This is a Breakfast

In the mad-scientist lab that is my kitchen on Devine Street, I've been developing a mutated strain of grits that will actually cause your arteries to slam shut instead of clogging over time. I like to call them Grits Cochon et Plus. I found that my recipe for Grits Cochon was sorely lacking in the heavy cream and sausage topping department. As you can see, they are beautiful to behold.

They do have one, minor, unfortunate drawback. The photo below was taken of my son, Stuart, just before eating his first helping of Grits Cochon et Plus.

Everything was OK, fine and really hunky-dorry until he made the mistake of going back for a second helping. Shortly after consuming the second bowl, I heard a scream from the living room as my lovely wife, Kitty, walked into the living room to find this.

Apparently, the proper dosage for Grits Cochon et Plus is ONE serving. Stuart was sent to Dr. Drew Pinsky's Grits Rehab Center in Bettendorf, Iowa and fed a 28 day program of corn flakes and overcooked roast beef. Now he is back to his normal self. Well...almost. But I don't think the grits are at the root of this sartorial gaffe.

Grits Cochon et Plus

1 cup quick grits (not instant)
1/2 lb. bacon
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups ham stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese (shredded)
1 bunch green onions
2 cloves garlic
1 lb. country smoked sausage
1 stick butter
1 tsp. Creole seasoning
Salt
Pepper

Prep
Slice Sausage into 1/2" thick rounds. Chop green onions. Finely mince garlic. Chop bacon into small pieces, no larger than 1/4". Slice butter into 1 Tbsp. pats.

Cook
Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat and add 1Tbsp. butter. When the butter foams, add bacon and garlic and cook until lightly browned. Add grits and all liquids and whisk aggressively to prevent clumping. Raise heat to high until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking, whisking frequently to prevent sticking and clumping. Add cheese, Creole seasoning and remaining butter and whisk until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Taste and add salt or pepper as desired.

Cook Sausage rounds over medium heat in a large iron skillet until browned around the edges. REmove from heat and pat away excess grease with a paper towel.

Plate
Serve grits in a shallow bowl, topped with green onions and sausage. Charge defibrillator to 200 joules and standby.

For Kim Sewell - A great recipe for Grits

At the Capitol City Dinner Dance this past Saturday night, I had a great visit with two wonderful friends of mine. John and Kim Sewell are what my mother would have called "truly good people." During our visit, I discovered that Kim, who is not generally a follower of blogs, follows this one and even calls herself a "fan." Well...I've never had anyone describe themselves as a "fan" so suffice it to say that I am touched. I asked Kim to tell me her favorite food and her answer was PB&J or Grits. So Kim, here is a recipe I have created for you. Before today, it didn't exist.
Bon Appetit!
~Tom
Kim's Grits
2/3  cups quick grits (not instant)

1 1/3 cups whole milk

1 1/3 cups chicken stock

½ cup shredded colby/jack cheese

¼ rotisserie chicken*

4 slices smoked bacon

1 bunch green onions

1 tsp. Creole seasoning

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Paprika

Fresh ground black pepper

Salt

Prep

Finely chop green onions. Chop chicken into very small pieces, less than ½” cubes.

Cook

Cook the bacon in an iron skillet and reserve 1 Tbsp. of rendered bacon fat. Crumble bacon and set aside. In a large pot or saucepan, combine bacon fat, milk, chicken stock and grits with a pinch of salt and 1 Tbsp. butter and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking, whisking frequently, until the grits are fully cooked and the proper consistency** is reached. Add cheese, crumbled bacon, Creole Seasoning, chicken and ½ of the green onions. Add butter, 1 Tbsp. at the time and when each one is melted, taste for flavor and add more butter if needed. You can also add more Creole seasoning if desired.

Plate

Serve in a shallow bowl and garnish with paprika, green onions and fresh ground black pepper.

*Most grocery stores have very good rotisserie chicken for sale. You decide if you want to use white or dark meat for your quarter chicken.

**If your grits are too thick, you can add a little whole milk to thin them a bit.

(Serves 8)

Practicing for the Audition

Last night Kitty and I had a couple of my oldest and best friends over to critique my "Audition" dish. Ken and Will are good enough friends that they can be honest without the risk of hurting my tender little feelings. I was planning to just cook the andouille stuffed tenderloin for the audition although I had been toying with the idea of also including Boudin as a tenderloin-stuffer. Ken brought a pound of Boudin and I decided to give it a shot. After all, who wants good Boudin to go to waste. It was a hit. I now feel certain that I should prepare both the boudin and the andouille stuffed pork. After we were about half way through the meal, I noticed that the hot spices in the boudin worked well with the sweetness of the fig gastrique. To keep this consistient throughout the dish, I went back in the kitchen and added some Indian chili powder to the gastrique. It worked so well that I have decided to add that to the audition recipe. I have also decided to forgo the chived basmati rice in favor of a dish that I call Grits Cochon. Essentially, the grits are cooked in a mixture of milk and ham stock and seasoned with a bit of pork fat and chopped green onion. So without further ado, here is the completed dish of Boudin and Andouille Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Fig Gastrique over Grits Cochon .
Bon Appetit!
~Tom

Just Another Sunday Omelette

After-church brunch today was omelettes with super-hammy grits. Everyone ordered something different in their omelettes, but they got to choose from ham, cheese (cheddar and some thing called "cougar cheese" that is awesome), green onions and bell peppers. If you don't have my can't-fail omelette recipe, just shoot me an email (tom@tomramsey.com) and I'll send it to you. For the super-hammy grits, just cook as usual, but substitute ham stock for the water.
Bon Appetit!
~Tom