Jan 05 2010
About
I am a San Francisco resident in my 20s who’s been motivated to learn how to cook all my favorite foods, thanks to my love of eating (especially out in civilized restaurants with good company). As a Mississippi native, those favorites often include Southern classics that I grew up eating at home, and my mom – who’s an amazing cook and hostess – is the inspiration behind many of the recipes you’ll find here.
I also spent a semester in Paris my junior year of college, where I developed a deep appreciation for the country’s much-celebrated gastronomie. Let’s just say learning to make the perfect Tarte Tatin is among my many culinary goals.
A number of the recipes I use are adapted from Southern cookbooks given to me by family and friends, but I’m constantly searching for good ones online as well. For the most part (but don’t hold me to it), I try to cook healthy foods, so Cooking Light is a staple for finding delicious and reliable lunch ideas. I also subscribe to Food and Wine and I used to get Gourmet before it folded last year (RIP). I’m a writer, so reading cookbooks and magazines and chronicling my adventures in the kitchen is a fun pastime for me.
Usually I’m just cooking for myself and John, my wonderful assistant, but occasionally I’ll get some friends together for a dinner party. Also among my culinary goals: mastering the art of hostess-ing.
Oh, and I LOVE pizza.
Well, here we are after reading your blog. Your mom, her assistant Bob, Christi , Bill and I have just finished a wonderful birthday dinner of Southern Seafood Gumbo, Fresh Broiled Salmon with Spinach, Tossed Goat Cheese & Avacado Salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing (old family recipe) warm chocalate lava cakes with fresh strawberries and vanilla bean ice cream and plenty of palette pleasing wine. (and Budweiser in the bottle)
The tea party concept is alive and well here in the South, but it masquerades in many faces. Currently, we are going through the “Senior Party” genre. Since the ones I have attended were for young men, they generally have football or basketball themes and all of the attendees wear identical North Face clothing. In fact, they all look exactly alike! Of course the food is more like bar food than the genteel tea party menus. Chili, nachos, burgers, fried onion rings, boiled crawfish – that’s real man food!
But alas, it’s still people that see each other everyday gathering for some unknown recognition of one of the honorees. I guess it’s because they have become “seniors.”
I can’t wait to hear how the tarte tatin comes out – maybe Julia will inspire you to tackle bouef bourguignon…..
Perdido Key, Florida lies on the border of Florida and Alabama. The location is a veritable paradise of seafood. The Gulf of Mexico yields almost every form of delectable shellfish and fish. This past weekend, my lovely wife, and able assitant, Frances and I ventured to Pensacola for a trip to Joe Patti Seafood – the Supercenter of fish markets! An outing to Joe Patti is entertaining enough in its own right, but the resulting food experiments can be awesome.
That evening we enjoyed an appetizer of yellowfin tuna sashimi plus a lightly seared version accompanied by local sweet red peppers and honeybel fruit and, of course wasabi. A glass of Spring Mountain savignon blanc was the ideal accompaniment.
For the main event, crisp romaine leaves with fried garlic, baked penne with zucchini- tomato sauce, and brolied caribbean lobster completed the meal. I drink pinot noir with almost everything, so the Merry Edwards Sonoma Coast was perfect to me.
I don’t do desserts, much to Frances’ dispappontment – maybe Liv will challenge me….
I live in Ridgeland,MS, and just heard about you and your blog. I have loved reading it.
If you haven’t been, you really need to go to Eureka. It is owned and run by my friend Gaines Dobbins from Belzoni,MS. He was formerly Chef de Cuisine at Boulevard. Check out http://www.eurekarestaurant.com.
I will enjoy your blog! Best to you,
charlie hall
Hi Charlie, thanks for reading! I will definitely check our Eureka — I have heard fantastic things about Boulevard, even though I haven’t had the chance to go yet. I’ll be sure to tell them you referred me, too. Let me know if you have more recommendations!
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