Fun in the Kitchen with Pot Pies

Today, in the heart of August heat, a heavy wave of rain and dark, cooling skies presented an unexpected and perfect day for braising tough meats for tender pies. In the photo, a braised artisinal pork shank stewed with fresh figs, and finished with sweet spring onions and cubes of sweet potatoes. The exotic aromas of cinnamon and cloves danced through my kitchen while I finished the second recipe test for Pot au Feu Pot Pies. These showcased long, slow braised grass- fed pot roast (cut) beef from River Run Farms here in SC, and local, seasonal carrots, baby potatoes and heirloom grape tomatoes from Charleston's farmers' market. Hot pepper flakes and a final splash of ketchup really perked things up. These will be featured in my upcoming book, "Tarts", to be published by Gibbs Smith and photographed by Helene Dujardin. As always, bon appetit, and happy weekend.

Charleston Chef's Table Cookbook Book Review

Check out this link for this nice review on the book:

http://www.pettprojects.com/brherrick.html

FISH Swimming In Excellent Waters

In the decade since its inception, FISH has experienced several waves of change. New chef's faces, altered menu "themes," and a sea of new competitors on what's become a very crowded and delicious restaurant corridor on upper King. The restaurant proves that hard work, honing, and upping the ante will ultimately right the ship. FISH is rolling along at full steam these days. No longer floundering in occasional bouts of mediocrity, the restaurant is in full-on excellent mode under the talent infused leadership of Executive Chef Nico Rimo and his professional staff.

Rimo's a native of Lyon, France and a recent recipient of the rare and much coveted Master Chef of France (Maitre Cuisinier de France) award. A recent visit to FISH proves that awards follow excellence, not the other way around. Rimo's brand new summer menu is awash in fresh and local goodness, one of FISH's most ardent and enduring mantras since day one. Somehow, Rimo brings it all to a new level with a simple menu of petite plates, dim sum, cheese plates, soup/salads, a short list of sides and "large plates," each of which reflect his love of all preparations Asian and French.

His infusion of the two marry beautifully across the board, but dock especially neatly in the dim sum (choose four for $6) berth of the menu. A creamy, almost French center of chunky crab wrapped by a crisp, super hot wonton is nestled in a pert, plum sauce. Arranged beautifully on a long, rectangular white plate divided into four sections, it competed for attention with a cold, ultra crisp and fresh spring roll in a verdant pool of cilantro and mint and a mellow balloon of steamed Chinese bun filled with butter-tender shards of duck confit. Execution of each of the dim sum and their sauces was of the highest caliber.

These were preceded with a small basket, lined with a reproduction of a French newspaper, of freshly fried bread. The bread tasted like a combination of brioche and beignet and melted like hot pockets in my mouth, kicked into an even higher gear with the cayenne laced, fruity dipping sauce. Fun yet contained, this is one of the sweetest, most whimsical bread baskets around town.

Fresh from the sea scallops ($20) is a must-have dish here. The summer menu's version has the virginal white gems perched atop a bed of coconut rice and peas with an impeccable, fragrant beurre blanc. I also enjoyed the naked fish (market price), a fat wedge of firm, buttery black grouper over a bed of sauteed wild mushrooms threaded with crisp, fresh green beans.

The addition of extra seating in FISH's most recent renovation is welcome. The large dining room off to the right of the entrance is awash with sophisticated, cooling maritime touches, including a wave of cobalt blue votive candles arranged on one wall, and muted mirrors on another. Comfortable banquettes, sporting a checkered pattern of cream and aqua-hued patches are sophisticated and comfortable and flank the dining room with a welcome hush that's suited for a quiet, romantic dinner as much as a night out with friends.

FISH offers an abbreviated yet complex wine menu with something for all tastes and budgets and the excellent staff proves its knowledge in pairing with well-trained panache and a refreshing air of pleasantry.

FISH
442 King Street, downtown Charleston
(843) 722-3474
www.fishrestaurant.net

Saturday Night Special at the Fox Swamp

As reliable as blueberries in June and corn in July, Ryan Kacenjar can be found roaming the aisles of the Charleston Farmers Market early every Saturday morning. Clad in his chef's jacket with notepad in hand and creativity in mind, the Swamp Fox Restaurant Chef de Cuisine seeks out just the right stuff for the Farmers Market Dinner. He prepares these dinners every Saturday night during farmers market season at the restaurant, which is situated in the Francis Marion Hotel, a stone's throw from the farmers market itself.

I ran into him last Saturday, a full year since I first found out about his market inspired menu, and found him fawning over Kennerty Farm heirloom carrots, his eyes bright, his smile wide, and his enthusiasm infectious. "I love shopping at and cooking from the market," Kacenjar said. I mentioned to him that I've been meaning to sample his market fare, and decided that it would be the perfect dinner event to share with some out of town guests I was hosting for the weekend. So, we made reservations right there at the market and anticipated the meal for most of the day.

The restaurant looks like you might expect; a kind of half-way house between a hotel guest breakfast buffet and a casual evening dining space. Clean and attractive, however, it also boasts very pleasant live jazz piano music on Friday and Saturday evenings. Our service was very efficient and our waitress was friendly and professional.

True to form, the four course ($29 each) market menu showcased many of the same gems we'd spied at the market that morning. The first course soup prepared with roasted, pureed red beets from Owl's Nest Farm was stunning in its simplicity and perfect execution. The lightly seasoned broth tasted purely of the sweetness of red beets and was brilliant in color. Chef Kacenjar topped it with thin slices of roasted yellow beets, house cured Atlantic Salmon and a dollop of Tiverton Farm garlic chive creme fraiche. Kacenjar's butter and honey enriched corn bread was served hot in mini-cast iron skillets and was an idyllic foil to the idyllic soup.

The "house" pimento cheese was served too cold to really taste and had a decidedly non-farmers market, mass-produced look to it, but it got some tasty local flavor injection from Raychelle's Fresh Pickle Works pickled vegetable garnishes.

The dinner was completed with thick, marinated then seared wedges of roasted River Run Farm beef served with the carrots the chef had been raving about that morning, and orbs of sweet, delicious potatoes and butter-tender roasted eggplant. Dessert ended a delightful evening with rich slices of pound cake baked with sweet/tart Owl's Nest Plums and Shuler Farm nectarines sandwiching a fluffy vanilla bean Chiboust.

All in all, good stuff and definitely worth a Saturday night special visit. Kacenjar's palpable enthusiasm for his hard work adds an extra sweetness to the pot for no extra fee, and then, there is that lovely piano music and views of beautiful Marion Square. The regular menu is also available and it includes a version of chicken 'n dumplings that would put some grandmothers' cooking to shame.

Swamp Fox Restaurant & Bar
The Francis Marion Hotel
337 King Street, downtown Charleston
SwampFox@thefrancismarion.com

(843) 724-8888
Reservations are requested.

Embracing Seasonal Inspiration and Recipe Liberation

It's ironic that I write cookbooks and recipes for a living. That's because I don't really believe in them, at least not as a set of rules, but rather as a template for cooking. I'm adamant about that. It's not really cooking when you're burying your nose in a flour-covered book by your cutting board. That's following directions. Real cooking, and the fun and the art of cooking, is free-flow creation. The first step towards getting there is understanding basic formulas/ratios and technique. The "big picture", as I call it, first came together for me at Le Cordon Bleu. But, there are other sources for home cooks to learn these instrumentals whether it be cookbooks (my new favorite is Ratio by Michael Ruhlman) or local cooking classes. I'm constantly urging anyone who asks to go there, because that's when the fun really begins.

For me, the most inspiring source for recipe creation and cooking is the weekly farmers market here in Charleston. Last Saturday morning, I had the pleasure of leading a group of 11 students through stands rife with ripe blueberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn and all the delicious fresh gems of a hot South Carolina June.

I felt like the pied piper leading my merry little band of curious cooks to find the perkiest produce to make into a meal once we returned to Charleston Cooks! for the actual class. We put our heads together at each stop, deciding what we each liked and wanted to prepare. We came back with blueberries, blackberries, lemon cucumbers, baby heirloom tomatoes, a bundle of fresh basil, spring onions, artisinal four cheese ravioli, fresh corn, patty pan squash, flounder, goat cheese, and squash blossoms. Thankfully, my able assistants Emily and Season (don't you just love that name?) were on hand to help us carry it all.

Back at the school, it was time to get cooking. We grouped the products together in little piles for each dish I envisioned as I was driving back to the school. The menu ended up being a blackberry/blueberry pie with fresh whipped cream, Corn, Bacon and Green Onion Chowder, Flash Cooked Tomato Basil Sauce for the ravioli, Chevre-Stuffed Squash Blossoms, Pickled Lemon Cucumbers, and Sauteed Flounder with Patty Pan Squash. Everyone of my motley crew, which ranged in age from 14 to 60+ and who came from all over, got into the act. Each one was so excited to cook with what we had found at the market. This is part of what makes farmers market shopping so thrilling. You do the shopping and make the decisions and then you have the joy of cooking and then eating it! By the end of the two-hour class, we all got to experience that together. And, I think the students got one step closer to more enjoyable, more delicious cooking.

As you travel down a similar path, consider using your local farmers market as your culinary muse. Pick only what's freshest and seasonal and also something you like. Sometimes, consider picking something new, too. Then, think about what products make sense in a flavor/texture marriage. Plug in your imagination and as much technique as you possess and you're pretty much ready to roll.

Happy Cooking!

Charleston Cooks!
194 East Bay Street
Charleston, SC
(843) 722-1212
www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com

Charleston Farmers Market
Marion Square, downtown
Charleston, SC
Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., April - December

Kids and Food - Keep It Fun and Fresh

Wednesday afternoons at Le Cordon Bleu were always my favorite days when I was a student there. That's because Wednesday was kids day. In Paris, kids under a certain age get Wednesday afternoon off from school. Every Wednesday, a parade of peppy kids would bounce through the hallowed halls of LCB to cook, stir, and get their hands into food - real food, not the processed kind.

I loved watching the chefs working with them through the glass of my "pratique" kitchen. Everyone was always having a great time and I got such a thrill out of seeing children understand the joy of cooking, and consequently the joy of eating. They were developing a respect for food that will likely last them a life time, and, in a way that some might consider ironic, not a single one of these kids was overweight.

I don't think it's ironic at all. In my mind, introducing kids to different types of fresh foods and to hands-on food preparation is one of the biggest keys in preventing rampant over-eating. That's because, in this way, many good things naturally happen. Kids develop a palate and desire for fresh vegetables and a well-balanced diet, cooking for them is fun, and food is not a foe or an enemy that has to be analyzed and dissected. They learn that food and cooking is a pleasure, and like all pleasures, it should be balanced and not abused.

That's why I was absolutely thrilled to join Louis Yuhasz and a group of ten children participating in his Louie's Kids organization last week in preparing a healthy cooking class/dinner. The non-profit, Charleston-based group is dedicated to helping obese kids lose weight through diet, education, exercise, and more. Louis gathered his biggest weight-loss winners last week to celebrate their victory at a glamorous (generously donated) beach house on Isle of Palms, to play and run on the beach, and to cook and eat with me and my assistant, Sharon.

Watching the kids views on foods evolve through the 40-minute cooking class was fascinating. One girl stated an emphatic "I hate squash!" when I told her we would be working with spaghetti squash to go with the fresh tomato sauce that was also on the menu. I heard a few sighs when the kids saw the whole wheat pasta, too. But, as soon as we got underway and everyone got involved either in chopping or talking and asking questions, imaginative doors started opening and the excitement mounted as we started plating the food. By the end, everyone was talking so excitedly and loudly that I couldn't hear myself talk.

Out went the pasta (two types - wheat and rice), squash, a green salad with a fresh orange vinaigrette, garlic butter and bread, and fruit salad tossed with honey and lemon over Greek yogurt. The best part for a chef like me was to see that the kids were ecstatic about the food. The oldest, a high school student named John, exclaimed, "Miss Holly that's the BEST salad I've ever had. When I'm rich and famous I want you to be my personal chef."

That was great enough, but to have several others tell me they were going to cook these dishes at home, was the best. I left that house feeling as joyful as I did watching kids cook at LCB, maybe even more so. And, guess what, everyone sampled the squash. Not just because Louis encouraged them to do so, but because they wanted to.

www.louieskids.org

Charleston's Latest French Quarter

First there was Rue, then there was La Fourchette, and now, sandwiched neatly between these two French restaurants on/near Upper King Street, we have the lovely Macaroon Boutique. Open just a month and owned by French and French-trained (the old school way, starting at age 14) Chef Fabrice Rizzo, the space is a gleaming, delicious ode to the stuff the French do better than anyone in the world - croissants, pain au chocolat, bread, and of course, macaroons, in all their meringue and pastel-colored glory.

As a bona fide Francophile and huge fan of warm, fresh bread and pastries, I couldn't be happier to have these perfect and much-needed additions to Charleston's culinary choices. Beautiful bubbles of fresh, endlessly flaky puff pastry practically call "Pick me!" out loud from their pretty glass cases. The apple turnover and pain au chocolat I sampled were simply impeccable - a light as air, artfully compiled, and easily the best in town.

Chef Rizzo was buzzing about in his kitchen, peaking in and out from time to time to chat with customers. One of these, a Euro-type dressed all in black entered with a breezy "bonjour" and then asked, in English, if the restaurant served coffee. "Non," was the proud but polite response. Why, asked the Euro-type? "Because I don't think it's my job." Simple enough. Apparently, Chef Rizzo would rather invest his time and energy in perfecting his pastries than steaming lattes prepared with 2% milk and faux sugar.

If you're aching for one of the shop's exquisite macaroons, don't come in on Tuesday morning, as I did. The shop is closed on Monday and they were not yet out of the oven. Macaroon choices include almond, caramel, chocolate, coconut, hazelnut praline and more and come in a pack of assorted flavors (6 small, $6.60, 2 large, $4).

Seeking a taste of Paris without leaving home? The Macaroon Boutique should be your first stop.

Macaroon Boutique
45 John Street
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 577-5441
www.macaroonboutique.com