The New Southern Table: Classic Ingredients Revisited - Softcover

Stephens, Brys

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1592335853 ISBN 13: 9781592335855

Publisher: Fair Winds Press, 2014

Synopsis

Immerse yourself in The New Southern Table, a celebration of food, culture, and quintessential Southern ingredients. Food writer, photographer, and fifth-generation Southerner, Brys Stephens, shares his love of travel and food and reinterprets classic Southern ingredients with recipes from diverse world traditions. Often oversimplified as "y'all" cuisine, Southern food, at its heart and soul, has always been fueled by local ingredients and flavors. Okra, peaches, pecans, and collard greens are just a few of the beloved Southern ingredients found on farms - and dinner tables - all across the American South. Many world cuisines have even developed age-old flavor combinations, techniques, and dishes based on these very same ingredients--from lima beans and sweet potatoes in South America to corn and watermelon in Asia. With 100 recipes, each showcasing home-grown ingredients, The New Southern Table tours through French, Mediterranean, Asian, and Latin cuisines. Try Greek-inspired Okra with Tomato, Feta, and Marjoram or Caribbean-infused Coconut Hoppin' John. Savor flavor-infused main dishes such as Herb Grilled Bison with Fig Chutney and sides such as Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Tahini Yogurt, a unique spin on meat and potatoes. Sicilian Watermelon Pudding elegantly balances sweet, sour, and bitter flavors. With simple ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions, the recipes in this book will quickly become down-home favorites at American tables, new and old.

About this title

Review:

Sweet Potato Cornbread
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Sweet Potato Cornbread

"This is one of my favorite takes on traditional corn bread. Sweet potato purée, when mixed in with cornmeal, adds a nice depth of flavor and nutritional integrity and a beautiful bright orange color. This is the base recipe, but the variations are endless: Try adding diced hot chiles, fresh herbs such as rosemary or chives, or grated aged cheese, or substituting sour cream or crème fraîche in place of the yogurt. "

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5). Pierce the sweet potato all over with a fork and bake directly on the middle rack of the oven for about 1 hour, or until tender all the way through. Alternatively, cook the sweet potato in a microwave on high, turning over once, about 10 minutes, or until tender. Let the sweet potato cool slightly, then peel and purée either with a potato ricer or masher. You’ll need 1 cup (255 g) of purée. Butter a 9 x 9 x 2-inch (23 x 23 x 5 cm), or similar size, baking pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 cup (255 g) puréed sweet potatoes, eggs, buttermilk, and yogurt. Place the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, ginger, and cayenne pepper in a food processor, and pulse until combined. Add the butter to the food processor, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add this cornmeal mixture to the sweet potato mixture, stir until just combined, and pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until the corn bread is golden brown on top and a paring knife inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool slightly before serving.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (455 g) orange-fleshed sweet potato (about 1 large)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup (235 ml) buttermilk
• 1⁄2 cup (115 g) full-fat plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon (2 g) lemon zest
• 2 1⁄3 cups (322 g) finely ground cornmeal
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (11 g) baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons (12 g) fine salt or table salt
• 2 teaspoons (9 g) granulated sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 10 tablespoons (143 g) cold unsalted butter, diced

About the Author:

Brys Stephens is a writer, consultant, and photographer based in Charleston, South Carolina. He has written for Bon Appetit, Garden and Gun, Charleston Magazine, and is a former restaurant critic at the Charleston City Paper. In 2006, he founded the cooking website, Cookthink.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fair Winds Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1592335853
• ISBN 13: 9781592335855
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 200