Husk - Charleston's Sean Brock Leads Class

On a recent weekend, famed chef Sean Brock of Husk in Charleston treated the participants of April's Southern Chefs Series class to a fabulous two-meal extravaganza!  Chef Brock is as interesting a chef as I've ever met.  He is passionate about every aspect of food production, preparation, and preservation and is talented, insanely smart, and lots of fun.  As an added treat, because he lives in Charleston, he arrived a day early, affording us time to spend together.

I introduced him to my version of a Pimm's Cup (see my post of 8/22/2010), and we walked the grounds of the Inn and street in front of my house and foraged, yes, we really foraged.  Little did I know I had wild sorrel, johnny jump ups (which I've since used twice in dishes), and bronze fennel - all wild, edible, and truly local!  Sean reminded me of an alchemist in the kitchen - concocting all kinds of fascinating dishes.  What a great weekend this was!

Sunday afternoon arrived as did the class participants, and it was time to get down to business and learn from Chef Brock.  Under his guidance, the class prepared a sumptuous meal of roasted catfish with cornbread puree, wild ramps, and butter beans; pickled shrimp with coriander and fennel on bibb lettuce with Duke's mayonnaise (see recipe below); and a strawberry and benne tart.

Monday's delicious lunch was green garlic bisque with herbed buttermilk and fried green tomato croutons; slow-cooked lamp rack with spring favas, malted barley, and roasted black trumpet mushrooms; and rhubarb buckle with poppy seed-buttermilk ice cream.

Oh, that my kitchen could hold 100 guests so more people could learn from the South's masters who have been visiting my kitchen this year.  We are having more fun than I even anticipated, and I anticipated having a pretty fun time this year!

I hope you'll consider joining us for one of the Southern Chefs Series classes.  For a schedule of the remaining classes for 2013, please visit the Inn at Serenbe's website and, once there, click on the link for the Southern Chefs Series.  To register for a class, call the Inn at 770 463 2610.

Pickled Shrimp with Coriander and Fennel, Bibb Lettuce, and Duke's Mayo

Serves 6 as an appetizer, 6 shrimp per person

For the pickling liquid:
3 fresh bay leaves
3/4 cup lemon juice and the zest of one lemon
3/4 cup lime juice and the zest of one lime
1/2 cup orange juice
4 cloves of garlic, shaved as thin as possible
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 rib of celery, shaved as thin as possible
1 small head of fennel, shaved as thin as possible, fronds reserved for garnishing
1 small carrot, sliced as thin as possible
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon fennel pollen
1 jalapeño, seeded and shaved as thin as possible
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons celery seeds
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1 large Vidalia onion, shaved as thin as possible

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate overnight so flavors can meld.

To prepare the shrimp:
40 shrimp (16-20 size)
2 quarts vegetable stock
2 cups white wine
2 fresh bay leaves
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons salt

Bring the stock and the wine to a simmer.  Add bay leaves, red pepper, and salt; simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from the broth and cool in the marinade under refrigeration overnight.

To finish:
12 leaves of bibb lettuce, cleaned and dried
4 tablespoons Duke's Mayonnaise

Place some mayonnaise in the center of each bibb leaf.  Add three shrimp per leaf.  Serve with fresh coriander blossoms, leaves, and the fennel fronds.

Engaging Your Senses - the Reveal

In the February 20 post Engaging Your Senses, I recommended you try, as an exercise, to approach life with your senses more alert.  How have you done with this?  Did you consider what you can do or experience that engages each of the senses (touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing)?

For me, it's food; food engages all the senses.

It's the snap of a bean or the sizzle of bacon, the silkiness of flour, the aroma of garlic and onion sauteing in butter.  I love how food can evoke a memory and not always for its smell.  You might be transported back in time by the sight of a particular food or its taste, or, really, for any of the senses it awakens.  When I'm contemplating something, I ask, "What's its yumminess factor?"  For me, everything, not just food, has a yumminess factor to consider.  Perhaps I see life through food.  After all, and I've said it before, food is what connects us.  We absolutely must have it to thrive, even just to survive, but beyond the necessity of it, food serves as a unifier.

You can travel to another country where the spoken language is other than your own and connect with someone over food, whether it's something sold in an outdoor market, from a food cart, or from a fine dining or casual eatery.  And, the connection might happen without uttering a word.  Food can be the language.  

If you've followed my blog or been to my restaurant The Farmhouse at Serenbe, you know I'm all about fresh food prepared simply to provide maximum nourishment for the body and soul.  One of my favorite restaurants anywhere is le Relais de l'Entrecôte in Paris, and it's not because they have a lavish or extensive menu of delicacies.  They only serve steak-frites (or steak and chips [fries]) with a delectable sauce and accompanied by a house salad.  That's it!  It's simple, nourishing, and perfectly prepared every time!  

Having dined there several times, I know I will see, smell, taste, touch, hear, and experience an amazing meal there.  Those who visit the restaurant for the first time, and probably by recommendation, probably only expect to taste something delicious, with little thought to the rest of the experience, but assuredly, once there, the senses awaken; the experience is fulfilling on so many levels.

I subscribe to a mindset that when we are fully aware of our senses, we are more open to the beauty and grace around us.  When you engage each sense, how does that enrich your life?

Chef Andrea Reusing Visits Serenbe

On a recent spring weekend, the Southern Chefs Series welcomed Chef Andrea Reusing of Chapel Hill's Lantern Restaurant to my kitchen.  What a weekend it was!

One of the most exciting aspects of the series for me is the exposure to the many talented chefs and the range of menus, flavors, and experiences they bring to their class.  It's such a joy to have the opportunity to try different types of cuisine in an intimate class setting.  Sometimes we "travel" to other regions of the country through a guest chef's chosen menu, and other times, I feel as though we boarded a plane and landed in an exotic locale.  We traveled far with Andrea and what a culinary journey it was!

Chef Andrea enjoying class

Andrea's menu was inspired and clever.  On Sunday afternoon, we prepared and then enjoyed warm paneer, kombacha and date salad with red watercress, vadouvan shrimp with spicy carrot puree and cardamon rice, and Louisiana tangerine sorbet with candied kumquat.  In Monday's class, we prepared and happily consumed all night pot-au-fen (French beef stew) with spring vegetables in broth and crushed strawberry mess (see recipe below).

Kombacha and date salad with red watercress - it's gorgeous!

We are having a fabulous time with each guest chef in the 2013 expanded Southern Chefs Series.  There are still spaces available in future classes.  Proceeds from this year's series benefit Wholesome Wave.  Visit the Inn at Serenbe online for information on upcoming classes and call the Inn to register for Southern Chefs Series classes, 770 463 2610.

Crushed Strawberry Mess
Serves 4

For the meringue:
3 egg whites from jumbo eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
a pinch of kosher salt

For the strawberries:
About 25 very ripe strawberries, washed and hulled
3 to 4 tablespoons turbinado sugar, or to taste
2 pinches of kosher salt

For the cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar or honey, or to taste
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and seeds removed by scraping with a sharp knife

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with half the sugar at medium speed until they are foamy.  Beat in the remaining sugar, the cream of tartar, and the pinch of salt until the egg whites are shiny and stiff.  Spoon the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment to form 12 to 14 mounds, and bake for 30 minutes.  Continue to bake for an additional hour with the oven door slightly ajar.  When done, the meringues will be crisp and dry on the outside and tender and fluffy within.  (Serve within 4 hours.)

Place the strawberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the sugar and salt.  Crush them with a potato masher or large fork until they are juicy and a spoonable consistency but still chunky.  Let the strawberries sit for 15 minutes before serving.

In the meantime, combine the cream, the sugar or honey, and the vanilla seeds and pulp in a medium bowl (save the vanilla pod for another use).  With a whisk or an electric mixer, whip the cream until it is thickened and softly set but not firm.  Whip the yogurt and fold together.

To serve, arrange the meringues, strawberries and juice, and the cream in layers on a platter or individual plates.

This Week at the Farmhouse

Spring is here, and Easter is only days away!  We have a delicious menu planned for this week and a special menu for Easter.

Join us for dinner March 28-30, 6-9pm

Starters

Butternut Squash Soup 

or 

Serenbe Farms Mixed Greens with Apples, Pecans, Pickled Shallots, Goat Cheese, and Sorghum Vinaigrette

Entrees

Flat Iron Steak with Horseradish Potato Puree,
Kale, and Bearnaise Sauce

or

Seared Salmon with Serenbe Farms Sunchoke Puree,
Toasted Hazelnuts, and Asparagus

or

Margaret's Cheese Souffle with Horseradish Potato Puree,
Kale, and Bearnaise Sauce

Dessert

Banana Pudding Panna Cotta

or

Chocolate Pecan Bourbon Pie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Visit Serenbe this Saturday for the annual Easter Egg Hunt, 11:30am-3pm, on the Inn at Serenbe's croquet lawn.  Meet the Velveteen Rabbit, hunt for Easter eggs, enjoy face painting and storytelling, and meet our farm animals.  The $5/child admission benefits Serenbe Playhouse's production of The Velveteen Rabbit, coming this summer.  While here, enjoy the Farmhouse's famous fried chicken lunch, served from 11:30am until 3pm.  

  

Dine with us on Easter Sunday 
11:30am-7pm

Starter

Mixed Lettuces with Serenbe Farms Radishes, Scallions, Feta Cheese, and Mustard Vinaigrette

Entrees

Fried Chicken
or
Baked Ham with Coca Cola Glaze

Sides

Horseradish Potato Salad
Sauteed Asparagus
Roasted Brown Sugar Carrots

Dessert

Sour Cream Pound Cake with Fresh Strawberries
and Whipped Cream

Please call the Farmhouse at 770 463 2622 or visit us online at serenbefarmhouse.com to make reservations for this weekend.  

Southern Chefs Named 2013 James Beard Nominees

Some people wait with bated breath for the Oscar nominations announcements, others for the Tony Awards', still others for the Grammy's or Country Music Awards' announcements.  I wait for the James Beard Foundation's nominations, and they are out!

Congratulations to some of my favorite people!  The following Southern chefs have been honored with nominations from the James Beard Foundation in the following categories:

• Steven Satterfield, Best Chef: Southeast
• Sean Brock, Outstanding Chef
• Kevin Gillespie and David Joachim, Book Awards - American Cooking - for their cookbook Fire in My Belly
• Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart, Book Awards - American Cooking - for their cookbook Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking

Steven Satterfield

Sean Brock

Kevin Gillespie

Steven, Sean, and Kevin are all in my 2013 Southern Chefs Series lineup.  Nathalie has served as a guest chef in the series in the past.

It's exciting to have the BEST Southern chefs cook in my home kitchen for intimate classes of 10.  You can be one of those.

Call the Inn at Serenbe today, 770 463 2610, to register for an upcoming class.  Classes sell out in advance.  Don't delay.

Women Cook Everywhere

I had to keep this quiet for some months, but I can now announce that the fabulous publication Where Women Cook included the story of my journey with food in their spring 2013 edition, which is now on newsstands or available for purchase online.  You should find the magazine locally at Costco, Barnes and Noble, Jo-Ann's, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby.

Last October, the engaging Jo Packham, creator and editor-in-chief of Where Women Cook, Where Women Create, and Where Women Create Business, and Dana Waldon, a talented photographer, visited Serenbe for the photo shoot.

We had a great time both in the kitchen as I prepared garlic shrimp and grits with greens and while walking the garden.  Now that the issue is out, I can sing Jo's praises for the outstanding publications she produces for and about women!

I am humbled to have been included in Where Women Cook and hope you will enjoy the issue as much as I have been relishing it.  Nine other women are featured, hailing from Washington (state), Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, California, New York, and Mexico.  I think you'll be intrigued by their stories and inspired to make the many and varied recipes included in the spring edition.

Here's to women everywhere for the many reasons we take pride and pleasure in cooking!