Pimento Cheese Shrimp & Grits
Posted by Callies Biscuits on
Pimento Cheese Shrimp & Grits
Ingredients
- - 4 servings grits
- 4 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup homemade or high quality pimento cheese (hint, hint)
- 1/2 pound sliced bacon
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, rinsed, peeled, and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
1. Make the grits. The last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the butter and pimento cheese. Keep warm.
1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet. remove from the pan, drain on a paper bag, crumble and set aside.
1. Drain off and set aside half the bacon drippins from the skillet (about 2 tablespoons), and add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic to the remaining drippins. Cook on medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes, then place in oven for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through.
1. Spoon out the tomatoes and set aside to keep warm. Pour the reserved bacon drippins into the pan, add the shrimp, and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes, just until pink.
1. Turn the shrimp and return the tomatoes to the pan. Cook a minute or two, until cooked through. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
1. Spoon the shrimp and tomatoes over the grits. Top with cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, and green onions.
Be sure not to overcook the shrimp – that's what gives them a tough or chewy texture! - Carrie Morey
Slow Cooker Grits
Posted by Callies Biscuits on
This is a Christmas tradition for our family, but it’s so delicious, you aren’t going to want to limit yourself to one night a year. We put grits in the slow cooker on Christmas Eve right before setting out cookies for Santa. When we wake up, the grits are done! I serve them with chopped bacon, chopped green onions, and grated cheese. Since we have guests coming and going all day, this serves as a one-pot meal we can eat at our leisure without requiring any to-do.
Slow Cooker Grits
Ingredients
- - 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
- 2 cups coarse-grind grits (not instant or quick-cooking!)
- 10 cups water or stock
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Optional: 1 cup milk, warmed
Instructions
- 1. Use 2 tablespoons of the butter to coat the inside of the slow cooker, coming halfway up the sides.
1. Add the grits, the remaining butter, and the water or stock, and give it a good stir. Cover. Set on low for 8 to 10 hours.
1. When the grits are cooked, stir in salt and pepper to taste. Loosen with the milk if too thick.
1. If you wish, serve with one or more of the toppings.
Toppings
- - Chopped cooked bacon
- Chopped green onions
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
"This serves as a one-pot meal we can eat at our leisure without requiring any to-do."
Alex's Chocolate Chess Pie
Posted by Callies Biscuits on
I love this pie, and I love this story. Alex and I were friends in college and then roommates in New York when I met my husband, John. I give Alex and her pie a good bit of credit for John’s and my whirlwind romance. After only two weeks of dating I was ready for John to meet my friends. None of my friends in New York ever had any- body over to their apartments for supper, since we were all single and living in tiny cubbyholes—but I was determined to host a dinner party. I made roast chicken, rice and gravy, and fried okra. Alex said she would make a chess pie. (There are many theories as to the origin of the name “chess pie,” but my favorite is that it evolved from people call- ing it “jes pie,” as in “just” a simple pie.)
As we sat finishing up the meal around the grandly set coffee table, Alex went and got the chess pie. When she asked John if he’d like a piece of pie, John said, “No thank you.” Well, I wasted no time in kicking him pretty hard under the table. Alex had gone out of her way to make this pie for his visit, and he was being rude not accepting a piece! Later, John told me, “That’s the day I knew you were going to be my wife.” Apparently he didn’t mind and in fact was delighted by a strong minded woman who would put him in his place when necessary. And he does the same thing to me. Chess pie is now a family tradition John wouldn’t dare pass up. And we continue to kick each other under the table—when necessary.
Alex's Chocolate Chess Pie
Ingredients
- - 1 recipe Mama's Butter Piecrust, prepared and placed in a 9 inch, 2 inch deep, pie dish
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 4 large eggs, well beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Serving suggestion: whipped cream or ice cream
Instructions
- 1. Fit the dough into a 9 inch deep dish pie dish. Trim and crimp the edges.
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
1. Melt the butter and pour into a bowl. Add the sugar and mix well. Stir in the cocoa and flour. Add the eggs, mixing well. Stir in the vanilla. Pour into the piecrust. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 minutes.
1. Remove the foil and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until the top stops jiggling and the surface barely moves.
1. Let cool completely on a rack before serving with whipped cream or ice cream.
"Chess pie is now a family tradition John wouldn’t dare pass up." – Carrie Morey
Savory Roasted Pecans
Posted by Callies Biscuits on
We at Callie's Hot Little Biscuit consider these pecans an entertaining essential - a cocktail nut with just the right mix of salt and spice. Nuts can be very expensive, but they last forever in the freezer, so I buy them less expensively in bulk during the harvest season and pull them out when I need them.
Let us do the work. Shop them pre-made here!
Savory Roasted Pecans
Ingredients
- - 16 ounces pecan halves
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
1. Coat the pecans in the butter. Combine the salt, pepper, red pepper, chili powder, paprika, and cumin in a heavy paper bag. Add the pecans and shake to coat well.
1. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant.
1. Let cool and store in an air tight container.
Note:
- For a smoky flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika to the seasonings. You can also use the same process and substitute different spices to fit the theme of your party or the rest of your menu. For example, use grated lemon zest and thyme leaves instead of the spicy ingredients, or use coriander instead of cumin and substitute pistachios for the pecans.
In the South, pecans are certainly a staple!
Cast Iron Party Shrimp
Posted by Callies Biscuits on
My mother adapted this from a Paul Prudhomme recipe and taught it to me, and it was one of the first things I fixed for friends when I was living on my own and just starting to have people over. This dish is served right out of the skillet with warm bread, and it blends Southern and French flavors: the skillet and shrimp on one hand and the French bread and stock on the other. It’s so easy, yet somehow it feels sophisticated to have everyone gathered around, eating right from the skillet with their bread sopping up the liquid, very European with an effortless sort of elegance. Skillets are considered no-nonsense workhorses in the kitchen, but their versatility and simple design makes them immanently stylish and table worthy.
Cast Iron Party Shrimp
Ingredients
- - 4 dozen medium/large shell on shrimp (about 2 pounds)
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) plus 2 to 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 to 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup shrimp stock or chicken stock
- 3/4 cup beer, at room temperature
- French baguettes, warmed
Instructions
- 1. Make the seasoning mix: Combine all the ingredients.
1. Rinse the shrimp and drain well.
1. Melt the 1/2 pound butter in a cast iron or other large, heavy skillet. Add the garlic, Worcestershire, and seasoning mix. Do not stir, but shake the pan back and forth for about 3 minutes.
1. Add the remaining 2 to 4 tablespoons butter (or to taste or preference) and stock and cook 2 minutes. Add the beer and cook 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let rest for 3 minutes.
1. Swish the shrimp in the pan sauce and serve with warmed baguettes.
Dry Seasoning Mix
- - 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano