Learn about local food in new Charleston Cooks lunch time series

I received an email from the marketing team at Maverick Kitchens in Charleston inviting me to a preview of their new series of lunchtime classes beginning in Columbia at Charleston Cooks! in Cross Hill Market. The hour-long demonstration classes will focus on regionally grown ingredients and South Carolina Midlands cuisine. Best of all, the classes will be called ... wait for it ... The Carolina Kitchen.

Immediately, I had to call and reserve my spot. How could I not?

So, here is my take on Carolina Kitchen meeting Carolina Kitchen.

Chef Molly Ingham will be leading the classes two or three times a week with sous chef Kim Stone. Both Ingham and Stone are graduates of the University of South Carolina’s intense Culinary Institute Certification and are quite knowledgeable about the history of the ingredients used in the recipes presented. Ingham, especially, is engaging, calling herself a “food nerd” and eliciting questions from those in attendance.

I must admit to scribbling down a half page of tips that I should have known but only half remembered before Ingham mentioned them.

For instance:

▪ Bacon should always be started in a cold pan and fried slowly over low-to-medium heat so that it doesn’t singe or scorch and most of the fat gets rendered out.

▪ The trick to a perfectly boiled egg (just in time for Easter) is to use a pot wide enough so that the eggs are in one layer. Add enough cold water to the pot to cover the eggs by 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil then remove the pot from the heat and cover and let it sit for 10 minutes. Drain and run cold water over the eggs to cool and then refrigerate, preferably overnight. Your boiled eggs should be easy to peel and the yolks a pretty light yellow.

▪ Frying is not as hard as it seems, if you find the “sweet spot” when heating the oil. Use a thermometer when you heat your frying oil (canola, vegetable, lard or bacon fat or peanut oil all have high smoke points) and try to hit the range between 350 and 375 degrees. Any temperature lower than 350 is too low and the food absorbs too much oil. Over 375 and there will be smoke and you’ll burn the food.

I had fun watching the ladies prepare the food: a three-course meal that included water and a glass of wine, the recipes, and when you take the class, a 10 percent discount off any in-store purchase you make that day.

My class consisted of Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs with Fried Oysters; Braised Bacon with Carolina Rice; and Strawberry Tart for dessert.

If this is an example of what folks can expect, and if I can maneuver my way out of the office, you can bet that I will probably return.

Remove the cooked egg yolks from the whites and place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the cheese, pimientos, garlic, horseradish, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire and mayonnaise. Mix thoroughly until combined. Season to taste with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and hot sauce.

Spoon yolk mixture into the egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika and top with a slice of green onion and fried oyster.

Place 2 inches of canola oil in a large sauce pan and preheat to 350 degrees.

Drain oysters in a strainer or colander and rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Place cornmeal and Willie’s Hog Dust in a shallow dish and mix well.

Dredge oysters in cornmeal mixture until well coated.

Working in batches, carefully lower a few breaded oysters into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.

Drain fried oysters on paper towels. Repeat with remaining oysters.

Spread bacon in the bottom of a large saute pan and place over medium heat. Cook undisturbed until the bacon has browned on one side before stirring. Stir the bacon and add the onion and celery and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic, dry mustard, cayenne and paprika and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the rice and cook, stirring to coat, until fragrant and toasted, about 4 minutes.

Use a fork to fluff the rice. Add celery leaves and butter and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 14-inch tart pan with non-stick spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the fours, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Add in 2 tablespoons honey. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture just until combined.

Press the dough evenly in the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake until the crust is golden and set, about 15-17 minutes. Allow the tart crust to cool completely.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the marscapone, milk, 2 tablespoons honey, vanilla and lemon zest.

To assemble the tart: spoon marscapone filling into the tart shell and spread into an even layer. Place strawberries over the filling and brush the remaining honey over the berries.

This story was originally published March 24, 2015 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Learn about local food in new Charleston Cooks lunch time series."