Food and Wine SOUTHERN FA VORITES
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A south Georgia TV chef,cookbook author and entrepreneur showcases Southern cuFisine by pulttinag newi twr ists on classic dishes
By Sarah James | Recipes by Lara Lyn Carter | Photography by Todd Stone
hether she is developing a new Recipes With a Twist recipe or embarking on a new culinary venture, Lara Lyn has been creating recipes since age WSouthern TV chef and entertaining expert Lara 16 when she tried to replicate a chicken crepe Lyn Carter always has something on the front dish at a former restaurant in her hometown of burner. Albany, Georgia. And she made sure that she had “Georgia She will be a guest chef at Whiskey, Wine & the tools to do it. After all, she had saved her Wildlife, a food and spirits festival on Jekyll Island, babysitting money to buy an electric crepe pan has a lot to April 22-24. In February she was a guest chef at from a local store that carried specialty cookware. offer,and I the Food Network and Cooking Channel South “My friends were saving their money to buy was proud to Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami. At the earrings,” says Lara Lyn, who still lives in Albany represent event, one of the largest food festivals in the with her husband, Chris, and their three sons. “I our state.” United States, Lara Lyn served Whiskey Bites, a was saving up to buy a crepe maker.” whiskey and espresso-infused brownie, and She had started cooking years earlier, how - Georgia Shrimp and Grits (which needs no ever, under the tutelage of her mother and explanation to any self-respecting Southerner). grandmother. “I started cooking before I was old “It’s my twist on enough to see over the kitchen counter,” Lara shrimp and grits, and I Lyn recalls. “They would let me do things like was the only person serv - chop a banana with a butter knife.” ing it at the festival,” says The first recipe she ever fixed by herself Lara Lyn. “Everything in it (mostly) were pancakes that she made to serve is from Georgia, so I took her mother breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day Georgia with me. Georgia when she was 5 or 6 years old. Even then, she has a lot to offer, and I tried to do it her own way. was proud to represent “I was old enough to mix the batter, but my our state.” grandmother probably did the flipping,” says
Columbia County Magazine 100 101 APRIL 2016 Columbia County Magazine 102 Lara Lyn. “And I wanted to put chocolate chips in the pancakes, but my grandmother didn’t think my mother would like that.” She reached another culinary milestone the summer she turned 16. Her mother went back to work to help her father with their fam - ily business, and she told Lara Lyn that she needed to take over the kitchen. “I took my mother’s and my grandmother’s recipes, and I put my own twist on them,” says Lara Lyn. Now, however, her appreciative audi - ence reaches beyond the family dinner table. With her cooking and entrepreneurial skills, Lara Lyn has built a career out of her passion. She launched her television career with her show, “Savor the Good Life,” which aired from 2011 until 2014 on WALB, the NBC and ABC affiliate of southwest Georgia. As the creator and host of the show, which won an award from the National Association of Broadcasters, she combined elements from Food Network and Travel Channel shows “wrapped up in a south Georgia format.” However, she ended up in front of the cam - era by default. “I could get people to do the travel part and the gardening part and the decorating part of the show. But no one wanted to cook, so I did it,” Lara Lyn says. “Only three guests Pimento Cheese Grits in three years cooked with me.” At the same time that she was tinkering 1 cup course ground grits (I use 4 ounces mascarpone with the idea of a TV show, she started writ - Gayla’s Grits from Shaw Farms) 4 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese ing a cookbook, Southern Thymes Shared , 4 cups chicken broth 4 ounces mild Cheddar cheese which was published in 2014. The classic 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup diced roasted red peppers Southern recipes are arranged into seasonal In a large pot bring grits, broth and butter to a boil. Boil for one minute, reduce menus that highlight holidays, seafood, foot - heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed. ball season and outdoor grilling. Turn heat to simmer, and stir in cheeses and peppers. Once cheeses are melt - “I collect and read cookbooks, and ed, remove grits from heat and serve. some of them aren’t very helpful unless
Sweet and Savory Quail
4 Earl Grey tea bags Brew tea in the water and allow it to cool completely. Add lemon juice 12 ounces water to tea. Arrange quail in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour chilled tea 1/2 cup Key West lemon juice mixture over quail breasts and marinate them overnight in refrigerator. 1 teaspoon salt To make the sauce, mix marmalade and mustard together. Cover 1 teaspoon pepper mixture and store in refrigerator until ready to use. 8 quail breasts (I use Manchester Remove quail breasts from marinade and pat them dry. Sprinkle Farms Quail) quail evenly with salt and pepper. Grill quail over medium-hot coals 1 cup orange marmalade about 8 minutes per side. Arrange quail on a platter and serve with mus - 1 cup Wicker & Whisk Port Wine Mustard tard sauce.
103 APRIL 2016 Cornbread Salad
5 cups cornbread, cooked and cubed 3 cups diced fresh tomatoes 1 cup Vidalia onion or sweet onion, chopped 1 cup chopped green and yellow bell pepper 12 slices of bacon, cooked crisply and crumbled 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup whole milk 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish with juice
Layer cornbread, tomato, onion, peppers, bacon and cheese in a bowl. Mix mayonnaise, milk and pickle relish together and pour over top. Toss together just before serving. Serve at room tempera - ture or chilled. This family favorite makes a beautiful presentation when layered in a glass bowl.
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Zesty Asparagus
1 pound tender fresh asparagus 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Wash and dry asparagus. Cut off bottom 1/2-inch of stems to remove tough parts. In a large bowl, whisk remaining ingredients together. Add asparagus to bowl with the other ingredients and toss them well to coat with the mixture. Spread asparagus on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
Port Wine Mustard Fondue
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 cup brown ale (I use Newcastle) 4 tablespoons Wicker & Whisk Port Wine Mustard
In a large bowl toss cheese and flour together. Heat fon - due pot to manufacturer directions for cheese fondue. Pour beer into fondue pot and allow it to heat before adding cheeses. Whisk cheeses and mustard in with the beer until all of the cheese is melted and the fondue is heated thoroughly. Serve with assorted breads, apple slices and vegetables.
Columbia County Magazine 106 gifts. I wanted to produce something that people could use in their kitchens in a variety of ways,” says Lara Lyn. “They have simple ingredients, and you can use them to up fla - vor or to make it easier on yourself.” Last summer she launched a new four- show series, “Thyme for Sharing,” on Georgia Public Broadcasting. In each episode Lara Lyn explored regional fare with a local expert at historic Southern locales including Jekyll Island and Gray Moss Plantation in Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee and Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home in Virginia. She then returned to her Albany kitchen to put her own twist on a signature dish from the area she visited. “Southern cuisine is just as diverse as cuisine from Europe or anywhere else,” Lara Lyn says. “There are lots of different influ - ences on our food.” And all Southern dishes are not one and the same. “The same recipe in one part of the South is different from the same recipe in another part of the South,” says Lara Lyn. “Shrimp and grits in Louisiana are different from shrimp and grits in South Carolina.”
Bacon Brittle
1 cup sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1 1/2 cups crisp cooked bacon, chopped 1 tablespoon butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper 1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix sugar and syrup in a quart-size microwavable bowl. Microwave sugar and syrup mixture on high for 4 minutes. Add bacon to mixture, stir and microwave for 3 additional minutes. Add butter, vanilla and pepper; stir well. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Add baking soda and stir until foamy. Pour onto heavily greased cookie sheet and allow it to spread on its own. DO NOT SPREAD IT! Let brittle sit out and completely cool, then break it into pieces. Store in airtight containers. Note: Microwave wattages vary. You may need to adjust cooking times.
107 APRIL 2016 She likes to create recipes that are easy to prepare, and she grows her own herbs. “I love the strong flavors that come from fresh herbs that you don’t get from dried herbs,” she says. “I use herbs in cakes. I use herbs in desserts. I use herbs in everything I do. You can dress up anything with fresh herbs.” She calls cooking and sharing food “an opportunity to express yourself and your affection for people, too.” “Southerners show their affection, their concern, their love, their warmth through food,” Lara Lyn says. “When there is a birth or a death in the family, or when new neighbors move in, you take them food. It’s the way we do things.” IC
Bourbon Chocolate Bread Pudding
6 regular-size croissants Tear croissants into bite size pieces and place them in a large bowl. 1 1/2 cups heavy cream Heat cream and butter over low heat. Once butter has melted into 1 tablespoon butter cream, the chocolate chips can be stirred in the mixture. Continue 6 ounces chocolate chips to stir until they are melted. Remove pan from heat and allow choco - 4 eggs beaten late mixture to cool slightly. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Stir the 1/4 cup cocoa cocoa, sugar, salt and bourbon into eggs. Add chocolate mixture to 3/4 cup sugar egg mixture slowly so as not to scramble the eggs. Pour mixture over 1/4 teaspoon salt croissants and stir in pecans. Be sure to mix all ingredients well. Pour 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, of 13th Colony pudding into six large ramekins that have been greased well with but - Southern Bourbon - 95 proof ter. Cover ramekins and place them in refrigerator for 8 hours. 1/2 cup chopped pecans Uncover ramekins and bake puddings at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 Whipped cream for topping (optional) minutes. If desired, serve with fresh whipped cream.
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