Sassy Southern Cooking with a French Twist

Christmas

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.

================================================================================================================================

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

Bon appetit!

Holly and Rocky

Author, Chef, Cookbook writer Holly Herrick

Share

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

 

 

Share

Holiday Cauliflower-Broccoli Salad with Dried Cranberries and Walnuts

Crunchy, Cruciferous, Winter Salad Doubles as a Holiday Table Side or Christmas Brunch Centerpiece 

Probably like many of you, I woke up this morning in a snowstorm kind of blur and realized Christmas is really just two nights and a day away. My favorite time a year, without a doubt. Church bells toll throughout a beautifully decorated downtown Charleston and my heart starts warming with memories of Christmas’s past and those yet to come.

I’d intended to get this recipe to you sooner, but here it is, hopefully in time to flesh out your holiday table with glorious cruciferous crunch, the red, green and white colors of the season, and cheerful, tangy creaminess. I’ve been making a conscious effort to get more of these foods into my diet, and this is a truly delicious way to enjoy them. I’m guessing most children will enjoy this, too. I know my cat Mr. Purrfect and dog Rocky were especially interested in their cauliflower offerings.

This salad would be perfectly wonderful alongside a standing beef roast or turkey and also paired with a Christmas morning or brunch frittata, omelet, or turkey sandwich. Make it a few hours ahead and up to the night before serving so the flavors can develop to their holiday best. To make the florets, cut away nearly all of the hard stems from the broccoli and cauliflower and either crumble or cut into the smaller pieces pictured here.

Holiday Cauliflower-Broccoli Salad with Dried Cranberries and Walnuts

(Serves 6 to 8)

Holiday Cauliflower-Broccoli Salad with Dried Cranberries and Walnuts

For the salad:

2 large stalks broccoli, stalks removed and cut into florets – about 3 cups

1/2 large head cauliflower, core and stems removed, and cut into florets – about 2 cups

1/2 small onion, very finely chopped – about 1/4 cup

1/2 cup coarsely chopped sweetened dried cranberries

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

For the dressing:

1/2 cup whole sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise (preferably Duke’s)

1 tablespoon horseradish cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Method:

Toss the broccoli, cauliflower, onion, cranberries and walnuts together in a large bowl. Separately, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, horseradish cream, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar and chives in a small bowl until smooth. Toss the salad with the dressing to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to 8 hours before serving, chilled.

Photo by Helene Dujardin.

Bon appetit!

Wishing you and  yours  the best and most wonderful, happy, delicious, blessed and beautiful holiday and gateway into 2019. I have some exciting news to be sharing with you soon. Until we get there, I’ll be taking time with you to slow down and savor the joyful season.

Holly

 

 

 

Share

A Shrimp & Grits Christmas

Unwrap a Charleston Food Tradition at Your Christmas Table

Shrimp and grits has become the epitome of elegance; the heart of Charleston cuisine in the minds of many. Originally a simple, quick stew served over long-simmered and stirred grits to feed fishermen after a day at sea, it’s now a principal player at many of Charleston’s best restaurants and locals’ holiday tables.

Donald Barickman, founding chef at Magnolias, often gets credit for putting grits on the elegance map with the addition of cream to his version dating back 30 years ago. But, I contend its rise to prominence has just as much to do with the excellence of its two main ingredients.  The shrimp that inhabits through Charleston’s waters is uniquely delicious. The tidal flows and the grassy marshes both nurture and protect the shrimp, a prince of a shrimp habitat, that yields a sweet,  buttery brine unlike any other, white and brown varieties alike. And, the grits. There are quick and mass-produced varieties available, but served over organic, stone-ground grits available from Anson Mills , you’re in for a toothsome, incomparable, and authentic treat.

This version from Old Village Post House Inn’s former chef de cuisine, Jim Walker, and featured in The New Charleston Chef’s Table,  uses both. I love this recipe because it’s not very complicated, it’s beautiful, delicious, and relatively easy to prep ahead and finish at the last minute. It’s one of the dishes most requested by my cooking class students and it’s especially enjoyable to prepare, the sweet and piquant fragrance filling the air as it cooks -shrimp, country ham, Cajun seasonings, and andouille sausage. A celebration not just of the season, but of Charleston, it would be a fabulous choice to head your Christmas Eve or Christmas Day table. Do try and get your hands on fresh, wild caught shrimp if you cannot find fresh, local Charleston shrimp and serve it over stone-ground grits. It really makes a difference. I use the shells from the shrimp to cook down with some water into a quick glaze to add to the final sauce or “gravy,” which can be strained and whisked in with the butter (see directions) at the last second.

Old Village Post House Inn Lowcountry Shrimp & Grits

(Serves 4 to 6)

Shrimp & Grits from Old Village Post House Inn as featured in The New Charleston Chef’s Table (Globe Pequot Press, May, 2018) by Holly Herrick

For the grits:

8 cups water

3 cups stone-ground grits

1 stick (1/4 pound) unsalted butter

1 – 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the shrimp sauce:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 3/4 pounds Thibodeaux’s andouille sausage (or substitute another brand), but into approximately 28 1/2-inch thick slices

1 cup cubed country ham (cut into a 1/4-inch thick dice)

1 1/4 pounds large (21-25 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup peel and seeded tomatoes, finely chopped

1/4 cup scallions, finely sliced

4 teaspoons garlic, minced

4 teaspoons Cajun-style fish blackening seasoning (suggest R.L. Schreiber brand)

1 cup salt-free chicken stock

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

To prepare the grits, bring the water to a boil over high heat in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Add the grits, stir, and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk or flat-tipped wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Continue cooking on low heat, stirring, until thickened (the grits should plop like thick cornbread batter), 30-40 minutes. Turn off the burner and let stand covered, so the grits can continue to slowly absorb the water, for 1 – 2 hours.

Just before serving, reheat the grits over medium heat, stirring for about 5 minutes. Add the butter and heavy cream, stirring to incorporate. Heat through and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, about 20 minutes before serving, prepare the shrimp sauce. Heat the oil over high heat in a large, deep saute pan. When hot and sizzling, add the sausage and country ham. Saute, tossing until the sausage and ham begin to turn golden and caramelize, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Add the shrimp, tomato, scallions, minced garlic, and Cajun-style fish blackening seasoning. Saute for another 3 minutes, being sure to combine well and coat the ingredients evenly with the seasoning. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the butter and cook until the shrimp are cooked through, another 1 – 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle the grits into shallow bowls and top with the sauce. Serve immediately.

——————————————————————————————————

With best wishes to you and yours for a beautiful holiday and Christmas season. I promise you, your guests will love this. Not only is it delicious, it is beautiful. For all of these reasons and more, it is featured on the cover of The New Charleston Chef’s Table – which, by the way, makes a beautiful gift for the food and Charleston-lover in your life.

Bon appetit! You can always visit me here with any questions, comments or to book a cooking class or culinary tour. Look for details soon on Cracking the Cookbook Code, a cookbook writing, marketing, and photography retreat I’ll be hosting early next spring with my wonderfully talented friend, culinary professional, blogger, and photographer, Beckie Carrico Hemmerling. Until next time, stay safe, warm, happy, and well fed.

Holly

Cookbook Author and Nationally Awarded Food Writer, Holly Herrick. Photo by Helene Dujardin.

 

 

Share

Rutabaga Reigns Supreme at Holiday Table

Buttery Parsley Rutabaga Mash 

It may be considered a humble root vegetable, but the knobby rutabaga is transformed into nutty, buttery elegance in this sunset-yellow mash, lightened by a bit of Yukon Gold potato and made silky with butter, sour cream, and colorful flavor flecks of fresh parsley. The potatoes add fluff while the rutabaga adds girth and the kind of flavor that stands up perfectly to beef rib roast, pork, turkey or duck at the holiday table. It’s so delicious, I eat it straight out of the bowl. It could easily play a starring role at a vegetarian holiday table, as well. It is super easy to prepare and can be made a day or two ahead and reheated just before serving.

Buttery Parsley Rutabaga Mash from Mashed Beyond the Potato (Gibbs Smith, 2016) by Holly Herrick. Reprinted with permission from Gibbs Smith Publisher.

Ingredients and Method

(Yields 4 to 6 servings)

1 medium rutabaga

1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt

Water to cover

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)

TO FINISH

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Using a sharp paring knife or small chef’s knife, remove the outer skin as well as the tough 1/4-inch thick inner skin of the rutabaga. Cut into 2-inch cubes and place in a medium pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook until the rutabaga starts to soften, about 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and continue to summer another 20 minutes, until both the potatoes and rutabaga are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.

Strain in a colander and return to the pan with the sour cream, butter, salt, and pepper. Mash with a manual masher or immersion blender until chunky smooth. (If preparing ahead, stop at this point and refrigerate 1 – 2 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator). Just before serving, heat through over medium heat, stir in parsley, and adjust seasonings or add a few tablespoons vegetable stock, chicken stock or water, as needed. Serve warm.

Wishing everyone a beautiful holiday season, whatever holiday you celebrate. May it be joyful, blessed, full of cheer, and especially delicious. Remember you can always check in here with any questions about my recipes, cooking classes, and of course, beautiful Charleston.

Bon appetit!

Holly

Share
Latest from the Blog
Books
Never Miss a Post!

Sign up for my newsletter and never miss a post or give-away.