Frogmore Stew

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If you are looking for a 30-minute meal that is going to have at least one element that everyone in the family is going to enjoy, is fun to eat, summery, makes you feel as if you’re on vacation, and has a bit of history to boot, then Frogmore Stew is the answer. Named after a small Low Country fishing community on Saint Helena Island near Hilton Head, Frogmore Stew is sometimes called Low Country Boil. I call it wonderfully good! To be truly authentic, cover your table with newspapers, drain the pot, and spread it out on the table and dig in. The kids will love it!

Frogmore Stew

1⁄2 c. Old Bay Seasoning

2 T. salt

3 qts. water

1 12-oz. can beer

1 t. chicken soup base

2 bay leaves

1 lemon, quartered

1 lb. Melissa’s Dutch baby red potatoes, halved

2 large sweet onions, cut in wedges

2 lbs. smoked sausage, cut in 2-inch lengths

8 ears corn on the cob

4 lbs. large shrimp, in shells

In an 8-quart stockpot, bring Old Bay, salt, water, beer, soup base, bay leaves, and lemon to a boil. Add potatoes and onions, and cook over high heat for 8 minutes. Add smoked sausage, and continue to cook on high for 5 minutes. Add corn to pot, and cook for 7 minutes. Add shrimp in shells*, and cook for 4 minutes. Drain cooking liquid; pour contents of pot into several large bowls or shallow pails. Sprinkle with additional Old Bay. Serve with lots of napkins.

*If you are using shrimp without shells, only cook for 2 minutes.

"Out of Africa" Table for One

Obviously, by now, you have heard that Pier One plans closure of all 540 stores around the country. I am really struggling with this one. I have been shopping at Pier 1 all of my life. Back in the day, I got my first beanbag chair there (or, rather, my parents got me my first beanbag chair), and I loved it. 

I had a bohemian spirit even in my youth, and while my parents may not have had similar spirits, they did nothing to deter mine. I can still remember my mother and I painting my bedroom red, white, and blue, to go with my new campaign furniture, and stringing the white walls with floor to ceiling-length strands of alternating red and blue beads. Truthfully, along with the dark blue shag carpet, it was quite a stunner.

As I got older, I bought many of my dishes there, in fact, up until just before the virus hit, I still did. The last purchase I made from them, which will undoubtedly be my last purchase from them was nearly everything that you see in this place setting because I cannot resist buying tableware. Thank you, Pier One, for always being great providers of my “fix.” I will miss you, after all, we grew up together.

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Tablescape Thursday

Happy National Ice Cream Day!

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I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but today our temperatures are going up near 100°F. Combine that with our typical high humidity, and you have HOT! So what better day to celebrate National Ice Cream Day, observed every year on the 19th July. Here are some of my favorites (including a unique and tasty gelato), to help you celebrate. Simply click on the name below the picture to go right to the recipe. Get out your favorite ice cream scoop, and dig in. Stay cool, and enjoy!

Billie’s Chocolate Ice Cream

Easy Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

NO CHURN Tiramisu Ice Cream

Cinnamon Ice Cream

Guinness Milk Chocolate Ice Cream

Café Sua Da (Vietnamese Iced Coffee Ice Cream)

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Mocha Chip Ice Cream

Avocado Gelato

Green Goddess Salad Dressing

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There’s no doubt about it, it’s a crazy world. I’m not sure if it’s the current state of affairs that has caused me to become seriously nostalgic for the 70s or what, but I have found myself digging out recipes that my mother used to make, and re-creating them for me to enjoy. There’s such comfort in these old favorites; with every bite I'm transported back to the dinner table with my mom and dad, and, oh, how I miss those days.

I was in the mood for a wedge salad with Green Goddess Dressing, and found this in my mother’s recipe box. It is just as good as I remember it. If you’ve never tried it, you must. Do not eliminate the anchovy paste, that’s where it gets its flavor.

Green Goddess Salad Dressing

1/2 c. mayonnaise

3 scallions, chopped

1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, torn

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 t. anchovy paste

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

1/2 c. sour cream 

Place above ingredients into the work bowl of a blender or small food processor. Process until creamy. Use immediately,or refrigerate for up to three days.

Plum Tart

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I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but here, it’s July, and that can only mean one thing, it’s stone fruit season! And I am a girl who loves her stone fruits. Because I also like fruit desserts, and flavorful cakes for breakfast, I made this adaptation of Ina Garten’s Plum Tart. I used a combination of yellow and red plums in order to get a tangy rather than overly sweet flavor from the plums. It makes a wonderful dessert when served warm topped with ice cream, but it’s equally good at breakfast or brunch alongside a nice cup of coffee.

Plum Tart

Adapted from Ina Garten

2 c. flour

¾ c. chopped pecans

¾ c. light brown sugar, packed

Pinch ground cinnamon

12 T. cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cubed

1 egg yolk

1 lb. Melissa’s Plum Bites, pitted, quartered

1 lb. Melissa’s Honey Jade Plums, pitted, quartered

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Combine the flour, walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon in the work bowl of a food processor; pulse to combine. Add the butter and egg yolk. Pulse until crumbly.

Press 1½ c. of the crumb mixture in an even layer into the bottom of a 9.5" springform or tart pan. Arrange the plums in the pan, skin side down, to form a flower pattern; begin at the outside and work your way in.

Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture evenly over the plums. Bake the tart for 45 to 55 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and the plum juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer the tart to a flat plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mushroom and Gruyere Pizza

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I am in love with Jacques Pépin, and I’ll tell you what, if his wife, Gloria, didn’t look so formidable, I would give her a run for her money. Like many of you, I have been watching his short videos online wherein he prepares a wonderful dish in seemingly a matter of minutes. These short videos have led me to his books, and now his magnificent Heart and Soul in the Kitchen resides on my shelf of favorites.

Quickly becoming one of my most thumbed, this book is full of recipes that are simple yet elegant. Every one that I have tried is more delicious than the last, and I marvel at how he is able to make the most wonderful things out of the commonest of items. Because I had bought a package of flour tortillas, and then for the life of me couldn’t figure out why, I gave his Mushroom and Gruyere Pizza recipe a shot.

This is stunningly good! It really did go together in just a matter of minutes, the portobello mushrooms made this taste beefy, earthy, and complex, and I cannot thank him enough for giving me an excellent use for my flour tortillas.

Ever since making this, I have become a bit obsessed. Considering the cheese is a given, I found that quite a wide variety of vegetables will do. Essentially, with a package of flour tortillas, some good Gruyere cheese, and an assortment of vegetables, you can make a flavorful, can’t-stop-eating-it pizza in no time. Based upon personal experimentation, some of my favorite combinations are spinach/shallot/hearts of palm; portobello/red onion/spinach; portobello/scallion/bacon; spinach/artichoke/Parmesan.

This recipe makes two, but I can tell you that if you’re only serving one, the leftover filling will last in the refrigerator 1 to 3 days, so you can enjoy it later in the week. Get the kids involved in this, and let them choose their own toppings. This is great fun!

Mushroom and Gruyere Pizza
From Heart and Soul in the Kitchen by Jacques Pépin

2 T. olive oil
2 flour tortillas (8 inches across)
1 c. diced Gruyere cheese (about 5 oz.)
3 c. sliced portobello mushrooms (about 6 oz.)
2 scallions, cut into 1” pieces
¼ t. salt
¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Rub 1 teaspoon of olive oil on both sides of the tortillas and place them onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

In a food processor combine the cheese, mushrooms, scallions, salt, and pepper, processing until you have a course purée.

Spread the purée on the tortillas, covering the entire surface of each one. Drizzle remaining olive oil on top.

Bake the pizzas for 12 to 14 minutes until hot, bubbling, and browned on bottom and edges. Cut into quarters and serve.

Cilantro Pesto

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To quote Leslie Jordan and his HUGELY popular Instagram feed, “Hello, fellow hunker downers. What are y’all doing?” Me? I made cilantro pesto this morning.  I did so for a variety of reasons. First of all, I love cilantro. Second, I have no luck growing it because in this heat, it does nothing but bolt. Third, the versatility intrigued me.

Whether you like basil pesto or not, this is an entirely new ballgame. The taste is fresh, peppery, and complex. You can up the heat (or not) by using the entire jalapeño (seeded or otherwise), or eliminate the heat altogether by using none at all. The beauty of making a condiment like this is that you know it is the freshest available, it can be stirred into a variety of dishes to enhance your own cooking -- ranch dressing to top a Mexican salad, white rice to make cilantro rice, guacamole to add some zing to your dip, sour cream to turn an ordinary taco (or baked potato) into something special. It can be also it can also be divided into smaller containers (an ice cube tray would work here) and frozen. That way, you can enjoy fresh cilantro pesto whenever you want it, and enhance any dish that you please.

Cilantro Pesto

1 bunch fresh cilantro
2 T. chopped walnuts, toasted
5 cloves garlic
1 T. fresh lime juice
¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan
¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
½ Melissa’s pickled jalapeño*, seeded
1/8 t. kosher salt

Throw all ingredients into a food processor (or blender), and process until you have a smooth paste. Put into a container, cover, and refrigerate or freeze. Use in 1-2 days, or freeze.

*If you don’t have a jalapeño pepper on hand, or prefer not to use one, replace it with a few gratings of freshly ground black pepper.