Category

Southern food

  • Classic Shrimp and Grits

    Classic Shrimp and Grits

    On a recent trip to Jackson, Mississippi, I had grits for breakfast at Elvie’s (served with coffee-rubbed pork and red-eye gravy) and fell in love. They were fluffy, they were hearty, they were the perfect base for a saucy topping.

  • Brian’s Red Beans and Rice

    Brian’s Red Beans and Rice

    My newsletter readers (you do know I have a newsletter, right? Another one’s going out later today: sign up here!) went nuts last week when I shared a picture of my friend Brian’s red beans and rice and didn’t offer up a recipe. “Can you get the recipe?” one replied. “Where’s the recipe?” wrote another.…

  • Lunch at Bottega in Birmingham, Alabama

    Lunch at Bottega in Birmingham, Alabama

    One meal. ONE MEAL. That’s all I really had time for when I went to Birmingham, Alabama this past weekend for Food Blog South. I got in late Friday night, spoke Saturday morning, had time for lunch (my ONE MEAL) then had the keynote, book-signing and after party to attend that night before flying back…

  • One-Eared Stag & Cardamom Hill

    One-Eared Stag & Cardamom Hill

    I’m writing to you now from Emory Village, a flash from the past, as I prepare to speak to Emory Students at 2 PM, sign books at the Emory Book Store at 4 PM and then hustle over to Empire State South where I’m hosting a dinner at 6:15. There are still seats available, so,…

  • Honey Butter Biscuits

    Honey Butter Biscuits

    Andrew Carmellini, in his new book American Flavor, shares a biscuit recipe that he calls “the world’s best biscuits.” This is a bold claim, even for a chef as revered as Carmellini, but in his defense, when he started serving biscuits (and fried chicken) at his pre-The Dutch Italian restaurant, Locanda Verde, the critics gushed.…

  • Hummingbird Cake

    Hummingbird Cake

    Sometimes it’s nice to choose a theme for a dinner party. It makes it easier to pick an appetizer, a side dish, an entree and a dessert. At last week’s dinner party, the theme was The South (we had three Southerners in attendance) and I served up Rachel Wharton’s Pimento Cheese as an appetizer, the…

  • Pimento Cheese

    Pimento Cheese

    Growing up, I hated mayonnaise and I hated cheese. Strange for a kid, yes, but the cheese-hatred had some basis: my dad hated it, so we never had it in the house. And I became so conditioned to hating cheese, it took me years (and a cheese-loving boyfriend) to get over it. As for the…

  • My Love Affair with Grits

    My Love Affair with Grits

    [Hey, this is Adam The Amateur Gourmet. I’m on vacation in Barcelona, Spain and while I’m gone I’ve asked some awesome people to fill in for me. The first awesome person on the docket is the co-proprietor of one of the best bakeries in all of New York, Mr. Matt Lewis of Baked. I love…