Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009

Adluh Grits Cookoff: Winning recipes

Recipes continue below video player:

Adluh held its 10th annual Adluh Grits Cookoff on Saturday in Columbia. These are the winning recipes.

First Place: Brandon Velie, Juniper restaurant, Ridge Spring

Maple Soy Glazed Manchester Farms Quail Breast Medallions with Gingered Butternut Squash Adluh Grits and Rawl Farms Flash Fried Collards

Serves two

Start the grits about 1 hour before you plan to eat and start the quail in the last five minutes. Collards are quick and can be done at the last minute.

For the quail:

4 boneless quail breast medallions

1/4 cup seasoned flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup

In a saute pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, dip quail in seasoned flour and place in pan. Cook until golden brown, about two minutes, then turn over. Cook for another two minutes and then add soy sauce and maple syrup. Turn the quail over a few times to evenly coat with the sauce. Quail can be cooked for another minute in the sauce or taken off the flame and reheated for service.

For the grits:

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup Adluh stone ground grits

1 teaspoon chicken base or bouillon

1/4 cup cubed, roasted butternut squash

2 tablespoons ground ginger

Salt and pepper to taste

In a small sauce pot, heat milk and butter over medium-high heat until butter is melted. Add grits and stir constantly with a wire whisk for about three minutes. Turn heat to medium low and continue stirring for another 3 minutes. Turn heat to low and stir often until grits start to thicken. Once grits start to thicken, add chicken base and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook until grits are no longer crunchy in texture. Add squash and ginger; heat for five more minutes. This takes about 40-50 minutes. If grits become too thick, thin them with a little additional milk.

For the collards:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup collards, chiffonade (cut in very thin strips)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

In medium saute pan, melt butter over high heat. Once the pan is very hot, add collards and saute for 2 minutes, tossing often. Add vinegar, salt and pepper.

To plate:

Put grits in the middle of plate with two pieces of quail over the top. Drizzle extra sauce over the plate, top with collards and serve.

Second Place: Chef Chris Williams, Lone Star BBQ & Mercantile, Lone Star

Washed Ashore

Serves two

For the grits:

2 1/2 cups Adluh stone gound grits (1/2 white, 1/2 yellow), soaked

5 cups water

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Bring water to boil; whisk in grits. Reduce to low heat. Stir in herbs and cook about 45 minutes. Adjust consistency with heavy cream and season to taste with salt. Finish with parmesan cheese.

For the Pan Roasted Fingerling Potatoes:

1 cup pancetta (Italian bacon), finely diced

16 fingerling potatoes

1 cup chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown pancetta in a large frying pan. Remove meat from pan; leave drippings. Toss and brown potatoes in remaining drippings; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until stock evaporates and potatoes are just tender.

For the Mustard Greens:

1 gallon fresh mustard greens, washed and stemmed

2 tablespoons butter, as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup chicken stock

Saute greens in melted butter until wilted. Add chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes.

For the Lobster:

2 5-ounce lobster tails

2 tablespoons butter

2 ounces brandy

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh thyme, to taste

With a sharp knife, split lobster tails in half. Saute in whole butter. When lightly browned, flambe with brandy. Cover and cook until done throughout, about 4 minutes. When shells are cool enough to handle, remove meat from shell and replace loosely.

For the Asparagus sauce:

1 bunch fresh asparagus

1 cup white wine

2 cups heavy cream

1 shallot, chopped

12 ounces shrimp stock

Salt and pepper to taste

In a deep frying pan, reduce white wine with chopped shallots. Add cream and reduce to half. In a separate pot, blanch and shock asparagus (move asparagus immediately from heat and place in ice cold water). Chop asparagus into one-inch lengths. In a blender, process cooked asparagus with shrimp stock, strain through a cheesecloth, then add to cream. Reduce sauce, season with salt and pepper.

For the Balsamic glaze:

2 cups Balsamic vinegar

1 cup sugar

Up to 4 tablespoons butter, as needed

In a large frying pan over high heat, add the vinegar and sugar. After the sugar melts, lower temperature to medium-high heat and reduce sauce until it forms a glaze. Add butter, one tablespoon at a time. Sauce is done when it has a glossy sheen.

To plate:

Place grits in the center of the dinner plate. Spoon asparagus sauce around grits. Potatoes go to the left side of the plate, greens are placed alongside the potatoes. Drizzle balsamic glaze over potatoes and greens. Place lobster tail on top of greens and grits. Serve.

Third Place: Robert Segal Smith, corporate chef for IFH Food Distributors, Florence

Sweet Potato and Duck Grits Cake with Bacon and Onion Jam

Serves two

For the Sweet Potato:

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

1/2 cups heavy cream

2 ounces butter

Salt and pepper

Cook the sweet potato in a pot of boiling salted water. When tender, drain and mash potatoes. Combine the mashed potatoes with cream, butter, salt and pepper.

For the grits:

2 cups heavy cream

6 cups water

Salt

2 cups Adluh white stone-ground grits

Bring cream, salt and water to a boil. Stir in grits and cook until tender.

For the grits cake:

1/2 roasted duck, deboned and diced

Add the mashed sweet potatoes to the cooked grits and mix in the duck meat. Let cool and form into cakes.

For Bacon and Onion Jam:

1 lb. sliced bacon, diced

2 onions, sliced

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup duck stock

3 ounces honey

Salt and pepper

Cook the bacon until crisp; remove from pan; set aside. In the bacon fat, saute onions until translucent. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in brown sugar. Add duck stock and cook down until most of the liquid is gone. Take off the heat, add the bacon and honey. Blend with a stick blender or in a food processor.

To plate:

Smear a large spoonful of onion jam on plate. Place grits cake on top. For the contest, this was served with sides of sauteed mushrooms and Napa cabbage that was sauteed with caraway seed and onion.

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