A New Year, Another Turn On...

My move to Charleston has taken over my life.... I have not written in almost 4 months, BUT I have been cooking, and of course, EATING, with every intention of sharing my culinary experiences.

A new year has come upon us, resolutions have been written down and probably already forgotten in the busy lives we lead. How funny that every year we make lists, empty promises to ourselves, sweet nothings that form our New Year's Resolutions... I believe it was John Lennon who stated, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."

Looking forward is very much a necessary evil, but reflections are good for the soul as well...

I moved to the beautiful Holy City on the water...

I completed my internship at Husk, and joined the work force immediately after, where I have been playing with pastries...

Found a favorite spot in Charleston... Twenty Six Divine...

Met Spike....my little alligator that lives in the pond near my apartment

Caught a sunset or two..

Ate at Bowen's Island

Went for a climb in the beautiful North Carolina Mountains.

Witnessed, in person, Sean Brock doing what he does best...

Visited my best friend in Nashville....and checked out the new HUSK...check it out!

FINALLY was reunited with my pup...

She loves the beach!!

Had Thanksgiving at the beach with family

Shucked corn while a Swedish film crew looked on...

Visited the Angel Oak, thought to be over 1500 years old...

Celebrated the holidays at Social with new friends :)

Got to go back to Kentucky for Christmas...and it snowed!!

Had the best kind of Christmas, a culinary Christmas....

And rang in the New Year with a cute boy...

It's already almost the middle of January and things are moving so quickly... so many exciting things to come. 2013 is going to be great!

Wishing everyone a happy, and healthy, NEW YEAR :) Cheers!

My New Culinary "School" - HUSK

So I did it! I have completed my last quarter of Culinary classes at Sullivan University. All that remains is my internship down in the beautiful Charleston, South Carolina. I went down to look for apartments back in August, and took my mom to my new Culinary "School" aka Husk... here is a little preview of where and what I get to work with!

76 Queen St.

HUSK

HUSK

Bourbon Sea Salt Rolls 

August 11, 2012 Lunch Menu

Grilled Crostini with HUSK Pimento Cheese and Shaved Benton's Country Ham

Buffalo Glazed Crispy Pig Ear Lettuce Wraps with Sweet Pickled Cucumber and Red Onion Cilantro (top)
Wood Fired Smoky Chicken Wings with Peach BBQ Glaze and Sea Island Benne (left)
Crispy BBQ Pork Rillettes with Sweet Pickle Relish (right)

Chilled Edisto Canary Melon Soup with NC Blue Crab, Sweet peppers, compressed melon and citrus

SC Heirloom Tomatoes with Matt Jamie's Smoked Salt, TX Olive Oil and Cucumber Ranch

TX Wagyu Sirloin, Confit potato and pepper hash, Heirloom pole beans, Beef Jerky Powder, Marrow Jus 

HUSK BBQ pulled pork sandwich with JI Carrot and Cabbage slaw, fried potato wedges

Baked Geechie Boy Grits with Surry County Smoked Sausage

DESSERT!!

TN Chocolate "Trifle"

MY NEW "SCHOOL"

So there you have it! I am so excited!! The menu changes not only daily, but twice daily, for lunch and dinner! I CANNOT WAIT!! In a mere 9 days I will be moving as much of my stuff to Chucktown as I can fit in a U-Haul. Anyone who is in the Charleston area, or wants to come for a visit, let me know!!

FOLLY BEACH! 

Spotlight = PORK!

I am not sure what inspired my pork-loving dinner this evening, but I'm certain I don't really care. I was delicious!

Boneless pork loins, bacon, prosciutto....yummm! OH and don't let me forget... DOVES from Monday!

For the MAIN SHOW we had grilled boneless pork loins topped with spicy peaches, summer tomato gratin, and grilled squash and zucchini ribbons with prosciutto! 

DESSERT: Bacon-Bourbon Brownies with Pecans and a Tahitian Vanilla Bean Gelato!!!!

I get these fun and yummy recipes in my "mail box" from Food and Wine Magazine... I highly suggest to add yourself to their list...Tonight's dinner was dedicated to pork via Food and Wine Magazine!

The Tomato Gratin and Squash/Zucc/Prosc skewers were very simple!

For the tomatoes, I used a large red tomato, 1 plum, 1 yellow, and 1 orange to add some color. I also added a little basil because I had some laying around.

 And for the squash/zucc/prosc skewers, I used basil instead of mint to dress the skewers!

Season and grill your pork loin/chop however you like it!

The spicy peaches you can adjust to your tastebud-liking....

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tsp-ish of dijon mustard
2 tsp-ish of brown sugar
a splash of white vinegar
1 jalapeño - seeds removed and finely cut
1 shallot
3 large leaves of basil
2 peaches, skinned and cut into chunks

The much anticipated recipe.... Bacon-Bourbon Brownies with Pecans! Now I used 8 oz of semi-sweet chocolate and 2 oz of milk chocolate instead of what the recipe calls for - I also added a tablespoon-ish more of bourbon (I couldn't resist!). My bourbon of choice was Bulleit Bourbon, but any bourbon would suffice! I also baked my brownies in a convection oven at 325 degrees. The gelato is a MUST TRY, whether it's with this little dessert or by itself...Talenti is the BEST gelato I have found at a super market.

YUMMM...it's only appropriate that I "OINK OINK" on this page! 

Thank god for pigs!

http://oclipart.com/pig-face.aspx 

Mr Pink Book Club Dinner

http://www.whoismrpink.com

I was asked to help with my mom's book club dinner not too long ago. They had read Mr. Pink: The Inside Story of the Transylvania Book Heist written by a good friend of mine Chas Allen. Since the author is local, he was invited to come and chat with the ladies about the experiences portrayed in the book. 

I was in charge of dinner, and wanted to stick with a Kentucky-kind of theme while venturing down South (way south...like the Galapagos Islands south...) and ending back in Kentucky.

First Course - Kentucky Bibb Salad with a Bourbon Vinaigrette.

Kentucky Bibb Salad with Bourbon Vinaigrette - Southern Living April 2012

1 1/2 cups pecan halves and pieces

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper *I left this out

6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled 

8 cups torn Bibb lettuce (2 to 3 medium heads)

4 cups trimmed watercress *I used arugula instead

4 large peaches, peeled and sliced 

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

         4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Toss pecans in butter. Stir together brown sugar and red pepper in a bowl; add pecans, tossing to coat. Spread pecans in a single layer in a lightly greased aluminum foil-lined shallow pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned, toasted, and fragrant. Remove from oven, and toss pecans with crumbled bacon. Cool in pan on a wire rack 20 minutes; separate pecans with a fork.

2. Combine Bibb lettuce, the arugula, peaches and the pecan mixture in a large bowl. Top with crumbled cheese. Serve with Bourbon Vinaigrette.

Bourbon Vinaigrette 

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

3 tablespoons bourbon ***I USED BULLEIT BOURBON!!

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2/3 cup canola oil

The main course was a chicken stew of South America origin...

Seco de Pollo – Chicken Stew

         6 lbs of assorted chicken pieces *I got two 3 lb chickens and broke them down into thighs, drumsticks, and breast meat (cut in 3 pieces)

6 tbs canola oil

2 red onions, quartered

½ red onion, minced for refrito

10 whole garlic gloves plus 4 minced garlic cloves

2 tsp ground achiote or annatto *I used saffron instead!

4 cups of beer *I only used about 3 cups

8 tomatoes, quartered

3 bell peppers, quartered

1 hot pepper (jalapeno or serrano)

1 bunch cilantro, reserve some to add at the end

1 bunch parsley, reserve some to add at the end

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Blend the beer, quartered onions, whole garlic cloves, tomatoes, bell peppers, hot pepper, cilantro, parsley, oregano and cumin to obtain a smooth puree.

2. In a large saucepan or soup pot heat the oil over medium heat to prepare a refrito or sofrito, add the minced red onion, minced garlic and achiote, cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the chicken and brown lightly on each side, add the blended puree mix, and cook on low heat until the chicken is very tender and the sauce has thickened, about 2 ½ hours. **The longer you let it cook the thicker the "sauce" will be....

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the remaining cilantro and parsley.

And lastly for dessert I made a Coco-Cola Cake from the Beyond the Fence: A Culinary View of Historic Lexington Cookbook.

Unfortunately I cannot find that recipe and I don't own the book! :( I also failed miserably at taking pictures of this event! But I can assure you that everyone enjoyed themselves and the food!

Please be sure to check out Mr. Pink...You can purchase book here!

Sabío at Dudley Square

The word sabío means scholar, wise, educated in Spanish, and happens to be the name of the new restaurant to inhabit Dudley Square. The building was built in 1881 and housed a school. Newly renovated with exposed brick walls and several large paintings, the decor is rather contemporary, but chic. Although by the looks of the school-house chairs comfort is an immediate thought, they are surprisingly comfortable.

Executive Chef and owner, Javier Lanza has done, in my opinion, a fantastic job marrying French, Spanish, Caribbean, and Asian cuisines at Sabío.

For starters, my sister and I chose the Sabío salad (spring mix, Asian pear, crispy onions with a golden sesame vinaigrette - $6)

We then moved on to two small plates... the Potato Gnocchi (wild mushrooms, smoked shallots, and vermouth - $8) and the Mussels (tomato confit, smoked chiles, lobster velouté, and saffron aioli - $11)

We decided to split an entree so we could leave room for dessert... we went with the Scallops (Pan seared scallops with pancetta whipped potatoes, wilted spinach, cherry tomatoes, a garlic-tarragon beurre blanc and crispy leeks - $26)

And lastly, for dessert, we decided on the Pot de Creme (chocolate with Chantilly cream and a blackberry - $5)...

Everything was delicious...we scrapped just about every plate clean...

Definitely a place to check out, and if weather permitting, the patio makes a lovely choice as well. Sabío offers Brunch 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; Lunch 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.; and Dinner 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. (Monday-Saturday) and 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (Sunday).

Be sure to leave room for the dessert menu...

And if you are not busy tomorrow, Monday July 16th join them for a wine tasting (4 wines) and cooking demonstration with Chef Javier. The cost is $20 and goes from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Reservations are suggested, but walk-ins welcome... 859.368.9901.

Eggs in a Cup!

One of my favorite childhood food memories is that of "eggs in a cup", which also happens to be a hangover cure... 

My dad always made them, probably after a night out, but nonetheless my sister and I grew up eating this little cup of yumminess. I'm not going to lie, it is not the most appetizing-looking dish, but what it lacks in appearance, it makes up for in taste.

Dad's Eggs in a Cup

2 eggs (or however many you want, and LOCAL fresh eggs are truly BEST)

2-3 slices of crisp bacon

1-2 slices of toasted bread (white, wheat, whatever you crave)

a small sliver of butter

salt and pepper

Fresh Local Chicken Eggs

Bring water to a boil. There should be enough to cover the eggs. Once the water is rolling, use a spoon to slide the eggs into the water. Do not pull the eggs straight out of the fridge and into the water, they will crack. You can either set them out for a bit, or place them in room temperature water, before placing them into the water. Set your timer for 4 minutes and 15 seconds. You are soft-boiling the egg, meaning the whites will be cooked, but the yolks runny.

Break up the bacon and toast into a large coffee mug. Mix in the butter. 

Once the eggs are done, rinse in running water just long enough so that you can handle the eggs. You don't want them cold.

Using serrated knife crack the eggs in half. Watch for any little bits of shell - you definitely don't want an added "crunch" when you are enjoying this...

Take a spoon and remove the whites and yolks. 

Mix into the bacon and toast. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

A delicious, quick way to return to my childhood.

And the best hangover cure I have found.

Happy Sunday!