.

The first person that contacted me when I started putting feelers out for this project was Alvin Pack, the owner of Green Creek Winery. Green Creek is located in Columbus, the seat of Polk County, nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains just southeast of Asheville. Green Creek has been in business since 2005, but wine making has roots in this state deeper than whole hog barbeque. Starting with Sir Walter Raleigh’s discovery of the muscadine grape in Washington County, North Carolina boasts a 400 year wine making tradition, over 100 wineries, and a temperate enough climate that nearly all varieties of wine grape can grow somewhere within its borders.

Now I know, admittedly, very little about wine. I like spicy reds like Malbec, dislike heavily oaked Chardonnays, and can drink a sweet moscato like it’s water on a hot summer’s night. I know from wine tastings that my palate is not sophisticated enough to tell the difference between a $10 bottle and a $100 bottle. Like many consumers my decision to buy a particular wine is 75% price point and 25% label design. And even though I’ve been enjoying wine for years now I’m still familiarizing myself with what North Carolina has to offer. The state’s 100 wineries are scattered through many different regions, meaning you’re as likely to find a winery at the beach as you are driving through the mountains. Varieties range from scuppernog to the Red Chardonnay that Alvin has developed at Green Creek, and practically everywhere you visit you’ll have the opportunity to tour and taste (my favorite way to travel).

One of the recipes that Alvin suggested was a Lemon Chardonnay sauce for fish. I loved the idea, so while my mom was down last weekend visiting we picked up a whole shad, stuffed it, and threw it on the grill. Stuffed with lemon, ginger, and garlic the fish was flaky and full of flavor. I chose a shad caught in the Tar River just north of here because shad, like many ocean dwelling fish, migrate upstream to spawn this time of year. And while they probably don’t ever get as far as Polk County, I wanted to honor the flavor of the mountains with a locally caught fish. Alvin’s sauce called for Chardonnay, soy sauce, lemon juice, and ginger, which was the perfect compliment of flavors. We stuffed and grilled the fish whole and paired it with a lemon basmati rice, sprouted beans (for crunch and color), and a simple arugula salad. It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday, visiting the beach, picking up a local fish on the way home, grilling it and having an easy and delicious meal with family. Everything that is wonderful about cooking and eating, all at once.

This post is part of the ongoing series, Tasting North Carolina. Read more about the project here.

Lemon Chardonnay Sauce for Fish
Adapted from Alvin Pack’s Green Creek Winery recipe

Sauce:

1/2 cup Chardonnay

3 tbsp soy sauce

Juice of 3 lemons

1 tbsp chopped lemon rind

3 cloves minced garlic

1 inch fresh ginger, minced

Dish:

1 4-5 pound white fish, such as shad (in the herring family), scaled & cleaned

1 lemon

5 cloves garlic

2 inches fresh ginger

Salt, pepper

Olive oil

Rinse your fish off and place it on a piece of tin foil larger than the fish. Stuff the cavity with half of your sliced lemon, sliced and peeled ginger, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Top the fish with the remaining ingredients and fold the foil up over the edges. Place on the top rack of the grill and heat to 350.

In a bowl mix together chardonnay, soy sauce, lemon juice, rind, garlic, and ginger. Pour over fish occasionally, reserving enough to sauce the finished fish. Cook fish for 45-60 minutes or until the skin flakes off easily. Remove from the oven and serve it whole.  Use a fork or a knife to open the fish up, peeling the skin back.  Allow your guests to pick the meat out, and offer the sauce on the side to top the pulled meat.

Easily the best thing about living at the beach is that people are excited to come and visit you. And the best thing about having formerly worked at a Jewish cultural institution is that some of your friends have off holidays (hey Shemini Atzeret what) that the general population does not have off. Which all leads to my point, which is that this past week, for the beginning of Passover, our dear friends Rachael and Alex (and their golden doodle Wednesday) made the trip down to Wilmington.

It’s no secret that I adore Rachael, and I think she’s found a wonderful partner in Alex. We had such an amazing time in the five days that they were here, taste testing pizzas, touring the Battleship North Carolina, taking the dogs to romp around Poplar Grove and Topsail Island, making chorizo, and, of course, cooking a special dinner for Passover. Now, there is not a Jewish bone in my body, but since I’m always up for a challenge I was excited when Rachael asked if we could make a traditional meal for the first night of Passover. The matzoh ball soup turned out perfectly (we got floaters!), and the matzoh bark we made was addictive (the whole tray was gone by lunch the next day), but the brisket was the star of the show. Instead of a classic Jewish brisket we decided to try a traditional Southern brisket. Rubbed with a sweet and spicy mix and smoked on the grill, the brisket was tender, richly flavored, and perfectly moist. And while we didn’t do a full seder it was lovely to have the opportunity to learn some of Rachael and Alex’s Passover traditions and share stories. After all, nothing is more beloved in our house than sharing food and spinning tales.

This was also the perfect opportunity for me to test my new Thermapen, a wireless thermometer made by ThermoWorks (thanks guys!), which was exactly what we needed for this recipe because it’s fast, accurate, and compact. Brisket, like most tough cuts of meat, should be cooked low and slow with a final internal temperature of 195F. We cooked it over indirect heat on the grill for about 4 hours, checking the temperature every 45 minutes or so, until the temperature read approximately 195 in a few different places. Then we finished it off in a warm oven with caramelized onions, which allowed the juices to redistribute as the meat rested.

All in all, it was an incredible visit. A well balanced blend of relaxation and playing tourist in our own city, we adored every bit of having them here. Kaylee, especially. I’ve never seen that puppy so exhausted.

Southern Brisket

1 3-5 pound cut of brisket
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp sea salt
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp chipotle
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne
Hickory chips
1 onion
1 pat butter

The night before you’d like to serve the brisket mix together all of your spices and rub them into the brisket, all sides. Place tightly in a plastic bag and let sit in the fridge overnight. Soak your hickory chips in water overnight.

Your brisket will need 4-5 hours to cook and then an additional hour of rest before you can serve it, so be sure to factor that in to your day.

Heat the grill to 250-300. If possible, you want the brisket to be over indirect heat, so a top rack is ideal. Place the drained hickory chips in a metal container on the bottom rack for added smokey flavor. Wrap the brisket loosely in tin foil and place on the grill.

Cook on 250-300 for 4 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 190-195. Check every 45 minutes or so.

In a large pan caramelize the onions in the butter. Add the brisket (and the juices!) to the pan and place in a warm oven to rest for an hour. Slice and serve!

Last night we had the great pleasure of hosting new friends for dinner. Ryanna, her husband Nick, and their son are emblematic of the community we’ve found in Wilmington, and talking with them over dinner and wine was an absolute treat. Rye is the powerhouse behind the local food community Grub, where she aims, one workshop and consultation at a time, to help people find their way back to healthy, nourishing food. She and I see very eye to eye when it comes to seeking out full, real foods that come from plants and animals and avoiding foods that come from laboratories. It was one of those amazing conversations where I kept exclaiming “EXACTLY! I AGREE EXACTLY! Full fats ARE wonderful! Butter is NOT the enemy!” And that we also got to laugh about life, SciFi, family, and the South? I couldn’t have asked for a better dinner, I feel so lucky to have found them!  The more time we spend here the more we really do feel like Wilmington is exactly where we’re meant to be.

I decided to make a dinner that showcased some of my favorite ingredients, so naturally, I served braised shortribs over creamy grits. I also wanted to add a roasted vegetables element to the meal, something that highlighted what is delicious and available this time of year, and also something that complimented the rather dreary dip back into winter weather we’ve been experiencing. I settled on collards, white sweet potato, cremini mushrooms, shallots, and some of Dan’s homemade bacon all cooked in a touch of butter. This kind of vegetable medley is a staple in my repertoire because it goes well with everything from braised meats to a fried egg, and can be made with whatever is available at the market. You could easily add beets, any kind of green, carrots, bok choy, and on and on. Thrown in the bowl along with the grits and the short rib and the vegetables brought all the warmth and earthy flavors I was hoping for along with a host of ingredients I feel great about serving to my guests.

A note- I wanted to thank you for your patience as posting slowed a little here. Now that the marathon is over (hallelujah) and I don’t have 20 mile training runs to fit into my schedule I’m starting to feel like the world is my oyster once again. I’m so excited to dive into the projects we’ve got lined up for this spring and summer!

Slow Cooked Winter Vegetables

1/4- 1/2 stick butter

3 cloves garlic

2 shallots

1/4 lb bacon

1 sweet potato

1 bunch collards

2 dozen cremini mushrooms

Salt, pepper, cinnamon, chipotle, to taste

Large cast iron skillet or large frying pan

Slice your shallots, cube your bacon, and dice your garlic. Start half of the shallots and garlic in a pat of butter over medium-low heat. Slowly add in bacon, a few cubes at a time. Peel and cube sweet potato. Stir in to pan, along with spices, adding butter as needed to make sure nothing sticks. Cover (I use the lid from our stock pot which lays down directly on top of the veggies) and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. This gives the potatoes a chance to cook through a bit. Chop the collards roughly and stir in, along with the remaining shallots (and probably a dab more butter). Cover again and let simmer.

In a separate pan start a bit of butter for the mushrooms. Clean and cube them and then saute in batches, transferring to the larger pan as they cook. This allows the mushrooms the opportunity to sweat a bit and cook with their requisite space.

Once everything is in the pan cook over low heat until the collards are tender, approximately another 15 minutes.