Southern Summertime Picnic Recipes

June 10, 2008 — -- Nothing says summer like an outdoor picnic, and Martha Hall Foose wants to show you how to do one with Southern flair. Her new book "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea: Recipes and Tales from a Southern Cook" has several regional staples.

From the proper way to fry chicken to the simply perfect, simply sweet tea, Foose teaches readers just how they do it in Dixieland and why it's so delicious. Check out some of her recipes below.

Martha's Southern Sweet Tea

Voted Best in the Delta, With Crooked-Neck Spoons

Sweet tea or unsweet tea? That is the question waitresses across the southeastern United States pose as a greeting to diners. As Dolly Parton proclaimed in her role as Truvy in the movie based on the play Steel Magnolias, it s the "house wine of the South."

The summer Mockingbird Bakery opened, Delta magazine, our regional Vanity Fair, bestowed upon us the honor of "Best Sweet Tea." We had ordered dozens and dozens of those crooked-neck spoons that can hang on the side of an iced tea glass. In the following eighteen months, the spoons had almost all disappeared. I could not imagine they were getting thrown away. I even installed a magnetized trash can cover to catch them. I had scoured the place looking for them. Then one day, in the middle of the lunch rush, I spied a woman deftly swipe her tea spoon into her expensive handbag. As she was a regular customer and well regarded in the community, I decided to let her get away with the petty theft. I was, at the very least, glad that the mystery of the disappearing spoons had been solved. Several days later she returned with her usual luncheon coterie. I'll have you know that when the table was bussed, there was not a single crooked-neck spoon to be found. The next time she lunched with us, the spoons were left behind when she departed. I do not think she had reformed her ways; I think she simply had acquired a service for eight. The rest of the spoons must have been absconded with by similar crooks.

MAKES 3 QUARTS

4 Pitcher-size cold-brew tea bags, or 6 tablespoons orange pekoe tea leaves in a diffuser

¾ cup sugar

Ice cubes

2 lemons, sliced

Fresh mint sprig (optional)

Place the tea bags in a large pitcher. Add 3 quarts cold water, and steep for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water and the sugar. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove the tea bags. Add the sugar mixture and stir to combine. Serve over ice with lemon and fresh mint, if desired.

*NOTES

Lemon juice should be squeezed into tea and the lemon then discarded. The bitterness from the pith will infuse the tea if it is left to wallow in the glass.

*Recipe courtesy of Martha Hall Foose from her book Screen Doors and Sweet Tea (Clarkson Potter, 2008).

Proper Fried Chicken

My Thoughts, at Least

Like country-fried steak, pimiento cheese, and fried catfish, fried chicken is a perilous subject. By even going here I am opening myself up to ridicule. But I have to say this: pan-fried chicken is the best.

Proper fried chicken takes a long time to master. If you want to make good fried chicken, you must make it often and learn the nuances. These are a few universals to guide the novice fry cook.

First, assemble all the tools and ingredients needed before setting out to fry. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels so the crust will adhere and the oil will not splatter. Have the pieces cut in reasonable, comfortable sizes (for instance, cut large chicken breasts in half crosswise to ensure even cooking and that no one gets to bogart the breast). And finally, keep in mind that white meat cooks fast than dark meat.

The best choice for cooking pan-fried chicken is a 10 ½- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet at least 4 inches deep, with a lid or pan to use as cover in conjunction with a wire-mesh splatter guard.

1 (3-pound) chicken, cut up

1 ½ cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 cups vegetable shortening or lard

Soak the chicken in the buttermilk and hot sauce in the refrigerator anywhere from 2 to 8 hours. Drain the chicken in a colander and pat each piece dry with paper towels. Place on a wire rack set over something to catch drips.

When ready to fry, put the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a double paper bag or plastic sack. Working with one piece at a time, shake the chicken in the bag with the flour, turning over and over to coat evenly. Set the coated chicken on the wire rack while continuing to coat the remaining chicken. Let the chicken sit for 10 minutes before frying. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the coating flour if you are going to make gravy and discard the rest.

Set a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with newspaper or paper towels. Heat 1 cup of the shortening in a deep cast-iron skillet to 365 degrees F. The melted shortening needs to be ½ inch deep, or enough to come halfway up the chicken pieces; add more if needed. Gently lower the chicken, skin side down, into the hot oil. Do not crowd the skillet and work in batches, if need be. (Once chicken is added, keep the temperature of the fat at 350 degrees F). Cover with the lid slightly ajar and cook for 6 minutes. Remove the lid and rearrange the pieces, but don't turn them yet. Cover again and let cook for 6 more minutes.

Turn the chicken over and season the cooked side with salt and pepper. Cook uncovered for about 8 minutes for white meat and 12 minutes for dark meat, rearranging halfway through until the crust is deep brown and the chicken is cooked through. Drain on the rack set over paper.

To cut up a chicken, remove the wishbone and split down the back first. Turn breast side up and split down the middle of the breast to cut the chicken into halves. Take one side of the chicken bone side up and split between the breast and the thigh. On the upper portion, cut off the wing and remove the wing tips (save for stock). Separate the ribs from the breast (save them for stock with the wing tips); cut the breast in half crosswise if large. On the lower portion, cut off the back. Cut between the thigh and leg joint. You should now have six pieces of chicken plus the wishbone; repeat with other side of the chicken.

Arranging the chicken in the skillet is close to an art form. Working from the center outward, place the thighs, back, and legs in first. Next come the thicker breast parts pointing inward, and then finally the wings. One small cut-up chicken will fit nicely into a large skillet, but all parts do not cook at the same rate. Beginners may want to start with one cut of chicken at a time until they get the hang of it, all thighs or breasts, etc., or cook the dark and light meat in separate batches.

To make gravy, pour the fat off, leaving browned bits in the pan. Measure 2 tablespoons of drippings and return to the skillet and heat over low. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the coating flour over the hot drippings and cook, scraping up bits and stirring constantly from center to outer edge. Slowly add 1 ½ cups chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, or until desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper. Remember, gravy will thicken as it stands, so err on the side of thinness. I like a long-handled flat-bottomed wooden spoon for gravy making.

*Recipe courtesy of Martha Hall Foose from her book Screen Doors and Sweet Tea (Clarkson Potter, 2008).

Three-Day Slaw

House Party Weekend

The first week of August, in the east-central red-clay hill country of Mississippi, the Neshoba County Fair kicks off. It's known far and wide as the "Giant House Party," and the fairgrounds are transformed into a bustling, albeit temporary, city complete with a post office and even its own zip code. Hundreds of two-story cabins consisting mostly of bunkhouse-style sleeping quarter, a kitchen, and a porch encircle a racetrack where camptown harness races are hotly contested. The pavilion in the square provides a platform for political rivals to give forth with florid oratory. Children and old-timers alike visit from house to house, from sunup to way past sundown during Fair Week, stopping in for a bite here and a drink there.

This slaw will keep well for three or more days. It is great to have on hand throughout a weekend of houseguests.

SERVES 8

1 cup cider vinegar

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 cup corn or vegetable oil

1 small head green cabbage, shredded

1 small white onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 cup shredded, peeled carrot

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard, celery seeds, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the oil. Cool until just warm to the touch, about 30 minutes.

In a large bowl or resealable food storage, combine the cabbage, onion, bell pepper, and carrot. Pour the warm dressing over the cabbage mixture. Cover and marinate for 8 hours, refrigerated, or up to three days.

*NOTES

To freshen the flavor of this slaw or change it during its long run, stir in an apple cut into matchsticks or thinly sliced fennel bulb and orange segments
*Recipe courtesy of Martha Hall Foose from her book Screen Doors and Sweet Tea (Clarkson Potter, 2008).

Sweet Potato Biscuist

Pass the Ham

I made these biscuits the other day for a Biscuit Clinic at a gathering of food-crazed anthropologists, ethnologists, restaurateurs, chefs, good home cooks, and culinary aficionados of all sorts, with a few musicians thrown in for good measure. They lapped them up. Everyone from Paula Deen to Drew Nieporent has fallen for these biscuits.

I have made them fancy, with warm pear chutney and smoked duck dividing the crisp bottom from the tender top. And I have made them not so fancy, day-old with smoked ham and Jezebel Sauce (pg 68) sandwiched inside. If you manage to hide any away, heat them the next day with a little salty country ham and drizzle of came syrup.

MAKES 12 BISCUITS

1 cup mashed baked sweet potato (about 2 medium; see Notes, page 167)

2/3 cup whole milk

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3 ½ teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix the sweet potato, milk, and butter. Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add to the potato mixture. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the sweet potato mixture to form a soft dough. Drop the dough by table-spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a deep golden orange tinged with brown. Serve warm or let cool on a wire rack.

Sweet potatoes should be stored in a dark place at around 50 degrees F for 16 to 24 days.

*Recipe courtesy of Martha Hall Foose from her book Screen Doors and Sweet Tea (Clarkson Potter, 2008).

Banana Pudding

Single Servings

I made this meringue-topped banana pudding for Oprah and her best friend, Gayle. Gayle likes hers warm (both Oprah and I find that strange), and she ate two helpings. The demure Miss Winfrey had a single serving.

SERVES 8

PUDDING

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup cake flour

¼ teaspoon salt

4 large egg yolks

2 cups whole milk

½ vanilla bean, split, or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Freshly grated nutmeg

½ inch piece of cinnamon stick

Quality vanilla wafer cookies or Cordelia's Mother Gwen's Tea Cakes (pg. 217)

4 medium bananas, peeled and sliced

Topping

4 large egg whites

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

5 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

MAKE THE PUDDING. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, bring 2 inches of water to a boil. In a large stainless steel bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in the egg yolks, and then the milk, vanilla bean, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Place the bowl over the pan of water and cook, stirring until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Remove the cinnamon and vanilla bean. If using vanilla extract, stir it in now.

While the pudding is still warm, layer the cookies, bananas, and pudding in 1/2-pint canning jars or ramekins.

Pre heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

MAKE THE TOPPING. Whip the egg whites in an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and slowly increase the speed as the egg whites become opaque. Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the vanilla extract. Whip until the whites form a soft peak. Spoon the meringue over the warm puddings, sealing it to the sides of the jars.

Bake the puddings for 4 minutes, or until the meringue is puffed and brown. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes, and then refrigerate for 2 hours, or until you can't stand it anymore.

*NOTES:

Use nice, ripe bananas. Green ones will make the pudding bitter

Rinse and dry the vanilla bean and reserve it for another use

Don't use the cheap vanilla wafer cookies; banana pudding is no time to be a skinflint

If the meringue looks dry or broken, add an additional egg white and whip briefly.

If you are concerned about undercooked eggs, bake the pudding until the meringue reaches 160 degrees F.

*Recipe courtesy of Martha Hall Foose from her book Screen Doors and Sweet Tea (Clarkson Potter, 2008).