Cherry Pie

Tonight I took over the kitchen of Robin, one of my friends from Rice. She took time off of her busy schedule of learning how to save lives to work on helping create super diabetes with me.  Back in college, we used to go to House of Pies every Sunday night and try a new delicious baked good. I always swore by the strawberry-rhubarb pie, but she insisted the cherry pie was the best. Since it was her kitchen, we decided we would go with cherry. Despite our initial reservations over making our own crust, this turned into one of the best pies I've ever had.

Pie Crust
From The Secrets of Baking by Sherry Yard
Servings: 2 crusts
Time: 90 minutes

2 sticks cold unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup ice water
1/2 tsp vinegar

Yeah, all those little things are butter.

1. Cut the butter into 1 inch pieces and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
2. Sift the flour and sugar together in a bowl. Add in the butter and salt.
3. Using a pastry cutter, split the butter until it is pea sized.
4. Mix in a mixture of the ice water and vinegar  while stirring at low speeds until the dough forms. It should be tacky but not sticky (whatever that means, book).
5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap (but don't squeeze it together) and chill for at least an hour.
6. Split the dough into two and shape one piece into a flat disc lightly knead it.
7. Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough over it. Be sure to occasionally change directions to keep it round. The final product should be 1/4 inch thick and slightly larger than the pie pan. If you're having trouble keeping the crust together when rolling, you can cheat and just press it in the pie pan itself with your hand until it's the desired thickness (not that that's what we had to do...).
8. Roll out the other piece of dough and cut 8 pieces of varying length to form a lattice top.

This is a fairly easy but very tasty crust. The extra effort of making it over using frozen store crust is worth it, as this is crazy flaky (as you may have guessed it would be by the two sticks of butter).

Cherry Filling

Adapted From Food Network

Servings: 1 9 inch pie

Time: 20 minutes

2 cups tart cherries

2 1/2 cups dark sweet cherries

1 cup sugar

4 tbsp cornstarch

1/8 tbsp almond extract

1. Put the cherries in a covered medium saucepan over medium-low heat until a fair amount of juice has formed (about 5 minutes).
2. Mix the cornstarch and sugar together then stir into the cherries until fully incorporated.
3. Add in the almond extract and continue cooking over low heat until thickened. Be sure to stir frequently.
4. Let cool to room temperature.

Gooey deliciousness

Since you already have an hour of waiting for the crust to chill, you have the perfect opportunity for making the filling. Don't leave out the almond extract. It helps make this better and more interesting than your traditional cherry pie. Also, using a mixture of sweet and tart cherries keeps the pie from reaching any extremes. Just be careful not to eat it all after you taste it, or you'll have one sad little pie.

Cherry Pie

Crust and lattice 

Cherry pie filling

Coarse sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Pour the filling into the crust and spread out well. 
3. Top with the strips to form a lattice. Push the ends into the side crust to help connect.
4. Sprinkle coarse sugar (think sugar in the raw) over the lattice.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure to rotate once halfway through for even heating.

Use of a knife is recommended, but taking a giant bite also works.

Personally, I always found cherry pie to be a little boring, but this one really stands out. As I first noticed with my peach crepes, almond extract is a powerful background ingredient to help kick fruit mixtures up a notch. This pie was definitely worthy of a spot on House of Pie's menu. The only problem we ran into was that our crust was a little too flaky. Due to this, we weren't able to get very pretty slices, but your mouth certainly won't care. 

Top with homemade whipped cream (whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla mixed at high speed) or vanilla ice cream and serve.

Like I said, the slices weren't pretty. Fortunately, your mouth is not as shallow as your eyes are.

Now I'm ready to be a 1950s housewife. 

Favorite Dishes: Potato Gnocchi

Consequences of having too much free time can include deliciousness and The Price is Rightitis.

Unfortunately, I forgot my cord to connect my camera to my computer at my friend's house, so you'll have to wait to find out about the incredible shrimp tacos I made. In their place, I present my favorite Italian dish ever: potato gnocchi.

Back when I was at UCLA, I frequented this amazing little Italian restaurant in Westwood called Angelino's Cafe. It's run by Archie, the kindest man who everyone should want to be their grandfather. When I say he runs the place, I mean he runs it. He takes your order, makes it and serves it all by himself. It was there that I fell in love with the unconventional potato pasta.  The only problem was that he always wanted you to try something new, and you didn't want to disappoint your hopeful grandfather, meaning you were forced to comply.

Potato Gnocchi

From Food Network

Servings: 4

Time: 2-3 hours (depending on shaping skills)

Coarse sea salt

1 pound russet potatoes

3-4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

Basic concept behind the pasta well.

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and a layer of coarse sea salt (to allow even heating) and bake for 45 minutes.
3. Remove the skins and grate the potatoes.
4. Form a mound with a well in the center. Place three of the egg yolks, the parmesan, salt, nutmeg and black pepper in the well.
5. Mix well with your hands.
6. Pour 1/2 cup of the flour onto the potato mixture and press it into the potatoes with your knuckles. 
7. Fold the mixture onto itself and press down. Continue adding small amounts of flour, folding and pressing until you can roll the dough into a 1/2 inch rope. It should be somewhat firm but still give when you push on it. If you add too much flour and the mixture dries up, add the extra egg yolk or some water until the right consistency is achieved.
8. On a lightly floured work surface, cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a 1/2 inch thick rope. Cut into 1/2 inch long pieces.
9. Now time to test your dexterity and patience! Take each piece of gnocchi and press it against the back of a fork with your thumb. This indentation will help the gnocchi cook faster and take in more delicious sauce.
10. Stop halfway through and curse yourself for not having an actual pasta shaper or a sous chef.
11. Lightly flour the gnocchi and place on top of baking sheets covered in parchment or wax paper.
12. Set the gnocchi aside to cool for half an hour (flipping halfway through). You can use a fan or lightly fan them by hand.
13. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt. 
14. Once the gnocchi rise to the surface, allow them to cook for an additional 90 seconds then remove and drain.
15. Top with sauce and grated cheese.

An hour later, I had the "prettiest" gnocchi ever that lost their shape once cooked.

While these didn't quite reach the epic level that Archie can achieve, the gnocchi came in a not too distant second.  Having the parmesan in the dough itself helps make them practically melt in your mouth.  Top them with your favorite sauce and enjoy. As usual, I recommend vodka sauce (just go light on the cream). Now, I know it says it makes 4 servings, but really consider it only enough for 2 people, as you will undoubtedly be going back for seconds.

The Kennair-Kuelbsian Supremacy: Grapefruit Infused Risotto with Pear Slices

The scallops were great, but the gold star went to the risotto.

Now that I've cleverly built up your anticipation for the risotto recipe (read: was busy), it's time to unleash it. This recipe gives you the base for any standard risotto (minus the grapefruit), so you should try to experiment with different infusions and let me know how it goes.

For added comedic effect, squirt in your eye.

Grapefruit Infused Risotto 

Servings: 4
Time: 50 minutes

6 Mushrooms, thinly sliced
Mushroom Broth
Butter
1/4 of an onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup arborio rice
Grapefruit (juice and zest)
White wine
1 pear, sliced
Manchego cheese
Mint for garnish

Proper broth technique.

1. First get your mushroom broth heated (note you could also substitute veggie broth). If you don't have mushroom broth, just take some mushrooms and put them in a pot with water and salt or a bouillon cube. Once the broth is warm, keep it hot over low heat.
2. Sauté the garlic, onion and mushrooms in butter over medium-low until soft. 
3. Stir in the rice and cook for another minute.
4. Add about half a cup of white wine, some grapefruit zest (we found that just taking small chunks worked really well instead of actually zesting it), and a little bit of grapefruit juice (about 3 pieces of grapefruit "meat" not entire grapefruits). Stir frequently.
5. Once the white wine is mostly absorbed, spoon in about half a cup to a cup of veggie broth. Keep stirring. You want to let the risotto absorb the wine and broth but never let it dry up.
6. Continue adding in veggie broth and small amounts of wine until the risotto becomes creamy. Just taste it. Once the rice is no longer crunchy, you're good to go. This will probably take 4-5 cups of broth, and you should keep adding it in 1/2 cup increments. Remember to keep stirring.
7. Turn off the heat and stir in the manchego cheese. 
8. Serve and top with pear and mint.

It takes a while, but on the plus side, all the stirring serves as our workout for the day.

At first, I was pretty worried about the prospect of grapefruit in my risotto. I don't even like grapefruit on its own, so the last thing I wanted was it destroying one of the greatest rice dishes. It ended up working surprisingly well. The juice showed up nicely on the back end. Also, our decision to use small chunks of the zest instead of actually zesting it gave the effect of having two (equally awesome) risottos. Half the bites had that extra kick of grapefruit and half didn't, so it kept it interesting. The pear and mint topping was also fantastic. The pears gave a little bit of crispness, and both added a level of refreshment.

To balance the creaminess of the risotto and the scallops, we made a very earthy salad. We just mixed spinach, sliced mushrooms, tomato, pear and walnuts. Thanks to the other dishes, I thought this worked wonderfully without the need for dressing, but feel free to add some vinaigrette.

I definitely don't have too much free time.

My first cooking adventure with Kevin already led to two of my favorite recipes, so really things can only go downhill from here.

The Kennair-Kuelbsian Culinary Theory Part I: Scallops with Sweet Beer Sauce

You'll have to wait until part 2 to find out about the rest of the meal. Tonight we focus on the scallops.

Tonight marked the glorious reunion with my college roommate of three years, Kevin. Despite initial trepidation over his many Hawaiian shirts when we met on move in day freshman year, Kevin and I eventually formed one of history's greatest guy loves (a bromance to even rival Scrubs' J.D. and Turk). After graduation we both started working on our cooking skills, so I was very excited to join culinary forces when I got back to Houston. The result far surpassed any expectations I had as we made a dinner for the ages.

We're the two in the middle. We may have had a slight height disadvantage.

Scallops
Servings: 3
Time: 7 minutes

6 jumbo scallops
Garlic Salt
Pepper
Butter
Sweet Beer Sauce (see below)

1. Rinse the scallops
2. Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper on the top and bottom of the scallops.
3. Sauté the scallops in butter over medium heat for around 3-4 minutes per side until browned.
4. Top with sweet beer sauce and serve.

These scallops were incredible. I actually didn't like scallops until recently when I finally had well prepared ones. They have a tendency (like most seafood) to be overcooked and rubbery, but when they're done right, they can be cut with a fork and practically melt like butter.

Sweet Beer Sauce

The most versatile of all ingredients: beer.

Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6

1 tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, minced

Pinch of onion, chopped

6 oz wheat beer (we used Mothership Wit)

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp cloves

1. Sauté the garlic and onion in butter until soft (about 3 minutes).
2. Add the beer and brown sugar and let it heat up.
3. Once the mixture is warm mix in the cloves. Bring to a simmer and reduce by at least half.
4. Strain the solids out of the mixture and use to top the scallops.

All that work for about 1/4 of a cup.

By themselves, the scallops  were amazing, but the sauce really helped push them to the stratosphere.  The only minor complaint that can be made is that the sauce was a little too heavy on the cloves, so in the future I would probably increase the amount of brown sugar and reduce the cloves. It served as a great protein base for our meal that was completed by a grapefruit and pear infused risotto and a wonderfully earthy salad.

A fancy and delicious meal that made me almost feel like an adult.

Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion of our fiesta.

Favorite Dishes: Rhubarb, Apple & Rosemary Turnovers

The name of this dish is probably enough to turn off most people, but I have to say this is one of the best breakfast pastries I've ever had. I've been in love with the super tart rhubarb ever since I discovered strawberry-rhubarb pie in college (Yeah, college is a pretty wild time of experimentation. I even put ice cream on it.). Now anytime I come across a recipe containing it, I become instantly intrigued.

Fun Fact: Rhubarb is used in laxatives in China!

Rhubarb, Apple & Rosemary Turnovers
From Daily Unadventures in Cooking
Servings: 8 turnovers
Time: 80 minutes

1 cup flour
2/3 tsp + 1 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup cold butter, in 1 cm cubes
2 2/3 tbsp + 2 tbsp cold water
2 stalks rhubarb, thinly sliced
1 1/2 apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
2/3 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
Eggwash (Egg and tsp milk)

1. Grab your handy food processor and pulse together the flour, salt and 2/3 tsp of sugar. 
2. Pulse in the butter until pea-sized. Make sure you put the butter in carefully so it doesn't all lump together.
3. While still pulsing, slowly add in the first 2 2/3 tbsp (that 2/3 is just 2 tsp) of water until a dough forms. Press the dough into a disk then wrap tightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 425.
5. Add the rhubarb, apples, rosemary and the remaining water & sugar to a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer then cook covered over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the rhubarb is soft, set the mixture aside to cool. You can boil off excess liquid uncovered if necessary.
6. Roll out the pastry dough to the desired thickness (think small) then cut into 4" x 4" squares.
7. Put about 1 tbsp filling into each turnover.
8. Dip your finger in cold water then wet two adjacent sides of the squares. Close the pastry by making a triangle where each wet side closes to a dry one. Gently press with a fork to finish closing.
9. Cut a few slits into the tops of the turnovers to prevent them from puffing up too much then coat with the egg wash and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
10. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool because the filling will be hot.

The world's tastiest pinwheel

Everything about these turnovers works. The pasty is crispy and flakey and the filling is perfectly balanced. The apple helps subdue the tartness of the rhubarb, and the rosemary provides a wonderful aroma that doesn't overpower. My only suggestion would be to add more of the filling per turnover to combat any of the puffing that will go on in the oven. I also recommend checking out the website that this recipe came from, http://www.dailyunadventuresincooking.com/, because everything they make looks amazing.

Oven-Fried Coconut Chicken

Now that's a pretty All-American meal (well aside from the Japanese breadcrumbs)

Tonight I took over my college roommate Jim's kitchen to kick off my Texas adventure. I decided to ease into this by using a recipe I had previously made the vegetarian counterpart of (see, I told you it's easy to substitute). I set aside my weird phobia of raw chicken germs (I only washed my hands 20 times making this meal) and prepared this delicious take on fried chicken.

Oven-Fried Coconut Chicken

Adapted from MyRecipes.com

Servings: 4

Time: 2 hours (1 hour inactive)

I fought gallantly and eventually bested the raw chicken.

4 chicken breasts

14 oz can of light coconut milk

1 tsp tabasco

1 tsp lemon juice

Panko Japanese breadcrumbs

Sweetened flaked coconut

Salt

Pepper

1. Marinade the chicken in a mixture of the coconut milk, tabasco and lemon juice in the fridge for an hour. Be sure to flip the bag occasionally.
2. Preheat the oven to 400.
3. Dredge the chicken through a mixture of panko, coconut flakes, salt and pepper (you want about 1.5 times as much panko as coconut flakes)
4. Bake the chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Then flip and repeat.

The breading just wanted to explore the world.

The chicken came out fabulous. It wasn't overcooked like chicken tends to be, and the sweetness of the coconut was a wonderful addition to your typical fried chicken. The only real issue was that the breading had a little trouble staying on. I think this is because the chicken pieces had too much coconut milk, which kept them a little soggier than I would have liked. Another minor grievance is that the chicken pieces I used were pretty thick, so you got some bites without any breading at all. All in all, though, it was a great meal with the mashed potatoes and corn helping to round things out. In the future, I'd love to try this breading to deep-fry shrimp.

I previously made this with Gardein chick'n scallopini, and to be honest I couldn't really tell the difference. It was probably the closest to tasting like real chicken of anything I've made. The only downfall was that it was a little too thin, so there was too much coconut compared to "meat".

Finish off the meal with creamy mashed potatoes and corn.

Programming Note: The Texas Odyssey

Watch out, Texas, I'm coming to eat you! No kitchen is safe! Also, why did I ever get rid of that luscious Lincoln beard?

Tomorrow, I head out to the great state of Texas for a month. This means my posts might be a little less frequent than usual. I know that last sentence probably destroyed your faith in the internet, but this next one will surely revive it. While I'm there, I am going to cook with as many people as possible and learn new things like Texas BBQ and how to cook meat (I think they give you a flier when you cross the state line). So stay tuned for more exciting adventures of My Mess Their Kitchen!

There's a greater than 50% chance that when I cook the BBQ the flames will be real!

Miss Congeniality 2011: Migas

Winner of the Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover Award for Outstanding Achievement in Deliciousness.

Once again I was faced with figuring out a meal from what was already in the fridge. Naturally, I gravitated toward yet another wonderful brinner. I had a hankering for eggs, so I made the Tex-Mex version of migas (well as Tex-Mex as you can be without having real meat).

Just don't chop the eggs

Migas
Servings: 1-2
Time: 15 minutes

1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, diced
1/2 roma tomato, diced
Cheese, shredded
3 eggs
1 link soyrizo
Tortilla chips, broken

1. Sauté the bell pepper, onion, jalapeno and tomato in olive oil over medium heat until soft (about 3 minutes).
2. In a separate pan, heat up the soyrizo over medium heat.
3. Beat the eggs well and add them to the veggies. Cook like you would normal scrambled eggs.
4. When the eggs have started to fluff up, add some soyrizo. You don't want to do this when the eggs are still liquid because the entire dish will take on the soyrizo color.
5. Once finished cooking, stir in tortilla chips, remove from heat and top with cheese.

In essence, this gives you the world's greatest scrambled eggs with a Mexican flair. The veggies all add their own unique notes to the dish, and the soyrizo serves to perfectly spice it up. As always, the melted cheese is an amazing gooey treat because, well, it's melted cheese. The real star is the tortilla chips that give a much needed crunch. Normally, you would pan fry tortillas then add the fried strips to the meal, but I only had chips, which worked almost as well. Also, it would probably help to add milk or cream to the eggs to make them fluffier so they stand out more.

If you are shallow and want to spare yourself the less than pretty sight of the migas, this combo would definitely make a fantastic breakfast burrito. For a complete meal, just add a potato dish like hash browns.

The Ultimate Taco Salad

Last night's meal was Taco Tuesday at its finest. Love tacos but want to cut down on the carbs and fat some? Then try this ultimate faux meat lover's taco salad.

Ultimate Taco Salad

Time: 15 minutes

Romaine lettuce
Tortilla chips
Mexican cheese
Corn, heated
Roma tomatoes, chopped
Fake beef crumble (I recommend Morningstar)
Veggie broth
Onion
Soyrizo
Olive oil
Potato, lightly baked and cubed
Zucchini, chopped
Mexican seasoning (cumin, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano)
Crushed red pepper 
Guacamole
Tomatillo & jalapeno salsa (see below)

Double the fake meat, double the real fun.

1. First, prepare your fake meats. For the beef crumble, cook over medium heat in veggie broth with some onion and tomatoes. Make sure you boil off any excess broth once it's heated through. Sprinkle on the mexican seasoning and crushed red pepper. Mix in a little of the salsa to give it more flavor.
2. Cook the soyrizo in olive oil over medium heat with the potato, zucchini and a little bit of salsa. Soyrizo has a tendency to dry up, so stir in small amounts of veggie broth to keep this from occurring. 
3. Line the bottom of a plate with broken up pieces of romaine then top with the "meats", guacamole, corn, cheese, tomatoes, and tortilla chips. Sprinkle on some mexican seasoning and drizzle on salsa to finish.

My plating skills are improving! Except, this was highly impractical for eating.

My sister gave this salad the highest compliment. She said it would easily beat Hugo's Tacos in a Throwdown with Bobby Flay competition. Much like when my mom told me I was cool in high school, I can be certain that my family would never lie to me.

The salad really did hit all the right notes. The romaine was extremely crisp, and the two "meats" paired surprisingly well. Differences in textures of the "meats" played nicely, and the soyrizo combined with potato and zucchini was a fabulous mix. Also, the sweetness of the salsa worked great with the saltiness of the chips, so I would also recommend using this to make ultimate nachos.

Tomatillo & Jalapeno Salsa

Servings: 5

Time: 15 minutes

5 tomatillos, husked

1 jalapeno

1-2 tsp Agave nectar

1/4 cup onion

Garlic powder

Veggie broth

1. Boil the tomatillos and jalapeno in water until the tomatillos change to a dull green (about 5-10 minutes).
2. Remove the seeds from the jalapeno if desired.
3. Mix the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, garlic powder and agave nectar in a blender. Add about an inch of veggie broth (or more depending on how chunky you want the salsa) and blend.
4. Put the salsa in a pot and keep warm over low heat, stirring occasionally. 

I was trying to improve my recipe for salsa verdes from the Huevos Benedict dish, and I definitely succeeded. The agave nectar really shines to bring sweetness to this salsa, and its slightly chunky texture is perfect for the taco salad or scooping with chips.

Mint Juleps with Mint "Caviar"

The shrimp and grits I made with Courtney wouldn't be complete without a nice Southern drink that makes you wish you were sipping it on your back porch during a hot summer's night.

Mint Juleps with Mint "Caviar"

Servings: 1

Time: 2 minutes

4 fresh mint sprigs

1 shot of bourbon

1 tsp powdered sugar

2 tsp water

Mint "caviar" (see below)

Ice

1. Dissolve the powdered sugar in water then add and muddle mint leaves.
2. Pour in the shot of bourbon and ice.
3. Spoon in the "caviar".

The only way I could have enjoyed this drink more was if I was sitting at the Kentucky Derby in a white suit stroking my giant white mustache (ok, I've never seen anyone in the South actually do that, but it seems like it'd be awesome).

Mint "Caviar"

Science!

Time: 10 minutes

200 mL low calcium water (not from tap)

Fresh mint

1.6 g sodium alginate

2 drops Green food coloring

250 mL water

1.3 g calcium chloride

1. Prepare the calcium bath by mixing 250 mL water with the calcium chloride. Shake to dissolve and refrigerate it.
2. Boil the fresh mint in the low calcium water for about 10 minutes until the water changes color.
3. Mix the mint water, food coloring and sodium alginate in a blender until all the alginate has been incorporated.
4. Using a syringe, slowly drop the mint mixture into the calcium bath.
5. Collect the spheres in a food strainer and rinse with low calcium water.

They only taste a little bit like toothpaste!

This mint "caviar" is a type of spherification, which is one of the pillars of molecular gastronomy. The ingredients might be chemicals, but don't worry, they're safe for consumption. You can find them at specialty stores like Surfa's or order them on Amazon (for much cheaper). 

Basically, a spherification is a thin gel encapsulating a liquid. Think of them kind of like a really neat gusher fruit snack. When the negatively charged alginate bond with the positively charged calcium ions in the water, the various polymers of alginate are pulled closer together to form a dense gel network. 

List of things to NEVER do again: look up "gushers" on google image search.

The reverse of this process can also be done to give large "ravioli" like spheres. For this to work, you enrich your liquid with calcium and then dip it in an alginate bath. Both of these techniques can be tricky and take a lot of practice. pH plays a large role, so not all juices will form spheres on their own.

Thus endeth the science lesson. Feel free to wake up now, wipe the drool off your desk and treat yourself to a mint julep.

Shrimp and Grits with Fried Green Tomatoes & Collard Greens

Wearing the tails like fingernails is apparently frowned upon.

*This meal marks the first non-vegetarian dish to be featured on the blog. Don't fear, I'm still going to also make vegetarian dishes, but it just depends on who I'm cooking with/for. Also, notice the handy tags for "vegetarian" and "non-vegetarian" to let you filter the recipes, and don't forget that a few simple substitutions can change one type of meal to the other.*

My Saturday was actually completely packed with cooking. After my cupcake adventure with Jenny, I went to go make dinner with Courtney, another former classmate of mine at UCLA (I'm noticing a trend here of chemists who cook).  She's a native of South Carolina, so we decided to combine our culinary forces for an authentic Southern meal in the form of shrimp and grits.

Shrimp and Grits
From Library at the Vendue Inn, Charleston, SC
Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2

Grits 

2 pieces bacon
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp salt
1/3 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/2 celery stalk, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 shakes tabasco sauce
2 shakes Worcestershire sauce
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
Quick Grits
Water
Heavy Cream
Cheddar Cheese
10 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp butter

1. Sauté the bacon in olive oil over medium heat stirring frequently until the bacon is almost cooked.
2. Add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook until the onion softens (about 5 minutes).
3. Add the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce. Continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Deglaze the pot with wine then reduce heat to low or medium-low and let simmer until the tomatoes start to incorporate into the sauce. The longer you let it cook, the better the flavor.
6. Sauté the shrimp in 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat until they start to turn orange (about 2 minutes per side). Right before they are done cooking, add the sauce and let finish. 
7. The grits will vary depending on what kind of grits you have. With the quick grits, measure out the amount of liquid you need as a 2:1 ratio of water to heavy cream. Bring the liquid to a boil in a pot then slowly pour in the grits while whisking constantly.
8. Reduce the heat and let simmer covered for the time recommended on the package. This will allow the grits to absorb all the liquid.
9. Whisk in additional heavy cream to help with the consistency of the grits and add your cheddar cheese and 1 tbsp of butter. Serve immediately in a bowl topped with the shrimp and sauce.

I want my kitchen to always smell like this.

If you're not from the South, you might be wondering "What are grits". Well, I'll save you the trip to wikipedia. They're a cousin of polenta made up of coarsely ground cornmeal or hominy combined with liquid to give an oatmeal-like consistency. Typically, they're eaten at breakfast with fried eggs. The most important thing to know about them is that they are absolutely delectable.

It's pretty hard to find real grits out here, so we had to settle for quick grits. You have to be careful with quick grits because they typically form a less than desirable texture. Thus we added a lot of heavy cream and butter to counteract this.  The end result would have made any Southerner proud. Our sauce combined with the creamy grits was utterly mouth-watering. We were literally making "mmm" faces after each bite until it was sadly over. We then stared longingly at our empty bowls for a solid 10 minutes.

Fried Green Tomatoes
Servings: 4
Time: 30 minutes

2 green heirloom tomato, cored
Heavy cream
Panko bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Slice the tomatoes to a thickness of about 1/2 an inch.
3. Dip both sides of the tomato in the heavy cream then roll them in the bread crumbs.
4. Cook for 25-30 minutes then top with parmesan cheese.

Peppered Collard Greens

New technique learned: Chiffonading

From Peninsula Grill, Charleston SC

Servings: 2

Time: 30 minutes

1 bunch collard greens

Water

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1/3 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tbsp vinegar

1. Remove the stems from the collard greens. Stack and chiffonade the leaves into very thin strips (1/4 inch or less). Normally collard greens take a long time to cook, but this will cut the time down considerably.
2. Bring water and salt to a boil in a large pot.
3. Blanche the greens for 3 minutes then drain and rinse with cold water. Dry the greens.
4. Sauté the shallots in olive oil. Add the greens and simmer covered on low heat until heated through (about 5 minutes).
5. Toss with pepper and vinegar.

As with all good Southern food, the veggies can be made better by frying.

These veggies were a fabulous addition to the meal. The fried green tomatoes helped add some much needed crunchy texture to the meal and the vinegar of the collard greens was a nice touch. I found that wrapping the greens around the tomatoes provided the best results. While quite satisfied with the veggies, I would probably adjust the cooking temperature of the tomatoes next time to make them even crispier. 

I don't know that I've ever been sadder than when there was no more.

Courtney and my attack of Southern food was a smashing success. Somehow, I managed to not overcook the first meat I've prepared in six months, and we made the best version of shrimp and grits I've ever had (not a small feat considering we were stuck with quick grits).  Now we just need to figure out what cuisine to tackle next.