It was a crisp fall evening in my early days of journalism at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, and with three young daughters, the thought of some free time during some pressing deadlines was a rarity. But it did happen on occasion, so in my small kitchen on Lookout Mountain, I often spent whatever free time I had experimenting, puttering and, naturally, nibbling, along with my three little helpers.

One afternoon on the way home, I remember stopping at the Red Food Store on Broad Street - that takes us back a little, right? Pork chops were on sale, so I picked some up and made the trek up the mountain.

This was when my cookbook collection consisted of a 1980s copy of “Joy of Cooking,” “Charleston Receipts,” and an old worn-out copy of “From Julia Child’s Kitchen.” Maybe there were a couple more, but that was about it. Nothing compared to the voluminous cookbook library I have today. 

A quick look through one of those - who knows which one - turned up pork chops with apples baked on a bed of sauerkraut. An interesting idea, and though my children wouldn’t touch the sauerkraut, I knew they’d enjoy the pork chops and apples.

It was soon in the oven, and I settled in with a glass of wine and the occasional interruption of someone needing help with homework. 

Not every experiment in that little kitchen had such a happy ending. But after four decades and, admittedly, a few culinary disasters, I still go back to this dish, especially in the fall when apples are in season and the thought of the season of comfort food is tugging at my soul.

Oven-Braised Pork Chops with Apples and Sauerkraut
This recipe is easily doubled for four.

• 2 (1-inch-thick) center-cut pork loin chops
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 thick-cut slices of bacon, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium tart apples such as Winesap
• or Granny Smith, washed, cored, peeled, and diced 
• 3 cups sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet white wine, such as Riesling

Position a rack in center of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Wrap the pork chops with paper towels and pat them dry. Unwrap and season them well with salt and pepper.

Sauté the bacon in a heavy-duty skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Remove it with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels. Add the chops and brown them well (about four minutes per side). Remove them and spoon off most of the fat.

Add the onion and sauté until translucent and golden, about five minutes. Add the apples and toss until hot through. Pour in the wine, stirring and scraping pan to loosen the cooking residue, then mix in the kraut, brown sugar, mustard and reserved bacon. Season with pepper, to taste, stir well, and level the top with a spatula. Lay the chops on top, cover tightly, and bake in center of the oven until the meat is cooked through and tender, about one hour.

Uncover and let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve hot.

It’s the height of the season for tomatoes, that time of year to which we all look forward. After waiting 12 months, suffering through the taste of pasty tomatoes, the time has arrived for summer’s favorite fruit - or vegetable, if you must.
Heirloom tomatoes are a relatively new thing. Baby boomers may remember when red tomatoes were all there were. But now, tomatoes come in so many colors - purple, yellow, green … a rainbow of deliciousness. And they look even prettier when sliced and arranged on a platter.

One of my favorite ways to serve them is an old Southern favorite - a Southern Tomato Cracker Salad. I’d always heard of this treat, but never tried it until last summer, thinking that the juice from the tomatoes would do nothing more than create a messy plate with soggy crackers. But that wasn’t so when I made it. The crackers are seasoned and toasted, a process that makes them a bit sturdier and able to stand up to the sweet juice from the summer gems.

The salad is simple to put together and also easy to transport for a summer picnic. Just wait until the blanket is spread out on the ground, the wine is open and decanting, the hors d’oeuvres have been passed. Then it’s time to assemble the salad and let picnickers revel in the delight of a beautiful platter of vine-ripened tomatoes almost to pretty to destroy.

Think of Tomato Cracker Salad as a tomato sandwich, but much more attractive than a mash-up of tomatoes and mayonnaise on white bread.

Tomato Cracker Salad is layered with fresh herbs, sweet summer corn and garlicky crisped crispy crackers seasoned with butter and garlic salt. As Southerners, we know that everything’s better with butter, including our beloved Saltines.

Southern Tomato Cracker Salad

• 12 saltine crackers
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 Tsp. garlic salt, divided
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise, preferably
• Duke’s
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 pounds tomatoes, assorted sizes
• and colors, sliced
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (1 ear)
• 2-3 Tbsp. fresh basil ribbons

Preheat oven to 375. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and place crackers in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops of crackers liberally with melted butter; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the garlic salt. Bake until crisp, golden brown and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together mayonnaise, chives, apple cider vinegar and remaining half teaspoon garlic salt in a small bowl.

Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly on a large platter. Arrange tomato slices on top of mayonnaise mixture, overlapping slightly. Season tomatoes with pepper to taste; sprinkle with corn. Just before serving, coarsely crush crackers over salad and sprinkle with basil. Serve immediately.

With the warming of the season, heavy desserts are in our rear-view mirrors, and we’re now delighting in the cold creaminess of ice cream.

You can always go to your favorite grocery store and pick up a gallon or two, but why not make it yourself without the need of an ice-cream freezer? There are numerous no-churn recipes, and lately, I’ve been experimenting with several of them to come up with a creamy, flavorful version.

Some call for canned pie topping, which I’ve found doesn’t make the flavor come through very well. Others call for putting the finished product in your refrigerator’s freezer, then taking it out and stirring every 30 minutes during the first three hours to prevent the formation of ice crystals. That simply takes too much time and is totally unnecessary.

What I found to work perfectly, making the ice cream just as smooth, if not smoother, than what you can get in the store, is to gently press plastic wrap over the surface of the ice cream and cover the top of the container with another piece of plastic wrap, then put it in the freezer and leave it alone. It’s best - creamy and hard with no ice crystals - after about 18 hours.

Besides being a delicious alternative to homemade ice cream that has many more steps involved, no-churn ice cream is egg-free, making it ideal for those with egg allergies. I have one in my family - my youngest grandson - so egg-free ice cream is a real treat when he comes over.

If you make it today, you’ll have it ready for dessert tomorrow evening. It’s easy to make your own, taking less than 15 minutes from start to finish.

Cream Cheese-Cherry No-Churn Ice Cream

• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries
• 1 (8-ounce) package light or regular
• cream cheese, softened
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• (nonfat is okay)

With an electric or stand mixer, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Scrape into another bowl and set aside.
While cream is whipping, drain cherries, reserving juice. Remove stems from cherries, if needed, and roughly chop.

In the bowl of the mixer, beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together until smooth. Add 1/3 cup of reserved cherry juice to mixture and stir until well incorporated. Add chopped cherries.

Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture carefully by hand. Pour mixture into a loaf pan or other container, and, if you want to, gently pour a little more of the cherry juice on top and draw a knife through the ice cream so cherry swirls appear. Cover with plastic wrap, placing wrap directly on top of mixture and gently pressing it onto the surface of the ice cream. This will help prevent formation of ice crystals. Cover top of container with another sheet of plastic wrap or lid.

Freeze until desired firmness, 8-10 hours or overnight.

Note: This recipe is quite versatile and equally good for chocolate ice cream. Substitute one cup chocolate sauce for the cherries and cherry juice, blend it with the cream cheese-condensed milk mixture, fold in the whipped cream and pour into a loaf pan. To finish - for effect and for extra chocolatey deliciousness - drizzle a quarter cup chocolate sauce over the top and pull a knife through it, creating swirls as you go. Then, cover and freeze.

Surely one of the best fragrances of fall is the heady aroma of fresh local apples baking in a pie. Maybe ones you’ve picked up at Chattanooga Market or from any of dozens of farmer’s markets around the area. For many Americans, apple pie baking in the oven is ones the best smells of the season - the subtle smell of falling leaves and of toasting pecans, football games, and mulled cider all rolled into one.

Throughout our culinary history, our cookbooks, from Amelia Simmons’s apple pie in “American Cookery” in the 18th century, right on through the newest tomes, like America’s Test Kitchen’s Salty Apple-Raspberry Crisp in “Gatherings,” have reflected our love affair with apple-stuffed pastry.

Originally considered breakfast fare, the pie that everything else is supposed to be “as American as” today knows no culinary boundaries. Unfortunately, it also knows almost no respect. You can still find it everywhere, but you’ll rarely find one that’s worth eating. The only store-bought apple pie I’ve ever thought about buying more than once is from, of all places, Cracker Barrel.

What mostly passes for America’s favorite pie today is an indifferent slab of commercially made pastry encasing chunks of canned apple filling - is there anything worse? Canned apple pie filling tastes mostly of sugar and not much else, and my mother would be turning in her grave should she discover I’d served a pie with apple pie filling. The only thing worse is when it arrives topped with a gooey slice of that so-called “American” cheese.

No thank you.

If you’re going to eat pie, for heaven’s sake make it a pie that’s worth the calories, and don’t go settling for one of those dull factory-made crusts just because your pastry skills are not what they should be. Pastry is simple stuff: All it takes is care and practice. But meanwhile, here’s a favorite with a simple shortbread crust that is completely artless and practically foolproof. If you’re in a hurry and happen to have some Girl Scout shortbread cookies - or buy some shortbread cookies - you can bypass making your own from scratch, chopping them finely and adding melted butter, much like you would graham crackers for a graham cracker crust. I think you’ll find making your own so much better and just as simple, though.


Apple Tart with Shortbread Crust

• 10 ounces (about 2 cups) all-purpose
• flour
• 2 Tbsp. white cornmeal
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 Tsp. salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 2 lemons
• 4 large tart apples such as Arkansas
• Black, Winesap or Granny Smith
• 4-6 Tbsp. turbinado sugar
• 2 Tbsp. bourbon
• Dash of nutmeg

For crust: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Put the flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt in a bowl and lightly whisk to mix. Add the butter and work it into the flour until it makes a fairly smooth dough. This can be done in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Put in the flour, sugar and salt; pulse to sift. Add the butter and process until it resembles coarse meal. Turn out and finish blending it by hand. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 12-inch round removable-bottom tart pan. Prick it well with a fork and bake 10 minutes.

Cut the zest from both lemons in fine strips with a zester or remove with a vegetable peeler and cut with a knife. Halve the lemons and juice them through a strainer into a glass or stainless steel bowl. Peel, core and cut the apples into thin, straight slices, then add them to the juice, tossing to coat so that they won’t oxidize as quickly.

Sprinkle the crust with an even coating of the turbinado sugar and arrange the apple slices over it in a single layer of overlapping concentric rings. Sprinkle lightly with more turbinado sugar, lemon zest and bourbon. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg.
​
Bake in the center of the oven until the apples are golden and tender, about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before removing the rim. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Contact Anne Braly at [email protected] or www.annebraly.com.

​In my role as librarian at the Signal Mountain Library, we daily examine book donations that we regularly receive from generous patrons. Some of these we access into our collection, and others we add to our used book sale in the Library’s lower level.

Recently my dear friend Anne was cleaning out her bookshelves and graciously offered her gleanings to the Library. To my delight, among the well-read classics and newer fiction, were several seasoned Middle Georgia cookbooks and small compilations of recipes from Macon, where I lived as a young bride. These latter items gave me an idea to share with our readers some of the popular dishes that were frequently served at luncheons in the late sixties and early seventies. It was truly rewarding to reflect on those times when life seemed to be at a slower pace, and my friends and I actually had time to prepare homemade breads and desserts for bridge parties, garden club functions, and potluck dinner parties.

I found that the directions included with the ingredients were often rather inscrutable. For example, “Lillie’s Fried Chicken” called for frying a half of an Irish potato along with the meat with no explanation of why or what to do with the potato after the chicken is done.

Some of the recipes below are from women with whom I went to college at Wesleyan, while others are from great cooks that are no longer with us. These selections would still make a great luncheon menu and are quite easy to prepare.

Let’s begin with a recipe for a drink that could accompany a brunch or luncheon and is named for the beautiful trees that grace many a Macon garden.

Magnolias

• 12 ounces orange juice
• 12 ounces champagne
• 1 ½ ounces Grand Marnier
• Ice cubes
• Sprigs of mint, for garnishing

Combine and serve in large wine glasses, garnished with orange wedges and a sprig of mint. Makes 4 servings.

Next is a dish that is perfect for warm summer days when good tomatoes are available.

Iced Chicken Breasts

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 (10 ½-ounce) cans chicken broth
• 3-ounces cream cheese, plain or chives
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 Tsp. lemon zest
• 1/4 Tsp. salt
• 1 finely chopped green onion, both
• white and green parts
• Crisp Bibb lettuce leaves
• 2-3 large tomatoes, peeled and chilled
• Salt and pepper
• 2 large avocados
• 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds or
• pecans
• Sliced olives, green or ripe
• Vinaigrette dressing

Cook chicken in broth until tender. Refrigerate in broth to cool.

Thoroughly mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and green onion.

Remove chicken from broth and pat dry. Completely coat the rounded side of each breast with the cream cheese dressing.

Arrange lettuce leaves on eight plates. Cut tomatoes into eight thick slices and place on lettuce; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Arrange a chicken breast on each tomato slice. Halve and peel the avocados, cut each into four slices and arrange beside chicken. Sprinkle chicken with toasted nuts and garnish with olives.  Serve with vinaigrette dressing on the side. Makes eight servings.

The following recipe is for a carrot salad that is a great accompaniment to the creamy chicken above. I bet you remember this and hope you will enjoy resurrecting this favorite from the sixties.

Copper Penny Salad

• 2 pounds carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 small, sweet onion
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tsp. prepared mustard
• 1 (5 1/2-ounce) can tomato juice
• 1 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook carrot in salted water until tender. Drain and mix with onion and green pepper.

Mix remaining ingredients and pour over vegetables. Marinate overnight. Serve chilled. Makes eight servings.
The next recipe is titled “Nanny’s Angel Biscuits,” but I often make it into slightly fancier Parker House-style rolls, brushed with butter and folded over. You can also make the dough into delicious cinnamon pinwheels by adding one cup of sugar to the dry ingredients and rolling out dough into a rectangle. Then brush the dough with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and more sugar, roll it up and slice it into pinwheels. Bake as described below. I have even made it into orange or lemon rolls by substituting zest and a small amount of juice for the cinnamon.

Nanny’s Angel Biscuits

• 2 packages regular yeast
• 3 to 4 Tbsp. warm water
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup shortening
• 1 Tsp. baking soda
• 3 Tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Sift together the dry ingredients. Cut shortening into dry ingredients using fingers to rub it until it is well combined.

Add yeast and buttermilk and stir until well mixed. Add enough flour to knead into a smooth mass.  On floured surface, roll out dough and cut into desired shapes.

Place biscuits close together on baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Let rise until double in bulk in a warm, draft-free space.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake until lightly browned. Serve hot or cool, cover tightly with foil, and freeze. (If you don’t want to use it all at once, unbaked dough will keep for several days in refrigerator.) Makes about two and a half dozen biscuits or rolls.

This last recipe makes a yummy dessert. It calls for Italian Amaretti cookies, available at World Market and online. Well wrapped, these little treats may be frozen for at least a month, ready for an unexpected guest or a late-night treat.

Biscuit Tortoni

• 1/2 cup crushed Amaretti
• 1/2 cup sliced toasted almonds
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 Tbsp. dark rum
• Maraschino cherries, for topping.

​Mix Amaretti and most of the almonds, saving some for garnishing. Add sugar and one cup of cream. Whip remaining cream and fold it and the rum gently into the first mixture. Spoon into paper muffin cups and freeze. After two hours, sprinkle the tops with remaining almonds and decorate each center with a cherry. Return to freezer. Makes six to eight servings.

The beginning of spring found me out in the yard, trying to beat into submission the overgrowth that had taken over my garden. It wasn’t without rewards, though: Beneath the weeds that sprouted from bird seed and the poison ivy that sprouted as soon as my back was turned, lay the remains of what was once a pretty nice garden. And so it was - again.

The first order of business for this cook was, of course, an herb garden. The largest of the beds was just right for that. It’s in full sun from early morning until mid-afternoon and isn’t too far from a water source and the kitchen. Since its soil was compacted and mostly barren, all it needed to be made ready was to pull up a couple of dandelions, turn and aerate the soil, and supplement it with a little fresh potting soil and fertilizer.
My fingers and toes are crossed: I didn’t inherit my dad’s green thumb, and he’s no longer here to guide me; my luck with potted herbs has always been hit or miss. But so far, my beds of basil, lavender, rosemary, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme is taking root.

As summer heat sets in, it will be time to take a breather from garden archeology and spend time out of the sun bonding with my kitchen to use the fruits - and veggies - of my labor, the primary focus being on all the wonderful summer squashes I’ve been able to harvest from my garden and area farmer’s markets, along with my bountiful basil and trustworthy thyme plants.

One advantage of age and experience is that one can just cook and know when to leave well enough alone, in this case: squash casserole. There’s no need to gussy it up. Mother Nature provides enough seasoning in her summer produce as it is. Just a little salt and pepper - and as any Southerner knows, cheese, a necessary ingredient in any squash casserole - is all you need to turn the gourds of summer into a masterpiece on the table.


Summer Squash Casserole with Gruyere and Thyme

• 1 1/2 pounds yellow summer squash 
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• Salt
• Sugar
• 2 slices white sandwich bread, crust
• removed, torn into soft crumbs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 Tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere
• 3 Tbsp. dry breadcrumbs

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Scrub the squash under cold running water and drain them. Trim the ends and slice them a little less than 1/4-inch thick. If they’re really fat, split them lengthwise before slicing them.

Put a tablespoon of the butter in a lidded 9-to 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Cover the bottom with the onion. Lightly sprinkle it with salt, then top with a single layer of squash, season lightly with salt and, especially if the squash aren’t very fresh and naturally sweet, a pinch of sugar. Add the remaining squash and season lightly with salt and sugar. Cover and cook until they’re tender, about eight minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the natural moisture they’ve produced doesn’t completely evaporate. If it does, add a splash of water, as needed.

 Lightly butter a 1 1/2- quart casserole. Cover the bottom with half of the soft crumbs. Spread half the squash and onions over them, season lightly with pepper, then scatter half the thyme and the remaining soft crumbs over them. Add the remaining squash and onions, season with pepper, and sprinkle it with the rest of the thyme.

Break the egg into a 2- to 4-cup measuring cup or bowl and lightly beat it. Add the milk and a pinch of salt and beat until smoothly mixed, then pour it evenly over the casserole until it just covers the squash (you may not need quite all of it). Sprinkle the Gruyere over the top.

Wipe out the skillet in which the squash and onion were cooked and put in the remaining butter. Melt it over medium-low heat, then sprinkle in the dry breadcrumbs and stir until they’re evenly coated. Stir it over the heat for about a minute, not letting the crumbs get crispy - just warm and buttered - then turn off the heat and sprinkle the crumbs over the casserole. Bake in the center of the oven until puffed, set at the center, and golden brown, about half an hour. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Makes about four servings.

Contact Anne Braly at [email protected] or annebraly.com.

“Southern Cocktails” by Southern Living. IPG. 288 Pages. $30.

A new cookbook from Southern Living focuses on drinks that are popular with Southerners, both alcoholic and not. Most of these beverages are familiar to cocktail lovers but have a regional twist. They are examples of the current “craft cocktail craze,” according to Gary Crunkleton, owner of several bars in North Carolina and who wrote the foreword to this volume.

The book opens with examples of the shapes of glasses that traditionally hold these libations. Then the essential tools to make these drinks, including muddlers, jiggers, cocktail shakers, and ice picks are pictured. Next come types of garnishes, from pickled okra and cocktail onions to citrus twists and candied fruits.

Additionally, according to the book, the art of rimming your glass with salts or sugars is intended to “enhance, not overpower,” and there are multiple recipes for creating these enhancements. There are also instructions for making a variety of syrups, how to make and use bitters, and even how to create homemade grenadine.

Here are three spiked concoctions that are favorites. The first one was invented in the 60s but is still being enjoyed on Crimson Tide game days.


Alabama Slammer

• Citrus rim salt
• 1 ounce Southern Comfort
• 1 ounce amaretto
• 1/2 ounce sloe gin
• 3 ounces fresh orange juice
• 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

Citrus Rim Salt

• 2 Tbsp. lemon or orange zest 
• 1/2 cup kosher salt

Process the zest and 1/4 cup salt in a food processor until finely ground. Stir in the remaining salt. Evenly spread the mixture on a rimmed baking sheet, and let stand at room temperature until dry, about two hours. 

Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one year. To serve, moisten rim of glass and dip in mixture.

Rim a highball glass with the rim salt; fill a glass with ice. Combine the Southern Comfort, amaretto, sloe gin, and orange and lemon juices in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Cover with the lid, and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with an orange wedge and Maraschino cherry. Makes one serving.

This next drink is similar to a gimlet, but calls for the minty, citrusy, and flowery notes of this particular brand of gin.


Southside Seersucker

• 6 fresh mint leaves, plus more for
• garnish
• 3/4 ounce simple syrup
• 2 ounces Seersucker Southern Style Gin
• 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

Muddle six mint leaves and the syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and add the gin and lime juice. Cover with the lid, and shake vigorously until chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled old-fashioned glass with additional mint leaves, if desired. Makes one serving.

The following drink, also a luscious dessert, is often served at the Flora-Bama Lounge in Perdido Key, Fla.

Redneck Riviera Bushwacker

• 1 -1/2 ounces white rum
• 1 ounce coconut rum
• 1 ounce Kahlúa
• 1 ounce crème de cacao
• 1 scoop vanilla bean ice cream
• 1 cup ice

Process the white and coconut rums, Kahlúa, crème de cacao, ice cream, and ice in a blender until smooth. Pour the mixture into a hurricane glass, and garnish with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Serve with a straw or iced tea spoon.  Makes one serving.

So popular today that there are establishments that serve only “virgin” drinks, non-alcoholic mocktails follow. Next is a spin on a Moscow Mule.


Pineapple Mock Mule

• 2 Tsp. herb rim salt made with fresh
• mint
• 2 ice cubes plus more for glass
• 2 (1/4-inch thick) fresh ginger slices
• 2 ounces pineapple juice
• 1/2 ounce white balsamic vinegar
• 4 ounces nonalcoholic ginger beer
• Garnish: pineapple wedge

Herb Rim Salt

• 1/2 cup fresh, tender herbs, such as basil, mint or cilantro
• 1 cup coarse kosher salt 

     
Process the herbs and salt in a food processor until the herbs are finely chopped and the mixture is combined. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Rim a highball glass with the herb rim sugar using mint. Fill the prepared glass with ice.
Muddle the ginger, pineapple juice, and vinegar in a cocktail shaker. Add two ice cubes, cover with the lid, and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into the prepared glass. Top with the ginger beer.

“Southern Cocktails” concludes with a good selection of what it dubs “bar snacks. These hors d’oeuvres are sure to be devoured by your guests and will enhance whatever spiked and non-spiked libations you choose to serve.

What turns traditional stuffed grape leaves into these Southern gems is that they feature Vidalia onions and pecans.

Down South Dolmades

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 3/4 cups finely chopped Vidalia onion (1 medium onion)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 Tbsp.)
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1-1/2 Tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Greek seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 Tsp. lemon zest plus 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• 1/2 (16-ounce) jar grape leaves, rinsed and patted dry (36 leaves)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 325.

Heat two tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until translucent, four to five minutes. Add the rice and pecans; cook, stirring often, until coated and slightly toasted, one to two minutes. Add the water, salt, and Greek seasoning. Cover and bring to a simmer; reduce the heat to low, and simmer 12 minutes. Stir in the parsley, mint, dill, and lemon zest. Cook slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.

Arrange a row of the grape leaves, vein-side up, on a work surface. Place 1-1/2 tablespoons of the rice mixture just below the center of each leaf. Fold the bottom of the leaf up and over the filling, and fold sides in toward the center, gently roll up (Do not wrap too tightly.)

Transfer the rolls, seam-side down, to a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan over high. Pour over the rolled grape leaves in the dish. Drizzle with the lemon juice. Top with another 13-by-9-inch baking dish or an overproof heavy plate to weigh down slightly, cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 325 for 45 minutes. Remove from the cooking liquid, and pat dry. Drizzle the rolls with 1/4 cup of the extra-virgin olive oil and serve at room temperature. Makes 12 servings.

Blue Cheese-and-Pecan Stuffed Cherry Peppers

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/3 ounces crumbled blue cheese (about 6 Tbsp.)
• 6 Tbsp. heavy cream
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. finely chopped toasted pecans
• 3 (16-ounce jars) cherry peppers,​ drained (50 to 60 cherry peppers)
• 2 Tbsp. thinly sliced fresh chives

Place the cream cheese, blue cheese, and heavy cream in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until well blended and light and fluffy. Stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 3/4-inch-wide tip, and pipe about one tablespoon of the mixture into the open end of each pepper. Place the peppers on a platter, and sprinkle with the remaining two tablespoons pecans. Sprinkle the chives evenly over the stuffed peppers. Serve immediately, or chill until ready to serve. Makes 20 servings.

A big bowl of potato salad can be the star of any cookout, and is there any better time to serve it than during the lazy days of summer? Each creamy bite pairs perfectly with most any grilled meat, poultry or fish. But oftentimes, it’s so heavily dressed with mayonnaise that the delicate flavor of the potatoes is often masked.

So let’s take a look at a potato salad that’s not so heavily laden with dressing. French Potato Salad has the basic components of Salade Niçoise and is almost as simple to make as a tossed salad with oil and vinegar dressing. It’s one of the great dishes of French home cooking and is also one of the greatest of all summer salads.

I was fortunate enough to enjoy some on my plate when I was in Paris earlier this year. Our hostess lived in a lovely old apartment along the Champs-Elysees, and how gracious she was to entertain us in her garden! It was a lovely autumn day and, along with some beautiful Dover sole, she served her potato salad, the recipe for which she was generous enough to share.

There is also a mayonnaise-dressed potato salad in the French repertory of recipes that’s similar to our American version, but this one seemed so much more appropriate, especially with the delicate Dover sole. The secret to its lovely, mellow flavor is that the hot, cooked potatoes are sprinkled with dry white vermouth, which is allowed to soak into them before they’re dressed. 

After that, they’re simply dressed with wine vinegar, good olive oil, salt, and pepper, just as you would a tossed salad. Nothing could be simpler or lovelier.
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As with any good salad, there are no exact measurements for the dressing ingredients. So much will depend on your taste, the acidity and character of the vinegar, and, of course, the olive oil. Let your taste, rather than a measuring cup, be your guide. 


French Potato Salad

• 1 1/2 pounds small red new potatoes
• Dry white vermouth
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Red wine vinegar
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions or
• minced shallots
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Put one-inch water in a pot fitted with a steamer basket or steamer insert. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Scrub the potatoes well under cold running water, then slice them 1/4-inch thick and put them in the steamer basket of the prepared pot. Steam until the potatoes are just-tender, eight to 10 minutes. Let cool slightly. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and sprinkle lightly with vermouth. Toss well and sprinkle again. Let stand a few minutes. While still warm, season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle lightly with vinegar. Toss. Taste and adjust the vinegar. Drizzle lightly with oil and gently toss until glossy but not greasy looking.

Add the green onion or shallot and one tablespoon parsley and toss well. Let stand 15-30 minutes, taste, adjust the dressing, and toss one last time. Serve at room temperature sprinkled with remaining parsley. Makes four servings.

Contact Anne Braly at [email protected] or annebraly.com