Sassy Southern Cooking with a French Twist

burgers

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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HoM Sweet HoM and a Book GiveAway

In search of some of the best burgers in town? Look no further. Here’s the beef from yesterday’s Charleston Permanent Tourist blog:

http://charleston.thepermanenttourist.com/hom-ward-burger-bound/

HoM is the place to be – here’s why:

The Big Mac n' Cheese from HoM.

The Big Mac n’ Cheese from HoM.

Remember, The French Cook – Soups & Stews (Gibbs Smith) by yours truly officially releases in just two weeks on September 1. Read more about the book here by clicking on the chartreuse book cover on my revolving books file on the home page to this website or look for it on Amazon where it is currently available for pre-order. It’s a beautiful book and I think my favorite of my seven cookbooks so far – delicious recipes, gorgeous photography, good, concise writing and beautiful formatting.

Write me here and tell me why you would like a signed copy from me. I’ll select a winner and announce him/her on release day, September 1. Good luck and as always happy and delicious cooking.

The French Cook-Soups and StewsBon appetit!

 

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Get Your Happy Food Buzz on at Butcher & Bee

The locally sourced, organic trend that’s at long last  gripping large parts of the country and the Lowcountry is not new. It’s been trending hotter than an August Charleston afternoon for the better part of the past three years.

What is new (just four weeks old) is Butcher & Bee and the utter purity with which it approaches its localvore love. Tucked inauspiciously away in a parking lot near Columbus and Upper King Street, everything here, from the artisinal community table to house made everything (including pickles, bread, ketchup, mayonnaise, an organic garden out back, and locally sourced animals purchased whole and broken down in-house) is done the real, old-fashioned, and waste-free way.  The Butcher & Bee experience is an exceptional journey back to a time that far too many Americans have forgotten with the haze of fast food and mass-produced processed “food” that has clogged our supermarkets, hearts and palates for far too long.

The brainchild of Owner/Partner Michael Shem-Pov of local Mellow Mushroom fame and Chef/Partner Stuart Tracy, the purely executed concept (even in its very early, opening days) takes a nod from butcher shops and nature. The menu, broadly conceived at the beginning of each week and modified according to what farmers deliver on a daily basis and what sells out sometimes on an hourly basis, is coaxed to understated perfection in the hands of Tracy, who trained at Johnson & Wales and cut his teeth at Palmetto Cafe before finally stretching his chef and entrepreneur legs at his Butcher & Bee baby. While his competence at Palmetto Cafe was always evident, it literally shines here.

The vegetarian and sandwich intensive B & B menu changes daily.

Pure is the best word I can find to describe his magnificent fare. Getting there, as Tracy puts it, is all about “control and balance.” So very well put, indeed. It sounds like a simple concept, but it’s the kind of fuss-free, technique-rich execution too many chefs miss with over-manipulated, over made-up, overly-complicated concoctions. The clarity of each flavor and each texture at Butcher & Bee allows the freshness of the food to shine through. That is an art, and one Tracy proudly and passionately brings to the table here.

Sandwiches and vegetarian dishes are staples, but weekends afford a beefy burger (more on that later) and fresh interpretations on egg-centric brunch favorites like “Toad in a Hole” and French toast. Considering that bread makes up about 50% of the essence of a sandwich, Tracy considers it a priority. “You can’t be a sandwich shop and not make the bread,” he says. Indeed, brioche, pita, and assorted breads are made here daily and are sometimes served still warm from the oven – just like Mom (or well, maybe Grandmother) used to make.

Garden fresh Brussel sprouts, bacon, Granny Smith apples and peanut side.

 

This gorgeous, warm side salad (pictured above) was offered on a recent Sunday brunch menu, and is an idyllic edible testimony not just to Tracy’s talent, but his restrained, controlled balance. Roasted, nutty and lightly caramelized Brussel sprouts (likely picked from one of the elevated, organic garden beds out back) are tossed with salty, smoky bacon, layered with crisp, tart/sweet slivers of apple, and anointed with the salty crunch of peanuts. Swirling flavors of vinegary onion confit and a swatch of nutty, browned butter seal the deal ever so sweetly.

Pimento Cheeseburger the B & B way!

 

But, if the Brussel sprouts spelled “like”, the burger spelled “love”, as in “I wanna’ be Wimpy, now!” kind of love. Perfection, it literally was impossible to resist. The golden hue of the brioche,  and the density of the bread, possessed just the right amount of airy girth to support the hefty, but not overwhelming burger.  Fresh, peppery/smooth pimento cheese oozed temptingly over the moist, savory, locally sourced beef. A flutter of fresh onion crunch and a thick layer, about one inch high, of the ultra crunchy, cool house made cucumbers were heady, indeed. The toasted, buttered bun, got a flavor kiss from the aromatic house made ketchup and mayonnaise, to boot.

What is not to love? Despite increased competition from some truly worthy burger havens (HOM, Husk, and other stalwarts included), this is a dream maker.  It’s just the kind of burger stuff that keeps you up at night, especially when you realize you have to wait for the weekend to experience it again!

With all of the personalized attention in the kitchen and the pristine (and, thus more pricey) sourcing of the food, the Butcher & Bee team manages to keep the price points extremely gentle, with entrees ranging from $8 – $11 and sides somewhere from $2 – $6. Considering that a “meal” at McDonald’s will cost you about $6 – and that’s just the beginning. That’s a huge deal, especially since the Butcher & Bee experience is profoundly nurturing at every level – spiritually, sensually, and sating our growing hunger for purity and deliciousness.

Seating is limited to about 20 now at the community table and some limited outside seating in the sunny parking lot, but plans are in place for a second table, and the late night crowd takes to standing and eating at the long, comfortable bar. Heck, I’d stand on my head if I had to  for another bite of that burger and just about everything that comes out of Butcher & Bee’s amazing kitchen. Bravo!

Butcher & Bee

654 King Street

www.butcherandbee.com

 

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