- 4th meal, appetizers + hors d'oeuvres, breakfast + brunch, comfort food, party food + snacks, sandwiches + roll-ups
Toast 6+ Ways
Toast is one of my ultimate comfort foods. When I was very little, toast was front and center of my morning routine with my father. I was his official self-appointed toast maker. Every morning, as he was shaving, I would prepare his toast. How many times had I under toasted the bread or was overzealous with the butter or the dollop of my mom’s homemade peach preserves? Who knows, because my sweet dad said it was “absolutely perfect!” every.time. Dad and I took turns fixing each others’ toast for many years. Toast was our love language. Toast was our thing. Today’s toast transcends the white bread stereotype. It is no…
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Hand-Crafted Gournay
If provincial northwestern France had a flavor, it would be buttery + herbaceous Gournay. You have probably bought creamy + salty + garlicky + herby artisan Gournay cheese dozens of times without giving thought to how easy it is to create yourself. No need to run to the store to make this oh-so satisfying + fragrant snacking cheese. I’d bet you already have the ingredients for this blend at your fingertips! Herbs? Check! Garlic? Check! Butter? Check! Cream cheese? Check! You got this! I’d also bet that once you create your own house blend of Gournay, you will have choice ingredients at your fingertips At.All.Times.Forever.Amen. Whether they are…
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Low Country Boil aka Frogmore Stew
One of the new gals at work is from California, and I have taken it upon myself to play Southern Tour Guide to help her settle in. For convenience, let’s call her Becky. Becky and I have gone to museums and the theater, canal cruises, cultural festivals and SEC games—the full gamut. There is no dearth of activity in our area, so our orientation schedule has been pretty packed. “We will leave no stone unturned!” I told Becky. Becky smiled politely…and then I think she rolled her eyes. I am on a mission. Part of this mission means hosting a lowcountry-ish shindig. Every newbie to the South needs to experience…
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Lemony Creme + White Chocolate Trifle
This Lemony Creme + White Chocolate Trifle is almost too pretty to eat! ALMOST. When the weather starts to get balmy (and stays that way for 5 months), my go to relief is LEMONS. I love lemons. I also love trifle. I do not love baking. There. I said it. I DO NOT BAKE. Suffice it to say, my favorite kind of dessert is a no-bake dessert. Hence, this Lemony Creme + White Chocolate Trifle. Trifles are always a win because they look so elegant without a lot of fuss. You do not even have to turn on the oven to make this gorgeous citrusy delight. All you have to…
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Dirty Dalmatian
Have you ever laid your lips on a cocktail, and your first thought is, “Uh-oh”? As in, “Uh-oh, this concoction has some kick to it!” or “Uh-oh, I may end up drinking quite a few of these!” or “Uh-oh, these Dirty Dalmatians won’t last very long around here!” Meet your new best friend—the Dirty Dalmatian. This Dirty Dalmatian is a complementary amalgamation of Black Peppercorn Not-So-Simple Syrup and fresh Ruby Red grapefruit juice. When you sip it, you feel a rush of warmth in your throat swilled away by cold + refreshing + tangy acid. I call it a Dirty Dalmatian because the peppers have commingled with the syrup for…
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Black Peppercorn Not-So-Simple Syrup
Hey, hot stuff! Wanna add some more moxie to your life? I’ve got just what the doctor ordered: Black Peppercorn Not-So-Simple Syrup. Unlock your culinary creativity with flavored syrups. They will change the face of whatever you are serving. Use Black Peppercorn Not-So-Simple Syrup in or on strawberries, peaches, tea, hot chocolate, ice cream, lamb, bacon, yogurt, and cocktails (duh)—anything that needs a little kick in the pants. For this syrup I used Tellicherry peppercorns. Tellicherry peppercorns are more robust than ordinary black peppercorns as they have been left on the vine longer. Tellicherry present citrusy, woodsy notes; toasting them intensifies their flavor even more. As with any recipe to…
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Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna Bites + Ginger-Soy Butter
I wanted to call this recipe Seared Tuna and the Puddle of Love, but The Man nixed that straight outta the gate. Too weird, he said. You’re weird, I said. I love you, he said. Same, I said, and then sulked my way back to the kitchen, my cooking metaphor not having passed muster. You have several options for serving this Sesame Crusted Ahi: as a first course or a party app; sliced on top of a salad; or as entree steaks. Whichever you choose, be sure to use the freshest tuna steaks and pat lots sesame seeds into them (your rule of thumb is about 4 tablespoons of sesame…
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Mexican Street Corn (aka Elotes)
Oh, Mexican Street Corn, where have you been all my life? You know those formulaic (and perhaps pretentious) blogs resembling something out of a J Peterman catalogue? Sure you do. The blogs where someone in Etherland tells us about the first time he/she sampled (type of food) while traveling in (exotic land) wearing a (bikini, kaftan, sheepskin thong, whatever) as he/she cruised down the (faraway river). (Guilty!) This is not one of those blogs. I did not buy street corn skewered by a stick from a vendor on my last visit to Mexico. I did, however, bury my teeth in a roasted cob of corn, so crunchy + sweet, and I…
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Shrimp + Scallop Ceviche
It is already hot as Hades outside. Who in Augusta can fathom turning on the oven for dinner? I.can’t.even. So it was a no-brainer that we would have crisp + cool Shrimp + Scallop Ceviche for dinner. I was much younger when I had my first experience with ceviche. It was on a trip to Chile, and I remember being intrigued when the waiter said the lime juice cooked the fish. What he wanted to say was the fish was denatured by the citric acid, but the easy translation for the gringo he was serving was “cooked.” As you can imagine, the weather in Chile was quite balmy, so eating…
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Lavender Not-So-Simple Syrup
Lavender Syrup adds such a beautiful bouquet to anything. Lavender infusions make me giddy. So many years ago I took a Saturday cooking class from one of the finest men in Augusta—Chef Heinz Sowinski—and his lavender-infused chilled cherry soup changed my life. I have been a big fan of all things lavender ever since. I use lavender syrup to enhance dozens of things–Greek yogurt, water, tea, cocktails, fruit…the list goes on. Enhanced syrups add complexity and an element of surprise! (Try this Blueberry + Creme + Lavender Frose-Merlotse) I prefer making syrup from fresh lavender. I use unopened buds that have not flowered completely that I grow on my patio.…
