Sassy Southern Cooking with a French Twist

stone ground grits

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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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.

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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.

 

 

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