Sassy Southern Cooking with a French Twist

Holly Herrick

Elegant Oyster Bisque Kicks Off Christmas Dinner with Style

I like Christmas dinner to be a quiet, more subdued occasion than its more boisterous, often frenzied holiday meal counterpart, Thanksgiving.  I most enjoy small groups of four to six at an elegantly dressed table; meals plated and served by courses. It tends to slow everything way down, so that both eating and appreciation of special time with friends and family takes on the sacred glow and joy of Christmas.

And, what better way to kick it all off than with an elegant bisque? Creamy, silky, and rich, bisque just says screams special occasion dining. This recipe pairs the darlings of  cool weather southern dining (oysters) with the oft under-rated, humble parsnip.  The result is decadence in a spoon, sweet, creamy and simple. The parsnips add natural sweetness and fat-free girth to the soup.  Served piping hot in elegant, shallow bowls, it is the perfect way to start your Christmas dinner. The base can be prepared completely in advance and the bisque finished at the last second. This is a favorite from my cookbook, The French Cook – Soups & Stews (Gibbs Smith, 2014).

Bisque D’Huitres et de Panais

Oyster and Parsnip Bisque

(Makes 8 to 10 servings)

Oyster and Parsnip Bisque makes a majestic and easy start to your holiday meal. From The French Cook – Soups & Stews (Gibbs Smith) Photo by Chia Chong).

Parsnips and oysters may sound like odd bisque-fellows, but they actually make a lot of sense. Parsnips, like turnips, are sweet, lovely root vegetables frequently used in French kitchens.  Their sweetness plays beautifully with the oysters, and the starch in the parsnips gives a velvety texture to this heavenly bisque. Even better, since oyster shells don’t yield much in terms of flavor. The oyster flavor comes from the brine they’re stored in, as well as the oysters themselves, which are stirred into the bisque at the very end. If making this soup ahead, hold off and add the oysters and cream just before serving. Willapoint oysters, readily available in the brine in the refrigerator section of most fish counters at the grocery, are firm and meaty. Use the freshest raw oyster you can find, and don’t discard the brine except into the soup pot. It is one of the flavor keys to the bisque.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 leek, trimmed to 1 inch above the white root, halved vertically, well rinsed and finely chopped

2 medium shallots, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

2 medium parsnips, peeled, quartered vertically, and finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup dry vermouth, plus 1 tablespoon

1/2 cup good-quality Chardonnay

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups good-quality, low sodium boxed seafood/fish stock or homemade fish stock

1 cup finely chopped oyster or chanterelle mushrooms, touch feet removed

3 (8-ounce) packages Willapoint oysters (3 cups)

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

Method:

In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven or similarly sized soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leek, shallots, parsnips, and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Cook over medium heat, stirring several times, for 15 minutes, until all the vegetables have softened (do not let them color). Add the 1/2 cup vermouth, increase heat to medium-high, and cook down to a glaze, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the Chardonnay and cook down to a glaze, 1 to 2 minutes. Scatter the flour evenly over the pot and stir to combine. Whisk in the fish stock, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium/medium-low and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, skimming off any initial foam/scum that rises to the top.

Puree until frothy smooth with a blender or food processor. Return to the pot. Add the mushrooms, oysters, and cream. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, reduce to medium, and cook through for 5 to 8 minutes, until the oysters are firm and opaque. Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed. Finish with 1 tablespoon of vermouth, if desired, and fresh thyme. Serve very hot.

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As always, wishing you and yours, happy cooking and a joyful holiday season.

Bon appetit!

Holly and Rocky

Author, Chef, Cookbook writer Holly Herrick

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Christmas Buttermilk Grits & Apple Loaves

A few weeks ago, a friend and colleague sent me a generous bundle of white and yellow stone-ground grits (and some bread & butter pickles, cornmeal, and house made biscuits for my dog Rocky) from The Old Mill, one of the last remaining water-powered mills left in the country. He promised me they would be unlike any other grits I’ve ever had, and he was right. The water that powers the mill comes from the Little Pigeon River in TN and grinds the organic corn between flint granite stones that mold it to a just-right texture, leaving the entire grain intact, and the grits with a fresh, nutty aroma as well-suited to a bowl of the stuff as they are these sweet little cakes, perfect for Christmas and the holidays.

In creating a Christmas recipe worthy of these stellar corn nuggets, I wavered between savory and sweet, but ultimately settled on these loaves, enhanced with the bittersweet edge of Granny Smith apples, tang and richness of buttermilk and sour cream, and just the right kiss of butter and honey for a festive flavor and color glow. The end result was very pleasing, if not just a bit unconventional. I added some finely chopped fresh rosemary which added pretty green flecks and a pine aroma for Christmas spirit, but rosemary may not be for everyone on your holiday baking list.  Because I studied in France where the reigning motto (for women and food) is “the smaller it is, the cuter it is” and because individual portions make for nice presentations, I baked them in my individual loaf pans, but a standard loaf pan is fine, too. It will just take longer to cook.  I really enjoy the loaves refrigerated, sliced and toasted, and served warm with coffee, a special kind of grits and apples coffee cake, especially nice for the holidays in front of a blazing fire. A dollop of freshly whipped cream would be a nice touch, too.

Christmas Buttermilk Grits and Apple Loaves beautifully wrapped for holiday entertaining joy.

Christmas Buttermilk Grits & Apple Loaves

(Makes 4 small loaf pans or 1 standard loaf tin)

For the apples:

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)

2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, cored, and thinly sliced

3/4 cup white Old Mill grits

3/4 cup yellow Old Mill grits

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup whole sour cream

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

To top loaves before going in oven:

Drizzle of honey (about 1/4 cup total), 4 teaspoons cold butter

For garnish and pan prep:

Powdered sugar, fresh rosemary spritg, flour, room temperature butter

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375F.  To prep the pans (which is important to prevent sticking)  butter the loaf pan(s) generously with a solid coat of butter and dust well with flour, getting all the corners and crevices. Tap out any excess flour.

For the apples, melt the brown sugar, butter, and lemon juice together in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the apples and stir to coat. Reduce heat to medium and cook gently, for about 4 minutes, until they’re just beginning to soften. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients (white grits, yellow grits, flour, sugar, salt, and rosemary) in a large bowl, whisking well to blend evenly.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, sour cream, and melted butter.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dried ingredients with a wooden spoon, stirring gently to just combine (Note: this is essentially a quick bread so do not over stir).

For individual loaf pans, ladle one cup of the batter into the bottom of each of the 4 pans, top with 1/2 cup even layer of apples, top with another 1 cup ladle of the batter, another 1/2 cup layer of the apples, and top each evenly with any remaining batter. Drizzle honey over the top of each and a pat of the cold butter on each.  For a full loaf pan, pour one third of the batter into the pan, top with half of the apples, and repeat until finished. Top evenly with honey and butter pats. Place the pan(s) on a baking sheet and bake for 35 – 40 minutes (individual) or 45 – 50 (standard) loaf pans, or until a knife comes out clean from the center of the cake(s).  Cool completely and turn the cakes out of the pans and turn top side-up.  Dust generously with powdered sugar to decorate and garnish (if desired) with fresh rosemary sprigs.

Cakes getting ready to go into the oven.

Cakes, perfectly golden brown and fresh from the oven.

I’m looking at my calendar and realizing we’re just two weeks from the close of this year and the debut of the next.  I hope your year has been filled with blessings and much deliciousness for the body and soul and that 2020 will bring more of the same. Until we get there, wishing you and yours the joy of the season, including baking and cooking for those you love.  Thank you Jimmy and The Old Mill for the beautiful grits and gifts. You can find yours online at The Old Mill.   Happiest of tidings!

Fondly,

Author, Chef, Cookbook writer Holly Herrick

Holly and Rocky

 

 

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The Best Little Thanksgiving Appetizer Ever

Savory Three Cheese & Pepper Gougeres are Fast, Sexy, and Make-Ahead Easy 

Thanksgiving is a week away, and almost everyone I know (including me) is planning their menu.  A lot of people focus on the actual meal, but there is a lot of stomach-rumbling  downtime while guests sit around, sipping cocktails, and awaiting the feast. Why not fill this time and eager bellies with something light, elegant, easy to eat (one, two, three, pop, and she’s gone!), and something the cook can prepare wholly in advance? The answer, my culinary savvy friends, is savory cheese puffs, or as the French call them, Gougeres (gooj-air). They also go fabulously well with Champagne.

There is a common misconception about cream puffs, or anything involving pate a choux, which is actually more like a dough than a pastry. Many people think it’s hard to make or delicate or fussy. It’s not. It’s about the easiest thing to make (it actually likes to get beaten up a bit to activate the gluten) and if it falls flat, it’s quick and easy enough to whip up another batch. What I love about it, is you can add virtually anything to it, and you can make it ahead, cool, freeze, and reheat just before serving.  From my cookbook, The French Cook – Cream Puffs & Eclairs (Gibbs Smith, 2013), I hope this will make it to your holiday table:

 

Gougeres aux Trois Fromages et au Poivre

(Cheese Puffs with Three Cheeses and Pepper)

Yields 24 to 30 choux

Few things in life can beat a warm, crunchy cheese puff fresh out of the oven. This recipe includes a bit of freshly ground black pepper for kick (optional) and a combination of aged white cheddar, Gruyere, and Parmesan cheeses blended into the warm choux and melted just before baking.  Especially sturdy because of the cheese, these puffs freeze very well and reheat in a snap for instant entertaining.

Cheese Puffs with Three Cheeses and Pepper from The French Cook – Cream Puffs & Eclairs (Gibbs Smith, 2013) by Holly Herrick. Photo by Alexandra DeFurio.

Master Recipe for Savory Cream Puffs

1 cup water

3/4 stick cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup bread flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt or kosher salt

4 large eggs (about 1 cup), room temperature and beaten together

Remaining ingredients for cheese puffs:

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated aged white cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Egg wash: 1 egg yolk, splash of water, pinch of salt, blended together.

Method:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Prepare the Master Recipe base. Line two half-sheet baking pans with silicon mats or parchment paper. Measure all ingredient and have them ready before starting to prepare the choux. In a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan, heat the water and butter together over medium-high heat, stirring once or twice to melt the butter. Then reduce the heat to medium.

Sift together the two flours and salt over a medium bowl. Add the sifted dry ingredients all at once to the butter and water mixture, and set the bowl nearby. Stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon to help bring it into one cohesive ball. Continue stirring, less vigorously, until the pastry pulls away from the sides of the pan, another minute or so. Turn the dough out into the reserved bowl and let sit for about 1 minute or until it is cool enough to touch comfortably with your fingertip for about 10 seconds. Add half of the beaten eggs (about 1/2 cup) to the pastry. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until it looks uniform and glossy, about 1 minute. Add half of the remaining egg mixture (about 1/4 cup) and continue to stir until it is uniform and glossy. Repeat with the remaining egg mixture.

While the dough is still warm, stir in the ground pepper, cheddar, Gruyere and Parmesan. Blend with a wooden spoon until just melted and incorporated. Drop onto the lined baking sheets into rounded teaspoon sized balls. It’s much easier if you dip the spoon in water each time before dipping into the dough. Flatten the tops gently with your finger tips and brush lightly with the egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Turn off the oven, open the door, and let the choux stand for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack, and when cool enough to handle, pierce the bottom of each gently with a knife. Serve immediately OR freeze for up to several weeks and thaw and reheat in a 425 oven just before serving.

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I’m hoping this “demystifies the puff” for you, as I like to say. They are so delightful and delicious and will add joy to  your Thanksgiving or anytime you desire. I make them in batches and freeze them for easy entertaining anytime of the year.

Wishing you the happiest and most blessed Thanksgiving holiday.

From our table to yours,

Author, Chef, Cookbook writer Holly Herrick Holly and Rocky

 

 

 

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Easy Like Sunday Morning Roasted Potatoes

I call them shapeless Sundays. They can arrive on Saturdays, too. Days without plan or structure, destined to unroll easily, with a slow and quiet start, like a train chugging lazily out of the station, first trip of the day. They almost always begin early and alone, and are best on rainy, cool fall days when the pets have finished their breakfasts and are stretching languidly before the fire, guests still sleeping upstairs. These times feel like Christmas morning, without the rush and myriad obligations, just the sheer joy of a new day and the promise of unwrapping it like a present under the tree.

Weekends are my favorite time to cook and I always love cooking indulgent goodness for guests. I start thinking about what to prepare over that first cup of hot coffee, savoring the initial solitude and silence of the day.  This past weekend, like so many in the past, salt-crusted oven-roasted garlicky potatoes came to mind. They’re excellent with an omelet and complete a meal in a more satisfying way than toast or even grits. And, roasting with fresh garlic and herbs (rosemary and thyme do very well), they make the entire house smell delicious, sure to rouse sleepy heads.

This recipe is so deceptively simple, yet it came to me, indirectly, from one of Paris’ most famed kitchens, La Tour D’Argent, via a friend of mine who worked there for a time. The keys are a good coating of fine olive oil and crunchy sea  (or kosher) salt, fresh juicy potatoes, and a high oven temperature. The heat and salt render a gorgeous crust on the outside and a cloud of fork-tender sweetness on the inside of each potato. The knobby crevices of fingerling potatoes work wonderfully, but in recent years I’ve favored small Yukon Gold potatoes. The perfect balance of starch and waxy, they literally pop in the mouth, and are slightly sweet and buttery tasting – even without butter.

From my first cookbook, Southern Farmers Market Cookbook (Gibbs Smith, 2009), the recipe remains one of my all time favorites for easy, breezy cooking for any season. The potatoes work just as well as a side to a crisp, fresh salad, as they do a pot roast or roasted chicken, or just on their own, in a bowl, piping hot from the oven. Every time I make them, I know that within an hour or so, I’ll be laughing and smiling with guests that will soon be enjoying them.  Life’s simplest pleasures are often the best.

Salt-Crusted Oven-Roasted Garlicky Potatoes

(Serves 6)

Salt-Crusted Oven-Roasted Garlicky Roasted Potatoes are delicious and deceptively simple to make. From Southern Farmers Market Cookbook (Gibbs Smith, 2009) by Holly Herrick. Photo by Rick McKee.

Ingredients:

3 pounds fresh fingerling or baby Yukon Gold potatoes

1/4 cup good-quality olive oil

2 tablespoons sea or kosher salt

5 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed

6 sprigs fresh rosemary

Method:

Preheat oven to 450F degrees. Lightly scrub the potatoes, trimming away any dark spots. If the potatoes are not uniformly sized (and they usually are not), cut the potatoes as needed so that they all are approximately the same size, about 2 inched in length and 1 inch in diameter. Pierce any uncut potatoes with a knife so they will not explode in your oven as they cook.

Using your hands, toss the potatoes with the olive oil and salt on a roasting pan, coating evenly. Toss in the garlic and rosemary and arrange all on a single layer in the pan. Bake in the center rack of the oven, tossing the potatoes by aggressively shaking the pan, every 6 to 7 minutes. Cook until very tender in the center when pierced with a knife, about 25 – 40 minutes depending on freshness and size. Remove the rosemary stalks and discard. Serve immediately as these babies are best when they are steaming hot. Served thus, they will literally pop in your mouth.

 

 

 

 

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And so, as fall has fully descended upon beautiful Williamsburg, I’m enjoying fall colors and cool weather I haven’t experienced in years. Smith’s Farm produce stand up the road is bursting with heirloom winter squashes and pumpkins. It’s a lovely, wonderful view and near daily shopping stop for me these days. My neighbor’s just put up  his temporary cemetery for Halloween, and I’m starting to think about Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and am hoping you will make room for these potatoes on your holiday table.

Southern Farmers Market Cookbook is out of print, but can be found on Amazon from various resellers. It’s a favorite of mine and I have found that especially many young couples with a penchant for easy, and especially seasonal cooking, enjoy making it a part of their permanent cookbook library. Or, so I’ve been told.

SouthernFarmers

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time, keep it easy and bon appetit!

Author, Chef, Cookbook writer Holly Herrick

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holly and Rocky

 

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Chowder’s On!

I grew up in New England, where clam and fish chowder are as common as hard “Southie” accents, Patriot’s fans, and thick corduroy slacks. But, there is nothing common about finding a good, and especially an excellent, fish chowder.   That’s because, similar to their smoother, silkier and equally delicious French cream soup bisque cousins, it’s far too easy to take short cuts on quality of the ingredients and over-dosing thickening agents to make the chowder go a little bit further for less. This happens the most in bad restaurants, not in most New England home kitchens, where pride is a principal ingredient when it comes to cooking time-perfected regional specialties like chowder – or “chow-dah.”

Although it may slightly tweak stubborn Yankee pride, chowder and bisque have some French etymology and classical technique in common. Chowder goes back to the French word “cauldron,” a kind of pot in which it is prepared.  Bisques are simultaneously flavored and thickened by the shells of the crustaceans they showcase, from shrimp to lobster. The liquid is then strained and further thickened often with rice or with a traditional roux prepared with equal parts butter and flour (my preferred method). They are then embellished with delicate, flavor enhancing vegetables, pureed and finished with cream, more butter, often sherry or vermouth, and the meat of the shellfish or fish (and sometimes vegetables) at their flavor core. Chowder also has a flavor base of fish stock and a thickening agent of roux. The main difference is that the fish is left chunky along with vegetables; almost always potatoes, celery, onions, and sometimes leeks and carrots. It is also finished with milk and or cream and butter, and boy, oh boy, is it sublime. When properly paired, it yields some of the sweetest soup nectar imaginable.

My neighbor described this just that way, “One of the best soups I’ve ever had in my life.” Oui! It is simple. Take care in the timing and size of the vegetables and fish so they will be tender yet still hold their shape. I used frozen wild Alaskan salmon and frozen wild Atlantic cod. In this kind of dish, frozen works just as well as fresh and the texture holds up slightly better, too.  Stir and taste with care and I promise you, this chowder will keep you spooning for more, with its dual bisque delicacy and chunky chowder flare. Serve very hot in stout, shallow bowls and garnish with a dash of finely chopped fresh parsley and crumbled butter crackers or Saltines to stay true to Yankee form.

Slip of the Bisque Cod and Salmon Chowder

(Makes 8 generous portions)

Pretty in pink and green, this creamy, silky chowder will recall a delicate French bisque, but with the sturdiness of a chunky New England chowder.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large leek, tops of green leaves removed to one inch above white base and well-cleaned(*), finely chopped

2 celery stalks, well cleaned, cut in half, and finely chopped

2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc or another dry white wine or dry vermouth

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

One quart (4 cups) best-quality, no sodium seafood stock

3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, well-scrubbed, skin-on and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)

2 cups whole milk

8 ounces fresh or frozen (thawed) best-quality salmon, cut into 1-inch cubes

8 ounces fresh or frozen (thawed) best-qualit cod, cut into 1-inch cubes

For finishing:

1/2 cup Half & Half

1/2 cup whole milk (as needed)

2 or 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (not required)

(*To more easily clean leeks, rinse them thoroughly in cold water once they have been diced, and strain. Repeat as needed to remove all grit).

In a large, sturdy pot, melt the 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. When melted and just bubbling, add the onion, leek, celery, salt, pepper and Old Bay. Stir, cooking gently over medium heat for five minutes or until just softened. Add the wine or vermouth. Increase heat to high and cook off until almost fully reduced. Reduce heat to medium low. Drizzle in the flour evenly over the top of the ingredients in the pot, stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon to incorporate and cook for one minute. Add the seafood stock, whisking aggressively to incorporate and break up any flour clots. Increase the heat to high, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer over medium. Add the potatoes and 2 cups whole milk.  Again, bring to a gentle simmer and keep it there, for about 25 minutes, or until the celery, onions and potatoes are fork tender but still holding their shape. Add the salmon, cod, Half & Half and additional whole milk (if needed, thickness should thick to a spoon, but still be loose enough to sip). Cook an additional 10 minutes at a simmer, stirring very gently,  until the fish is opaque and cooked through, but still holding its shape. For added richness, stir in a few pats of butter before serving very hot individually or in a tureen. It’s beautiful garnished with parsley, green onions, and those Yankee-loving salty crackers.

Bon appetit and enjoy fall, if it ever gets here. Even in Virginia, the cooler temps have been a bit fickle, but the leaves are turning, which is probably what got me thinking about chowder in the first place. After all, you can take the girl out of New England, but you can’t take the New England out of the girl.

Author, Chef, Cookbook writer Holly Herrick

Fondly, Holly and Rocky

 

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