If you're not from the South but have recently acquired a taste for pimento cheese, country ham, or pickled okra, you can probably thank Sean Brock. The chef is near-evangelical on the subject of Southern food. He helms three of the most lauded Southern restaurants in the country:McCrady'sandHuskin Charleston, and another newly opened Husk in Nashville. And his obsessive focus on the recipes and ingredients of the region has helped popularize it across the country.
Now, in his first cookbook,Heritage, Brock showcases just how varied modern Southern food can be, with recipes ranging from the high-falutin (Swordfish with Celeriac Roasted in Hay) to the humble (Butter-Bean Chowchow).
But does a chef that prides himself on frying chicken in five types of fat really have valuable intel for the home cook? Read on to find out what we learned from Brock's new book. And, yes, we scored his coveted fried chicken recipe.
Deep-fried balls of cornmeal are about as down-home (and simple) as you can get, but when you fold ramp puree and fresh crabmeat into the batter (and serve your hushpuppies with Green Goddess dressing), they're unforgettable.
You've probably already heard of marinating chicken in buttermilk before frying, but Brock likes to marinate his pork chops in the stuff, too. An overnight dip gives the boneless chops amazing flavor and juiciness.
Brock drizzles his freshly fried sweet-potato doughnuts with a warm caramel sauce, made even richer with a generous dose of cream, an ounce of bourbon, and a pinch of sea salt.
肖恩·布鲁克显然是fanatical about fried chicken: His recipe uses lard, chicken fat, canola oil, bacon fat, and butter to fry his tea-brined, buttermilk-marinated, paprika-spiced chicken. Insane? Perhaps. Insanely good? Without a doubt.
