First Frost Collards

Romaine Salad with Clemson Blue Cheese-Caesar Dressing & Fried Black Eye Peas

Spicy Shrimp, Sausage and Tasso Gravy Over Creamy White Grits

Pulled Crab "Cake" Soufflé

First Frost Collards
By: Amanda Dew Manning

As soon as the first frost came, we harvested collards from my grandmother's garden. Most old folks would not eat collards until after the first frost had fallen because they thought it made them sweeter. Grandmama's collards were sweet and delicious. I loved drinking the pot likker that was left when the collards were all gone.

Score the ham hock before putting it into the water. This will help it cook faster and release its flavors. If you can't find a ham hock, you may lightly fry 3 slices of hog jowl and use that instead.

1 large bunch fresh collards
1 medium-size ham hock
1 quart water
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt to taste

Wash the collards thoroughly. Remove the stems. Rolls leaves up and cut up diagonally.

In an 8-quart pot, bring the ham hock to a boil in 1 quart of water. Once the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer the hock for 1 hour. Add the chopped collards and cook for approximately 1 hour, or until tender.

When done, add the sugar. The ham hock will be salty, so taste the collards before adding salt.

Serves 6.

Romaine Salad with Clemson Blue Cheese-Caesar Dressing & Fried Black Eye Peas
By: Executive Chef Rob McCarthy
Soby's New South Cuisine: Greenville, South Carolina

At Soby's New South Cuisine, instead of using the traditional croutons that accompany Caesar salad, they fry up a Southern staple, black-eyed peas, and sprinkle them on top. Clemson Blue Cheese is an artisan cheese, made the old fashioned way. Each 288-gallon vat makes a batch of about 240 lbs, which is then salted, waxed and aged for 6 months. When it is ready, each hoop is scraped and packaged by hand. Purchase it on the Clemson Campus or by mail order through www.clemson.edu/foodscience/bluecheese.htm.

THE DRESSING:

2 egg yolks
4 anchovies, drained of oil
1½ teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup canola oil
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Clemson Blue Cheese Crumbles
Salt to taste

Combine the egg yolks, anchovies, garlic, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and black pepper in a food processor or blender. Begin processing or blending, slowly drizzling in both oils. When this is complete, remove from the food processor and whisk in the cheeses by hand. Season with salt to taste.

THE SALAD:
2 heads Romaine lettuce, washed, drained and split in half
1 cup cooked, rinsed, and drained black-eyed peas
Peanut oil
Thinly shaved shards of Parmesan cheese (optional)
2 tablespoons Clemson Blue Cheese crumbles (optional)
Salt to taste

Cook dried black-eyed peas according to package instructions. Rinse and drain well. Spread out on paper towels to dry. Heat the oil in a deep skillet to approximately 350 degrees. Fry the peas on 350-degree oil until they stop bubbling, or about 1½ minutes. Place on paper towels so that the oil will drain off. Season to taste with salt.

TO SERVE:
Place ½-head of Romaine on each of 4 plates. Divide the dressing between them. Garnish the salads with the Fried Black Eye Peas and top with thinly shaved shards of Parmesan cheese or the additional 2 tablespoons of Clemson Blue Cheese crumbles. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Spicy Shrimp, Sausage and Tasso Gravy Over Creamy White Grits
By: Executive Chef/Partner Donald Barickman
Magnolias, Blossom, and Cypress Restaurants: Charleston, South Carolina
Recipe from Magnolias Uptown/Down South Southern Cuisine, Wyrick & Company

This very popular dish brings together all of the flavors of the Old South. The stone-ground grits are a must. It's a great Lowcountry dish, which can be served year round and turns up on local tables morning, noon and night.

CREAMY WHITE GRITS:
12 cups chicken stock, homemade or Swanson's Low-Sodium
4 ½ cups coarse stone-ground white grits
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and white pepper to taste

Heavy-bottomed stockpot or large saucepan

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in the heavy-bottomed stockpot or large saucepan. Slowly pour in the grits, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and continue to stir so that the grits do not settle to the bottom and scorch. In about 5 minutes, the grits will plump up and become a thick mass.

Continue to cook the grits for 20 - 25 minutes, stirring frequently. The grits should have absorbed all of the chicken stock and become soft. Stir in the heavy cream and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The grits should have a thick consistency and be creamy like oatmeal. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve. If the grits become too thick, add warm chicken stock or water to thin them.

TASSO GRAVY:
4 tablespoons butter
½ cup sliced Tasso, cut into 1-inch strips
½ cup flour
4 cups chicken stock, homemade or Swanson's Low-Sodium
Salt and white pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Add the Tasso. Sauté for 1 minute, browning slightly. Make a roux by adding flour and stirring until well combined.

Continue to cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the roux develops a nutty aroma. Turn the heat up to medium and gradually add 2 cups of the chicken stock, stirring vigorously. Keep stirring constantly until the stock begins to thicken and is smooth. Gradually add the remaining 2 cups of stock, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens into gravy. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes to cook out the starchy flavor of the flour. Add the parsley. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

SHRIMP AND SAUSAGE:
3/4 pound spicy Italian sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, homemade or Swanson's Low-Sodium
1 recipe Tasso Gravy
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Large heavy-bottomed frying pan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the Italian sausage on a baking sheet with raised sides. Place on the top rack of the 400-degree oven and bake for 10 to15 minutes, or until the sausage is firm and its juices run clear. Cool. Cut into bite-sized pieces.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat. Add the cooked sausage and sauté for 2 minutes to brown slightly. Add the shrimp and sauté until they begin to turn pink, no longer than 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Add the Tasso Gravy and I tablespoon of the parsley. Bring up to a boil and let simmer for 1 minute. The last ½-cup of chicken stock can be used to thin the gravy if needed.

TO SERVE:
Divide the grits between 8 warm bowls. Spoon the shrimp and sausage mixture over the grits. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 8.

Pulled Crab "Cake" Soufflé
By: Executive Chef Marc Collins
Circa 1886 Restaurant, Charleston, South Carolina

Every year, locals eagerly await crab season and nearly every family has a crab pot or two which they drop into local waters. This recipe combines a number of our local favorites into a delightful dish that is sure to please every palate.

18 Large Blue Crabs

In a large pot place 1 inch of water, 3T. vinegar and 3T. salt. When this comes to a boil place the crabs into the pot and cover. Steam them for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly, crack the shells and "Pull" the crabmeat out. Reserve. This should yield you approximately 3 cups of meat. (the vinegar makes the crab easier to pick)

ROASTED RED PEPPER PUREE:

4 Roasted and peeled red bell peppers 1/2c. Sugar
1c. White vinegar 1c. Water

Simmer all the ingredients. Once reduced by half, puree in a blender and strain through a chinois. Place in a squeeze bottle with fine tip. Chill.

PINEAPPLE RELISH:

1c. Diced pineapple 1T. Minced chives
1T. Rice wine vinegar

Place the pineapple in a bowl and toss with rice wine vinegar. Add to this mixture the chives and set aside.

3 Eggs Boiron mango puree
2T. Mustard
1½ T. Vanns Chesapeake Bay Seasoning (Available through Food Fetish, Inc. (843-747-0749)
heavy cream

SOUFFLE:

In a food processor, add 1½c. of crabmeat, eggs, mustard and Vanns Chesapeake Bay seasoning. Puree this mixture. With the processor still running, add just enough heavy cream to make the mixture creamy. Place this mixture in a bowl and fold the other crabmeat into it. Add minced chives for color if desired. Reserve crab soufflé mix.

SWEET POTATO FRILLS:

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes

Peel and julienne the sweet potatoes, place them in cold water. When you are ready to cook them, drain the water and fry them at 350?F until crispy.

Preheat the oven to 400?F. Take a sheet of heavy aluminum foil. Fold the foil over and over again to form a 2½ inch strip about 18 inches long. Next fold the strip to form a mold that looks like a piece of cake. Fill the mold to the top with the crab soufflé mix. Bake in the oven on wax paper for 12 to 18 minutes or until firm to the touch. With the mango puree form a small pool onto your plate. Take the red pepper puree and draw your design. Unmold the soufflé onto the center of the plate. Garnish the plate with the pineapple relish and crispy sweet potato frills. Serve.