Tribute to a Food Mentor and Friend

I wrote a short piece for Walter Magazine about my dear friend, Steven Shaw, who passed away in April.

 

 

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Scott Crawford has left The Umstead Hotel and Spa and Herons restaurant to open up two new ventures in downtown Raleigh, Standard Foods and Nash Tavern. Pastry chef Daniel Benjamin is opening a new pastry shop, lucettegrace, also in downtown Raleigh.

Steven Greene was named the Executive Chef of The Umstead today, and he’ll remain in place as the Culinary Director at An, one of the best restaurants in the state. (and yes, I am the “V” in the 5-star review Greg Cox gave An)

All of these gentlemen are good friends of mine, and I’ve written pretty extensively about Scott and Steven, with a couple of mentions about Daniel.

Here’s my story on my first meeting with Scott Crawford.

This is my recollection of the first time I ate Scott’s food at Herons.

I first met Steven Greene when I spent two nights cooking at Herons. He was the Executive Chef de Cuisine, working under Scott Crawford. I also spent some time with Daniel Benjamin while I was there. And I wrote a three-part story on my wonderful experience. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

And I recently wrote a feature profile on Steven Greene for Walter Magazine.

Good luck to Scott, Steven and Daniel!

The Most Successful Cookbook on My Shelves

I have a fair number of cookbooks, but I’m by no means a collector. Compared to many of my friends, I have a relatively tiny collection, and that’s because I don’t use cookbooks that often. For the most part, cookbooks give me ideas. They help me come up with new dishes or combinations of ingredients. Occasionally, I’ll learn a new technique. I’ll even read a cookbook from cover to cover now and then, just because the writing and stories are so good. But for the most part, cookbooks are reference materials, to be picked up now and then for guidance and inspiration.

The first cookbook where I really started to look at how and what I was cooking, the guide that introduced me to Thai cuisine, the book that I’ve followed more recipes than any other book was The Frog Commissary Cookbook by Steven Poses from Philadelphia. An old girlfriend gave me this book as a Valentine’s Day gift over 25 years ago, and it’s as worn out as any cookbook I have. It’s not just dog-eared, it’s dirty. The binding is broken and pages are falling out. I’ve made at least 50 different dishes from that cookbook, and most of them have been great hits. The sour cream apple pie. The Asian chicken wings. The Thai curries. The crab and tarragon and tomato pasta dish. I could go on and on, and maybe one day, I will spend more time highlighting this wonderful cookbook.

But today, I want to focus on Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home. I’m not sure I’ve had a cookbook that has been as slam-dunk successful as this one. Everything that I have made from this book has been not just good, but amazing. His recipes have replaced the tried and true dishes I’ve made for years. Chocolate chip cookies? None can compare to the version in this cookbook, and except for having to chop your own chocolate, they’re really simple. His cream of cauliflower soup has become my family’s favorite soup — nothing else comes even close. I now dress my salads totally differently because of this cookbook. The newest item to make our “best of” list is his brownies. Brownies??? Yes, brownies. I mean, I thought I’ve had brownies every different way and had come to the conclusion that it was a dessert that would always be good, but would never be great. Well, these brownies aren’t just great; they’re fucking awesome. Why you ask? Well, it comes down to chocolate and butter. Chocolate in the form of lots of cocoa powder then with dark chocolate chunks added to the batter. And butter? Well, we’re talking about a 9×9 inch square cake pan of brownies calling for THREE STICKS OF BUTTER!!!! Nope, not a typo — there are 12 ounces of butter in this recipe. Even if cut into relatively small pieces, you’re going to get a couple of tablespoons of butter in each brownie. Holy smokes, these brownies are rich. Over the top without a damn excuse but 0h-my-god-they’re-delicious rich. My daughter made these brownies yesterday, and I want more. I’m channeling my inner Veruca Salt because I want more NOW!

 

The brownies are absolutely perfect on their own, or with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. A little soft cream would be great, too, but of course, we topped them with good old fashioned vanilla ice cream. I didn’t want to take the time to get a quality photo, because, well, once again, I’m a little impatient. So you’re stuck with a photo of ice cream hiding the most amazing brownie I’ve ever eaten.

Now I have to figure out what to make out of this book next. Because I’m a bit uneasy about displacing my current favorites. Like his carrot cake muffins. Or beef stroganoff. Ah, hell, I’ll just give in and be thankful that I have a cookbook that I can always turn to, and come out with something extraordinary.

Ad Hoc at Home Brownies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (recipe calls for vanilla paste, but I didn’t have any on hand — plain vanilla works)
6 ounces 61 to 64% chocolate, chopped into chip-sized pieces ( about 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 9×9 baking dish. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside.

Melt half the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat (or in the microwave), stirring occasionally. Put the remaining butter in a medium bowl. Pour the melted butter and stir to melt the butter. The butter should look creamy, with small bits of unmelted butter, and be at room temperature.

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, mix together the eggs and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until thick and very pale. Mix in the vanilla. On low speed, add about one-third of the dry ingredients, then add one-third of the butter, and continue alternating the remaining flour and butter. Add the chocolate and mix to combine. (The batter can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)

Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester or wooden skewer poked into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs sticking to it. If the pick comes out wet, test a second time, because you may have hit a piece of chocolate chip; then bake for a few more minutes longer if necessary. Cool in the pan until the brownie is just a bit warmer than room temperature.

Run a knife around the edges, and invert the brownie onto a cutting board. Cut into 12 rectangles. Serve with dusted powdered sugar, soft whipped cream or ice cream. The brownies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days, but if they last that long, there’s something wrong.

Cardamom Crumb Muffins

Cardamom might be the most underappreciated spice out there. Sure, it’s expensive, but not, like, saffron expensive. And a lot of people think it’s this incredibly exotic, inaccessible Indian spice. Exotic? Perhaps. Inaccessible? Pshaw! It has the most amazing perfume, but not overpowering. I made these muffins following Dorie Greenspan’s recipe for allspice crumb muffins (from Baking: From My House to Yours), subbing the cardamom for the allspice. They were a big hit, and I suspect if I had used cardamom that wasn’t a bazillion years old (such as, freshly ground!), they would have been even more scrumptious. They’re very easy, so make them this weekend!

Cardamom Crumb Muffins

For the Streusel:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar

3/4  teaspoon ground cardomom

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

For the Muffins:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1 stick  unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon  vanilla extract

Grated zest of 1 lemon

 

Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper cups (or use ungreased silicone muffin pan without paper cups).  Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Streusel:  Combine the flour, brown sugar and cardamom in a small bowl.  Add the bits of cold butter and toss or cut in with a pastry cutter to get irregularly shaped crumbs.  Refrigerate until muffins are ready.

Muffins:  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom and salt.  Stir in the brown sugar, braking down large lumps.  In another bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla together until well combined.  Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, stir gently but quickly.  Add the lemon zest. The batter will be lumpy.  Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.  Sprinkle some streusel over each muffin, then gently press the crumbs into the batter with your fingers.

Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.  Cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the muffins from the pan.

Walter – Places to Eat on Your Way to the Beach

I was asked to write this piece at the last minute because a planned story had fallen through. The idea pitched to me was to write about restaurants worth a drive from Raleigh. I thought that focusing on places east of Raleigh would make the legwork more doable, as I visited these places over a single weekend (except for On The Square, where I went to lunch on a Wednesday). But the Thai restaurant in downtown Goldsboro was undoubtedly the biggest surprise. My kids and I also took all of the photos, many with my iPhone. It was pretty damn cool.

 

http://www.waltermagazine.com/eating-well-on-the-way-to-the-beach/

Walter Magazine — Stanbury

I wrote a profile on the founders of Raleigh’s Stanbury restaurant for Walter Magazine’s February 2014 edition. I love to write about people who are successful beyond their imaginations.

 

http://www.waltermagazine.com/the-stanbury-four/

Walter Magazine – Have a Figgy Christmas

This is a column I wrote for the December edition of Walter. It’s about my in-laws and their fig obsession. And their giving nature.

 

http://www.waltermagazine.com/have-a-figgy-christmas/

 

Miss Lonelycarts

This column was posted in October for Walter Magazine, but it’s not available online.

[POST-SCRIPT] Shortly before Thanksgiving, I received a call from a lawyer I used to work with. He told me that his sister was Miss Lonelycarts, and that she had been fighting a battle with pancreatic cancer. She walked around the Harris Teeter for exercise, using the cart for support.  She was anything but lonely, I learned. A former model. Active in her church. Several days later, Miss Lonelycarts passed away. Here is a link to her obituary: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newsobserver/obituary.aspx?n=sarah-mckay-munford&pid=168509739&fhid=5774  Rest in peace, Sarah Munford. I wish I had spoken to you.]

I’ve been married for 21 years, but another woman has been preoccupying my mind of late. I don’t really know her, but I can’t stop thinking of her. I want to know to know more about her, to understand why she does what she does. But I’m afraid to talk to her.

And this is not what you think.

I do the weekly grocery shopping for my family every Sunday. I usually try to do it around 10 a.m., when the store is empty because most people are at church. Sometimes I don’t get around to this task until 2 in the afternoon, when things are busier.

But nearly every time I visit my local Harris Teeter, she is there: the woman who haunts me. I am guessing she is in her ’60s, and she is a reasonably attractive woman. The fact that she shops at the same time as I do is not all that unusual. The fact that I noticed her isn’t, either.

What is unusual is that I’ve never seen her buy a thing in the store. I’ve never seen her stop to look at an item on the shelves. In fact, I’ve never seen her put a single item in her grocery cart; the cart might have one item in it, two at the most. But she walks. And walks some more, always with a gentle saunter, and always with a pleasant smile on her face. She’s not there to buy groceries. She’s there for some other reason. Maybe this is her social outlet. Maybe it’s her exercise. I don’t know. But I want to.

Is she a lonely woman? I’ve never seen her stop and talk to a single person in the store, but I wonder if the employees have noticed her like I do. My younger kids have noticed her, too, and they feel sad for her. We initially called her “Miss Lonelyhearts,” after the character in Hitchcock’s “Rear Window,” but we renamed her Miss Lonelycarts.  I really don’t know if she is lonely at all, but I wonder about her nonetheless.

 

Occasionally, she is not there when I’m shopping, and then my imagination starts to run wild. Is she OK? Did something happen to her? I wonder: Does she do this at the Kroger on Tuesdays, the Food Lion on Thursdays? Then I laugh at myself, wondering why I’m worrying about a woman I’ve never uttered a word to, not even to say, “Excuse me.”

But that’s what makes Raleigh great. We care about each other, even if we don’t have a clue who someone is. I fist bump my favorite bagger at the store, talking about how many days before the NFL season begins. I ask my Whole Foods butcher if he’s seen any good bands lately – we once bumped into each other at a club. And I always make the same joke to the Harris Teeter cashier when the credit card machine asks me if my total amount due is OK. No, it’s not OK; it’s $289! How could that ever be OK? My kids grimace at the joke, but the cashiers laugh.

But it is this woman, this Miss Lonelycarts, of whom I think the most. She’s the one I want to approach and say hello. I am afraid to do that, however, not because I’m wary of engaging a total stranger, but because I don’t want to scare her off. If she actually stopped and looked at some produce, I could say, “Boy, the strawberries look great today.” And the next week I see her, I’d say, “Hey there, Strawberry Woman.” But I’ve never had that chance.

I’ve also thought about “accidentally” running into her cart, then apologizing profusely. That would certainly break the ice and give me a reason, next time we see each other, to say hello and feign embarrassment.

And now, as we approach Thanksgiving, I want to make sure that she has a place to go for my favorite holiday of the year, a place where she can relax, have a good meal, and be around some people who are thankful for what we have. I’m used to taking in the Thanksgiving “orphans,” people I hardly know who have no family nearby.

But I just can’t bring myself to do it. Just like when I was in high school and was horribly intimidated by the pretty girls, I find myself thinking not of the possible good of engaging Miss Lonelycarts, I only consider the bad, that I would scare her away. Or maybe she might be a bit, er, crazy.

In the end, she doesn’t need me to be her white knight, her social savior. She’s happy with her Sunday stroll, looking at the friendly faces at the Harris Teeter. She’s shopping for something, but I might never know what that is.

Chef Steven Greene — An Restaurant

Here’s a link to a profile piece I wrote about Steven Greene, easily one of the state’s most talented chefs.

 

http://www.waltermagazine.com/asian-alchemy-steven-greene-cooks-it-up-at-an/

Soo Cafe’ — Korean Fried Chicken

Here’s a link to my first column for Walter Magazine, about Korean Fried Chicken — right here in Raleigh!!

 

http://www.waltermagazine.com/varmint-bites-back-its-so-good-at-soo/

 

Food Writing Links

No, I’m not reviving this blog. At least, not yet. However, since I’ve started to do a bit of food writing for a local magazine, I thought I’d post links to the stories here. I may occasionally share some thoughts here from time to time, but it will be very sporadic at best.

Magnolia Grill to Close

I just received and email from Karen Barker of Durham’s legendary Magnolia Grill. She and her husband, Ben Barker, both Beard award winners, will be closing the restaurant at the end of the month.  Here’s the email:

Friends , Colleagues & Professional Associates –

Karen and I have had the extraordinary luxury of cooking together every day for the last 30+ years. There is no way to convey how rewarding it has been to share our pursuit of this craft, but…

it’s time to do something different.

We will close Magnolia Grill on May 31, 2012.

We are not sure what’s next but we are going to take a break and see.

We have all our parents, all 80 years old, or nearly. We want to see them more. We have two grandchildren we’ve barely spent any time with; we want to see them more. We have co-workers we’ve been around more than our sons – it’s time for that to change.

Thank you to every one who’s given us the opportunity to learn from you, to feed you and be fed by you, to share with you, to experience the exhilaration and conviviality that has been our life in food. We’ll always be indebted to each and every one of you.

Thank you,

b2 & Kay

I’m very sad that we will be losing this amazing restaurant. It’s the one place where I said, “I am simply not capable of cooking like that.”  But I am also happy that Ben and Karen will be moving on.  I wish them all the best, and I suspect we’ll hear more from them.

Help Ryan Go To Bolivia

This post is for my daughter Ryan, who is going to Bolivia this summer for a month to volunteer, teaching English and coaching soccer, and is trying to raise some money to do so. I apologize if you are a reader of VarmintBites thinking this was a new blog post about food.

For those of you coming here who know Ryan, thanks for considering helping her to go to Bolivia this summer. The “Donate” link below will allow you to make a credit card donation. We really appreciate it!

Please note that this PayPal link connects to my wife Marcella’s PayPal account, but all money received will go to Ryan for the trip. In order to use a credit card, you will need to register with PayPal, which is very easy to do and very safe.

Help Me Run Faster Than I’ve Ever Run Before

I’ve written before about my issues with my weight. Well, it all came to a head last month when my blood work showed that I was technically diabetic. Yup, Type 2 diabetes. The fat man’s disease.  Granted, I had just barely crossed over the threshold of glucose levels to merit that diagnosis, but I had indeed crossed it.  My weight was up to 238 pounds, as much as I’ve every weighed.

Typically, I’ve just said, “Fuck it.” Sometimes I made a 3 month effort to drop 10 pounds or so.

This time, I just said, “Fuck.” And then I started to take action. Real action.  I’m eating a lot differently. I’m drinking a LOT less. And like the guys from LMFAO, “I work out.”  I see a personal trainer two days a week. I “run” three days a week.

And believe it or not, in only a month, this is working.

A year ago, I “ran” a half marathon. Well, I used a run/walk approach where I would run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute, run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute, run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute.  Repeat until I finished the 13.1 miles. I’m by no means a fast runner, and last year, I ran the thing in 2 hours and 42 minutes.  That’s a glacially slow pace of 12 minutes and 22 seconds per mile. And the thing is, I was really pleased with that result, as the run-walk approach made this much more doable.

I’ve signed up for the same half marathon, which is on March 18th.  This time around, I’m walking even more. I’m running 2 minutes and walking 1 minute — and repeating that to the end.  Last year, I walked 25% of the time. this year, I’m walking 33% of the time. And I’m going to CRUSH my time from last year.  How do I know this? Well, let me give you some data.

A year ago at this time, I did a 4.96 mile training run in 1 hour and 5 minutes.  Ugh, that was slow.  Today, I ran 5.02 miles in a little bit more than 52 minutes.  That’s a 10:28 pace, my friends.  I ran 8.3 miles on Sunday at an 11 minute pace. This is really surprising to me.  My simple goal, of course, is to finish the damn thing. The real goal, however, is to finish under 2 hours and 30 minutes. For some people, that’s laughably slow. But for me — all 227 pounds of me (yes, I’ve lost 11 pounds) — this would be great. The fact that I’m going this quickly while walking 1/3 of the time is astounding to me. The personal training is obviously helping. I’m so much stronger than I was just a month ago. I’m eating better. I don’t get the post-prandial crashes anymore. Frankly, I’m feeling damn good right now, and I want to feel even better. My best time ever for a half marathon was at my first, in 2007, when I weighed 212 pounds and trained like a mad man.  I ran it in 2 hours and 29 minutes. Oh, I was so fast then!  I want to beat that time.

Now I need your help.  I’m really doing all of this for myself and for my family. But I also want to raise some money for the local charity that is near and dear to my heart, the Lucy Daniels Center. The Center is participating in the Great Human Race, a 5K, on March 24. I’m not doing that race; I’m doing the half marathon the week before. But I’m running for this charity, which is the Triangle’s leading provider of mental health services to children. I’m the board chair of the Center, and I’ve seen the amazing things this organization does.

So please, click on this link and sponsor me. Make it two dollars a mile (that would be $26.20). Or even better, 10 ($131.00 for the mathematically challenged). Heck, get creative — just email me with a pledge of X dollars per minute that I finish under 2 hours and 30 minutes — now that’s an incentive (and don’t worry, if I am even 1 minute under that time, I’ll be ecstatic).  But please do something. If not for me, for the kids.

And I’ll keep pushing harder.

 

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION.

 

My Favorite Food Movie That’s Not About Food

My old college buddy, Scott Price, just wrote a great story for Vanity Fair about Barry Levinson’s movie, “Diner.” There were a handful of us at Chapel Hill, including Scott, who went to see Diner whenever we could — initially at the Carolina Theater, then at the Student Union. Although the title of the movie suggests that it is about food, it really has nothing to do with that. Yes, there are a number of food references (Earl eating the entire left side of the menu, including the fried chicken dinner; the ubiquitous french fries and gravy), and some important scenes take place in a diner, but the movie is about friends and growing up. And, as Price writes, ” Diner dissected the male animal’s squirrelly devotion to sports, movies, music, and gambling.”

Price’s article brought back some great memories. I can’t tell you how many times we’d recite lines from that movie, how we could relate to it. And the simple reason was because, in many ways, the characters were us. We were into sports and movies and music and food and girls like the guys in Diner. Fenwick and Boogie and Shrevie and Modell were guys struggling to find themselves; but throughout it all, they had each other.  We were just like them. Figuring things out. We had a lot of growing up to do, yet we weren’t thinking about that. We were concerned with the Tar Heels, Tim’s lost teeth, The Jam and XTC and U2, and the lousy food at Chase Hall. We created fictitious bands and wrote about them (Fat Girls Explode — yes, it’s distasteful, but we were not even 20 yet).

It’s now been 30 years, and I still think of those days. I don’t think I’ve talked to Scott (who goes by S.L.) Price in two decades. He’s actually a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, but when I saw that he wrote this piece, it took me back to those days in Ehringhaus Dorm. But it also reminded me of those old friends with whom I’ve lost contact. I exchange Christmas cards with Tim, who lives outside Chicago, but that’s the extent of our contact. Craig is in Charlotte, married to a high school friend of mine. Ethan and Joey and Dave and Jon Schmidt? I have no idea where they are.  But today, I’m thinking about them, because of a movie. Because of a story.

And now, I want some french fries with gravy.

 

The Best Meal I Ever Cooked

Those of us who like to cook and eat can remember so many meals we’ve enjoyed, restaurants we’ve visited, tastes we’ve shared, dishes we’ve created. We remember meals with family and loved ones. We remember the roast chicken in Barcelona, the cheese steak in Philadelphia, the fish boil in Wisconsin, and the white beans in Florence. We tend to rank these meals: What were my top 10 dishes of the past year? What are my favorite restaurants in the Triangle?

But sometimes, an ordinary meal, something you’ve made or eaten dozens of times can be elevated by the circumstances. That is what happened to me a couple of weeks ago.

My father is 79 years old. He has had two open heart surgeries, suffered from emphysema, and a few years ago, was diagnosed with lung cancer. The effects of the cancer, the emphysema and then the radiation treatment left him with very little lung capacity and is on oxygen 24/7. It tires him out just getting dressed. Singing, the one activity he loved to do, is no longer an option. His vocal chords were damaged during one surgery and he doesn’t have enough breath to get out even a few notes. (And let me tell you, my Dad could flat out sing).

Quite frankly, living is quite difficult for Dad, and one of the other things he loved to do, eating, is also a chore. It tires him out. The flavors aren’t the same. Consequently, he’s lost about 35 pounds in the last six months.  I really don’t know how much longer he’ll be around.

I made it down to Florida a few weeks ago and spent a couple of days with my parents. My Dad’s spirits were pretty good, but he wasn’t eating that much. We went to a local Italian restaurant, and he ate a small slice of pizza. That’s all.

But he asked me the next day, as he always does when we’re together, if I could make some foccacia. He loves that simple flatbread, with some rosemary, olive oil, and sea salt.  I told Dad I’d be happy to make it, and I’d cook him dinner.

I decided on a simple dinner. Filet mignon, baked potato, roasted asparagus. For dessert, a molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. I knew that my Dad would appreciate the thought, even if he couldn’t eat it.

Dad ate 3 sizable pieces of foccacia that day. I was very pleased that he enjoyed it and was able to eat so much. But then he ate the filet. And half a potato. And about 8 spears of asparagus. And the entire freakin’ dessert. He ate it all. He ate more in one meal than he had probably eaten in the prior three days. And I made it for him.

I’ve cooked a lot of great meals in my life, but this one tops them all. It wasn’t technically perfect. It wasn’t fancy. But it nourished my Dad. My sick Dad. And, after the meal, he sat back, looked me in the eye, and said, “Delicious. Thank you.”

Duck Fat Skillet Cornbread

I didn’t grow up with cornbread, and most of the time, the stuff I taste is just OK. It’s usually too dry or too sweet or too anything. I feel like Goldilocks, because I could never find the cornbread that was just right.

That changed a couple of years ago when my buddy Pableaux came through town on his “Red Beans & Rice Tour.” He’d visit friends. The friends would invite other friends. Pableaux made red beans and rice and cornbread. Everyone ate.

Pableaux’s technique was pretty simple: Heat up a cast iron skillet. Melt fat in the skillet. Pour melted fat into the cornbread batter. Stir. Add back to the skillet. Bake. And the thing is, this cornbread was just right. The bottom was good and crispy. The cornbread was moist, with the sweetness coming from the cornmeal, not a lot of sugar. And it was rich. I wanted a second piece. And a third. It was that good.

And so, Pableaux’s cornbread is now mine, as I use his technique, following the Lee Brothers‘ recipe for skillet cornbread. But where I differ is that I use duck fat. You can use shortening or butter or lard or bacon drippings, but I use duck fat, because I always have a lot around and, well, it makes the most kick-ass corn bread around. Now that it’s chili season, you need some kick-ass corn bread. So have at it.

Duck Fat Skillet Cornbread (Adapted from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook)

3 Tbsp. duck fat
1-1/2 c. stone-ground cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar (optional)
1 large egg
1-1/2 c. whole buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450. Add duck fat to 12″ cast iron skillet and put in the oven. Allow skillet to get really hot! Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients into another bowl. Add the wet stuff to the dry and mix until it comes together. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven, swirl a bit to make sure duck fat coats the sides, then pour the molten duck fat into the batter. Stir until combined and pour batter into skillet. Bake for about 15 minutes until the top is golden brown.

 

Mandolin — Coming to Raleigh

Wow. A new chef-driven restaurant is about to open in Raleigh, and I’m really excited by it. Mandolin is the name of Chef Sean Fowler’s establishment, located at the intersection of Oberlin and Fairview in Raleigh’s Five Points neighborhood.

This is what I know about Mandolin: nothing. Well, I’ve seen their menu, which is Southern-inspired. I’ve looked at their website. But I know nothing about Sean Fowler. Or any of the staff. Even when a menu looks promising, as this one does, I reserve judgment until I taste the food. But for some reason, I just like the vibe that these folks have created. I really WANT to taste this food. And based on the Open Table reservation system, it looks like they open next Tuesday.

Raleigh needs more of these type of restaurants. I can’t wait to try it.

My Weekend With the SFA

I got back from the Southern Foodways Alliance’s annual Symposium, where the focus this year was on the “cultivated South.” And this is what I did:

• I hung out with a poet who knows how to spin verses on deviled eggs.
• I tasted the first olive oil produced east of the Mississippi in over a hundred years.
• I watched an opera. An opera about collard greens.
• I drank a Manhattan with the country’s leading cocktail authority.
• I ate a foot-long, heirloom radish.
• I made a hard apple cider float, with great cider from Foggy Ridge in Virginia and freshly made vanilla ice milk.
• I learned about the growth of community gardens in the parking lots of Atlanta.
• I helped raise $270,000 from some amazing generous individuals.
• I sang “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” with an owner of a popsicle shop.
• I sipped punch from a bathtub.
• I had lunch with the original publisher of Spin magazine.
• I ate a slice of wild boar prosciutto.
• I saw an amazing set of food-themed photographs from an incredibly talented young lady.
• I snacked on boiled peanuts while watching a film about, what else, boiled peanuts.
• I tasted far too many different bourbons than I can remember.
• I had some of the best fried chicken, while staring in awe at the customer beside me who devoured 8 pieces in 10 minutes.
• I took home a packet of pimento seeds, which I will plant in the spring.
• I sadly learned about the demise of the native mirliton, but also was happily informed of one man’s quest to bring it back.
• I spooned fig and bourbon preserves onto a country ham biscuit, confirming a match made in Southern heaven.
• I rode on a school bus with a woman who wore a different Elvis t-shirt every day.
• I had lunch with a fishmonger who brings seafood from the Gulf of Mexico to the West Coast.
• I discovered that people will come up with crazy variations on common games, such as “Sexual Jenga.” And no, I did not play it.
• I realized that I would like to have a bento box for lunch every day.
• I smiled after a talented friend “blinged up” my name tag with Hello Kitty stickers (and more).
• I chatted with one of the best chefs in the Triangle, only to learn that our families are from the same neck of the woods.
• I was proven wrong: someone does make a good fried pickle.

That’s what I did this weekend, and this was just the tip of the iceberg. What did you do?

Chile-Chocolate Brownies

My 10 year old daughter Clara has become quite the baker. She’s always surprising me with cookies, breads, muffins, and lately, even pies. But one of her favorite things to bake is also one of the easiest: brownies. She’s been making brownies for years, and she occasionally looks for a new variation on the tried and true standard chewy chocolate version that our family prefers.

Well, do I have a great variation for you: Chile-Chocolate Brownies from Sandra Gutierrez’s new cookbook, The New Southern-Latino Table. (It’s funny, but I’ve never met Sandra, but I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been told, “Oh, you two should really meet!” Even now, after receiving a complementary copy of her new book, we still haven’t met. Time to fix that!)

But back to these brownies. I recently read a local magazine’s take on this rich, dense and moist brownies, which combines two different types of chile powder, one in the brownie itself and a spicier, smokier chipotle for the glaze. This magazine said that if you’re making these brownies for kids, leave out the chile powder. Leave out the chile powder? Are you completely out of your mind??? Yes, this recipe would make a very nice brownie without the spice, but it would still be relatively ordinary. It’s the chile powder that makes this dish something special, something unusual, something truly memorable. And the amount of heat is really not that great. We had a bunch of kids trying these brownies, and they all loved them. Were they a bit spicy? Yup. But combined with the sweetness and all that chocolatey richness, it was a perfect combination. So please, try making these brownies, just the way Sandra intended you to (although you can leave out the nuts, if so desired — we did). But do not leave out the chile powders — it’s all the difference between a good brownie and a kick-ass one.

And the recipe is so simple, even a 10-year old can make it!

The recipe below comes directly from Sandra’s cookbook. We made just two minor variations. First, we did not include the pecans. We wanted a nut-free version. Second, rather than melting chocolate in a double boiler, we did our standard operation of combining the butter and the chocolate in a large Pyrex measuring cup, and melting it in a microwave, thirty seconds at a time, stirring after each cycle. If you’re wondering where to find the chile powders, check out a Latino store, but I was lucky enough to find both types at my neighborhood Whole Foods.

Chile-Chocolate Brownies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ancho chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped and toasted pecans (optional)

For the glaze:

• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon coffee-flavored liqueur
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 9x9x2-inch baking pan.

Place the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler and heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they have melted and are well combined. Lift the bowl carefully from the pan so no water droplets come into contact with the chocolate mixture; let cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the sugar; add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; stir in the vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ancho chile powder, and salt; gradually add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture, beating well until fully combined. Add the pecans. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center is set and the brownies begin to pull back from the sides of the pan. Cool brownies for 1 hour in the pan.

To make the glaze: in a medium bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, butter, liqueur, vanilla, and chile powder; blend until smooth. Place the glaze in a pastry bag (or zip-top bag with a snipped corner), and drizzle back and forth over the brownies.

Cut them into 20 bars.

Makes 20 brownies

 

Note: This post is part of the New Southern-Latino Table Dinner Party!