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March 29, 2013

POWER MOVE = thunder sauce + easter lamb

Happy Spring!  Hopefully, spring has sprung wherever you call home.  Here in Charleston, we are hankering for more sunshine and warm water to bring us strawberries, soft shell crabs and such.

In the meantime, we just wanted to remind any of y’all that might be planning an Easter lunch this Sunday that our sweet red pepper relish (aka Thunder Sauce) should definitely be your secret (or not-so-secret) ingredient. We swear by it in our deviled eggs (see recipe below).  But it also happens to be the perfect garnish for lamb. The tangy deliciousness of the Thunder contrasts beautifully with the richness of the lamb.

Trust me; I’m headed to Ted’s Butcher Block to pick up my two racks now!

P.S. You can buy Thunder Sauce here at the GO of course and on our website but also at Ted’s, Crosby’s Seafood (at Folly Beach) and Avondale Wine & Cheese.

Jennie Ruth’s Deviled Eggs

These deviled eggs are a tribute to my partner Chris Stewart’s grandmother, Jennie Ruth. She was an inspiration to his cooking with her classic Southern ways, and here you see that tradition shining through. We do add some GO flair to this recipe with Chris’s Thunder Sauce, a sweet red pepper relish, as our secret ingredient!

 

6 large eggs

2 ½ tablespoons Thunder Sauce

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 ½ teaspoons hot sauce

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add eggs; boil for 14 minutes. Have a bowl of ice water ready. Transfer eggs to this ice bath. Once cool, remove from water and peel. Slice eggs in half lengthwise and carefully remove the yolks. Add the yolks, Thunder Sauce, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, and hot sauce to the bowl of a blender or food processor; run until smooth. Alternatively, combine these ingredients in a medium bowl and work together using a fork until relatively smooth. Spoon into the whites.

YIELD: 12 Deviled Eggs

 

March 21, 2013

Happy Birthday to Us!

So, today marks the 5th anniversary of the GO, and we really must offer up our most sincere thanks to YOU. We owe our success to all of you who make local food a priority!

Tonight, we invite you to enjoy a complimentary glass of wine with your dinner (5-9) in appreciation of your support. You can expect to see some old favorites on the menu like fried chicken livers, pork belly, country captain and more!

And in closing I’d like to pull a quote from our own cookbook, Glass Onion Classics, which we feel states our mission succinctly.

“Somewhere in the midst of our busy, harried lives, the simple, everyday pleasure of a delicious meal has lost its way. At the Glass Onion, we beg to differ. We believe that a day is not complete without a meal that satisfies the soul.”

Please join us in continuing to fulfill this mission every day!

And for old time’s sake here’s the recipe for our Red Velvet Pound Cake…

Sarah’s Red Velvet Pound Cake

Mystery surrounds the Red Velvet Cake; the particulars of its origin and ingredients vary from cook to cook. But any bona fide Southerner better have one in their repertoire. Mine comes in the form of a pound cake, as I feel the density stands up beautifully to all that cream cheese frosting! And I certainly don’t go light on the food coloring, since red is the point, after all.

2 ½ cups sugar
8 large eggs
1 14-ounce can condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound unsalted butter, melted
2 ¼ cups cake flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup red food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a Bundt pan with softened butter and then dust with cocoa powder.

Combine sugar, eggs, condensed milk, vanilla, and salt in a food processor; mix until combined. While running, pour butter into food processor bowl and continue running until thoroughly combined. Pour this mixture into a large mixing bowl. Sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder into egg mixture, whisking as you go. Add red food coloring; whisk to combine. Pour batter into pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Release from pan onto serving plate.

Allow to thoroughly cool.

Applying frosting to a cake is a battle against crumbs. It is easier done when the cake is cold since it will be less likely to crumble; thus, there will be several trips back and forth to the refrigerator during the icing process.

To frost: Refrigerate the cake until cold. Once cold, remove the cake and apply a thin layer of Cream Cheese Frosting using an icing spatula. Return cake to refrigerator until frosting hardens. Remove cake and apply remaining frosting using icing spatula. Refrigerate until frosting stiffens up a bit. Slice while cold, but cake is best served at room temperature.

YIELD: 16 to 20 servings

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
15 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Combine the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix on low speed until combined.

P.S. The icing can be made in advance and refrigerated but should be brought to room temperature before using.

December 11, 2012

Experience a taste of the GO at Le Creuset Store

Of course, everyone has to make the trek to King Street at some point this holiday season; so we figured why not make that a tasty trek!  Chris and I will be cooking up some GO goodness at the Le Creuset store, 241 King Street, this Saturday, December 15, from noon until 2 p.m. We will be sampling our all natural country sausage (Bellle’s Country Links), sweet red pepper relish (Thunder Sauce), and our pimento cheese. We will also be signing our cookbook (Glass Onion Classics).

We would love to see you, but if you cannot make it please know that we will be offering our three “products” (sausage, relish, and book) at the special holiday package rate of $25 whether you visit us at Le Creuset or at the GO! With a little bit of notice we will even package them as a gift basket. Just give us a call 843-225-1717.

 

For further enticement here is our deviled egg recipe, which is one of our personal favorites from the cookbook and showcases the Thunder Sauce.

 

Jennie Ruth’s Deviled Eggs

These deviled eggs are a tribute to my partner Chris Stewart’s grandmother, Jennie Ruth. She was an inspiration to his cooking with her classic Southern ways, and here you see that tradition shining through. We do add some GO flair to this recipe with Chris’s Thunder Sauce, a sweet red pepper relish, as our secret ingredient!

 

6 large eggs

2 ½ tablespoons Thunder Sauce

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 ½ teaspoons hot sauce

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add eggs; boil for 14 minutes. Have a bowl of ice water ready. Transfer eggs to this ice bath. Once cool, remove from water and peel. Slice eggs in half lengthwise and carefully remove the yolks. Add the yolks, Thunder Sauce, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, and hot sauce to the bowl of a blender or food processor; run until smooth. Alternatively, combine these ingredients in a medium bowl and work together using a fork until relatively smooth. Spoon into the whites.

YIELD: 12 Deviled Eggs

P.S. If you are looking for other uses for your Thunder sauce we recommend it as a garnish for fried fish or grilled meats!

November 14, 2012

Thanksgiving Isn’t Thanksgiving Without Oyster Dressing!

At the GO we believe strongly in the tradition of oyster dressing at Thanksgiving. Just consider the beauty of this pairing — a bite of perfectly roasted turkey topped off with oyster-cornbread goodness. It’s quite simply surf-n-turf at the Thanksgiving table — what a beautiful thing!

We offer you the option of picking up this deliciousness from the GO (just place your order by this Friday, November 16; click here for full menu!) Or if you happen to be a little more DIY (that’s do-it-yourself for non-acronym users) then here’s our recipe below.  This comes straight from our cookbook, Glass Onion Classics, and so there is just one difference from our current restaurant version. At the time of publication, we had yet to fully embrace that our GO sausage, Belle’s Country Links, simply make most dishes better (including Oyster Dressing!) So, feel free to substitute one Belle’s Country Link for the bacon that our original recipe suggests.

We sell Belle’s Country Links at the GO, on our website, and through Callie’s Biscuits website.

And once again, don’t forget if you would like to let the GO alleviate some of your holiday stress — feel free to order starters, sides and sweets from us by this Friday, November 16. Just call 843-225-1717. Click here for full holiday menu, and don’t forget the oyster dressing!!

 

 

Oyster Dressing

Although my partner and I grew up in different Southern states with varied culinary traditions, we both have fond memories of oyster dressing at Thanksgiving. We each had our different takes on the dish. But here we took the best of all our memories and created an oyster dressing that we proudly sell at the GO for Thanksgiving pickup!

Softened butter, for pan
1/2 cup finely chopped bacon (about 4 1/2 ounces or 4 standard grocery store slices) (or one Belle’s Country Link, casing removed!)
2 ½ cups finely chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
1 ¼ cups finely chopped celery (about 3 medium stalks)
1 cup finely chopped carrot (about 1 medium carrot)
3 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic (about 3 garlic cloves)
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe for Glass Onion Cornbread (see recipe below), made at least one day in advance, crumbled (this recipe yields about 6 cups of crumbled cornbread)
1 pint oysters, liquor drained off and reserved
Chicken stock, enough that when combined with oyster liquor equals 2 ½ cups
¼ cup heavy cream
4 large eggs
1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with softened butter.

Saute bacon (or sausage) in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic to the skillet. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and all released liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to large bowl and refrigerate until completely cool. Once cool, remove from refrigerator and add crumbled cornbread; stir to combine.

Combine oyster liquor, chicken stock, heavy cream, eggs, sage, thyme, and remaining teaspoon of salt and teaspoon of pepper in a medium bowl; whisk to combine. Add this mixture to cornbread-vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Add oysters and gently incorporate.

Pour dressing into baking dish. Bake until firm, about 1 ½ hours.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

GO Cornbread

Ask a Southerner their preference on cornbread, and you are likely to receive an extensive monologue debating cornmeal, sugar, and more. We styled our cornbread with this in mind — trying to achieve a middle ground in density and sweetness. We highly recommend serving it with high-quality, local honey as a garnish.

Softened butter, for pan
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups buttermilk
Honey, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease a 9-inch cast-iron skillet, or 8-inch square baking pan with softened butter. Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl; set aside. Whisk wet ingredients together in another large bowl. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake until a toothpick or knife inserted into center comes out clean, about one hour.

Allow to cool and then slice into wedges or squares, depending on your pan. Serve with honey.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

January 9, 2012

Don’t Be Scared to Make a Roux!

I remember the first time I made a roux with great clarity. I admit that I knew very little about cooking at the time and simply followed the Joy of Cooking’s recipe for gumbo in my dismally appointed college kitchen. But what I lacked in knowledge I think I made up for in determination. I knew that making a roux happened to be serious business that required a mindful eye. So, I stood and stirred and stirred. I knew better than to leave my roux even when my cousin Sally came home in tears over a classic college romantic meltdown. She stood in the doorway sobbing as I stood over my roux, stirring. I felt for her. I really did, but there was no I was leaving that roux. Finally, I implored, “I want to give you a hug, but you have to come over here. I can’t quit stirring this roux!”

Thankfully, Sally understood and does not hold any grudges over my allegiance to that roux. And as I remember that first batch of gumbo came out relatively well. Now I could do better and even walk away for a moment as I have a greater understanding of the elusive roux. Really there is nothing to fear!

Come see for yourself next Tuesday as I demo Shrimp Etouffe at Charleston Cooks! This will actually be a hands-on class so you might just be making that roux yourself!

When: Tuesday, January 17, 6:30-8:30
Where: Charleston Cooks! 194 East Bay Street
Cost: $60

P.S. We will also make pimento cheese, buttermilk dressing, cornbread, and butterscotch pudding!

And here’s our recipe for Crawfish Etouffee from Glass Onion Classics — YUM!

Crawfish Etouffee

Most would refer to this as a classic Cajun dish — meaning that its roots lie in the countryside southwest of New Orleans. Etouffer means “to smother” in French, which seems like a good connotation for this light stew. We keep ours pretty traditional — starting with a roux, going in with your trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper), and finishing with the crawfish. You wind up with a heartwarming meal in very little time.

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
1/2 cup chopped celery (about 1 1/2 medium stalks)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1/2 large bell pepper)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 medium garlic cloves)
1 quart chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
About 20 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen twine
1 pound crawfish tails, cooked
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Steamed white rice, for serving

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and melt. Add 1/4 cup flour and cook, stirring constantly, until your roux has become a caramel color, about 10 minutes. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper; stir to combine. Add salt, oregano, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. Cook until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add stock and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Add crawfish, green onions, remaining tablespoon of butter, and hot sauce; stir to combine. Cook until crawfish are hot to touch, about 3 minutes.

Discard thyme bundle before serving.

Serve over steamed white rice with hot sauce for garnish.

Yield: 4 servings

P.S. You can easily order frozen crawfish tails online if they are not available in your area. We order ours from www.lacrawfish.com — and they are superb. You can also substitute a pound of shrimp — adding them with your green onions, butter, and hot sauce and cooking them until they are just pink and firm, about 5 minutes.

October 7, 2011

Fried Chicken — Does life get any better?

Fried chicken has been on my mind of late. On a recent trip to New York City I experienced a midnight fried chicken dinner at Momofuku that I had to reserve a month in advance. A few days later at a Southern food summit hosted by Garden & Gun magazine right here in Charleston, the subject of fried chicken came up repeatedly as we discussed exactly what constitutes Southern food. (more…)

September 29, 2011

Still waiting on cookbook but Mmm…MEATLOAF!

Okay, okay, so some of you might also follow the Glass Onion on Facebook, and you might be a bit peeved with my premature announcement of our cookbook’s arrival. What can I say? I jumped the gun; I simply willed Glass Onion Classics to be here sooner, but when you order 1000 copies it evidently takes a bit longer. (more…)

September 14, 2011

The Return of Oysters and Countdown til Cookbook Release

If any food item has the power to bring me back from the blogging wastelands — it would have to be the oyster. The return of cooler weather down South(and consequently cooler waters)always heralds the return of oyster for me. I enjoy every preparation — on the half shell, fried in po boy, or poached in my father’s oyster stew. (more…)

June 29, 2011

Celebrate the Fourth with Wild, American Shrimp!

I love the fourth of July! I say this even though I live at the beach where the crowds overwhelm our small island. I say this even though I own a restaurant and will be working on the fourth. I say this because it seems to be another occasion when Americans really celebrate with food. (more…)

June 21, 2011

Chilled Corn Soup for Summer Days

I am a southern girl down to core. As most of you know, I love pimento cheese, summertime tomatoes, and buttermilk fried chicken. And I admit that I even love the dog days of summer. Sure, I’ll banter about the heat index of 115 with the best of them, but that should not be confused with complaining. (more…)

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