Thursday, May 10^th- Cream of the Crop Dinner at Aria

On our way out of town we stopped at Crosbys Seafood so Chef Lee could pick up some fresh seafood for tonight’s dinner. Chef Frank Lee teamed up with Executive Chef Gerry Klaskala of Aria and Chef James Boyce of Boyce Restaurants in Huntsville, Alabama to create a delicious five-course menu. Chef Lee’s dish included Pan Seared Black Grouper & Charleston Gold Shrimp (from McClellanville) Pirlou with roasted Vidalia spring onion and pea shoots. Chef Gerry Klaskala served a beautiful Twelve Hour Roasted Vidalia Onion Soup with black truffle shavings he personally shaved onto each dish. The Vidalia onions were sent over-night from southern Georgia and arrived just in time to complete the twelve hour roast. Chef James Boyce made Applewood Smoked Duck Breast with grilled Georgia peaches and Oregon morels. Due to the mild winter, Georgia peaches arrived early and added that sweet flavor to compliment the savory flavors. The evening was a huge success and highlighted the talents of each chef. We see the making of a dream team!

Friday, May 11^th- Saturday, May 12^th -Tasting Tents

Under the tents of the festival and the skyscrapers of Atlanta’s Mid-Town, High Cotton Greenville’s Executive Chef Gary Mennie showcased his culinary talents and pearly whites as he provided delicious fare to patrons of the Tasting Tents. His dish was mouthwatering, and a mouth full to say, but it was worth the extra verbiage. He served Citrus Cured Ivory Smoked Salmon over an English Pea Panacotta with pea shoots and an almond brittle. Seconds and thirds were dished out to over 4,000 patrons, where many proclaimed Chef Mennie’s dish the best of the weekend under the tents.

Saturday, May 12^th- Tasting Demonstration: Hunting, Foraging, & Gathering

Atop the gorgeous Loews Hotel Chef Lee partnered with James Beard Award Winner Chris Hastings of Hot & Hot Fish Club, an award winning restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama for the Hunting, Foraging, & Gathering demonstration. This 45 minute seminar focused on the bounty of the south and using the nature as a guide to producing wonderful bites. Chef Lee foraged wild clams from Capers Island, SC and hunted Charleston Gold Shrimp from McClellanville, SC.  He also used wild chives and parsley from his yard. If you aren’t into the hunting, foraging or gathering, just join Chef Lee at the Old Village Post House or Slightly North of Broad for a local taste of South Carolina.

We thank everyone who came out to the festival and all the hard work the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival team. It was only the second year but we see many, many more in the future!

Did you go to culinary school? If so, where?
Nope, three and half years at SNOB with Chef Frank Lee gave me all the tools I needed.

What was your worst kitchen disaster?
Undercooking a party of black bass for the French Ambassador at Le Bernardin. I’ve never felt worse in my life.  And that’s before Chef Ripert got a hold of me.

You’re stranded on a desert island. What 5 foods would you want with you? What would you make?
E’spelette pepper, grits, a great bottle of vintage Dom, basil and tomatoes. I’d catch some shrimp and conch and find a coconut. Make a great ceviche with the basil to start, then shrimp and grits for the entrée. Finish the bottle  of Dom on the beach watching the sun go down.

If you could choose your last meal, what would it be?
The tasting menu at Le Bernardin with my mentor Eric Ripert and Frank Lee. It’s where I first understood and experienced what truly world-class service is. Listen to the two of them tell stories, kill a glass of Casa Dragones with Chef Ripert, a glass of Pappy Van Winkle 23 year with Chef Lee, and retire happily with my wife for the last moments.

What is the most essential item in your kitchen? In your kitchen at home?
Outside of salt, I’d say great butter at work and great red wine for drinking while cooking at home.

Who inspires you in the cooking industry?
Yannick Cam. Anyone who can rest and doesn’t.

What are your favorite flavors?
Anything that is balanced and flavorful. I really enjoy the craftsmanship that goes into very balanced, extremely powerful food, especially when the power is nuanced.

Where do you go when you want to eat at a restaurant?
In NYC, Kin Shop, The Dutch, or Il buco alimentiari
In DC, Bibiana, 2 Amy’s, or Sushi Taro
In Charleston, Butcher & Bee, The Macintosh, or SNOB

When you are designing a complete meal, what factors do you take into account? How do you achieve harmony/balance?
Inherent qualities and freshness of the food first, that will tell you the direction to start out in.   Then acidity and bitterness  to make sure the dish isn’t heavy. It’s important to know how to build food from the ground up, everything has a role to play and you need to structure the dish such that each flavor comes alive at the appropriate time to have the intended effect.

If you were not a chef, or in the food business, what would you be?
I’d probably be some other type of craftsman. I love the immediacy of the feedback and the tangibility of the completed project, as well as all the nuance you can gather from thoughtfully approached repetitive tasks; try to find the beautiful in the routine and continue to ferret out secrets.  My father has spent his life immersed in old cars, which I find fascinating in the depth and breadth of the body of knowledge he’s been able to compile.

Who did you learn the most about cooking from, and what was the most useful thing they taught you?
I succeeded in the kitchen at SNOB not through any inherent talent, but solely through hard work. Chef Lee taught me a skill set that allowed me to go on to a number of other great kitchens and succeed. Yannick taught me the value and beauty in thoughtful approach, and Eric gave me the importance of acidity and lightness. Without any one of those chefs, I wouldn’t have the career I have and the approach to food I continue to develop.

 Have the tastes of customers changed during your career?
It really depends, in NYC people are way more adventurous than DC and I think Charleston is a great mix; traditional, but willing to step out of their comfort zone a little. I think the support Charlestonians show their chefs is fantastic. It’s interesting that what would have distinguished an elite restaurant 20 years ago is now so commonplace at all price points, that it doesn’t even merit conversation. Chefs obviously and continuously bring new ideas and techniques to the table, but it seems that the dining public  has become more accustomed to seeing new things, and there is a large enough subsection to subsidize the most talented ones until their techniques have had enough exposure to reach a wider audience.

What ingredients/items do you have in your cupboard/refrigerator right now?
Noble Tonic #3 aged sherry vin. Bourbon Barrel Soy Sauce, Kerry gold butter, eggs, bacon, mustard greens, Jack Rudy tonic. My wife’s fantastic cucumber salad.

What’s the best advice you could give someone who is interested in cooking?
Put your head down and work as hard as you can in the best restaurant you can, until you can get into a better restaurant. Repeat. Work ethic and character can’t be bought and are the most sought after (and lacking) attributes in young cooks. I can teach a 24 year old how to cook, I can’t teach them pride or work ethic, those are established earlier in life. As a corollary, if you are young and are lucky enough to have a father with those attributes, listen.

What’s your favorite cookbook?
My wife has learned to dread the arrival of boxes from Amazon.com. Here’s the top 10:

I have yet to meet an American chef who hasn’t had some sort of special relationship with the French Laundry Cookbook. I think its one of those books that just codified and instilled so much pride in the idea of being an unabashedly American chef and being able to compete with the rest of the world.
Cooking by Hand by Paul Bertolli
On The Line by Eric Ripert is a personal one because it was conceived and executed while I was at Le Bernardin, so I got to be involved and spent some time with Christine Muhlke and see the process up close. There is a picture of a salmon leaping out of ‘water’ which was really two sous chefs spraying champagne in a makeshift studio in the salon upstairs.
Modernist Cuisine and On Food and Cooking are constant references for the how and why
The Blackberry Farm and The Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook are both great simple touchstones.
I love Noma, Eleven Madison Park, and At the Crillion and At Home by Jean-Francois Piege for innovation and inspiration.

If you could cook with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
Andre Soltner or Ferdinand Point

Our South Carolina coastal waterways reach the perfect temperature for shrimp spawning which produce delicious fresh shrimp. Since we are able to eat a lot of wonderful fresh shrimp here in the Lowcountry, Charleston Cooks! carries the perfect kitchen tools for all your shrimpin’ needs.

The Mr. Crab Zipper is a handy little metal tool that easily shells and deveins shrimp in one swift movement and makes it simple to zip through pounds of shrimp. It is also useful for opening other types of shellfish as well. It is available in our store and online.

Skrub’a Fish Glove is the perfect aid to hold, clean and scrub seafood and fish without getting smelly fingers. The glove also comes with a new and innovative de-scaling patch. These are available in our store.

Once you have your shrimp shelled and deveined with your hands clean it’s time to cook them. If you prefer your shrimp boiled, we carry the perfect product for that too. The Boil’n Wraps by Regency are mesh bags for pre-portioned boiling and steaming of shellfish. Perfect for clams, crab claws, lobster, shrimp mussels, and more! These bags save time and make individual servings a snap. Add Tiverton Farms Lowcountry Seafood Seasoning into the pot and you have yourself a delicious seafood dish! Both products are available in our store.

The fragrant white star-shaped flowers of the Confederate Jasmine

Spring is in full swing with highs in the 70s, pollen in the air and tasty veggies like tomatoes and asparagus available. Maverick Southern Kitchens’ properties take full advantage of the ideal growing season with various plants, herbs and flowers around the perimeters. Mrs. Dayna Elliott, resident green thumb, among other responsibilities at Maverick Southern Kitchens, tends to the gardens and flowers at each property. Let’s find out more about what Mrs. E has popping up this Spring.

Mrs. E with the Confederate Jasmine

* “The amazingly fragrant white star-shaped flowers above the awning and along the front of Slightly North of Broad are Confederate Jasmine. Confederate Jasmine is an intoxicatingly fragrant vine that is grown widely in the Southeast. Contrary to its name, Confederate jasmine is not native to the Southeast, nor is it a true jasmine. It is actually native to China. Regardless of its birth place, our plant has grown to be quite large in size. We’ve been ”babying” it for all of Slightly North of Broad’s 18 years. The base of the plant is at the corner of Faber St. and East Bay St. in small area of soil.”

Charleston Cooks! ornamental cabbage and asparagus ferns

* “Charleston Cooks! in Charleston has ornamental cabbage and asparagus ferns in its front planter. This area unfortunately doesn’t get enough sun for herbs. But we utilize our back “stoop” for herbs including mint and rosemary. Our Greenville and Columbia stores are still in progress but will sure to have beautiful flowers and herbs welcoming our new guests.”

High Cotton Greenville's Sweet Olive Bush

* “High Cotton Greenville has a “sweet olive” bush beside its front revolving door on Main Street. This bush traditionally graced the area around southern front and back doors.  The intense wonderful fragrance, which is produced by tiny white flowers that bloom in clusters along the stems, can be smelled from several hundred feet away and signify an “I’m home” scent. You might never notice sweet olive except for its enticing fragrance.”

Hostess Anna Young gardening at the OVPH

* “The Old Village Post House has the most available ground of any Maverick Southern Kitchens property and the kitchen loves to use the herbs from the garden and potted plants. They have chives, mint, thyme, basil and soon a lemon herb which Bartender David Read plans to use in his mojitos. Chef Lee and Chef Parker use the herbs for many dishes on the menu as well. And coming soon is the amazing “blue sky vine” which will be blooming in a corner of the Courtyard so be sure to stop by.”

The Chef’s Potluck is part of the Lowcountry Local First Eat Local Month, which highlights the bounty of local food available in the Lowcountry and takes place throughout the month of April. Slightly North of Broad, Old Village Post House and High Cotton have been showcasing their local dishes including Kimberly’s Soft Shell Crabs, Manchester Farms Quail and more! Visit our website to make reservations and follow us on Facebook for local updates.

The funds raised from Eat Local Month goes directly towards LLF’s work in Sustainable Agriculture. LLF is proud to have put 40 apprentices through its Growing New Farmers Program in the last two years. LLF will be launching their farm incubator and training center in 2012, which will provide an opportunity for farmers to share land, equipment, resources and expertise at minimal cost while building their market. The incubator farm will be the first of its kind in the state. Click here to find out more!

It’s Tax Day! If you haven’t already filed your taxes and used your refund on the latest TV or hottest vacation spot, today is the day to complete your filings! So after you hit send on your return, or if you’re old-school after heading to the post office to make sure your return is postmarked in time, here are two delicious drinks provided by Maverick’s own Wine and Beverage Director Patrick Emerson to celebrate the end of another tax year. These beverages will reward any filer, last minute or not, on Tax Day.

NOTE: Alcohol won’t improve the accuracy of your taxes. Keep this in mind.

Million Dollar Margarita

Old Fashioned glass with ice

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain:

1.5 oz Maverick Tequila Mas Fina

1.5 oz Grand Marnier Cuvee du Centinaire

.5 oz freshly squeezed lime juice

Garnish Fresh Lime

Late Filers’ Revenge

Shake all ingredients and strain into a chilled martini glass:

1.75 oz Maverick Renegade Rum

.75 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin

.75 oz Apricot Brandy liqueur

.75 Freshly squeezed lime juice

Splash grenadine

Garnish with a slice of star fruit

***This is based on a classic cocktail known as the Millionaire.  Mixologist Simon Difford added the rum to make it a true cocktail and it makes all the difference.

Maverick Private Label Spirits can be purchased at Burris Liquor (downtown Charleston), Southern Star Liquors (James  Island), Bottles (Mt. Pleasant), All About Spirits (Greenville) and Bouharoun’s (Greenville). To find out more about Maverick Private Label Spirits click here!

***These drinks are not available in our restaurants.

“It’s great to have restaurants like Maverick Southern Kitchen’s properties that are gluten educated,” says Emily Kimbrough, Culinary Instructor at Charleston Cooks! and gluten-free eater.  “I find all too often restaurants and their employees don’t understand the seriousness of my food allergy. This is one of the reason for my gluten-free classes at Charleston Cooks!, to educate so more people can have safe enjoyable cooking and dining experiences.”

Gluten is a protein naturally found in certain grains such as wheat, barley, rye and some oats. About three million Americans suffer from a serious medical condition called celiac disease. For someone with this disease, eating gluten-containing foods causes damage to the lining of the small intestine (where foods go after they have been eaten and digested). This damage makes it very difficult for the body to absorb nutrients from foods. One out of every 133 people in the US has celiac disease.  A gluten-free diet is used to treat celiac disease and other intestinal problems.

Be sure to ask our servers for more details on our gluten-free options.

]]> http://www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com/blog/mavericks-gluten-free-options/feed/ 0 Prince Edward Island Mussels Prince Edward Island Mussels SNOB http://www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com/blog/eat-local-be-local/ http://www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com/blog/eat-local-be-local/#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:53:04 +0000 Susannah Runkle http://www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com/blog/?p=3301 Read More]]> Maverick Southern Kitchens has been sourcing local produce since its start.  As Executive Chef Frank Lee likes to say it’s part of our DNA.  We source local to help support the local economy and at the same time provide our guests with the most flavorful and fresh ingredients available.

So supporting Lowcountry Local First (LLF) Eat Local Month is a labor of love for us!  The first annual Eat Local Month will be a celebration of the bounty of local food available in the Lowcountry and will take place throughout the month of April.

For the whole month, Slightly North of Broad, Old Village Post House and High Cotton will be highlighting their local dishes including Kimberly’s Soft Shell Crabs, Manchester Farms Quail and more! Visit our website to make reservations and follow us on Facebook for local updates.

Our Local purveyors include:

Celeste Albers Green Grocer Farms
Toby’s Clams
Keegan‐Filion Farms
Joseph Fields Farms
Ambrose Family Farm
Captain Abundant Seafood
Split Creek Farms
Burden creek
Anson Mills
Normandy Farms
Boone Hall Farms
Kurious Farms
Stevenson Place Farms
Backyard Gardener
Crosby’s seafood
Limehouse Produce
Thackery farms

The funds raised from Eat Local Month goes directly towards LLF’s work in Sustainable Agriculture. LLF is proud to have put 40 apprentices through its Growing New Farmers Program in the last two years. LLF will be launching their farm incubator and training center in 2012, which will provide an opportunity for farmers to share land, equipment, resources and expertise at minimal cost while building their market. The incubator farm will be the first of its kind in the state! Click here to find out more!

For more local fare, be sure to come out to Middleton Place, April 22 for LLF’s  5th Annual Chef’s Potluck where Slightly North of Broad along other  top chefs from the Charleston area, will be preparing dishes using local ingredients donated by local growers.  For more information click here.

In Charleston, the story of Mr. William Deas and his invention of She Crab Soup is the legendary stuff of history and tour guide fake-lore. Most everyone knows or has heard the fabled account of how Mr. Deas, the butler at the historic John Rutledge Inn, invented our iconic soup to welcome President William Howard Taft.

As a tour guide, I used to recount the tale of how Deas, the butler for former Charleston Mayor Goodwyn Rhett, improvised the soup at the 11th hour with the addition of crab roe. The punchline was always that the soup had been invented by Rhett’s butler.

Inspired by my love of Charleston and my background as a formerly licensed tour guide, I rolled up my sleeves and dug into my Lowcountry books, cross referencing on the internet. I was determined to drill down and sift the granules for the most historically accurate rendition I could find.

From what I have been able to gather, Mr. Deas was indeed a butler at the John Rutledge house, and does indeed seem to be responsible for the addition of the crab roe.  I discovered a reference in Joe Dabney’s Food, Folklore and Art of Lowcountry Cooking to 200 Years of Charleston Cooking by Blanche S. Rhett.

I dug into the text and on page 2 found that Mr. Deas did only lightly thicken his soup with just 1 teaspoon of flour to 2 1/2 cups of milk and cream. His recipe was simple and I could taste the flavors as I read through the recipe. I read on, learning that Mr. Deas was also apparently an accomplished tenor in a spiritual quartet that he never seemed to hurry.  On page 4, staring me square in the face, was a recipe for shrimp soup, previously unheard of, by Mr. William Deas himself.

Inspired, I continued digging for any details on the life of William Deas and found that he eventually made his way to Everett’s restaurant on Cannon St, where he ran the kitchen until his death in 1961. Robert Moss states that the Presson’s, who owned Everett’s, were so enamored of Mr. Deas that they named a dining room after him, complete with a mural of his cabin on Secessionville Creek on James Island.

So I may not have come up with the most accurate version of She Crab Soup, as it by now seems to have taken on a life of its own, as food and language are want to do. What I found were a few more details in the life of a man deserving of so much more than the punchline of a tour spiel. And a gift from Mr. Deas himself – a recipe for shrimp soup.

Thank you, Mr. Deas,

Forrest Parker

Shrimp Soup

2 cups cooked, shelled shrimp

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 quart milk

1 cup cream

Salt

1 tablespoon sherry seasoning

Put the shrimp through the meat grinder. Turn into a double boiler and add the butter, onion and black pepper. Simmer for five minutes, add the milk gradually, stirring constantly, and then add the cream. Salt to taste, using less salt than usual if a salted sherry is to be added. Cook for half an hour, stirring occassionally. Add the sherry just before serving.

This shrimp soup resembles a lobster stew more than anything else we could think of and is a medium thick soup. Without the sherry it would be a fine soup for the children, while the addition of the sherry makes the soup just the thing to serve for a “party” luncheon. The flavor is both delicate and unusual. Six generous servings.

Check out Forrest’s personal blog for more storytelling and mouthwatering cooking adventures!