Sassy Southern Cooking with a French Twist

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News about Holly Herrick, her books, appearances and writing.

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Cooking Classes with Chef Holly Herrick in Williamsburg in Full Swing

Hello friends and fans of great food and cooking,

I’ve missed you these past few months! Like the rest of the world, I’ve been patiently and safely waiting out the terrific crush of Covid-19. I’m praying you and your loved ones have been able to do the same. Now fully vaccinated and underway with resumption of private, customized cooking classes, I wanted to let you know we’re cooking safely and deliciously all over again.

Here is a link to current (January, 2022 and forward)  class information and details:

Cooking Classes

 

I hope to see and hear from you soon. In the meantime, Rocky and I wish you health, safety, and happiness in the new year.

Greetings from Rocky and Holly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Big Williamsburg Move

From the Lowcountry to the Rolling Hills of Williamsburg, Virginia

When I moved to Charleston, SC in 2000 all the way from Jackson, WY, I didn’t see it coming. It was love at first sight with me and that beautiful, historic, soulful old city, and within minutes (it seemed), I was driving across the country with my dog Waco and my (former) husband Greg to set up a new home and life there.  I spent twenty very happy and wonderful  years there, growing further in love and deeper in my knowledge of the city. I watched (and tasted) her restaurant scene grow from adolescence to super star adulthood and had the pleasure to write about much of it, as well as teach and write nine cookbooks from that home base, enveloped by so many wonderful friends and an overflowing, endless cup of kindnesses.

For me, my usual maximum length of time to stay interested in anyplace and many things is seven years. This was the time’s-up-span for my love of yoga, tennis, Jackson, WY, and even (sadly) my marriage. Still, I thought I might stay in Charleston forever. But the winds of change started blowing in my heart and mind a few years ago, and like a waning love affair, it took over and delivered me to my new home, Williamsbug, VA in July.  When I “met” Charleston, charming expressions like “I was over-served last night” spoken in that half drawl, have Brit-speak unique to real Charlestonian’s were commonplace and most people knew the difference between a Lowcountry shrimp and an imposter. She’s still there and I love her but it’s different and I needed to get to higher, quieter ground that’s closer to the country roots of my New England childhood, but still firmly rooted in history and the South.

As when I moved to Charleston, I know virtually no one in Williamsburg, except my dear friend Michael who drove my dog Rocky, and two cats Sid and Mr. Purrfect, their respective crates, and everything we could cram into my Juke Nissan one month ago to my new house, eight long hours away. Michael’s certainly earned his wings in Heaven for that kind gesture, at the very least. I’ve spent that month making it a home and making some wonderful new friends and am ready to start really digging in getting to know Williamsburg, specifically her Colonial foodways, culinary distinctions, history, her people and her places. I will continue developing recipes, teaching cooking classes, writing cookbooks and some new genres, and conducting culinary tours. I plan to add seasonal dinners to my “menu” of offerings, but need a little time to fully update the website, so bear with me for a few more days, possibly a week or so on that.    Similarly, all the contact info for my social media, YELP and Google accounts.

In the meantime, I’ve been enjoying some exceptional peaches, cantaloupes, and butter beans from farmer Hermon (with an “o”) Smith’s farm stand just down the winding road from my house.  The peaches are mostly from SC, NC and GA and I’ve been eating two of the sweet, tangy, juicy delights daily with a splash of cream. The butter beans are local and as far as I can tell are slightly more mineral in flavor and a tad sweeter than their Lowcountry cousins. It must be related to the terroir. They’re delicious here, as there, stewed with ham hock and finished with butter and fresh basil – from my new pot outside my new (old) door. And, the cantaloupes, sweeter than honey. They make me understand better why they say Virginia is for lovers.

But, to really make it feel like home, I needed to make a favored summer staple in my new kitchen, a BLT prepared with beefy tomatoes from Hermon’s stand and Duke’s mayo. That sealed the deal! Rocky enjoyed a few crumbs and now we’re officially home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a great recipe using cantaloupes in the late summer, when days are still hot and beg for something cool, refreshing, fruity, and seasonal. It’s from The French Cooks – Soups & Stews and remains one of my favorite summer soup recipes. From my Williamsburg kitchen to yours.

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Hot southern summers cry out for the cool, sweetness of melon. I can’t see or taste cantaloupe without thinking of many afternoons I spent in France supping with friends on the smaller, sweeter varietals they serve there, often wrapped in Jambon de Bayonne and served with a cool, bubbly glass of Blanquette de Limoux.

This sparkling cantaloupe soup brings these luscious flavors together, and gets blessed with a dash of cream, which recalls a kind of grown-up ice cream float, minus all the calories and with the peppery pluck of fresh basil and ground black pepper. I substitute the more easily found prosciutto (dry-cured ham found in the deli section) and brut Champagne for the Blanquette. The soup is not cooked, so if you’re not comfortable with a bit of alcohol in the soup, substitute sparkling cider. Refrigerate the soup thoroughly for an hour or up to three hours (any longers and the bubbles will lose their luster)  and serve in shallow bowls. Garnish the center of the plate with the basil and prosciutto and finish with a drizzle of black pepper.  This presentation gives a pretty French touch while putting the perfect finishing touches on this fabulous soup’s flavor package.

Sparkling Cantaloupe Soup with Prosciutto and Basil

(Makes 6 to 8 servings)

1/2 large, ripe cantaloupe, halved, seeded and peeled cut into 1/4″ cubes (about 4 cups)

2/3 cup brut Champagne (or substitute non-alcoholic sparkling cider)

1/2 cup whole cream (do not substitute with another reduced fat cream)

Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Zest of 1 lime

Garnish:

8 slices prosciutto, trimmed and cut into thin strips

1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

You’ll need a food processor or blender; I find the latter yields a frothier, smoother soup. After that, it goes fast! Prep the cantaloupe. To remove the outer rind, it’s easiest to cut the melon into several slices (usually about 4 to 6). Then, using a sharp, medium chef’s knife, slice along the bottom to remove the rind. Cut the melon into cubes. Place in the blender with the Champagne and cream. Pulse a few times and then blend until smooth and frothy.

Pour out into a medium sized bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the lime zest. Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly for one hour in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, prep the garnish and toss the prosciutto, basil and oil together in a small bowl.

To serve, ladle the soup into shallow bowls. Top with a dollop of the garnish set up in the middle of the bowl. Dust with a sprinkle of ground black pepper. (Note: Taste the soup after it has chilled.  The colder temperature may “numb” your previous seasoning. Adjust salt and pepper as needed).

Bon appetit!

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Cookbook Writing, Marketing, and Photography Retreat with Holly Herrick and Beckie Carrico Hemmerling

Cracking the Cookbook Code – Writing, Cooking, Marketing, Photography  + Wellness Retreat with a Generous Dose of Fun

Personal chef and blogger extraordinaire, Beckie Carrico Hemmerling and I, award-winning author of nine cookbooks,  will be hosting a food/cookbook writing, marketing, and photography retreat at Folly Beach on March 29 – April 1, 2019.

Our small group (up to eight attendees) will indulge in  a few days of enlightened fun on the beach edges of Charleston, SC, eating delicious food and learning new skills. Beckie and I will teach our guests how to become better food writers, stylists, photographers, and published cookbook authors drawing from our collective reservoir of knowledge and professional experience.  One-on-one consultations,  signed copies of The New Charleston Chef’s Table, a guided tour downtown, wellness walks, and sumptuous lodging at a private beach house are just some of what our guests can expect. Non-writing friends and family are welcome to join at modified prices. Read all about it on the link below.

We hope you can join us! It’s going to be educational, fun, and delicious. And, it’s typically a beautiful time of year in Charleston.

Cracking the Cookbook Code. Writing, Cooking, Marketing, Photography + Wellness Retreat

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Introducing The New Charleston Chef’s Table

Voila! She’s Finally Here and A Cookbook Give Away

It’s been a long time since I’ve visited. It’s been a very busy and wonderful year.  In addition to a new cookbook (number nine), I have a now sixteen month-old  puppy named Rocky (Rocken Roll) and have been enjoying writing press and news for a large Charleston restaurant group.

I deem The New Charleston Chef’s Table “number nine” with some hesitation, as I’m not sure exactly what to call a new edition of an old book (the original Chef’s Table came out in 2009). Is that really a new book? But since it’s essentially an 80% new book, that is almost all of the old book was pulled and new restaurants, chefs and recipes were added, I’m going to go with number nine.

The reason so much of it is new is that Charleston went through yet another massive restaurant renaissance during the past decade. What was delicious got even more delicious and the boundaries for types of food and restaurant locations and styles got even broader. Increasingly, Charleston taste buds veered farther from formality and more towards casual ethnicity diversification, but always, always with a demand for outstanding cuisine. Because, if it was not delivered, those restaurants went away in short order.

Reluctant at first to take on such a huge task, I was glad I did, and am grateful for the opportunity from Globe Pequot Press. The New Charleston Chef’s Table truly reflects the Charleston of now, which was my intention. I pursued recipes that were less structured and more adaptable for the home cook. Some of my favorites include Leon’s Whole Grain Spoon Salad,  Fig’s Classic Arugula Salad,  Crust’s Chilled Summer Corn Soup, Lewis’ Hatch Green Chile Corn Pudding, The Ordinary’s Fish Schnitzel, and The Daily’s Buttermilk Rhubarb Fool.  In this book, more than in the original, I let the book morph with the commentary and thoughts of the chefs. For example,  Matthew Niessner at Halls Chophouse didn’t want to share just one recipe, but an entire meal catered to this audience, just as he likes to do for groups when they come to Halls. So he shared recipes for creamed corn, iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese dressing, and how to perfectly prepare a restaurant style ribeye. Meanwhile, at Mex 1 Coastal Cantina I surfed with Ryan Jones into the Baja, California peninsula and cool surfer mentality with cantina chicken tacos and stewed lima beans slow and steady with Martha Lou Gadsen of Martha Lou’s Kitchen.

The design and editing team did a beautiful job of designing the book, which is verdant and fresh with lots of green color and beautiful photography, and has an equally more casual and modern look, reflecting an ever morphing Charleston.

New Charleston Chefs Table book coverThe book was released this past week and is available at major bookstores and online now. I’m offering a signed cookbook to one of you. Just click like on this post or elsewhere where you see it  and I’ll do a randomly picked number search on June 4 and announce the winner that day.

Wishing you a beautiful and soulful Memorial Day!

Holly

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New Covers for The French Cook Series Cookbooks

Fresh Cookbook Faces

Happily,  publisher Gibbs Smith, has decided to re-vamp the covers on all of the books in the French Cook series. The signature bright colors will remain under fresh new covers that will showcase the gorgeous photography in each book, and also eliminate the pesky plastic wrap that made it hard for cookbook shoppers to see what’s within these beautiful pages. Here’s a sneak preview of what will be hitting bookstore and internet shelves in the next few weeks.

New cover art for The French Cook Cream Puffs and Eclairs. Photography by Alexandra DeFurio.

New cover art for The French Cook Cream Puffs and Eclairs. Photography by Alexandra DeFurio.

Soups and Stews (my favorite of all of my books in this series) gets a new cover, too, showcasing the talents of photographer Chia Chong.

Soups and Stews (my favorite of all of my books in this series) gets a new cover, too, showcasing the talents of photographer Chia Chong.

Photographer Steven Rothfeld's work shines in this book, full of inspiring, easy to use classical French sauces and variations.

Photographer Steven Rothfeld’s work shines in this book, full of inspiring, easy to use classical French sauces and variations.

Author Greg Patent makes a stunning case for the art of sure-fire souffle artistry, matched with lovely photographs by Kelly Gorham.

Author Greg Patent makes a stunning case for the art of sure-fire souffle artistry, matched with lovely photographs by Kelly Gorham.

I hope you will love the new look. Please write and let me know your thoughts.

As always, bon appetit and happy cooking!

Holly

 

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