As 2012 draws to a close, we pause to remember some of the best Southern cookbooks of the year, and we include a delicious and easy-to-prepare recipe from each.
Want to get a cocktail party off to a fabulous start? Send out a tray of Alex Hitz’s Gougères – from “My Beverly Hills Kitchen: Classic Southern Cooking with a French Twist.”
Want to reward Santa for staying up all night? Make him Debbie Moose’s Sweet Potato Pancakes with Orange Butter, from “Buttermilk.”
Looking for an elegant holiday side dish? Creamed Spinach and Pearl Onions, from “Fred Thompson’s Southern Sides,” goes with anything from turkey to steak.
Perhaps you prefer to read now, cook later. No problem. These delightful volumes will bring pleasure for years to come.
“My Beverly Hills Kitchen: Classic Southern Cooking with a French Twist” by Alex Hitz (Knopf, $35).
With 175 meticulously tested recipes and a memoir that recalls the gilded age of Buckhead, Atlanta-born Hitz gives Southern food a much-needed shot of glamor. Son of the late Caroline and Robert Shaw, Hitz sprinkles his name-dropping cookbook with photographs from the Carter White House and shares a recipe for the chicken pot pie he cooks today for Nancy Reagan at his home in Beverly Hills. With a nod to “The Help,” he writes lovingly of long-time family cook Dorothy Williams Davis (not to mention her cheese straws, fried chicken, coconut cake and the turkey hash she prepared for Mr. Shaw after his Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concerts). The Hitz wit is as sparkling as his silver Cartier tureen. He calls his Low Country and New Orleans-inspired repertoire “punched-up” plantation cuisine, and his legendary dinner parties are a mixture of the splendid and the down-home. Former owner of Atlanta’s The Patio by the River (now Canoe), Hitz studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Though he dispenses plenty of decadence (Bill Blass’s Sour Cream Souffle, Nan Kempner’s Baked Potatoes with Cavier, Billionaire’s Meatloaf), his mantra is simplicity. Hitz’s Parmesan Tuiles are nothing more than cheese and black pepper — baked to a wafer-thin crisp.
Gougères
Hands-on: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes (includes bake time for two batches)
Makes: 80 to 100 puffs, depending on size
The hardest thing about these French cheese puffs is grating the Gruyère. Yet as Hitz points out, your guests will think you are a “super-skilled pastry chef.” One warning: They are habit forming.
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup water
1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese, firmly packed
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, firmly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk, water, butter and salt to a rolling boil, about 3 minutes. Add the flour all at once, and begin stirring quickly. Keep stirring until the dough begins to come together and pull away from the sides of the pan. This whole process should take no more than a minute or a minute and a half. Remove pan from heat, and let dough rest for 5 minutes.
Using a rubber spatula, spoon the dough into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat it on medium speed, adding the eggs, one at a time. (If the dough separates, don’t fret. It will come back together.) After adding all the eggs, increase the mixer speed to high and beat in the Gruyère, the Parmesan, the mustard and the cayenne pepper for about 3 minutes. The dough should be shiny and sticky.
Using a measuring spoon, scoop the dough in 1-teaspoon increments onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, each mound approximately 2 inches apart. (Note: You may also use a pastry tube, and you may want to prepare an extra baking sheet or two, as you will have several batches of puffs.)
Turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 6 to 8 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before serving. Or let them cool completely and freeze. They will keep for up to three months in the freezer. Reheat them, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees and serve warm.
Adapted from “My Beverly Hills Kitchen” by Alex Hitz
Per 4-puff serving: 124 calories (percent of calories from fat, 64), 5 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 9 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 86 milligrams cholesterol, 185 milligrams sodium.
“Buttermilk” by Debbie Moose and “Pecans” by Kathleen Purvis (UNC Press, $18)
Keeping it short and sweet at less than 100 pages, The University of North Carolina’s new “Savor the South” series focuses on classic Southern ingredients. It kicked off this year with Georgia-born Purvis’s paean to pecans and Moose’s lovely treatise on buttermilk. (Stay tuned for Kelly Alexander’s “Peaches” and Miriam Rubin’s “Tomatoes.”) One crack at “Pecans” and I knew I wanted to try the toasted Pecan Pimento Cheese and the Smoky Garlic-Mustard Pecans (yum). As for “Buttermilk,” it was love at first swig. The Sweet Tea Buttermilk pie is genius; though you might suppose that sweet tea is an ingredient, that’s not the case. Instead, you infuse warm buttermilk with loose tea. And Moose’s Sweet Potato Pancakes with Orange Butter are the brunch show-stopper I have been looking for. Only next time, I’m going to put some bacon on the plate.
Sweet Potato Pancakes with Orange Butter
Serves: 4 (12 large pancakes)
Hands-on: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
“I think a drop or two of Grand Marnier wouldn’t hurt that Orange Butter one bit,” author Debbie Moose writes with a wink. We agree.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans, plus more for garnish (optional)
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
2 large eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
Maple syrup or honey for serving
To prepare the orange butter, using a fork or food processor, combine the room-temperature butter and orange zest. Refrigerate until needed. This may be made a day ahead.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pecans, if using.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweet potato, melted butter, egg yolks, and buttermilk. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix quickly with a large spoon. Do not over mix; a few lumps are OK. Use a spatula to gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter until they are incorporated.
Use a 1/4-cup measure to pour the batter into a nonstick pan on medium heat. The batter will be thick; use a spoon or the back of the measuring cup to spread it out a little, and don’t set the heat too high. Cook until lightly browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with orange butter and syrup or honey. Garnish with pecans if desired.
Adapted from “Buttermilk” by Debbie Moose
Per serving: 687 calories (percent of calories from fat, 41), 16 grams protein, 86 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 32 grams fat (13 grams saturated), 159 milligrams cholesterol, 1,073 milligrams sodium.
“Fred Thompson’s Southern Sides” by Fred Thompson (UNC Press, $35)
Sweet potato guacamole? Why, that’s just brilliant. Cornbread with ricotta cheese? Why, that’s just decadent. Bourbon Creamed Corn? Can’t wait to try it. In this book, North Carolina Thompson celebrates the Southern side, and you’ve got to love a guy who devotes page after page to slaw, potato salad, tomatoes and field peas. He pickles. He congeals. He fries. He sauces. He stews. Oysters with Pancetta and Garlic Butter. Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash. White Acre Pea Salad. Grilled Okra. Thompson, who also shot the photos for this book, proves unequivocally that for every season, there’s a side.
Creamed Spinach and Pearl Onions
Hands-on: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Water
Kosher salt
10 ounces pearl onions, trimmed
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
fresh nutmeg
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound spinach, washed and trimmed
Lemon wedges
Freshly ground black pepper
Fill a large saucepan about half way with water. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and bring to boil over high heat. Add the onions to the pot; reduce heat to medium-high, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain and run under cold water until the onions are cool enough to handle. Peel and set aside.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking, until a thick white sauce has developed. Add a grind or two of nutmeg and a bit of kosher salt. Reduce heat to low.
Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic. Cook for about a minute, throw in the cooked pearl onions, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach. and stir gently until it wilts, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the white sauce and cook a few minutes longer. Squeeze in a bit of lemon juice and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.
Adapted from “Fred Thompson’s Southern Sides”
Per serving: 687 calories (percent of calories from fat, 41), 16 grams protein, 86 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 32 grams fat (13 grams saturated), 159 milligrams cholesterol, 1,073 milligrams sodium.
