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Book Description
In this definitive cookbook, Ronni Lundy draws upon her Kentucky mountain roots and on the recipes and food passions of the fellow Southerners--from home cooks to a new generation of professional chefs--she has met in her extensive regional travels. Lundy cooks her way through the bounty of the Southern garden, from succulent purple speckled butter beans and lady cream peas
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Butter Beans to Blackberries : Recipes from the Southern Garden
Authors: Ronni Lundy
Date: May 1999
ISBN: 0865475474
Publisher: North Point Press
Hardcover
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Pan-fried grits cakes were the perfect way to use leftover grits in traditional Southern kitchens; but in the restaurants of the New South, they have become what toast points were in the club cuisine of the 1920s. Smothered with wild mushroom ragout, garden-fresh ratatouille, sautéed shrimp and ham, tasso cream gravy, or another choice from what seems to be a limitless selection of inventions, grits sometimes lose their pure glory in the hoopla over what goes on top.
Not at the Metropolitain in Charlottesville, Virginia, which has one of the cleverest and most delicious menus in the New South. There West Virginian Tim Burgess and his partner, French-born, Virginia-smitten chef Vincent Durquenne, prepare traditional regional products with a subtle attention to detail which enhances even the plainest dish. Their fried grits were the best I had anywhere in my travels through the South. When I asked Vincent for his secret, he was generous.
His best tip was his method of chilling the grits after they've cooked. Every recipe I'd ever encountered said to pour the grits into a loaf pan, refrigerate, and then cut into slabs for breading and frying. Alas, no matter how long I chilled them or what knife I chose for the cutting, the process never worked easily. The slabs would break into pieces and have to be patted back together, or would compress from the pressure of the knife and have to be patted into flatness for frying. The process was mildly frustrating and the end result, while tasty, would never have the ethereal texture I had hoped for, and finally savored at the Metropolitain.
The restaurant gets that texture by chilling the grits on a baking sheet or in a shallow pan, spread only about 1/2 inch thick. Viola! The knife moves through the shallow grits, neither compressing nor breaking the slab. And it's a piece of cake to lift the slabs with a spatula into the dredging flour. What's more, you can cut the grits cakes in a variety of playful shapes, such as triangles; or even use straight-edged biscuit or deep cookie cutters to create whimsical patterns. As Vincent says, "once you've got the recipe down, that's when the fun begins."
I've left many of Vincent's instructions in the recipe which follows, since they are often more clearly descriptive than traditional recipe prose.
Serves 8
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5 cups water
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1 cup stone-ground white grits
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dash of white pepper
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4 ounces butter, plus more for the pan
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4 ounces white cheddar cheese, grated
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salt
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flour
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peanut oil
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Grease a shallow-sided baking sheet with butter.
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Bring the water to a boil. Slowly pour in the grits, whisking as you do. Lower the heat immediately "or you redecorate your kitchen in grits," Vincent cautions. Stir in the pepper, and simmer over very low heat, stirring frequently, for about 30 minutes. (You can use a double boiler if you don't want to stand constant watch over the grits.) The grits are ready, Vincent says, "when things start being pretty unctuous."
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Add the butter and cheese, and stir until melted.
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Add salt to taste, beginning with 1/2 teaspoon. ("There is nothing worse in the world than grits without salt," he says. "My cooks once forgot to salt the grits, and I made them eat the whole panful that night, so they would never forget again. They never have.")
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Pour the grits onto the baking sheet, and spread them out evenly, about 1/2 inch thick. Let them sit 10 minutes to cool. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 5 to 6 hours, until thoroughly chilled.
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When you are ready to serve, cut the grits into rectangles, about 2 by 3 inches. Dredge each piece in flour, coating both sides and edges.
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If you are frying the grits in batches, turn the oven on, at very low heat, and arrange a rack over a pan to keep the first grits cakes warm and crisp while you fry the rest.
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At the Metropolitain, they deep-fry grits cakes, but it is easier to pan-fry at home, and the results are equally delicious. In a heavy skillet, heat 1/4 inch of peanut oil until very hot but not smoking. Use a spatula to gently lay the grits cakes, one at a time, in the oil, being careful not to overcrowd the skillet. Fry until you see the bottom edges turning golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn them over, and fry the other side for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden also. Transfer to the warming rack in the oven until ready to serve.
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Be sure to skim the oil after each batch, removing any grits or batter left behind. Add more peanut oil when necessary to keep the level deep enough to come halfway up each grits cake, and be sure the oil reheats sufficiently after each addition. When all the grits are fried, serve immediately, since they do not keep or reheat well.
Notes: Vincent says, "Once you've mastered this recipe, you can do anything you want with it. You can add herbs at the end with the cheese, or you can cook the grits in country ham broth instead of water. If you want to do an influence, say Asian spices in the grits, that's the fun part. You can even put squid ink in, and make them black."
Vincent told me that his most French interpretation of fried grits is when he mixes in foie gras. I told him that there is a classic Southern breakfast dish made not with grits, but with its kissing cousin, corn mush, and cooked chicken liver, ground to a paste-like consistency. "There you go," he said. "All great tastes end up being Southern."
More From This Book:
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Gumbo Z'Herbes
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Grits Cakes
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Kathy Cary's Lemon Pound Cake Pudding with Hot Toddy Sauce
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