Sassy Southern Cooking with a French Twist

Exploring Charleston

Charleston is an inspirational city. One of the world’s top tourist destinations and my home. Come with me as I share my meanderings around this, my beloved city. We’ll visit and explore and you’ll get my insights into what is best to see and do in Charleston.

Hop on Boxcar Betty’s Buffalo Chicken Sandwich Super Bowl Train

Bite into this Winning Sandwich on Game Day

Fried chicken wings dressed with plucky Buffalo sauce dipped in cool, pungent blue cheese are a staple Super Bowl treat. But, minus the bone and the skin on the chicken, and extra attention to detail in a tender-ensuring brine and super soft potato roll, you can turn this sometimes messy classic into the best sandwich on the block, heck, in town! When I first met this sandwich while researching the latest edition of The New Charleston Chefs Table  a few years ago, biting into this beauty was love at first sight, then bite, and down to every last crumb. Like my first love, I’ll never forget that sandwich. Ever. And along with the chocolate pudding from another Charleston institution, Hominy Grill, I’ll surely ask for it as part of my last meal, if  I am lucky to have advance notice.

The innovative and prescient Boxcar Betty’s ownership team hatched their plot to create way-better-than-fast-food fried chicken when they were working the front of the house at Charleston restaurant stalwart, Magnolias. All of the chicken here is natural, cage-free, antibiotic-free and locally sourced. That’s not the only difference, it’s the largely secret brine, and of course hot, fresh regularly changed canola oil and house-made condiments and sauces. They all reach a crescendo in the best-selling Buffalo fried chicken sandwich with pungent, creamy blue cheese sauce, garden  fresh tomato slices with, and crunchy, buttery Bibb lettuce. Cool contrasts with the hot, creamy complements the vinegar pluck, and the crunch  melts into the soft, white bun to make the perfect sandwich.

Here’s how to make yours at home. Shop today or Saturday, prep for less than two hours (including brine), and game on! The last few minutes of frying the chicken and compiling the sandwiches can literally be done just before the game starts or halftime, in just minutes. Watch ’em swoon and remember to save one for the cook.

Boxcar’s Buffalo, Blue Cheese Sauce, Tomato and Bibb Lettuce Fried Chicken Sandwich

(Makes 4 sandwiches/servings)

Buffalo Fried Chicken Sandwiches from Boxcar Betty’s can’t be beat, game day or any other day of the year.

For the fried chicken:

1 package commercial poultry brine

(Note: BB’s brine is technically a secret. But, co-owner Roth Scott did share his basic brine ratio of 1 gallon water to 1/3 cup each salt & sugar. Always use glass or stainless steel, not plastic for brining and non-processed salt, ideally kosher. Play with basic seasonings and herbs to come up with your own twist or use commercial poultry brine).

Four 6-ounce skinless chicken breasts

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

4 cups all-purpose white flour

1/4 cup garlic powder

1/4 cup onion powder

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup kosher or sea salt

2 cups canola oil for frying

4 soft potato rolls (suggest Pane Di Vita potato sandwich rolls, Martin’s potato sandwich rolls, or an alternate preferred fresh potato roll brand)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter for toasting rolls

For the Buffalo sauce:

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter

1 cup Texas Pete hot sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons mesquite liquid smoke

Juice of 1 fresh lemon

For the blue cheese dressing:

1 cup coarsely crumbled blue cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

2 teaspoons sriracha (or substitute another hot sauce)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Method:

Brine chicken in chosen brine for 1 1/2 hours. While the chicken is brining, prepare the Buffalo sauce and the blue cheese sauce. For the Buffalo sauce, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk the remaining sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl. When melted, whisk in the butter to combine. For the blue cheese sauce, gently combine all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl, being careful not to overmix. The goal is to have nice chunks of blue cheese in the dressing.

Drain chicken and set aside. Heat canola oil in a deep fryer or deep skillet to 350F (or over medium high heat if you’re using the stove). In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and the Dijon mustard. Separately, combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in another medium bowl.

Dip the first chicken breast in the buttermilk mixture then place in flour mixture. Coat chicken well with the flour and press firmly. Flip chicken and coat again. Repeat the same process with the remaining chicken breasts.

Gently place the chicken in the deep fryer or skillet, well-spaced, in a single layer. Cook for 4 1/2 minutes and until golden brown. While the chicken is cooking, butter buns and toast on a flat top griddle or medium hot pan. Spread blue cheese dressing on top bun. Place slice of tomato and Bibb lettuce on top bun.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the hot oil and place on a paper-lined plate. Place thermometer in thickest part of chicken to ensure temperature is 165F. Dunk chicken in Buffalo sauce and let drain well. Place sauced chicken on bottom bun and put sandwich(es) together. Serve hot.

Back to school……

Some friends have suggested adding online classes to my private cooking class curriculum. Please let me know if this interests you and what you are interested in learning. It might be a fun way for us to cook together while Covid hopefully leaves our world forever. Here’s a link to what’s on tap at the moment:

Cooking Classes

Message me here as always with thoughts and questions. Be safe, be well, and cook your very best with love in your heart and patience at your fingertips!

Fondly,

Holly and Rocky

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Leon’s Oyster Shop’s Lovin’ Spoonful

Whole Grain Spoon Salad Recipe for Perfection “Saladified”

Leon’s Fine Poultry & Oyster Shop  is one of those delightfully capricious and delicious dining destinations where favorites are immediately established and thus hard to deviate from, no matter how hard one tries.  Because everything is magnificent at this Bohemian, New Orleans-inspired chic, dressed-up Upper King Street dive, it’s tempting to try it all, but many (myself included) let the ultra-crisp, spicy made-to-order fried chicken, broiled oysters or somewhere-between-a-donut-or-savory-corn-studded-hush puppy stand in their way.  It’s a similar story at Little Jack’s Tavern (owned by the same small, meticulous restaurant group) down the street, where their sultry burger perfection stampedes all other menu priority inclinations out of the way  upon the mere thought of it.

Don’t let yourself make this mistake, though. Salads shine brightly at Leon’s (and Little Jack’s), and Leon’s Executive Chef Ben BcLean’s Whole Grain Spoon Salad is a prime example. As I wrote in The New Charleston Chef’s Table Cookbook (May, 2018, Globe Pequot Press):

“Much of the credit to the stellar consistency at the restaurant has to go to McLean, a Clemson, South Carolina native and former accounting student, his heart and soul eventually landed him at Cordon Bleu (Pittsburgh), a five-year stint at Peninsula Grill, as a line cook in Leon’s early months, and now, as the king of the whole culinary shebang.

His substantive, yet still vegan, light and healthy whole grain spoon salad strikes the balance he strives for (and attains) in contrast to some of Leon’s less figure-friendly dishes. ‘It’s still filling and approachable, and fills the niche as a substantive, healthy side for people that might also be drawn to the fried chicken,’ says McLean. He describes it as a mixed green salad you can get after as a side and eat with a spoon. I describe it as simply delicious and absolutely the ideal dish to create for a large, easy get together among friends.”

Leon’s Whole Grain Spoon Salad

(Serves 4 to 6)

Fresh as spring, this salad is dressed with oodles of fresh herbs and bright sweet and savory flavors. It is also deceptively easy to make.

For the barley:

1 cup pearled barley

Water to cover (see directions)

2 tablespoons kosher or sea salt

For the salad:

1/2 cup dried currants

1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

1/4 cup shaved or grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup diced red radish

1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped celery leaves

Dress and season to taste with:

Extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, kosher or sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

Begin by preparing the barley. Rinse under cold water while agitating until the water runs clear and transfer to a 4-quart pot. Add enough cold water to cover the barley by about 3 times the volume. Add the salt, and set on medium-high heat. Once barley begins to boil, turn down to medium-low, and let simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the barley is soft (yet still chewy), drain in a strainer small enough to hold all of the grains. Rinse barley under cold water to minimize starch and cool on a sheet pan.

While the barley is cooling, assemble and cut the remaining ingredients. Add currants, pecans, cheese, radish, and tomatoes to the barley in a large mixing bowl. Once these ingredients are mixed, add the herbs and celery leaves and begin to dress the salad with the oil and lemon juice. Finally, season to taste with salt and pepper. (Note: The barley can be prepared ahead and reserved separately. Combine the remaining salad ingredients within a few hours of service and serve at room temperature.)

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As always, happy cooking and bon appetit! It’s hard to believe The New Charleston Chef’s Table released a year ago in May. Time flies, but it’s still available almost everywhere and on Amazon. If you decide to add one to your collection, be sure to send me a note and I’ll get a signed bookplate your way. I hope you’re enjoying these beautiful early days of spring.

New Charleston Chefs Table book cover

Fondly, Holly

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Forty-Five Minutes to Paradise at The Sanctuary

Destination Heaven for Lunch and a Beach Stroll at The Sanctuary’s Jasmine Porch – And a Book Give Away 

I’ve lived long enough to know, if you’re not careful,  that it’s too easy to take people, places and things for granted. Even more so, perhaps, living in beauty and nature-kissed Charleston. It’s one of the most popular vacation and wedding destinations in the world, yet it takes a visitor from out of town this weekend to remind me of Kiawah Island, a gorgeous barrier island just about forty-five minutes from greater Charleston. Though short in distance, the travel along live oak and Spanish moss canopied drives with sweeping marsh vistas delivers a transformation so complete that by the time you’ve passed through the gates to Kiawah, you feel like you’ve landed someplace divine and are shifted into extreme relaxation gear as if by osmosis.

Initially, we had planned to visit Kiawah’s public beach, but since it was lunch time, we decided to visit Jasmine Porch at The Sanctuary, a luxurious destination anytime of the year, but particularly welcome at the debut of the week and the off-season. The massive, early 19th-century inspired and elegant lobby with views of a sparkling Atlantic almost within reach felt almost like our own private mansion, so scarcely was it populated on a recent Monday early afternoon.

The elegant lobby at The Sanctuary invites with gracious hospitality, abundant fresh floral arrangements, and elegance at every turn.

Jasmine Porch is the sister restaurant to the ultra elegant Ocean Room and is situated on the ground floor at The Sanctuary off the main lobby. The food is described as Lowcountry bistro. Here, more than you might expect at a resort, the Lowcountry notes are strictly adhered to by purist and talented Chef Jeremiah Holst, who buys only from local (and seriously vetted) producers of local produce and fishermen. Strict attention to culinary detail is evident in the layered nuisances of the she crab bisque – the flavors of the long-simmered crustacean, the shells’ natural color, nutty butter, and just the right amount of sherry and thickening with Charleston’s own Carolina Gold rice. The same is abundantly evident in the flaky, hot biscuits, and smoky hot pimiento cheese spread, garnished with pickled okra.

The ‘Lunch on the Porch’ at Jasmine Porch features remarkable she crab bisque, a roasted beet salad, fresh crab slider, and fresh fruit or your choice of several substitutes (in this case fries) for no added fee.

Other notables on the lunch menu include the plucky fried green tomatoes, with a delicate touch of acidity countered by the cooling and extreme crunch of a well seasoned panko crust, and chef Holst’s pristine version of shrimp and grits. For dessert, try the moist, fragrant coconut cake layered with crispy shards of shaved coconut and butter cream and served on a cold, silky creme anglaise with notes of fresh vanilla. First-class service from the entire staff makes a visit to Jasmine Porch even more sweet. All this for just $100 (or so including a three-course lunch for two with cocktails and a tip) followed by a complimentary, lingering stroll on a wide and very lightly traveled off-season beach on a sparkling October afternoon felt like an investment with lifelong memory dividends. If you feel like staying for dinner, visit the luxurious Ocean Room, featured in my latest release, The New Charleston Chef’s Table.

The New Charleston Chef’s Table Give Away!

Just in time for the holidays, I’m offering a complimentary, signed and delivered copy of my latest cookbook, The New Charleston Chef’s Table (retails $29.95)  featuring The Ocean Room and some eighty delicious dining destinations, recipes,  Charleston history and culinary lore and gorgeous photography to a randomly selected individual from comments/responses to this blog post. Tell me what you love about Charleston, restaurants, or even just why you want this book for you or someone you love, and I’ll post the winner on Friday, November 9. I look forward to hearing from you.

New Charleston Chefs Table book cover

The New Charleston Chef’s Table (Globe Pequot Press, May 2018) by Holly Herrick

Bon appetit! Holly

 

 

 

 

 

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Seeing Charleston with New Eyes

A Fresh Take on an Old Friend

No matter how wonderful, perfect, or beautiful a person, place (i.e. Charleston), job, relationship, or just about anything starts out, it’s easy to take any of these for granted and fail to really see or recognize why you fell in love with them in the first place. Stress, rushing, bad attitude and plain old not stopping to smell the roses can take its toll on perspective.  As wonderful as the last two years have been in my life, they have been very busy. So busy, I was starting to feel grumpy and rushed about too many things, including the city I fell in love with at first sight and have called home for nearly twenty years. Recognizing this, I made a personal vow to take some time to recharge my spirit, mind, soul, take better care of my health, and more time with family, friends and my pets.

Nearly two months into my self-prescribed recharge initiative,  I’ve lost seven pounds, am sleeping better than ever, feeling extra creative and productive, and enjoying life and Charleston with renewed vigor. The other day, while walking down East Bay Street near Broad, the morning sun lovingly cast upon the mostly 19th-century roof lines, it seemed as if I had never seen them, really seen them, in their purest and most tangible form as I did at that moment. Later that same week, a friend I haven’t seen in thirty years came to town for a visit.  Turns out, Deb and I are in the same place; re-assessing our lives and priorities. She’s looking for potential new places to live (at least part time), so thought she’d give Charleston a whirl. Naturally, I found myself wanting to show Charleston off, and in a most unexpected and delicious turn of events,  ended up with a renewed appreciation for my hometown.

Friday morning began with a brisk walk on the beach with my dog Rocky and a spin by Bowen’s Island restaurant to show Deb the tumbledown seafood shack that embodies Charleston and especially Folly Beach with mollusk and hush puppy aplomb. She spied something I never had before, Charleston Outdoor Adventures and kayak tours. I’d never been on a kayak and had never even known about this location for taking them So, we signed up! I felt as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve.  Next stop, was a walking tour downtown, and lunch at one of my personal favorites, Little Jack’s Tavern. I felt compelled to introduce Deb to the justifiably famous Little Jack’s Tavern Burger and the cool vibes of this neat little cosmopolitan spot with cheerful Charleston charm.  All juicy and packed with flavor and glazed with its signature, secret sauce, it somehow seemed to taste better than ever as we laughed our way through thirty years of memories, some shared and some lived individually and shared over the meal and throughout the weekend.

Little Jack’s Tavern Burger, petite but packs a powerful flavor and texture punch.

A warm summer Friday night for two baseball fans seemed like a fitting way to wrap the afternoon at Joe Riley Baseball Park for some all American fun and (as Deb was hoping) a possible Bill Murray sighting.  Well, the latter didn’t happen, but a magnificent pink and purple and blue cotton candy sunset did over the marshes at the rear of the park and we watched the likes of players with names like Gage Cunning (fodder for my novel’s lead character’s name) smash the ball around the park and mascots bumping into each other and acting silly. Beer and brisket sandwiches provided sustenance for our bellies, while the charming little park, feel-good sports fans, a rocking fireworks display, and witty banter fed our souls.

Good times at The Joe.

Saturday arrived in a flash and I was up before dawn preparing the our kayak tour with Charleston Outdoor Adventures.  A quick tutorial with our handsome guide Josh and we were in the saltwater estuary waters behind Folly Beach. A rocky glide across open water went fairly well until our group of five kayak pros and kayak virgin me tried to negotiate our way through a narrow, serpentine slip of water. I felt like I was leaving an aorta and entering a capillary as my poor boat lined itself up horizontally in the flow, nose and tail firmly plugged into the marsh grasses. I was motionless, breathless, and slightly scared.  None the less, I was not too proud to flail my oar in the air and meekly cry “help” to the group three turns farther down the path.  Josh arrived like the kayak savior he was, pulling out a large hook and line to attach to the tip of my kayak.  “Oh my God, you’re not my own personal kayak tugboat are you, Josh?” Yes, was the response, but don’t worry it wasn’t the first time.

Seriously humbled and blushed with shame and exertion, eventually I was able to figure out how to negotiate the rudder pedals and re-joined the group in the open waters, just in time to catch a grounded old shrimping boat and a pod of dolphins.   Josh explained that female dolphins (what we were witnessing) typically live sixty years, while males live only fifty. The pristine world where we were watching them play was custom made for their lifestyle and playground, largely created and protected by the barrier islands that surround Charleston. It was a morning I’ll not soon forget and my arm and shoulder muscles, three days later, still possess significant recall.

Charleston Outdoor Charleston Outdoor Adventures is an eco-friendly outdoor activities resource center located on Folly Beach.

Later that day, we headed back into town for a ride with Ross of Palmetto Carriage through the French Quarter and lower peninsula.  Probably my 20th carriage tour, I learned some things I didn’t know, such as how a boat had smashed into two houses on East Bay during the hurricane of 1911, completely destroying them, and reminded myself again how beautiful the old mansions look in the ebbing light of day, cool afternoon breezes refreshing our spirits anew. There was more on our robust to-do list that got done, such as a “sip and stroll” to The Pavilion Bar, Anson, and The Blind Tiger, and breakfast at The Hominy Grill Sunday morning, enjoying what surely must be the best shrimp and grits and she crab soup in town, if not the entire world.

After eating Hominy Grill’s exquisitely simple and pure shrimp and grits, Deb declared she’s never eating farm raised shrimp again.

Three nights, two and a half days, several great meals, a massive lightning storm, Thursday night book club with delicious food and great gals, even more great adventures, and I don’t know how many laughs later,  I’d re-found two friends. A Charleston I had partly forgotten and a friendship of thirty years refreshed.  And, Deb made a new friend in my little puppy, Rocky Rocken Roll, who practically would not let her go home.

Rocky giving hugs to his new best friend.

 

Lesson learned – remember to savor life and take no moments, no place, or no one for granted. And, when  you come to or visit Charleston, savor all she has to offer.

Bon appetit!

Holly

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“Holly”-Day Foodie Shopping List Helper

A Few of  My Favorite Things

It’s hard to believe Christmas is already less than two weeks away and that holiday shopping season is well underway in its typical mid-December fervor.  A friend of mine was  opining yesterday on Facebook about her growing apathy towards the whole commercial side of the holidays, and I have to agree with her. At times, the task of finding and giving affordable and meaningful gifts to the loved ones in our lives can seem daunting and overwhelming – especially with so many different things to buy and from so many different online and retail sources. Especially as we get older and more seasoned by the season, the more important it becomes to find a meaningful gift for each person on your list. So, in a hopeful effort to streamline and simplify your shopping tasks for the Charleston-loving, foodie/chef in your life, I’ve compiled a short list of some of my favorite things that are sure to please. These are certainly all things I would be happy to receive and to give and each and every one of them are homegrown right here in Charleston.

Middleton Made Knives

I’ve been admiring bladesmith Quintin Middleton’s hand-crafted, high carbon steel knives for years. Equal parts utilitarian and art, each knife is customized to order and meet the needs of the home or professional chef who will be putting it to use.  Not surprisingly, his tiny little business has morphed into a fast-growing enterprise and his beautiful knives can be found locally at Southern Season and Charleston Cooks! The price range is not for the timid of budget (sets and knives range from $100 – $820), but these are the kinds of knives that, when properfly maintained, will literally last a lifetime and deliver year after year of cooking joy. It’s too late to customize an order for Christmas and the holidays, but $100 gift certificates are available now at middletonmadeknives.com.

MIddleton Made Knives 6"- Damascus Chefs Knife. In a perfect world, this would be in my stocking Christmas morning.

MIddleton Made Knives 6″- Damascus Chef’s Knife. In a perfect world, this would be in my stocking Christmas morning.

Callie’s Charleston Biscuits

Another Charleston homegrown business, this one started in owner Carrie Morey mother’s kichen when mom Callie White was building her wildly successful catering business twenty years ago. Carrie picked up the rolling pin and the recipes where her mother left off and has grown the business into a nationally distributed brand. Still, the buttery, flaky southern staples, each and every one of them, taste as if they were just mixed and cut in the kitchen next door. The brand list now includes a seven-fold product line; my personal favorites include the impossibly chunky and simply authentic pimento cheese and bacon and cocktail ham biscuits. But, why stop there? Just in time for the holidays, Callie’s has packaged a Christmas Kit ‘n Caboodle bundle which includes both of the aforementioned treats, cheese and chive biscuits and Fat  & Juicy Bloody Mary Mix – all you really need to get through your holiday entertaining and early morning Christmas Day munchies for $79.95. This nifty package and all other products are available to order now at calliesbiscuits.com. Delivery dates can be set to fit your schedule.

Callie's Christmas Kit 'n Caboodle will satisfy the biscuit lover in your life in a big way - and then some.

Callie’s Christmas Kit ‘n Caboodle will satisfy the biscuit lover in your life in a big way – and then some.

Speaking of biscuits, did anyone say Big Fat Nasty?

In recent years, Charleston’s beloved Hominy Grill has reached national acclaim for its soulful, southern fare so perfectly executed in the hands of Chef/Owner and James Beard winner Robert Stehling. Of late, most seem to know “Hominy” from television and other reports on its staggering fried chicken, biscuit and gravy sandwich – The Big Fat Nasty.  But, I love it and always have loved it, for anything on the menu. Everything is astounding, whether you’re going for breakfast, lunch, dinner or the now epically popular weekend brunches. Try the vegetable plate or the shrimp and grits (the best in town, hands down) and at night, if you’re lucky, the corn pone and friend chicken will be on the menu. Chase it all with buttermilk pie or the darkest, smoothest richest chocolate pudding you’ll ever sample this side of heaven – both served with a dollop of freshly whipped cream. No visit to Charleston is complete without a visit to Hominy Grill. Why not get your loved one started with a $10 gift certificate (or buy a few!), one of HG’s signature, heavy-bottomed coffee mugs ($10.95) or a recipe book full of some of their most cherished memories ($12.95). All available now at hominygrill.com.

Hominy Grill's Recipe Book will become a staple in your HG and southern cooking fan's cookbook repetoire.

Hominy Grill’s Recipe Book will become a staple in your HG and southern cooking fan’s cookbook repetoire.

This suggested shopping list will be continued in the coming days with more ideas for your Charleston foodie’s shopping list just in time for the last safe mailing dates of the season. Until then, happy shopping, happy holidays, and remember to take the time to stop and savor Charleston’s magnificent holiday finery or a dashing, majestic winter sunset – gloriously gratis and wrapped with a big, fat, beautiful Lowcountry bow.

Bon appetit!

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