Seeking Inspiration From Two-Hundred Years Past

Several months ago I was fortunate to come across a rare book titled "200 Years of Charleston Cooking" by Blanche Rhett, Lettie Gay, and Helen Woodward. This gem of a book, originally published in 1930, covers recipes and techniques dating back to the 1700's. Three-hundred pages are divided into epic categories such as "Poultry & Dressings" , "Salads & Relishes", and "Plantation Drinks". 

Page ix "Charleston in South Carolina is a foreign city. In no way does it seem like any other place in America. Just as its fine old houses turn their sides and look askance at noise and confusion. Her culture like her streets, is flower scented. But this is no simple culture. It is the complex outgrowth of a long, slow mixture of peoples, and its natural beauty of blue bay and crystal skies is aglow with rich memories of gracious living. As always in such a civilization, cooking here is not a necessity but an art. The cooking of Charleston, like the city itself, is like nothing else in the world. It has been my good fortune to keep house for a long time in Paris, and I think that the cooking of Charleston can compare favorably with that of France."  ~Helen Woodward

After reading this book in one sitting, a new perspective was gained concerning the historical dishes of our city. Do we all really know the history of she-crab bisque? Can we name the African-American cook whom originally devised the recipe? How do you make "Pine Bark Stew"? The answers can be found here and I must say they are game-changing.

A nod must be given to the "Plantation Drinks" chapter which is loaded with history and unique concoctions. From "Persimmon Beer" to "Cherry Shrub" (variation currently available in The Ocean Room Lounge) the surprises are endless. This chapter also houses specific instructions on how to make: "Moyan" (Peach Cordial, "Blackberry Wine", and "Mead". Stay tuned to see what evolves from the sharing of knowledge from over two-hundreds years past.

~ Go see my friends at the Heirloom Book Company on King Street to get your own copy of this work. 

www.heirloombookco.com

Taste of Charleston Menu: Southern Harvest "Pate"- Melt

Mibek Farms Peanut-Hay Feed Beef

Ashe County Marble Cheddar

Benton's Bacon

Sweetbay Farms Butter Lettuce

Geechie Boy Mills White Cornmeal

Sea Island Honey

What do the above items all have in common? First of all, they are all southern gems symbolic of the evolving availability of amazing products readily available to us. Next, they are all components of our Southern Harvest "Pate"- Melt that we created exclusively for the 2011 Taste of Charleston held at Boone Hall Plantation this weekend (Oct 7-9, 2011). For our dish we took the amazingly marbled Mibek Farms (Walterboro, SC) beef and made it into a luxurious pate. Next, we stuffed this pate in some white corn brioche made from Geechie Boy Mills White Cornmeal (Edisto, SC). To take it a step further we added a smokey Benton's bacon (Tennessee) and onion jam, marble cheddar from Ashe County Cheese of West Jefferson, NC, and tender butter lettuce from Sweet Bay Farms (Huger, SC). Come see us this weekend so you enjoy your very own "pate"- melt and get a true taste of what our South has to offer.

http://www.charlestonrestaurantassociation.com/taste-of-charleston/

Guerilla Cuisine ~ History Channel Shoot

Several days ago the Ocean Room team was selected to showcase historical dishes of Charleston for an upcoming History Channel show featuring Guerilla Cuisine. We had amazing weather on a warm Sunday afternoon at the Crosby family dock accomodating around fifty guests. The old school menu consisted of Frogmore Stew, Local Shrimp & Geechie Boy Mills "Big Grits", Keegan Filion Farms Heritage Pork Liver Mush, and of course Coconut Layer Cake for dessert. Working around the cameras and the film crew was challenging but it was pretty smooth since they were a top-notch team. Cooking on this old iconic dock was truly guerilla, without many of the luxuries we are used to -but that whats all about. 

Liver Mush - Nose to Tail Utilization

 

Over the past couple of weeks the words "liver mush" has left my lips several times. The response is often composed of a raised eyebrow and maybe a frown of disgust. This audience obviously does not have a clue about this southern staple that has been part of the southern family tradition for years. Many southern families, like my own, had a natural respect for animals. We could not fathom wasting any part of an animal- so preparations like liver mush were paramount to our survival. 

Liver mush is essentially a technique that uses many of the undesirable cuts of a hog such as the head, liver, heart, and kidneys. All parts are simmered together, picked, chilled, and then ground. Next, a hearty polenta is made and then the succulent ground pork mixture is folded in. Next, the mixture is chilled and shaped into loaf form. Liver mush can be seared, broil, or fried which is the most popular way. During the warm summer months in Western North Carolina, my family would pan-fry it and serve it with biscuits, scrambled farm eggs, and heirloom tomatoes marinated in sea salt and apple cider vinegar. 

Last week, the Ocean Room team followed the same technique and came up with our own rendition utilizing all the traditional parts from a Keegan-Filion Farms hog. We served it with a sweet late summer corn puree, roasted baby potatoes, charred corn, and a tangy green tomato chow-chow. Once again as I offered it to my guests- I got a couple confused facial expressions. However, in the end we had many converted fans of liver mush. 

 ~ Click on the link below to learn more about "liver mush"

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/06/08/liver-mush-a-north-carolina-treat-from-way-back-when/

Baldwin Family Farm Muscadines

Last week the Ocean Room team visited the Baldwin Family Farm(Ravenel, SC) to pick muscadines for our restaurant. Fortunately, we were able to visit during the peak of the growing season which yileds sweet and juicy grapes. The uniquely flavored muscadine variety of grapes is one of the few varieties that can really thrive in our warm southern climate. I'm not sure whether we picked or ate more off the vines but in the end we were eager to get back to the kitchen to work with them. Ashley Kennedy, our pastry chef, was able to put together an amazing dessert that showcased the truly unique flavors of these southern grapes. This simple yet elegant dessert consisted of a purple muscadine sorbet, golden muscadine filets, and sugar tuiles shaped like grape leaves. We found that the process below yielded the best results for maximum juice extraction. Also, we found we were able to extract a darker colored juice which really imparted unique characteristics.

Juicing Technique

Take Grapes Off Vine > Cryovak & Compress Grapes > Freeze Grapes Within Bag > Thaw Grapes > Juice Grapes